RSSHome Theater Education
Buying a home theater can be a very difficult, confusing and even frustrating process. Salespeople bark out terms, acronyms and other facts so fast that it can be hard to know what they are talking about let alone what to buy. For people who want to learn more about home theater and all of the aspects we've provided research pages below on everything from 7.1 surround sound to HDMI to 1080p to Aspect Ratios and much more. There are hundreds to read. They will help you understand the topics at hand how they relate to your next audio or video investment.
1080i Video Resolution
1080i is not the the same as 1080p as it is a much more easily reproduced image of lesser quality, which is why 1080i was the choice for a high definition broadcast standard at the beginning of HDTV...Click Here To Learn More
1080p Video Resolution
1080p is resolution standard for Blu-ray discs. But what exactly does that mean and how does it relate to other resolutions? This entry provides information to answer this...Click Here To Learn More
1080p/24
Most movies are shot at a frame rate of 24 frames per second. It is for this reason that the 1080p/24 resolution has become the de facto standard of Blu-ray movies, but there is a lot more to it than that...Click Here To Learn More
1440p Video Resolution
1440p is a step above the 1080p standard of Blu-ray with an even higher resolution. It has been thought to be the next technological leap, but with 2K and 4K resolutions on the rise this may not be the case...Click Here To Learn More
2k (2048) Video Resolution
2k resolution is a much more detailed resolution than the 1080p standard. So much so that 2k resolution is often used in the process of digital filmmaking...Click Here To Learn More
3:2 Pulldown
The video for home theater and HDTV doesn't match so a conversion process is necessary. That process is known as 3:2 Pulldown. But what exactly does that mean? Home Theater Review has the answer for you...Click Here To Learn More
480i Video Resolution
480i is the default resolution of standard definition in the NTSC format. It is the resolution television had at its beginnings. This entry will give you even more history on the format...Click Here To Learn More
4k (4096) Video Resolution
4k video resolution is roughly five times the resolution of 1080p. It is also supposedly the the resolution when the human eye can no longer distinguish the difference between media shot on film and media recorded digitally. More facts about the standard in this entry...Click Here To Learn More
720p Video Resolution
High definition begins with the 720p resolution mark. However, it is rare to see this resolution in large screen formats. It is better suited for smaller screens. But there are other issues concerning 720p...Click Here To Learn More
802.11 Wireless
802.11 wireless is an set of standards for wireless internet, setting requirements for frequency bands as well as other things...Click Here To Learn More
AC Power Product Terms
AC power products are the products that protect your valuable AV components from any kind of inconsistency in your power supply. It's important to know what all the different kinds of products do....Click Here To Learn More
Active Loudspeaker
Active loudspeakers are a bit of a rare breed in the home audio world, but they reduce the amount of gear needed to complete your system. There are quite a few advantages to the active loudspeaker...Click Here To Learn More
Active Subwoofer
Also known as powered subwoofers, active subwoofers are subwoofers that have their own power supply, meaning that get the power needed from an outlet rather than an amplifier. They also tend to have several bells and whistles...Click Here To Learn More
AirPlay
AirPlay is an Apple technology that allows Apple mobile devices, such as iPhones and iPads, to wirelessly transmit media to a home theater system. Many different products carry this technology...Click Here To Learn More
Amplifier
Amplifiers are one of the most important components in any system. They are the unit that drives the speakers. This entry breaks down general information as well as specifics about all the different types of amplifiers...Click Here To Learn More
Anamorphic Lens
Anamorphic Lenses are accessories for projectors that allow you to change the aspect ratio of a projector to better suit the content being watched. There are all kinds of lenses...Click Here To Learn More
Apple TV
Apple TV is a media streaming device made by Apple. The device is integrated with iTunes and AirPlay and offers an impressive connected media solution for home theaters...Click Here To Learn More
Aspect Ratio
Aspect Ratio is a measurement of the horizontal width against the vertical height of an image. But that is a simplification as there is a lot more to be said about aspect ratios...Click Here To Learn More
Audyssey Room Correction (EQ)
Audyssey Room Correction is a technology that runs a test of the speaker placement in a home theater and automatically adjusts your receiver or preamp settings to accommodate. The technology is rather impressive...Click Here To Learn More
BD-Live
Introduced in the Blu-ray Profile 2.0, BD-Live is a network connected system for Blu-ray discs, where additional special features and interactive options can me accessed...Click Here To Learn More
Balanced Connection (XLR)
