Home Theater Systems & Components

Home Theater PCs

I have retired my video cassette recorders and now use my Home Theater PC for all my TV recording / time-shifting and for playing DVD's. I built this PC with the home theater function in mind. It uses WinXP Professional, a TV scheduling and recording software package called SageTV and Hauppauge WinTV PVR-250 tuning/encoding cards.

With my big-screen TV, I can even use it to play computer games on a massive screen. Whether you call it a Personal Video Recorder ( PVR ), a Digital Video Recorder ( DVR ) or a Home Theater PC, you'll be amazed at the flexibility, ease and enjoyment it returns to your television watching experience.

Whether you get one from Santa Claus, find one under your Christmas Tree, get it for a birthday or even buy it or build it yourself, you'll love a Home Theater PC. This is a home-brew alternative to TiVo® and MS Windows XP Media Center Edition® machines -- and is a lot more configurable and fun than either of those. You can even convert your old Windows 98SE PC into an HTPC -- what a great justification for a new PC!

Home Theater Basics

The cinema is a good place to watch movies and relax. This is because you watch the movie in a wide screen with sound that can make you easily get lost in the movie scene. The picture and the sound is the most entertaining part of the cinema experience.

However, if you can bring this technology home and with lesser expense, this is definitely something you will enjoy. This is the concept only a few American homes acquire in the past years. Lately late, however, a good number of American homes are starting to be less interested in going out of their abode to watch movies. This is due to the evolution of home theater system.

Projectors and Projection TVs

Want a bigger screen? You can get into huge sizes with projection systems. The most common projection systems today are rear-projection cabinet systems. Today's hottest technology is the DLP Projector, putting the picture on a high quality projector screen. These front projection systems may be table-mounted or ceiling-mounted. Either way, your "TV screen" can be as big or as small as you want — and may be a wall with projection sceeen paint or a motorized Draper Projection Screen.

Home Theater Systems

In "marketing talk," the home theater system is the audio part of the theater. The home theater system includes all aspects, from the reception of AM and/or FM audio broadcasts, playing of DVDs and CDs, amplification & equalization components and speaker systems

Home Theater Televisions

Plasma screens, LCD screens, projection systems and classic CRT-type televisions: we have lots of options for the video part of our home theater. Classic televisions run from 5" to 32" (or so), LCD screens go up to the low 40" range, with plasma screens and projection systems providing the big pictures.

Home Theater Seating

After you have selected, purchased and set up your home theater's video system and your home theater's sound system, it is time to think about seating for the home theater. Let's do it right. No recliner from the den. No spare chairs or couches. It's time to start looking for home theater seating!

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