Projectors
There have been some tremendous advances in projector technology in the last several years, and the prices for that technology
have dropped tremendously, as well. Projectors costing up to $10,000 ten to fifteen years ago have been replaced by ones
with much clearer pictures and many cost under a thousand dollars. When shopping for a projector, some features to consider
are what size of picture the projector throws and how far away the projector needs to be from the screen. There are "short-throw"
projectors that require less distance than others.
Televisions
Unbelievable advances have been made recently in the techology used in make televisions. The new flat panel televisions are
incredibly lightweight, clear, and bright. In addition to plasma televisons, there are also LCDs and LEDs. LCD televisions
tend to be brighter than plasmas, but not necessarily as clear. Plasma panels are sometimes harder to see in a brightly lit room,
while LCDs may not be able to create deep blacks, leading to a look that may seem less sharp. However, the newest type of TVs
are known as LED TVs. LEDs are actually LCD TVs that use LEDs to illuminate the either the entire back of the display or the
perimeter. This allows for a great picture, with increased contrast, an extremely thin profile, and decreased energy usage.
However, LEDs, as some of the newest technology, also tend to be more expensive than the others So, if you're looking
for a great deal, plasma and LCD models might be exactly what you're looking for.
Some more prominent television manufacturers include Sony, LG, Samsung, Vizio, Sharp, Toshiba, Pioneer, Sanyo, Panasonic, and Hitachi.
Surround Sound
Simply speaking, surround sound uses a range of techniques to increase the audio sources to make the listener feel like he is
really experiencing what's on the screen. A multichannel sound application surrounds the speaker with several speakers.
Here is a list of items needed along with some excellent sources:
- Receivers: JVC, Denon, Kenwood, Pioneer, Yamaha, Sony and Onkyo.
- Speakers and Subwoofers (bass management): Klipsch, Atlantic Technology, MTX
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So you're in the market for a new home theater system? Perhaps you want to upgrade your old energy-hogging television to a brand new flat-panel HDTV. Maybe you want to incorporate surround-sound into your home movie watching experience. Some will brag that their personal theaters can blow away the experience from an actual movie theater--and rightfully so.
A second method for creating a custom screen relatively inexpensively is to stretch blackout fabric (or another fabric)
over a wooden frame. The screen pictured here was created by the author of this website and her husband.
We simply purchased the fabric from an online store