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Buying Guide – Home Theatre System




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When it comes to watching movies or listening to your favourite music at home, the basic speaker set can’t give you the experience you want. Most of us might consider soundbars for our living rooms. They are convenient and offer an improvement over the built-in TV speakers. Still, the sound performance still isn’t close to that of a cinema hall. A much better solution to achieve a good cinematic experience is to invest in a home theatre system. Home theatre packages are setups that come bundled an audio amplifier-receiver, a subwoofer and satellite speakers. There are many brands that sell home theatre systems and the cost of these packages differs based on the features offered. They’re part of one kit so they’re easy to purchase and setup. They’re affordable as well, as compared to buying speakers and receiver-amplifiers separately. If you are planning to buy a home theatre system for your home, here are some pointers that you need to initially consider.

Budget and space

Your needs and allotted budget is what will help you narrow down on the home theatre options. In most cases, people spend a lot on setting up the room, interiors and on the television set. However, the speakers and amplifiers are neglected by many. The size of the room, free space and speaker placement are other things to be considered. If you have a small room, you can opt for a home theatre package that uses bookshelf sized speakers. If you have a slightly spacious room, you can go for a 7.1 setup with a package that comes with either bookshelf or floor standing speakers.


Speakers

The speakers also play a crucial role in delivering good audio performance. While some home theatre packages come with bookshelf speakers, some of them come bundled with floor standing speakers. Generally, home theatre systems come with either 5.1 channel or 7.1 channel speakers. Here, there is a subwoofer that reproduces low frequencies and others are satellite speakers for the front, center and rear channel speakers. In your home theatre setup, you can have the speakers placed on the floor or you can mount the four satellite speakers in each corner of your room.


A/V Receivers – what to look for?

The A/V receiver is the heart of any home theatre setup, so you need to ensure that the package you choose has a good quality one. Today’s A/V receivers come packed with cool features, all thanks to advancing technology. While it’s a good thing, first time buyers may get confused in choosing the right one. To pick the right home theatre package, here are some important things to look for before you zero down on a home theatre package.


Power

The total power output of the amplifier is usually denoted in watts. To be able to offer enough power to the connected speakers, it is important to ensure that your receiver is powerful enough. Ideally, for optimum performance, look for an A/V receiver that delivers at least 100 watts of power to every channel. Another term used to specify the performance of speakers and the amplifier, is impedance. Most speakers are rated at 6 or 8 Ohms. In the case of home theatre systems, the amplifier and speakers are paired properly by the manufacturer.


What connectivity options to look for?

  • HDMI

The connectivity ports and the number of options available on an A/V receiver is important. While slightly older A/V receivers come with HDMI 1.3 ports, the latest models may come with HDMI The new standard offers support for Audio Return Channel (ARC), 3D video and Ethernet over HDMI. The ARC on HDMI 1.4 sends audio from the TV to A/V receivers, sound bars or home-theatre-in-box (HTIB). HDMI ARC not only eliminates the need of having a separate S/PDIF for audio connection, but also offers flexibility to upstream the audio data. Ideally, look for an AV/ receiver that come with at least three HDMI input ports so that you can connect multiple devices, such as a gaming console, Blu-ray / DVD player, laptop etc.

  • Video conversion and 4K upscaling

While it was once considered as a premium feature in A/V receivers, the latest ones are capable of video conversion and upscaling. Video conversion feature allows you to connect different component and composite video signals and get them converted into digital signal. This way, you can connect your slightly older audio / video devices and send output to the TV using a single HDMI cable. The 4K upscaling feature is also of a great importance. If you are planning to buy the latest 4K resolution TV or already bought one, this feature can be very helpful. The process upscales the lower resolution signals to higher resolution so that it looks better on your HDTV / UHD TV. Although the upscaled signal is not high-definition, it’s noticeably better.

  • HDMI and 3D pass-through

HDMI pass-through means that the audio and video streams passing through the A/V receiver are not processed. The receiver will only pass those streams to the display or TV. As the receiver cannot process the audio, HDMI pass through does not allow transfer of HD audio. For that, you have to depend on Optical audio, which only supports DTS (Digital Theatre Systems) and DD (Dolby Digital). In case of 3D pass-through, the 3D signals require higher bandwidth compared to the ordinary 1080p signal. The latest version of HDMI 1.4 is 3D ready. A/V receivers with 3D pass-through accept the 3D signals and pass it to the TV via HDMI out. However, it doesn’t mean that the A/C receiver converts 2D to 3D. For that, you’ll need to connect a Blu-ray player to your TV.

