lockergnome asked:


live.pirillo.com - One of the callers from the 888-PIRILLO line is having trouble connecting his home theater system to his PC. He can hear sounds coming from it, but when he plays games and such, he's not getting surround sound.

Darren

Dean Caporella asked:




Getting your home theater set up correctly from the outset will save you a lot of frustration and cost. Calibration services are a sensible way to go if you don't have any experience in setting it up.

The set up process includes planning the lay out of your room with things such as where to place the television, the speakers, the furniture or whether you have enough power outlets in the area.

Home Theater HDTV

High definition television is a must today for any set up. What's the point of spending thousands of dollars on establishing your showpiece and then putting in a non high definition tv to drive it. Doesn't make sense.

Okay, budget is going to restrict some but in all honesty, the television should be just about the first thing you give consideration to once you've got your room layout.

What size tv? Some may say this is not important but we're thinking big in this article so how about going "the whole way" and grabbing yourself a 100 inch HDTV? You want the effect of cinema viewing and a big unit is going to go a long way to giving you this.

Home Theater Speakers

It's a little unsightly to have speakers just sitting in the room and giving it a cluttered appearance. Why not investigate the possibility of having them hidden.

This may take a little planning if you are renovating an existing room in your home but for those building a house from scratch, a hidden surround speaker system makes good sense.

Accessories

Furniture comes under the banner of accessories and seating can only enhance your viewing experience. We're talking true theater seating and a look online will net you plenty of avenues to purchase seating as part of your set up.

Your lighting and curtains need to be automated. At least that's what I told my better half! Realistically, if you are going to do this right then full automation is required. You are trying to create a true entertainment experience.

To take it a step further, luxuries such as a lighted fiber-optic ceiling can only add an extra dimension to your set up.

Have we gone overboard? Perhaps, but this article is only meant to show you what's possible. How about a fully integrated home theater system throughout the entire home? We'll save that for another time.

Franklin

landonm11 asked:


i have a lot of speakers lying around the house and need to find some use for them!

Lloyd

Michael Lastun asked:




First step after you decided to have theater speakers at home is to choose the suitable product. Speakers can have various shapes and characteristics and some of them are pintable. There are two kinds of on wall home theater speakers. The round speakers are usually integrated in ceiling and rectangular speakers suit better in walls.

Ceiling speakers are usually easier to integrate in the room decoration and have to be disposed symmetrical to provide an excellent background frequency response. On wall home theater speakers take up more space and should be situated at ear level, but usually their sound is better than in ceiling speakers. For best performance it is recommended to use stereo pairs of on wall speakers. But ceiling speakers should have mono signal, otherwise the sound will not have a uniform coverage. For small rooms the most suitable are speakers with dual voice coils and inputs for each channel. So, with a single stereo speaker, you may listen into your bathroom great quality music.

After you choose the rooms where yow want to install your speakers, you can set-up your multi-room speaker system as single zone or multiple zone system. In a multi zone system you can listen to different kind of music in separate room in the same time. You may control this system with a special remote control or you can choose to be helped by a touch screen. Touch screens are easily to work with, and are very helpful when you want to manage different sound sources from each room or to compensate the loss of high frequency response in a less acoustic place.

The in ceiling or on wall home theater speakers are generally easy to install but for sophisticated sound system it is better to consult qualified professional for assistance.

Florence

Ben Anton asked:




With over 500 models of home theater speakers available through a generous number of high and low-end brands, many consumers rely on salesperson to lead them in the right direction. Consumers with only a limited budget will undoubtedly flock to the cheapest option available to suit there needs. This however, nearly always results in a less than ideal sound system that fails to meet the expectations or needs of the owner. It is therefore a good idea to educate one's self on the best brands, speaker styles and specifications that will fit a home's needs before making a choice.

A home theater speaker system is typically made up of a front speaker, left and right speaker, a center-channel speaker, a pair of surrounds, and a subwoofer. A home owner may mix-and-match components but help from a professional is advised to make sure the speakers are all compatible. These speaker types come in varying sizes, sound output and design. The following are the types of styles in which these speakers may be found:

Floor-Standing speakers are the largest home theater speakers available. They can be shifted around the theater area or be moved to another home.

Bookshelf or Cabinet speakers stand independently, just like floor standing speakers, but are smaller and can be placed on or in entertainment centers or shelving to save space.

In-Wall speakers require no floor space, and can disappear if matching the walls. Their quality is usually very good, but they need professional installation and wiring.

On-Wall speakers are recommended for use with a flat-panel television. They provide exceptional sound as well as a pleasing aesthetic component.

Home theater owners or designers must determine the listening requirements and preferences for a specific room in order to create a quality home theater space. Room size and layout are important factors as this will dictate the speaker configuration. Logistics like electrical outlet placement, room size, and usable room space strongly affect the type of equipment that can and should be put in the room.

Home theater speakers are available in many sizes. However not all sizes are meant for all rooms. Large speakers are not advantageous for small rooms because they will need to be played at a much lower volume. This may cause distortion to the audio. Lower quality small speakers used in large spaces may produce a tinny or thin sound if they are unable to produce enough sound at a decent output level. Speakers of similar size may differ greatly in their sound output or reproduce different levels of sound unequally so it is very important to listen to various speaker brands and sizes and compare them before buying.

Speakers are available in a variety of encasement types - natural or laminated wood, metal, and occasionally plastic, but often preferences may be limited by brand or model. Speakers are as varied as tennis shoes so make sure you try on several and know how they fit into your home theater before making a purchase.

~ Ben Anton, 2008

Tyrone