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How to setup your home theatre - Planning
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The best system in the world is only as good as how it is set up. The excitement most of us feel opening up those boxes containing our new system components often turns to despair as we anticipate the task of assembly. There are a few things you can do to get your home theatre up and running sooner and better than you thought was possible. Installation is as much art as it is science. Remember that it's you that paid for your home theatre and it's you and your family that has to enjoy it. Go with what looks and sounds right to you. |
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RESEARCH Advice is alway easy to come by. Valuable, unbiased advice isn’t as common as you might think. Advice on LCD vs Plasma, which PVR (hard disc / DVD recorder) to buy, which amplifier or speakers sounds best for your budget is all very confusing. Retail stores generally aren’t really looking out for your best interests. As soon as you have decided to pay for the goods, they’re often thinking about their next sale. So forget about backup service once you leave the store. That’s the modern world we live in and most people want the cheapest price for their equipment,as a result, high turn over of equipment for the retail stores is the only way they can turn a profit. Connect Multimedia offer purchasing advice to our clients and we do not collect commission if you purchase the goods from a retail store we might send you to, we simply charge an hourly rate to research which system is best for your situation. This hourly rate can be saved many times over by the time you walk to the cash register to pay for your shiny new system. As we expand our website, we plan to regularly keep up with the latest models of TVs, DVDs, PVRs and amplifiers and we’ll choose and promote what we think are the best models and why. On the next few pages we have collated information from the web and our own personal experience to help you plan which system to buy and what things you should be thinking about if you decide to put your new system together yourself. PLANNING A few hours of planning can save a lot of time and trouble down the road. There are many programs around that let you map out your room and electronically move around the furniture. This saves not only time but often a trip to the hospital for a pulled muscle. For those more prone to a low-tech approach draw a floor plan of your room on a piece of paper and cut out smaller pieces to represent the furniture and your equipment. Know the limitations of your room and plan accordingly. For example, a bright, sunny room with many windows may not be the best place for a projector. If it is the only room that is feasible, perhaps curtains, blinds or shutters can be used to reduce the amount of ambient light. POWER POINTS With the increased number of components comes an increased need for power points. Most rooms are not designed for so many devices. During operation, your home theatre is going to pull a lot more power than a typical TV or stereo. This will have to be taken into account during the planning of the room's layout. Check your circuit breakers to make sure that the power lines in your home or apartment will take the load. Most will. You should also try to place your home theatre in a position that will provide outlets controlled by a single circuit breaker. In this way, if you do cause an overload it will not affect the rest of your home. Since most wall outlets will only provide two sockets you will need to add more. The best way to do this is to purchase a power strip from a computer outlet store. These also have the added advantage of preventing power drop outs that may harm your equipment. Some home theatre equipment come with power socket in the rear. Typically, these come in two varieties, switched and unswitched. The switched type will such off when the power strip is off. The unswitched retain power regardless of the state of the power switch. While this is a matter of concern with computer equipment but of little concern for home theatre use. You should carefully plan what device is plugged into what other device. For example, it is best for your VCRs, or for the more modern users, your DVRs to be plugged directly into the power switch rather than chained to another component. In this way, you can record programs while the bulk of the system is off. The TV will usually use the receiver for all of it's sound. Once you hear the difference between the native sound of even the best TV and the augmented sound you get from the receiver you will not want to listen to the TV by itself. It may be best, though, to provide the TV and receiver with their own socket just to prevent an overload. The decoder and DVD can be chained through the receiver since they have to be on together for use. One last thing here, make sure the main outlet for your system is not controlled by a wall switch. One little flick and all the power goes off. If you are waiting to record a special program this can be a problem. One last thing, label the plugs near the outlet. You will find this very important if your DVD freezes up and you have to unplug it you will know exactly which plug to disconnect. LIGHT SOURCES Also plan for where the light sources are going to reside. It is best for home theatres to use indirect lighting, placed behind the TV screen. In many cases this is not possible. The next best is soft lights off to the side. Total darkness is almost as bad as too much light. While too much light will wash out the pictures, too little light can result in eye strain. In lighting your home theatre try to achieve a balance between what is best for you and what is best for the system. Consider dimmer switches. They can adjust the ambient level of light and are relatively cheap and easy to install. There are even models that can be controlled by a remote control. Now that will really impress your friends! Another perk is it makes for a nice romantic setting. Sections of this DIY advice were updated and adapted for an Australian market from www.hometheaterinfo.com |
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