HELP DESK
Choose your components carefully
By Kim Komando
Gannett News Service
Turning your living room into a home theater is a balancing act. If you don't buy the right components, you could end up with an unnecessarily expensive and unsatisfactory experience.
The modern home theater generally consists of a television, DVD player and surround sound audio. Before purchasing anything, sketch out a crude floor plan with measurements.
This will help you decide the size of the television to buy. You'll want to sit at a distance three times the width of the screen. For example, if your couch is 8 feet from the television, a 32-inch television will do fine. Sit too close to a large television and the resolution will be poor.
If you purchase an HDTV (high-definition television), you can cut the distance in half.
The three most common types of television sets are direct view, rear projection and plasma/liquid crystal display (LCD).
Direct view television sets are the least expensive. Rear projection sets are more expensive and take up a lot of space. Plasma/LCD sets are thin and expensive — $3,000 to $30,000.
The television's input and output connections are important to picture quality. Composite video connections produce a decent picture. An S-video connection gives a better picture. For eye-popping results, you'll want a television with component connections. Determine the size of the set, your budget and choose accordingly.
DVD players are abundant and cheap. You can pick one up for as little as $50. That's OK for the kids' room but not for home theater. A progressive scan DVD player will provide the clearest picture.
The video outputs should correspond with your television inputs. If you purchased a TV with composite inputs, don't go for a DVD player with only S-video outputs. You'll also want a DVD player with high-quality audio outputs.
Digital coaxial audio outputs provide the best sound, while 5.1 channel outputs are the next best option. Avoid purchasing a DVD player with only stereo output.
With the proper audio setup, you'll duck for cover the first time you watch a "Terminator" movie. You should have a minimum of five speakers — a center speaker, left and right front speakers and two rear (surround) speakers. For a bigger experience, consider adding a subwoofer.
A home-theater-in-a-box is a good buy. These run $200 to $3,000 and some include a DVD player.
There are several advantages: The sets are reasonably priced, the speakers tend to be small and they're easy to install.
You may want your video game console, VCR or digital cable/satellite plugged into your audio receiver. Make sure the system has enough ports for your needs.
If you want sound that will double as a stereo system, purchase everything separately. First, you'll need an A/V receiver. Prices range from $200 to $3,000. You want to balance large sound with low distortion.
You can buy the speakers as a set or individually. Buying a set is generally the cheaper way to go. If you want high-end speakers and are low on cash, purchase the front speakers first and add more later. Always buy the same brand for the best sound.
When purchasing speaker wire, 16 gauge or lower is best. Speakers should be placed at the listener's height on speaker stands. Don't hide them on a bookshelf.
Reach Kim Komando through www.komando.com.
