Using Your DVD Home Theater System
Do you remember the Betamax-VHS war? If you do, youve been around long enough to see how vastly home entertainment has changed. Betamax died a short, agonizing death and the VCR became the undisputed ruler of home theater. Its reign was long and popular, but the VCR format definitely had its drawbacks. Bulky video cartridges that took up more space than your entire bookshelf, and broken, frayed tapes that were eaten by the player are just two of these routine annoyances.
The times have turned again with the advent of the DVD home theater system. Digital video disks (DVDs) made their debut in 1995-1996. To make the transition even more palatable, some of the electronic kings Philips, Sony and Toshiba along with movie studios came to an agreement on DVD standards that brought uniformity to the technology. By the time DVD home theater systems moved into your living room, these DVDs looked just like music compact disks (CDs) and computer CD-ROMs. One important difference is that your DVD home theater systems are able to store at least seven times the amount of data that a music CD can hold. For you, this means that you can watch Gone With the Wind all three hours of it- without changing disks.
How Do I Use It?
Using your DVD home theater system isnt difficult. In fact, more than ten million American homes use this technology. Your system is further enhanced by the use of AC-3, a digital version of Dolby Surround Sound. Youll find that AC-3 uses digital compression to provide CD-quality sound in as many as five surround channels; left, center, right, and separate right and left rear channels. Theres even a sixth channel for a low-frequency subwoofer. Your DVD home theater system will deliver extraordinary sound quality as well as cinema-quality video reproduction.
Fortunately, you dont have to be an electronic genius to operate and enjoy your DVD home theater system. All the technological work has been done for you; you dont have to understand it to use and enjoy it. But you should know the industrys buzz words like AC-3 and Dolby Surround Sound when you purchase your system. This lets the electronics salesman know that youre not a techno-idiot and you want your moneys worth without a lot of sales talk. You may not know how it works, but you do know what you need.
Yes, youre going to have to read the manual. However, even these how-to guides have become more user friendly. You do need to have patience in setting up your equipment; your DVD home theater system isnt a toaster. But it is an investment for you and your family unless all you need are re-runs of inane reality shows.
These range in price of ,000 to ,000.
Home Theater System Wiring Diagram
, professional, amateurs, tinkerers and enthusiasts.
Make sure the unit is equipped with the input you need, whether from a DVD player, a television or a computer. With the coming of Media Center PC that allows you to play and record TV shows as well as take charge of controlling every aspect of the home theater, a PC cabinet may also be added to the home theater entertainment center. One of the basic concepts of having a home theater is being able to watch movies at home, in comfort. When you have all of the pieces of the electronics in place, meaning the screen, the projectors, and all of the movie playing equipment, along with the speakers, you will need to find home theater seating to have in your home theater. Betamax died a short, agonizing death and the VCR became the undisputed ruler of home theater.
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