A lot of people think that a home theater requires a big room and so go without
because they think there's not enough space. But the reality is that any room,
no matter how small, can possess all the power and excitement that a home
theater can bring. That's because it's not rocket science — it’s just a matter
of configuring the elements that make up a home theater so that they fit in the
space available. Here's what to look for:
The TV Is The Heart of the Home Theater
The television set (or "display") is what
everyone looks at, and so the bigger the better would seem to be obvious. But
there may not be room enough for a cabinet that's big enough to hold the TV, or
space in which to put that cabinet. But thanks to the low weight of flat-panel
TVs, there's no reason why the television can't be mounted onto a wall. Sure it
will require a wall mount, but the actual work of placing the
mount on the wall, and attaching the TV to the mount is minimal and doable by
the average DIY'er (do-it-yourself). And
since the intrusion to the wall is very minimal, and concerns about in-wall
wiring is also very mild, this is something that can be done with worries.
Audio Is #2 of the Home Theater
Having a quality sound means more than
just increasing the volume; the sound field must be dynamic and immersive and
able to surround the viewer, not just provide a simplistic stereo effect. A
small space doesn't have the option of placing speakers throughout, not to
mention the needs of running wires from speaker to amplification device (i.e.,
an AV Receiver). But that doesn't mean being stuck
with having to use the TVs built-in speakers (being limited in size due to the
thinness of the flat-panel design). So one solution is a sound bar. Sound bars have come a long way from when they
were first introduced and now can contain multiple speakers, the ability to simulate or actually
create a surround sound effect, and add needed deep bass through a
wireless subwoofer that can be placed anywhere in the room (as the sub's sound
is omnidirectional), for example, under a chair or couch or against a corner
wall. The other solution is a HTIB (home theater in a box) -- the name
conveys the idea, but not the actuality of what you get. Here, the entire audio
system, from audio receiver to speakers to wiring to video player (i.e., a Blu-Ray player) have been integrated together so as to
make for a complete system that can be set up quickly. HTIB
systems are not limited to being used in a small space, but they are very
practically for such an application.
A Video Source Device is #3 of the Home
Theater
Regardless of how the home theater is
assembled, it's necessary to have content to play on it. A cable or satellite
box can provide the video (and audio) that the TV needs, but the space might not have
access to the cabling a receiver needs. So an alternative is to "cut the
cord" by using a small, indoor HD antenna which connects directly to the TV to provide OTA (over the air) HD
television stations. A second method for getting content to view comes through
streaming content from the Internet (courtesy of a wireless WiFi
Internet-connected device) or even the TV itself (using its built in WiFi
receiver to join the home network). The final method comes from playing
recorded content, which is to say on a disc that goes into a Blu-Ray player or
a 4K Blu-Ray player. Compared to just 5 years ago,
Blu-Ray/4K Blu-ray players are small in size and don't require much space in
order to be placed where they can be connected to the TV/Audio System
Not having a big room is no longer an excuse
for not having a home theater. And aren't you glad that this is true!
I'm looking for a cool gift for my brothers housewarming party. He's into like techy stuff and gadgets. He had that planetarium on his ceiling as a kid so thought this would be pretty awesome (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/starsailor-live-brings-the-skies-into-your-bedroom-technology#/), but i've never bought anything from indiegogo, is it reliable and do you think it's appropriate to give since they'll have to wait to receive it? Anyone see something like this before??
ReplyDelete