Balanced connections are very popular in the pro audio world, but the debate lives on in the audiophile world whether or not balanced connections are worth the trouble in the home system...Click Here To Learn More
Bass Trap
Bass traps are part of the acoustical treatment branch of home theater products. As the name would imply, these particular treatments deal with the bass quality of a room...Click Here To Learn More
Blu-ray Profiles
Blu-ray has had a few bumps in the road as the standard was figured out. The improvements each time were called profiles and there have been several of them...Click Here To Learn More
CRT
CRT or cathode ray tube was the beginning of high definition video technology. While it was a breakthrough, it was also terribly complicated with all kinds of things to know and parts to adjust...Click Here To Learn More
Center Channel Speaker
The center channel is, as the name would imply, the center speaker in the front speaker set up of a surround sound system. Many consider it to be the single most important speaker in the system...Click Here To Learn More
Compact Disc (CD) Player
Compact Disc players have been the default stand alone audio source component since their introduction in the 1990s, but in the new age of digital audio they may soon be seeing their dominance end...Click Here To Learn More
Contrast Ratio
Contrast Ratio attempts to measure a television or projector's ability to display bright images and dark images. Unfortunately, there are a lot of discrepancies with this measurement ...Click Here To Learn More
DTS Surround Sound
DTS was created in 1993 and has since become an incredibly powerful competitor to Dolby, but there is a lot more to the technology than just that...Click Here To Learn More
DTS-HD Master Audio
DTS-HD Master Audio is the DTS standard for high-definition audio output. This format competes with Dolby TrueHD. Though both these formats can appear on a Blu-ray disc, they use radically different technologies...Click Here To Learn More
DVD-Audio (DVD-A)
DVD-Audio was the high-resolution music format that competed with SACD. Unlike SACD, DVD-Audio was supported by Meridian's Lossless Packing, which some argue was the superior codec...Click Here To Learn More
DVD-Audio (DVD-A) Player
DVD-Audio players obviously play DVD-Audio disc, but they had another function that gave them an advantage over SACD players in that DVD-Audio players could play DVD-Video discs...Click Here To Learn More
DVD-Video (DVD) Player
DVD-Video has been the most successful format in the history of consumer electronics. These components, DVD-Video players, revolutionized the industry in a way like nothing that came before...Click Here To Learn More
Desktop/Computer Speakers
With digital music becoming more and more popular, computers are starting to become the go to source components, but they still need help as the internal speakers are not very good. When bookshelf speakers are too big, desktop speakers are the solution...Click Here To Learn More
Digital Direct Drive Image Light Amplifier (D-ILA)
D-ILA or Digital Direct Drive Image Light Amplifier is a technology developed and used by JVC. It's an impressive technology with a lot of interesting features...Click Here To Learn More
Digital Equalizer (EQ)
In order to customize audio in your system, some sort of frequency manipulation is going to be necessary. Digital equalizers are processor devices that can cut or boost frequencies to help you customize your system...Click Here To Learn More
Digital Light Processing (DLP)
DLP stands for Digital Light Processing. DLP is a projector technology that uses micro-mirrors to create the image. There are different kinds of DLP projectors that work in different ways...Click Here To Learn More
Digital Speaker (DSP)
Digital speakers are a form of active loudspeakers but they carry all kinds of features that average active loudspeakers may not. These features allow for incredible amounts of customization...Click Here To Learn More
Digital to Analog Converter (DAC)
A digital to analog converter does exactly what it sounds like. The device takes a digital audio signal and converts it to and analog one. There are many different kinds of digital to analog converters to choose from...Click Here To Learn More
Dolby Digital (AC3)
Dolby Digital saw its rise in the 1990s with the rise in popularity of DVD. It is a compressed format that has since been replaced with Dolby Digital Plus and the lossless Dolby TrueHD....Click Here To Learn More
Dolby Pro Logic
Dolby Pro Logic was the beginning of surround sound for the consumer. Though it has continued on in many different forms, Dolby Pro Logic's history reaches back to the days of VHS...Click Here To Learn More
Dolby TrueHD
Dolby TrueHD is Dolby's standard for the Blu-ray disc format, which competes with the DTS-HD Master Audio format in the high definition lossless audio world though they use very different technologies to achieve results...Click Here To Learn More
Dynamic Loudspeaker
Dynamic loudspeakers are the most popular loudspeakers in the world of home systems. They can be found in all kinds of configurations and in different speaker types from bookshelf speakers to floorstanding speakers...Click Here To Learn More
Electrostatic Loudspeaker
Electrostatic speakers are speakers that are designed to utilize an electric field to generate the vibration to create sound. There are a lot of advantages to these types of loudspeakers, as well as many disadvantages...Click Here To Learn More
Energy Star
