High Tech Options For Your Home Theater System

If your home theater needs exceed a simple television set combined with a few stereo speakers and a DVD player, you might want to consider a more sophisticated home theater system. You might have started with a simple all-in-one solution, but now feel the need to upgrade your equipment. Maybe you think it would be better to start all over again from scratch? No matter your inspiration, there are some really impressed high-tech home theater options available, and they do produce impressive results!

Home theaters are designed to reproduce the traditional theater experience as much as possible. This involves great picture and equally impressive sound. This is one reason why many home theater fans utilize surround sound technology and wide-screened televisions. One truly can bring the movies home by selecting items that are top of the line and represent the pinnacle of home theater system technology.

Large speakers are available that include built-in amplifiers. Those wanting body-slamming bass effects often invest in additional subwoofers, as well. These speakers can be very attractive, and will not necessarily make your home theater area look like an electronics store showroom.

If you are looking for the best high-tech sound system on the market and are concerned about space and aesthetics, satellite "nucleus" speakers in the form of heavy, colored balls are the best option. For their modest size (some have a diameter of as little as four inches) they really are a powerhouse of sound. Their cool, fun design merits placing them on bookshelves or plant stands to be displayed rather than hidden away. These smaller options can reproduce everything from dialog to massive explosions wonderfully and are a great option to consider. These smaller speakers really do pack a wallop! Most micros have 22 H2 high frequency, which means a lot of power in a small space. Although many micros need about 50 hours to really "warm up" after being taken out of the box, the nucleus speakers perform at their highest capacity when they are brand new. Smaller options like these can be a real value and they are often sold with an included subwoofer to tend to one's bass needs.

The VHS recorder is quickly becoming outdated, so most high-tech home theaters will eschew a traditional VCR in favor of a DVD player and recorder. The best DVD recorders are combined with a hard drive, and the prices keep plunging as more and more consumers are investing in these models. The best DVD recorders use laserdisc technology, which enables smooth functioning. DVD recorders usually function much like VHS recorders, and most models have AV inputs, and a TV tuner. You can usually copy homemade videos or recordings from other sources, but you cannot bypass anti-copy encoding. Other features included in a good DVD recorder are playback format, AV inputs for 3 composites, AV outputs for 5 composites, Dolby digital, a built-in channel programming system.

Plasma televisions are the current epitome of "high tech. They can be wall-mounted and they are beloved for their sleek design. These can be used as a centerpiece of your high-tech home theater or can be mounted on the wall. A typical plasma television has around 1024x768 pixel resolution, a 60,000 screen life and can display HDTV signals. The average size of a plasma TV is 42" with a 16x9 screen, although some "compact" varieties are around 37" with a 4" thickness for easy wall mounting. Some Plasma TVs have built-in stereo capabilities are compatible with most sound systems.

Some people like to consider their camcorder part of the action, and with digital models gaining momentum, they can be a fun part of a home theater system. In the most basic or terms, there are two varieties of digital camcorder on the market: MiniDV and Digital 8. The former was developed first and is the most common variety. Most consider it to be the most user friendly, and it uses a 6mm tape with 90 minutes of recording. The digital 8 models are slightly larger but use 4 mm tapes with one hour of recording time. However, digital 8 models can sometimes have more sophisticated copying capabilities and other special features. If you are looking for a basic digital camcorder with a good reputation, try a MiniDV, although if you like the special features of the Digital 8, it may be worth your investment.