The Home Cinema Guide
- Home Theater Setup Tips, HDTV Buyer Guide, Surround Sound Speakers and More..
Interested in home cinema equipment? Want advice on your home theater setup?
Don't know where to start?
That's easy, start here!
- Best LCD TV
- HDTV Buyer Guide
- Plasma and LED TV
- AV Receivers
- Surround sound speakers
- Blu-ray players.....and more!
Welcome to the Home Cinema Guide
Home cinema (also known as home theater or home theatre) has never been more affordable. Today, for a relatively small amount of money, we can get a system at home that looks and sounds absolutely stunning.
But it's all so complicated right? All the techno-babble makes your head spin?
Well, it doesn't have to be that way!
Here you can find everything that you need from simple buying advice to clear home theater setup information.
Helping Hand
If you see a technical word you don't understand - don't panic!
Technical terms have been highlighted in purple.
Hover over the word to get an explanation - or click on the word and go to the home cinema guide glossary (use your back button to return to where you were).
The glossary is your friend!
Don't know your 5.1 from your subwoofer?
This buyer guide is here to make the technology easy to understand. There are so many people out there who like to make it complicated - to make it seem like rocket science.
We hear one thing from one person and the opposite from someone else.
If you are looking for the best LCD TV,
or investigating the new Blu-ray players, you can spend weeks on the internet doing research into the right equipment - or going into shops and coming out more confused than when you went in.
Do you know, all this technology is supposed to be fun!
Don't know your screen resolution from your aspect ratio?
If you've got a simple question then you can get a simple answer........
- What is high-definition TV exactly? (Answer: it's FANTASTIC!)
- Why do I need surround sound? (Answer: you don't - but you'll never go back once you've heard it!)
........well, ok, I'll try and give slightly better answers than that! (give me a chance - I'm only just getting started).
It's hard to find the information we need - and harder still to find it in plain English. So if you have some questions in need of simple answers, then you've come to the right place.
What I will do is explain the jargon in simple terms and tell you why it is important. You will then have all you need to make a buying decision. Without this information you could end up making an expensive mistake..............and we don't want that do we?
Once you've decided what you need, you can also find advice here on how to set up your system.
What Is Home Cinema?
Home Cinema or Theater?
Depending on where you live in the world, the term home cinema may not be familiar. In North America for instance, the term used is home theater (also known elsewhere, as home theatre).
These terms all mean the same thing!
This guide can also be used for researching home theater systems, and in most cases the information will be exactly the same. Some of the technical information may vary slightly, but where relevant I will try to point out the differences when they occur.
Contact me if you see anything which is wrong for your particular country - and if possible I will update the information.
So, what is home cinema exactly? Well, it can be whatever we want it to be and it's difficult to put one definition on it.
It is really just a general term for having a home entertainment system that can give us a similar viewing experience to going to a real cinema.
In its simplest terms, we would normally have a large screen display of some description (often a plasma/LCD TV or a projector) and a sound system which is better than the speakers on your average TV.
For some people, the home theater experience requires a dedicated room with custom-made furniture, motorized screens and speakers that create the impression of a small earthquake in your house! But, as with most things in life, size isn't everything - and we don't discriminate here.
So, no matter if you're just trying to find out what an HDMI cable is (and if you need one), or if you want to build a setup that requires you to hire staff before you can show a movie - this guide has something for everybody.
Where Do I Start?
The various types of equipment that make up a typical home cinema system have been divided into categories. These can be found on the navigation bar on the left.
Browse through the headings and go to the areas that interest you. You will find more detailed information from there. The categories are:
Display
Everything you need to know about showing the image. Want to find the best flat screen TV? The HDTV buyer guide is here to help. HDTV, 1080p, 1080i, 720p and aspect ratios are all explained here.
Introduction to Display Types - Best HDTV Buyer Guide
Introduction to LCD TVs - Best LCD TV Buyers Guide
Introduction to Plasma TVs - Plasma TV Guide
Introduction to LED TVs - LED TV Guide
Sound
Everything you need to know about hearing the sound. 5.1, 7.1, surround sound speakers, subwoofers - it's all here.
Introduction to Surround Sound Systems
Introduction to the Surround Sound Receiver
Introduction to Stereo Receivers
Introduction to Surround Sound Speakers
Introduction to the All-In-One Home Theater System - Choosing an HTiB
Input Devices
Everything you need to know about the different input devices you may want to connect to your home theater setup.
Introduction To Blu-ray Players
Accessories
There are a whole host of extras that play an important part in setting up a home cinema system. The following guides give you the low down on areas that are easy to forget about:
Understanding Home Theater Wiring
Flat Screen TV Wall Mount Guide
Guide to Flat Screen TV Stands and Cabinets
Home Theater Seating and Furniture - Guide to Seats and Chairs
Can't find what you are looking for?
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