Questions About Home Theater Services
What is a home theater and what can it do for me?
A home theater can be defined as any living area where you set up and create a movie theater like experience. When most people hear “home theater” they think about very expensive, custom-designed movie theaters in the home. Home Technology Consultants (HTC) can certainly provide such a service from start to finish. However, we focus on providing the most practical system for your needs, working within your budget. HTC technicians are experts in setting up your home theater so that components and upgrades can be added to suit your future needs and desires.
Should I upgrade to HDTV?
For outstanding detail and the best possible images and TV viewing, choose HDTV. By using a high definition source – such as an HD cable box, a satellite receiver, or a Blu-ray and HD DVD player – a high definition display will give you images that come closest to viewing the same through our natural eyes. When all components are working properly, HDTV provides a view like looking through a window.
Should I use HDMI, component or composite video cables to connect my components to my TV?
This all depends on your source and display. In the A/V world the popular saying rings true: your TV resolution will only be as good as the weakest link. The most important area, beyond your cables being used, is your A/V source. Make sure that your source is capable of HD output and/or capable of upgrading to HD.
Non HD or standard definition equipment: Your standard yellow, red and white composite video cable can be used when interconnecting your source and display. S-video is preferred for the video connection, but the left and right (white and red) audio connections still must be made.
HD equipment: Picture clarity distinction between HDMI (high definition multi media interface) and component video cables generally will be very difficult or impossible to see with the naked eye. One advantage that HDMI has over component is that the HDMI cable is used for both video and digital audio. Therefore, only one cable is needed between source and display. For most HD source components the upscaling ability of that source is only done through the HDMI connection. The component video connection will only give the native resolution of that device. Your digital audio will still need to be connected via optical or digital coax.
What is the difference between a plasma and LCD TV?
In short, Plasma TVs use neon-xenon gas injected and sealed with plasma between two panels of glass. This gas is electronically charged during use to strike red, blue and green phosphors, thus creating a television image. Group of red, blue and green phosphors are called pixels (picture element).
LCD TVs consist of two layers of transparent material which are polarized and sealed together. One layer is coated with a special polymer which holds the individual liquid crystals. Current is then passed through the individual crystals which allows the crystals to pass or block light to create images. An external light source is needed for the image created by the LCD to be visible to the viewer.
What is surround sound and how do I get it?
Surround sound is defined as a sound system which creates the illusion of multi-directional sound through speaker placement and signal processing. A great system optimizes your sensory experience so that you almost feel as if you are part of the scene or enveloped in the sounds. The source material, such as cable TV, satellite broadcasts and DVDs, is encoded with a 5.1 or 7.1 digital audio stream. The digital audio stream is then decoded by your A/V components and sent to properly positioned speakers and subwoofer strategically placed in the listening area. The most important piece of your home theater system is your A/V receiver. It is used to decode your surround sound and can also be used as a switcher to control all of your A /V sources.