Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Entertainment Centers and Media

By Weston Rice

When you enter a entertainment center area of a downtown consumer electronics outlet store, the plethora of options are overwhelming. Everything is shimmering under fluorescent lights, quite new and shining, every system clearly telling you to "buy me, buy me." Even before you reach that milestone of the process, there are several other things that you need to first understand in order to help you make the correct decision for you home theater and for your wallet.

The first thing you need to do is decide what area your home with house your new entertainment theater system. Keep in mind that if you are looking for a large flat screen television around 45 to 55 inches, the best distance for optimal viewing is around 11 to 12 feet. Don't put a 55 inch TV into a smaller room because you will be gravely disappointed and the screen will actually look too sharp and too crisp, believe it or not. However, if you decide you would like a smaller screen, say, 30-40 inches, then it would be ideal for a smaller living room or larger bedroom.

You will have to decide on which kind of TV you want. Plasma and LCD televisions provide the sharpest and clearest pictures. DLP and rear projection televisions can be somewhat less expensive, but a major negative point is the viewing angle. DLP and rear projections don't give a nice picture when viewing from an angle. Also, make sure your target room where the entertainment center is placed has the appropriate angle. This should help you in your decision on with home theater system to purchase.

One other significant aspect is the receiver. Some receivers for entertainment centers have outputs and inputs for a satellite dish and a cable TV hookups, as well as inputs for several kinds of other things, such as media players (VCR and DVD players) and even PC hookups.

Some entertainment centers even have built-in radios, though they are starting to become less common. One of the more modern receivers is the fact that they can play XM radio, though XM sometimes requires addition fees on a monthly basis. With so many choices before you, you will have to evaluate which is going to be the most important for you, as well as which entertainment center you will ultimately decide on. e.g. there very little sense equipping a receiver with XM if you do not have the funds to pay for a monthly subscription.

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