Home Theatre Basics: Part 1

I'm starting to understand why people go crazy for home theatre. It's dark, it's cozy, it's secure. You have no worries in your home theatre because your entire brain is jammed with processing intense light, sound and sensation. It's like being back in the womb, the ultimate surround-sound environment, only with your eyes open. And better entertainment. And more explosions.

And prices are coming down. William Freeman, my personal audio-visual guru at Kromer Radio in Toronto, says this trend is exciting for his customers. "Plasma screens are becoming more affordable. People of average income can afford to hang a TV on their wall."

I've heard that thin, elegant plasma screens wear out faster than regular televisions, so I asked William about it. "Plasma screens are guaranteed to function at peak performance for 60,000 hours. That's fantastic picture, 10 hours a day for 16 years, after which the unit automatically increases the signal so the picture quality is still saturated and accurate," says Freeman.

Could I watch 10 hours a day for 16 years? I'm ready to try.

Ohm Alone

Home theatre systems used to be a Guy Thing, but that's changing. Cassandra Poeta, owner of Serendipity Bistro, my favourite restaurant in Orangeville, Ontario, convinces me in less than 30 seconds.

"I hate going to the movie theatre. You get someone behind you who's going to talk through the whole thing. And usually the sound is just too loud. And you have to stay in your seat. I don't find theatre seats comfortable. I'm too antsy! In a home theatre, you can put your feet up, you can lie down, you can move around, you can craft, paint, eat or trim the dog's toenails. It's relaxing."

What's the Cash?

Upgrading to surround-sound home theatre doesn't have to be expensive. If you've already got a large TV screen (minimum is about 27"), you can install satellite speakers for under $1000. A state-of-the-art, professionally installed TV and speaker system starts at approximately $5000. Full-screen home theatre setup run from $15,000 to infinity.

But how much you spend is determined almost entirely by one thing: the room you choose to contain your home theatre. Here are some hints for selecting a site in your home:

• Ideally, the room should be rectangular, with as few doors and windows as possible. Film soundtracks are configured for rectangular movie theatres, so your listening experience will be richer and more realistic in a rectangular room.
• Bare concrete, wood and tile make surround-sound muddy and/or harsh. Carpeted, drywalled rooms work better for optimum sound.
• HUGE WARNING: Bigger isn't necessarily better when it comes to screen size. If your room is too small to allow the ideal viewing distance, you'll be forced to stare at the figurative tonsils of the screen (i.e. individual pixels).
• The seating distance should be between two and two-and-a-half times the diagonal width of your screen. So if you'll have a 27-inch TV, the seating area should be 54 to 68 inches away. If you go for a big, honkin' 120-inch screen, you'll want to sit at least 20 feet away, (and still have room behind the couch for correct placement of speakers). When making a screen size decision, err on the side of a smaller one. It'll dominate your room less, and it'll be easier to move in for installation.
• To watch movies in their original widescreen format, you'll need a TV with a rectangular 16:9 ratio, rather than the traditional squarish 4:3.
• You have several choices for your screen.
  • CRT, the old stand-by cathode ray tube that we all grew up with, available in screen sizes to about 40 inches (any bigger than that and you can't get it through a door)
  • Rear projection (most size (and bulk) for the buck - up to 80 inches - but the image may appear fuzzy when viewed from an angle)
  • Front projection, which offers high resolution and unlimited screen size
  • LCD (liquid crystal display) screens - flat, computer-style units
  • Plasma - large flat screens that are wildly popular
• Surround sound is achieved by placing a minimum of 5 speakers around the room at very specific locations and heights. Most surround-sound systems are Dolby 5.1. What does this mean? It means there are 5 speaker channels and one low-frequency channel for a subwoofer that rumbles and vibrates and truly makes the home theatre experience rock. Each speaker has a separate channel. You tweak speakers individually for maximum performance in your room configuration.
• Prices for front projectors (which are mounted to the ceiling and beam the signal onto any white, flat surface) are coming down fast, and older models are available for almost nothing on eBay, so if you have a big enough room, consider the projector option. And instead spending wads of cash on an expensive screen, an excellent, cheap alternative is a large panel of white foamcore; it has a non-reflective surface that makes it ideal screen material. Cut it to 16:9 proportions, put a dark frame around it and you have a fantastic lowcost screen.

Wait, there's more! Next week: Tips and pitfalls for putting together your home theatre system.