  • Surround Sound Processing

For first time home theatre buyers, the wide range of surround sound options can be quite overwhelming. Almost all of the latest A/V receivers can handle Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks from the HDTV broadcasts, Netflix, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, etc. That’s not all, Dolby DTS-HD and Dolby True HD are also supported by the latest home theatre receivers, thus allowing you to enjoy pure and immersive surround sound experience right at home. To add more punch to your music listening experience, some home theatre receivers also come with a host of equalizer presets. Component and Composite video Almost all A/V amplifiers are equipped with component and composite video connectivity ports. Having these input ports ensures backward compatibility, thus allowing you to connect your outdated audio / video devices such as VCR, CD / DVD players.

  • Ethernet

Having Ethernet connectivity in the A/V receiver offers multiple benefits, such as easy update of the receiver’s firmware and online music streaming. With DLNA, you can also access to content on your home network and stream music from your smartphone, tablets, etc.

  • Apple Airplay

Not all, but some A/V receivers come equipped with Apple’s Airplay which allows you to stream music, photos, videos and videos from iTunes or Airplay equipped device on a network.

  • USB for iPod connectivity

If you have older version of Apple device that doesn’t support Airplay feature such as iPhone 3Gs, iPod 2G, 3G etc., then USB connectivity can be very helpful. If the USB input on you’re a/V receiver is certified to work with iPads, iPhones and iPods, it will eliminate the need of having a docking station. With the USB connectivity on your A/V reciever, you can stream music, movies and photos stored on your Apple device onto the HDTV.


Other Miscellaneous Features

  • Radio Tuners

While there are a lot of internet radio stations where you can listen to almost all genres of music, it’s still better to have an in-built FM / AM tuner in the A/V receiver. So, you can also tune-in to your local radio channel.

  • Remote Control

While a remote control is included in almost all home theatre packages, the control features are very important. Ideally, it should have the required buttons to control all the features available in an A/V receiver. Also, look for build quality, operating range and the type of batteries the remote works on.

  • Build quality and function keys

The dimensions of the A/V receiver, its weight and build quality are other important points to consider. Its design should have enough vents to ensure that the heat generated over continuous usage is let out properly. Look for the function keys available on the receiver. Ideally, it should let you control most features of your home theatre.


In-box contents and wires

When looking for A/V receivers, do check on the in-box contents, such as power cables, remote control, batteries, etc. If it doesn’t come with connectivity cables, you may need to buy them separately. The thickness and build quality of cables is an important thing to consider as it will impact on how better your home theatre sounds. Also look for the type of material the connector is made from, such as gold or nickel. Keeping the above things in mind, you can buy the right home theatre package for your home. Of course, you’ll need to do a bit of research on the brands that sell home theatre packages, available models, their features, etc. In case of any confusion, walk in to our Reliance Digital outlets and our solution experts will be happy to help you.


2 thoughts on “Buying Guide – Home Theatre System

  1. guide for home theat re is good, but it should be with examples . the specific features availability recommendations are useless if the models are not quoted . i am looking for a home theatre for my lg 4k oled 55 inch tv to be fixed in a hall of 22 by 18 ft.
    your suggestions are good but where to find them.
    please help if you can

  2. Hi Arun Kumar, We appreciate you liking the buying guide. It’s difficult to list out models since they can change quite often. We were hoping to provide pointers on how to choose a solution.

    Based on what you’ve mentioned, you may like these models –
    Yamaha YHT-2910 (https://www.reliancedigital.in/yamaha-yht-2910-5-1-channel-home-theatre-system/p/491282363)
    Sony BDV-N9200W (https://www.reliancedigital.in/sony-bdv-n9200w-5-1-channel-3d-home-theatre-system/p/491161414)

    You can visit our stores, someone can guide you through models that are perfect for your requirements and even give you a demo. You can also buy models online after browsing our catalogue – https://www.reliancedigital.in/home-theatre-systems/c/S101815

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