What is home theater?
The definition is “the use of electronics to recreate the movie going
experience in ones home.” I take this definition pretty seriously, I have many
viewing areas in my home including three bedrooms and the living room. 
All have
a DVD player or Blu-Ray and are used for watching movies but I only have one
room I consider a home theater. All of my systems have a receiver and multiple
channels although not always 5.1 or better. My main system is the only one I
consider a home theater and not because it is a dedicated room, which is not,
specified in the definition.
The reason I consider
only one system a home theater is because it is the only one I have made the
effort to push the viewing experience as close to going out to the movies as
possible, minus the gum and soda on the floor. I have carefully replicated the
sound, picture and feel of the movie going experience in that one room.
That’s not to say I haven’t calibrated all of my
televisions, dialed in the audio of each sound system and made every effort to
maximize the experience. I simply have not gone to the lengths I consider
necessary to make each room a home theater.
I have run into many people, friends and family who come to
me for advice on setting up their home theater. I consider their budget and
their priority in creating the system in their home. Like so many however, the
advice is wasted or forgotten. They are likely to take my advice and get a
great television and DVD or Blu-Ray player but that is where they stop.
I always provide a list of options, well within the budget
that includes a receiver, speakers and subwoofer in various sizes that can fit
any decor. This allows them to walk in and make purchases without spending a
lot of time dealing with sales people or lingering over making the decision. I
am all for listening to a system and making up your own mind, that however
doesn’t really matter to most people who just want to get a decent system
within their budget and for these people, the complete not enthusiast, they
really don’t have much of an opinion on the sound system.
Just to prove the point, in almost all cases these people
forgo my advice and my offer to make it simple by setting it all up for them. I
get a call a week or two later to come over and check out their completed
system. I know what to expect after so many of these visits and I bring along
my standard equipment. Anyone who knows me well enough to call me up to check
out their new system knows me well enough to expect me to put the finishing
touches on things.
Here is where things get a little hairy as 9 out of 10 times
I find a home
theater in a box set up so that all 5 channels are sitting haphazardly on
the cabinet below the television. The exception is when the surrounds have made
it to the back of the room but very different distances from the sitting area.
Nothing is ever calibrated, the system was simply plugged in.
I am not being a snob, I understand fully that the majority
of people want to watch a nice picture and be able to hear the dialog, anything
beyond that is a bonus for them. This is fine and I happily assist in making
the most of what they have within the limits they impose. Is this a home
theater? No it is not, it is an entertainment system and in no way resembles a
home theater.
The first thing I do is check all of the connection on the
television. I remove the coax running from the Hi-Def sat or cable box and
replace it with an appropriate HDMI or component cable. Make sure all of the
other connections are maximized and start making the correct audio connections.
I always take a few
minutes to explain how 5.1/7.1 works and how we can make that work in their
house. This usually ends up with me disconnecting the surround speakers and
disabling them in the receiver. This is not home theater but it is what makes
them happy and that works for me.
Finally I pull out my calibration
discs and analog
sound level meter and get to work, making the absolute most out of what
they have. They are happy and I am happy and for my final act I program their
universal remote, hopefully one I suggested like the Harmony
550 which is both inexpensive and works well for most small set ups.
I am not a saint and I do have an elitist streak when it
comes to an actual home theater. A television, source and speaker system
capable of recreating as closely as possible, the movie going experience is not
what most people want or strive for so when I am told about someone’s home
theater, I smile and nod knowing the odds of them having a home theater is low,
very low which gives me a warm elitist glow in my belly. What would I ever do
if everyone did have an actual home theater, I might have to get into something
like space flight where an actual space craft is much less subjective.
Home
theater in a box is OK if it is set up properly.
No surround, not a home theater.
Non-HD television… You bet as long as it is 36” or larger,
this is also dependant on the room. A 36” television watched fro 17’ away doesn’t
work.
Subwoofer is required unless bass
shakers have been installed, both are better.
Connecting an HDTV to HD sources with the wrong cables… Definitely
not a home theater and close to unforgivable even for non-enthusiasts.