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Home Theater Programming Sources
Off-Air TV
| Home Theater in a Nutshell |
Home Theater Overview
Home theater is the art of recreating the experience of a full size cinema in your home
(without the screaming kids, sticky floors and high ticket prices). A well done home
theater creates what is called "suspension of disbelief", meaning you are pulled into the
movie as if you were really experiencing it yourself.
To do this you should have a video display of enough size to provide some dramatic
impact. A rough guideline is a screen width of half to a third of the distance from your
seating position to the screen. This is only a rough guideline, but it works well for a 16 x 9
aspect (wide screen) screen. For example, if the distance from viewer to screen was 12
feet, a screen width of between 48" and 72" would work well. A screen too large will cause
viewer fatigue and one too small will lack dramatic impact.
Most modern soundtracks are created in one or more digital surround sound formats for
the theatrical release of the movie. The big three of these are SDDS (Sony Dynamic
Digital Sound), Dolby Digital, and DTS Digital. Only Dolby Digital and DTS digital have
home counterparts. Dolby Digital is included on almost every DVD with DTS being found
on fewer.
Dolby Digital comes in a few variations, but 5.1 and 2.0 are the ones you'll run across
most frequently. The number refers to the number of sound channels present. Most
recent releases will be 5.1, which means there are 5 full range channels and 1 low
frequency effects (LFE) channel. 2.0 indicates two full range channels are present with
no LFE. Most often these two channel versions of Dolby Digital will contain an old Dolby
Pro-Logic analog soundtrack.
You will also see such monikers as Dolby Surround EX, DTS-ES, DTS-ES Discrete and
Dolby ProLogic II. These are variations of 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1 that have additional rear
channel information present. This additional information provides for either 3 or 4
surround channels instead of standard Dolby Digital or DTS's 2. The purpose of the
additional surround channels is to create a more enveloping and seamless surround
field. With only two surround channels, it is difficult to place sounds directly behind the
viewers, especially if they are seated off center. The additional surround channels allow
for much more believable and complex surround environments to be created, and
subsequently reproduced.
To recreate the soundtrack, requires at least 5 speakers; 3 across the front, and two as
surround speakers. To really do most soundtracks any justice, you should add a
subwoofer (preferably two for the most even low frequency response throughout the
room) to reproduce the very lowest bass notes. A subwoofer is a real necessity if you are
using small main speakers, as these tend to have very limited bass capability.
To take advantage of any of the newer formats, 6 or 7 speakers will be necessary. The
front three will be complemented by 2 speakers adjacent to the listening area and one or
two directly behind it. These surround speakers add ambient sound for effect, such as
jungle or forest noises, conversation and kitchen noises in a restaurant, and so forth.
The sound designer uses these effects to further the illusion you're really in the scene. If
using two rear speakers provide 4 - 6 feet of separation between the two, although this
can vary depending upon the size of the room, distance to the listener, and number and
location of the seats.
Home theater is the art of recreating the experience of a full size cinema in your home
(without the screaming kids, sticky floors and high ticket prices). A well done home
theater creates what is called "suspension of disbelief", meaning you are pulled into the
movie as if you were really experiencing it yourself.
To do this you should have a video display of enough size to provide some dramatic
impact. A rough guideline is a screen width of half to a third of the distance from your
seating position to the screen. This is only a rough guideline, but it works well for a 16 x 9
aspect (wide screen) screen. For example, if the distance from viewer to screen was 12
feet, a screen width of between 48" and 72" would work well. A screen too large will cause
viewer fatigue and one too small will lack dramatic impact.
Most modern soundtracks are created in one or more digital surround sound formats for
the theatrical release of the movie. The big three of these are SDDS (Sony Dynamic
Digital Sound), Dolby Digital, and DTS Digital. Only Dolby Digital and DTS digital have
home counterparts. Dolby Digital is included on almost every DVD with DTS being found
on fewer.
Dolby Digital comes in a few variations, but 5.1 and 2.0 are the ones you'll run across
most frequently. The number refers to the number of sound channels present. Most
recent releases will be 5.1, which means there are 5 full range channels and 1 low
frequency effects (LFE) channel. 2.0 indicates two full range channels are present with
no LFE. Most often these two channel versions of Dolby Digital will contain an old Dolby
Pro-Logic analog soundtrack.
You will also see such monikers as Dolby Surround EX, DTS-ES, DTS-ES Discrete and
Dolby ProLogic II. These are variations of 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1 that have additional rear
channel information present. This additional information provides for either 3 or 4
surround channels instead of standard Dolby Digital or DTS's 2. The purpose of the
additional surround channels is to create a more enveloping and seamless surround
field. With only two surround channels, it is difficult to place sounds directly behind the
viewers, especially if they are seated off center. The additional surround channels allow
for much more believable and complex surround environments to be created, and
subsequently reproduced.
To recreate the soundtrack, requires at least 5 speakers; 3 across the front, and two as
surround speakers. To really do most soundtracks any justice, you should add a
subwoofer (preferably two for the most even low frequency response throughout the
room) to reproduce the very lowest bass notes. A subwoofer is a real necessity if you are
using small main speakers, as these tend to have very limited bass capability.
To take advantage of any of the newer formats, 6 or 7 speakers will be necessary. The
front three will be complemented by 2 speakers adjacent to the listening area and one or
two directly behind it. These surround speakers add ambient sound for effect, such as
jungle or forest noises, conversation and kitchen noises in a restaurant, and so forth.
The sound designer uses these effects to further the illusion you're really in the scene. If
using two rear speakers provide 4 - 6 feet of separation between the two, although this
can vary depending upon the size of the room, distance to the listener, and number and
location of the seats.
Obviously control of ambient light is very important in any theater.
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Download this Great Home Theater Design e-book.
It's touches on almost everything you need to know to start designing and installing your
home theater. Great for those just getting started. A little light for pros or those with alot of
home theater experience but a ton of great info for the newbie or hobbyist. It covers
everything from selecting the correct video display to where to locate your theater and
why. It shows you the new digital technologies used in home theaters today and how to
select the correct equipment and speakers.
It's only $14 and you can download it instantly.
To top it off, it's backed by a 8 week, no questions asked, money back guarantee.
Get it Here: Home Theater Design e-Book
It's touches on almost everything you need to know to start designing and installing your
home theater. Great for those just getting started. A little light for pros or those with alot of
home theater experience but a ton of great info for the newbie or hobbyist. It covers
everything from selecting the correct video display to where to locate your theater and
why. It shows you the new digital technologies used in home theaters today and how to
select the correct equipment and speakers.
It's only $14 and you can download it instantly.
To top it off, it's backed by a 8 week, no questions asked, money back guarantee.
Get it Here: Home Theater Design e-Book
Copyright 2004-6 1 touch movie.com
Home theater and Automation Guide
All rights reserved.
Home theater and Automation Guide
All rights reserved.
Basic Home Theater Information
1 Touch Movie.com
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