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[S337]Setting Up A Home Theater System

by Gradlein, Gra

The term "Home Theater" and "Home Entertainment System" originally referred to only the Hollywood crowd who can afford tiered seats and a cinema-sized screen in their homes. However, the term nowadays refer to a room with a TV and stereo where people can watch movies and other programs in surround sound.
Unlike before when home theaters are somehow exclusive to the Hollywood crowd, the dropping prices of equipment and furniture has made it a lot easier and affordable for families to set up a theater in their own homes. Unlike what most may think, setting up a home theater doesn't require a lot of remodeling or expenses. Let's begin with what a Home Theater is comprised of.
A Home theater is usually comprised of five basic parts: Input devices, processing devices, audio output, video output, and atmosphere.

Input devices include audio/video sources like DVD players and video game systems. With the advancement of technology and the increase in popularity of personal computers, even PCs are now included to act as a library for video and music content.

Processing devices include audio/video processors for complex surround sound formats. These are the ones responsible for making the experience a lot better. Audio output devices usually refer to speakers and subwoofers. As you probably already know, these are responsible for the sound that comes out of the system.

When we say video output, a large HDTV should instantly come into mind. Video output devices are responsible for the visual side of the home theater. There are a lot of options when deciding what to get for a video output device: a regular CRT TV, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) TV, Plasma TV, Rear-Projection TV, or a Video Projector.

Last but not the least is the atmosphere. This refers to comfortable seating and organization that would improve your audio-video experience. Some high-end home theaters actually go as far as setting up sound insulation to prevent noise from escaping the room. If you are looking for the best-fitting sizes and proportions, then Berkline theater seats are the way to go.

So how do we setup a good home theater? The best room for a home theater would be an enclosed one. Sound insulation is also a good thing to consider since audio gives the best experiences in a home theater so being able to turn the volume to what suits you best without it bothering other people outside the room is a plus. Any room can actually work but if you want the best then go with the above.

Home theater seating should be the next thing to consider. You will be staying for a good two or three hours so getting the best amount of comfort with Berkline furniture is required. Additionally, the position of the seats should allow the screen to be viewed at its sharpest so it's up to you to determine how far to place the seats.

Like what was mentioned earlier, sound provides the best experience when watching in a home theater. Choose soft furnishings that absorb sound, not hard surfaces that reflect it. Place carpets or rugs on the floor. Decorate your walls with materials that absorb sound. Having wallpaper is better than bare walls that reflect sound so heavy fabric wallpaper is best.

Keep the room as free from other lights aside from the screen. Just like in a movie theater, other lights can provide distraction and keep your attention away from the movie, ruining the experience.

Since Microsoft released Windows for Workgroups, networking has become quite easy and very commonplace for most home computer users. Everything that is needed to set up a home network is built right into the computer's operating system which was installed in the machine. All you have to do is turn it on and set it up. If you happen to have Windows 95/98 setting up a network is a snap!

A home network is, simply put, a made up of set of hardware and also a set of software that will allow computers to communicate with each other. A home network enable File sharing or using the same printer or other input and outputs instead of buying one for each available computer.

A home network functions in almost the exact same way as that used by a private businesses when a LAN or Local Area Network is created. Designations, or IP addresses, as well as some that are catchy phrases that humans will remember are called host names and they know who everyone is as well as where everything is. Let's say that 10.1.1.5 or Computer Jack sends a file to 10.1.1.6 or Computer Jill. The hardware and software must cooperate with each other in order to know where and how to send the file from Jack to Jill.

This idea is much the same as that used by the post office. There is an address associated with each home. A letter that is sent from one home is routed to another by using that address. Putting the return address on the letter is very important so the person knows where to respond. Also, if the letter gets lost, it will be sent back to the return address. If there is no return address it just goes to the dead letter office. Home computer networks work in much the same way.

The routing data is also known as ‘an envelope'. This surrounds the data or the words on the letter. A home network comes in two main types: cabled and wireless. In a cabled network different wire bundles which are known as Ethernet cables with connectors on each end plug into either a network interface card, or NIC, in the printer, fax, computer or into a switch/router. Hubs or switches are simplified devices that allow physical connections between the components of a network.

A wireless network operates in much the same way. The main difference is that there is no need for cables. Small devices known as transceivers send and retrieve information by radio signals. Let's say that you want two computers within a home network to both be able to print on the same printer. Where would you even start to do something like that? You can make this happen in two possible ways. In one set up, the printer is physically attached to one of the computers. The alternate set up connects the printer to the network and not to any individual computer;

With this first arrangement, the printer is called local, but shareable. It is possible to allow a remote computer to print to the locally attached device. Computer-Jack then just shares the printer by using software of the hosting system, Computer Jill. In most typical cases nowadays, the printer has its own NIC. It is then attached to a router or switch by way of Ethernet cables or a wireless transceiver. Then each computer on the network is able to ‘see' the printer as a device that the computer can use.

Scanners, fax machines and other computers operate in pretty much the same way. Every device receives an address and a name. Software on the device allows it to be configured so that its function is accessible to multiple computers on the same network.

Article Source : Pg. 149

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Both Gradlein & Joseph Nyamache are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Gradlein has sinced written about articles on various topics from Family, Health and Family. . Gradlein's top article generates over 14800 views. to your Favourites.

Joseph Nyamache has sinced written about articles on various topics from Yeast Infection, SEO Search Engine Optimization and Web Development. . Joseph Nyamache's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.