April 15, 2009 | by Todd Bartlett

(cinevidia.com)

Sound familiar? Know what they mean and why they matter??
They all relate to the video and audio, , the two most important factors in your home theater experience.

Lets first look at Video.  Video has the initial shock and awe value in home theater whether its a Flat Panel or a Projector so you want to make the right selection.  Plasma, LCD or Projector?   There is no right answer without knowing the environment.  Bright room? Go LCD.  Dark Room or wide viewing angle? Try Plasma or projector. And what’s this 1080P you keep hearing about?  1080p represents 1,080 lines of resolution scanned sequentially. Its the highest resolution of High Definition available.  Right now BlueRay and HD DVD are the only true sources of 1080P content (and they look awesome!)  Note, 1080P really only matters to your eyes where screen size is greater than 40”

Tempted by the Darkside?  You should be.  The black levels in an image are very important since the ability to create the deepest black results in the ability to create the richest colors while shadows and depth gain their proper shape and texture, creating true dimensionality.

Next talk a little about Audio.  DO NOT scrimp out here. Please, no $2500 Plasmas with $300 HTiBs (Home Theater in a Box). You want a Quality 7.1 AV Receiver driving 5 or 7 quality speakers.  Your system will only be as good as its speakers.  Proper sound does not require massive speakers that dominate the space. It does require careful speaker placement and matching to the size of the room and image. The speakers should have very similar timbre.  And don't forget the Subwoofer(s).

While on audio, lets mention soundproofing and room treatment......

ottom: 0in">Sound proofing doesn’t just keep the sound in, it keeps distracting sound out. Some simple cost effective ways to kill sound transmission are:

• Special dry wall such as Quietrock.

• Second layer of drywall with silicone

• Alternating studs and splitting the 2x6 bottom and top plate

• Vinyl Barrier Acoustic Material

Ideally, a home theater should be in an "acoustic-friendly" room, which would include a room with walls of differing length, carpeting and padded furniture. Too many hard surface and the sound bounces allover the place and causes unclear dialogue and distorted sounds. Acoustical treatment could easily be the most cost effective method to improving your system's sound.

It's common to spend 50/50 Video and Audio, but leave little for the Third important piece:  Simple activity based control of your new system.  No more 3 remotes and 5 button presses to watch Lost.  Your remote should allow you one click to Watch TV or Watch DVD or  Listen to Music.  Today’s Home Theaters do not need to be stuck in the basement or garage.  With today's designs and technologies, home theaters can be in the living room, the bedroom and even outside.  Don't like seeing speakers? Try in-wall or in-ceiling.  Don't want to see the equipment?  Hide  in the cabinet and control with an RF (Radio Frequency) remote. Outdoorsy type?  Set up an outdoor theater invite the neighbors.  Trust me, tons of fun and big wow factor.