In the pursuit of making electronics more energy efficient, a standard for efficiency requirements needed to be set, one that would be recognized internationally. That standard is Energy Star...Click Here To Learn More
Ethernet
Ethernet defines standards such as wiring and signs for LANs (local area networks). But, contrary to popular belief, there is more than one type of Ethernet cable to get you on the internet...Click Here To Learn More
Firmware Update
Firmware updates are an amazing tool in consumer electronics. They allow companies to continue to improve their products and fix problems that may arise without having to release a new product...Click Here To Learn More
Foot Lambert
Foot-Lambert is a measurement of luminance that is used to make measurements for not only projectors, but LCD HDTVs and plasma HDTVs, although it used primarily in the United States...Click Here To Learn More
HD DVD
HD DVD was the competitor for Blu-ray during the HD disc format war. HD DVD was backed by Toshiba and based on the pre-existing technology of DVD-Video, which Toshiba held many of the patents for...Click Here To Learn More
High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)
HDMI is the high definition home theater standard for cabling. Originally, more of video cable than an audio cable. But updates to the HDMI technology has changed that, offering an impressive list of features...Click Here To Learn More
High-Definition Music Downloads
High Definition Music Downloads are the future of audio. They combine the high fidelity of formats like SACD and DVD-Audio with the convenience of MP3 downloads from iTunes. The best of both worlds...Click Here To Learn More
Home Automation
Home Automation is the ultimate form of control. Not only can a user control their home theater, but also lighting, climate control, and even security options. Given that, it would make sense that this form of control requires several components...Click Here To Learn More
Home Theater Personal Computer (HTPC)
Home Theater Personal Computers or HTPCs allow users to store all their media in one place, be that movies or music, and access it through a network. These devices can be customized in a multitude of ways and are very powerful additions to a home theater...Click Here To Learn More
Home Theater Seating
Home Theater Seating is one of the true luxuries when customizing your theater. You can give your guests (and yourself) incredibly comfortable chairs that recreate the atmosphere of a movie theater. There are all kinds of options...Click Here To Learn More
In-wall Subwoofer
In-wall speakers tend to not have much bass because of the lack of cabinet volume and small woofer drivers. Due to this, more and more in-wall speaker companies are making in-wall subwoofers that are designed to fit inside the space......Click Here To Learn More
Internal Video Processor
In the early days of high-end video, up-conversion or video processing was done via a black box external component. Ultra-high-end digital video players like Meridian-Faroudja, DVDO and Runco today still use external video processing to get the best image money......Click Here To Learn More
Internet Radio
Internet radio is the next evolution of music consumption, stemming from the creation of the MP3. It is a term that applies to many services that stream audio over the internet...Click Here To Learn More
Jaggies
Jaggies refers to a particular type of artifact that can occur during video media playback. It is a pretty unpleasant thing to see in the image. Fortunately there are solutions that can be put into place...Click Here To Learn More
Jitter
Jitter is a digital timing issue that affects digital devices, such as DVD players and CD transports. High levels of jitter can result in a decrease in sound quality, and in worst cases, audible artifacts. High-end digital audio products aim......Click Here To Learn More
Keystoning (or Keystone Effect)
Keystoning is a visual effect created by a trapezoidal image. It is usually a problem associated with video projectors. Fortunately, there are solutions to fix this problem and restore the proper image...Click Here To Learn More
LCD Versus Plasma
Liquid Crystal Displays or LCDs and Plasmas have many different advantages and disadvantages. It is important to evaluate each of these lists when deciding which television to buy...Click Here To Learn More
Lighting Control
Lighting control is a very important part of a home theater set up. If you want the best picture, it is important to have complete control of the lighting in your room. There are many ways to go about this...Click Here To Learn More
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)
Liquid Crystal Displays or LCDs, along with plasma displays, revolutionized the home theater industry. Although, there are many different kinds of LCDs that come with different advantages or disadvantages...Click Here To Learn More
Low-Frequency Effects (LFE) Channel
The low-frequency effects channel (LFE) in a home theater system is more commonly known as a subwoofer. It is a speaker specifically designed to play only the lowest frequencies of audio, from about 120 Hertz on down. Movie mixing engineers......Click Here To Learn More
MPEG-2 Audio Layer 3 (MP3) File
MP3 audio files are a lossy compressed music file common among all portable music players including Apple's iPod and iPad. In most cases they offer 1/10th the file size of uncompressed CD audio. Sound quality, though is often quite poor.......Click Here To Learn More
