A Home Theater Buyers Guide

PR Log (Press Release) – Oct 20, 2009 – Step 1
Take stock of your current components. A home theater system connects video sources (DVD, VCR, DVR, and cable or satellite boxes), a TV or monitor, and a set of five or six speakers through a home theater receiver. Many people also plug audio components (CD and MP3 players) into their receiver. It may be that all you need is a receiver and speakers.

Step 2
Look at your space. If you have a dedicated room for the home theater, get a more powerful system (measured in watts per channel). For a bedroom, 40 watts is plenty; 40 to 80 watts is good for an average-sized living room. Get at least an 80-watt receiver if you have a large room with high ceilings.

Step 3
Buy a receiver with at minimum Digital Theater System (DTS) or Dolby Digital. (Dolby Digital and DTS are competing, incompatible formats for home theater sound. Check your DVDs--they're more likely to have Dolby Digital sound.) Avoid receivers with Dolby Surround or Dolby ProLogic unless they also have Dolby Digital. Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES are the next step up; THX is the top of the line.

Step 4
Check out the universal remote that comes with the receiver. You'll want to operate several components with this remote, so make sure it's easy to use and makes sense.

Step 5
Listen carefully to the speakers when you shop. Six speakers make up the ideal home theater: left and right front-channel speakers, left and right surround speakers, a subwoofer, and a center-channel speaker. The center-channel speaker is probably the most important, since most movie dialogue comes from it. If you're watching the bottom line, forgo the subwoofer.

Step 6
Consider theater-in-a-box systems if your space is average to small or you're technically challenged. Combining receiver, speakers and cables (and often a DVD player), these systems offer easy setup and operation as well as a smaller price tag. Read up on these systems online or in specialty magazines, since their quality ranges from surprisingly good to very bad.

Step 7
Stop by Eatontown TV and Appliance to speak to an expert.  Located at 50 Rt. 35 in Eatontown, they are convenient to all of Monmouth County.  Or call today, 732-542-0400.

source: http://www.ehow.com/how_108791_buy-home-theater.html