What transforms a TV, a VCR, and a pile of other black boxes into a formal home theater? It’s the systematic relationship between several key devices, all tied together with the same cast of low-voltage wires and cables we’ve met already.
The TV and speakers are obvious stars, but it’s the audiovisual receiver that’s really “command central.” A plethora of media signals may be routed to the AV receiver from components both inside and outside the home: a cable box, satellite dish, off-the-air antenna, VCR, or DVD player. The receiver allows you to choose which of theses input sources you want, and then encodes and whatever wiring scheme you’re planning.
VIDEO OPTIONS:
TV’s are available with a choice of features: direct view, rear-projection, front-projection, flat-screen, and high-definition. You’ll need some showroom help unraveling your connections that are compatible with your AV receiver.
Whenever possible, use shielded cable rather than coaxial cable to make hookups between your TV and receiver. Coaxial cable transmits RF (radio frequency) signals, while shielded cable sends cleaner base band signals. Most connectors are RCA types’ newer video-S and composite jacks, which divide the video signal into multiple facets, may use 4-pin connectors.
To keep wire runs as short as possible, plan to cluster home theater components in a central location or nearby closet. Be sure to maintain at least 6 inches of clearance between audiovisual cables and standard electrical wires. Don’t make loops in cable to take up wire slack; loops add interference.
AUDIO ASPECTS:
Surround sound is the heart of the home theater experience. A battery of at least five and sometimes six speakers is driven by digital encoding supplied by the AV receiver. Matching speakers at front left and front right provide “stereo.” A shielded center speaker, mounted above the TV or place right on top, fills in the middle. (You could also use the TV’s built-in speaker, but a separate center speaker usually sounds better.) Left-rear and right-rear speakers create the surround-sound effect. In addition, a sixth speaker- a specialized subwoofer-is often placed at rear center (although technically, it could be placed anywhere, as these low-frequency sounds have no clear “direction”).
So how do you organize this potential tangle of speakers and speaker wires? If walls are open, simply run wires through house framing to wall jacks with stereo speaker inputs. In existing homes, you can use the same fishing tricks used for standard electrical wiring. If other avenues are closed, you can also route cable along baseboards, inside carpet tack strips, or through surface raceways.
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