Masking Video Screen
A masking video screen can help with displaying anamorphic content through different kinds of motorized technologies. There are several different options that go about this process in different ways...Click Here To Learn More
Media Server
Media servers are audio and video components that store audio and video content and play it back on demand for consumers, without the need for bulky discs and/or slow load times. Home Theater PCs (HTPCs) are considered media servers, but......Click Here To Learn More
Merdian Lossless Packing (MLP)
Meridian's Lossless Packing (MLP) is the main technology behind DVD-Audio. Its lossless compression scheme was groundbreaking and competed favorably with Sony's DSD technology found in the SACD format. MLP is capable of reproducing a master-quality audio presentation in stereo or......Click Here To Learn More
OLED
OLED or Organic Light-Emitting Diodes is a flat screen television technology that allows for incredibly thin television sets and an amazing picture. There are lots of cool things of the OLED technology...Click Here To Learn More
Outdoor Video Screen
Outdoor home theater is one of the newest trends in consumer electronics. The idea of the swim-up or backyard home theater is tempting to all Americans as they look to technologically upgrade their homes or entertain their families during the......Click Here To Learn More
Passive Subwoofer
A passive subwoofer is a sub without a power amplifier and possibly without a crossover network. Audiophiles sometimes like to mix and match amplifiers to get better performance from their subs. Today's subwoofer is usually active, meaning that it has......Click Here To Learn More
Point 1 (.1)
The "point 1" (.1) channel of a surround system is one of the most confusing terms for consumers. Point 1 refers to the LFE or subwoofer in a surround system. The LFE, or point 1, only plays low-frequency audio material,......Click Here To Learn More
Projector Mount
If you want to go with a video projector for your home theater, you are going to need a projector mount. There are all kinds of different mounts that will suit any configuration a user could need or want...Click Here To Learn More
RS-232
RS-232 is serious form of control for a system and, in fact, an entire household. This connector is the protocol preferred by integrators for several reasons...Click Here To Learn More
Rainbow Effect
Rainbow effect is most commonly, pretty much exclusively, found in single-chip DLP projectors that use a color wheel to create all the different colors necessary for an image. Occasionally, this process can create rainbows...Click Here To Learn More
Refresh Rate
Refresh is a measurement of how often a frame appears on a screen. There is a wide array of refresh rates that work to different levels of effectiveness...Click Here To Learn More
Rimless In-wall Loudspeaker
One of the newest trends in in-wall loudspeakers was started by Sonance. The company has engineered in-wall speakers that have no baffle, which means they can sit absolutely flush to the drywall. While on the surface it seems like this......Click Here To Learn More
Roll-down Video Screen
Roll-down screens have been around forever. Most of us remember them from third grade, when the teacher broke out the projector to show educational films. The least expensive home theater screens can be manually rolled down, although most are automated.......Click Here To Learn More
Room Acoustics
You can spend all the money in the world on gear, but it will never sound as good as possible if your room isn't properly set up. There are all kinds of different treatments that can be used to get the most out of your room...Click Here To Learn More
Round Loudspeaker
Round loudspeakers are a new class of speakers that are small and often mounted to match an HDTV system installation. Their lack of reflective surface area and diminutive size make them very desirable to consumers. They are almost always matched......Click Here To Learn More
SXRD
SXRD is a technology developed by Sony and have a lot of advantages over other technologies, including a very impressive contrast ratio among others...Click Here To Learn More
Satellite Radio
Satellite radio is a pay service that allows users to pick different radio channels by several different sorting systems. There are also much less strict rules about censorship on satellite radio...Click Here To Learn More
Screen Door Effect
The screen door effect is an effect that occurs with projectors, occasionally causing images to distort. It appears to the user as if they are looking through a screen door, thus the name....Click Here To Learn More
Screen Gain
Screen gain is a measurement system used with projector screen. This system measures the amount light a screen reflects or absorbs. There are many factors that go into deciding the amount of screen gain that is right for your projector...Click Here To Learn More
Side Channel Speaker
Side-channel speakers are what took 5.1 to 7.1 surround. 7.1 surround consists of speakers in the front left and right, a center speaker, rear left and right speakers, as well as a side left and right speaker, along with a......Click Here To Learn More
Sound Box
Today's in-wall speakers are far more sophisticated than those in the old days. Gone are the days of simply cutting a hole in between a few studs and slapping some drivers into your drywall. Most of today's top-performing in-wall speakers......Click Here To Learn More
Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD)
SACD or Super Audio Compact Disc was an attempt to mass market high resolution music, similar to DVD-Audio, but SACD was supported by Sony and Philips....Click Here To Learn More
Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD) Player
SACD players play Super Audio CDs (SACDs) and convert their digital audio (DSD) into either stereo or 5.1 music signals. There are single-disc SACD players, as well as five-disc SACD changers. SACD players can be stereo-only or multi-channel SACD players......Click Here To Learn More
Surround Sound
Surround sound is about trying to recreate the aural experience of a movie theater in the home. It requires several speakers to achieve the enveloping sound needed, but exactly how many is up for debate...Click Here To Learn More
Touch Screen Remote
Touch screens are the next evolution in control beyond a simple universal remote. In fact, it would be safe to call these the kind of all home theater remotes...Click Here To Learn More
Trinnov Room Correction (EQ)
Trinnov room correction is a direct competitor to Audyssey room correction. Trinnov technology is being added to receivers such as Sherwood Newcastle and only requires a unique microphone to let the receiver and its processing do their audio magic. Consumers......Click Here To Learn More
Tuners "(AM/FM)"
Tuners are the original receivers, picking up AM/FM radio signals, as well has HD and satellite radio. No single component has stood the test of time like the tuner, as new models are continuing to be made today...Click Here To Learn More
USB DAC
USB DACs are Digital-to-Analog Converters that are specifically designed to work with your computer. The idea is to allow you to keep all your music stored on your PC, and then use the USB DAC to convert the music to......Click Here To Learn More
Universal Player
During the DVD-Audio/SACD format war, Pioneer tried to bridge the gap with the first "universal player" that would play both formats. Sadly, it was too little, to late, and both formats are nearly dead. Over the years, other companies like......Click Here To Learn More
Universal Remote
Universal remotes make life much easier as they allow you to consolidate your many component remotes into one remote to control everything. But which kind of remote should you choose...Click Here To Learn More
Video Calibration
If you want to get the utmost performance out of your screen, a video calibration will be in order. There are several different methods ranging from the basic to the top of the line, which will serve different levels of desire, depending on the user...Click Here To Learn More
Video Up-conversion
Video up-conversion uses a computer processor to scale an image up to higher resolutions. Several different kinds of components have been developed for the process, be they stand alone units or source components that have the technology integrated...Click Here To Learn More
Windows Vista
Most media servers on the market today and nearly every home theater PC (HTPC) uses a Microsoft operating system. Hot on the heals of the eventually loved XP, Vista was not one of Microsoft's biggest success stories. Specifically, it lacks......Click Here To Learn More
Wireless Internet
Wireless Internet has become widespread throughout our modern world, wirelessy transmitting Internet data between routers and computers and mobile devices....Click Here To Learn More
Wireless Speaker
Most consumers dislike having to run cables from the front of the room where their system is, to the back of the room where the surround speakers need to be. One way to help with this problem is wireless speakers.......Click Here To Learn More
iPad
The iPad is a tablet PC developed by Apple. It has popularized the tablet PC category much in the same way it's little brother the iPod did for portable media players. Released in April of 2010, the sold over 15......Click Here To Learn More
iPhone
iPhone is a cellular phone developed by Apple and available on the AT&T and Verizon networks. The iPhone is best known for its full-face LCD touchscreen and colorful graphical user interface. In addition to functioning as a cell phone, the......Click Here To Learn More
iPod
The iPod is a portable media player developed by Apple. It is nearly ubiquitous in the portable media player market, and is often synonymous with the category. First released in October of 2001, the iPod has quickly become one of......Click Here To Learn More
iPod Dock
iPod docks are the way to hook up your iPod to your sound system. There are all kinds of models, from the standalone model to components that have dock connections built into them, made by many different companies...Click Here To Learn More
iTunes
iTunes is a free media manager software from Apple. It comes with all iPod/iPhone/iPad products, and is the most common media manager. The graphical user interface is easy to use, which is its biggest claim to fame. Anyone with even......Click Here To Learn MoreFeatured Audio-Video News
Is It Time to Say Goodbye to Unencrypted Cable Channels? -
The Federal Communications Commission has a very important question before them: do they abolish unencrypted cable channels? In other words, do they change the way millions of consumers watch television?
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