Theater Set-Up: What to remember when putting together a home theater

When it comes to putting money into the development of your home, one of the very worthwhile investments is an ideal home theater system. To ensure crisp sound, great visuals, and an amazing performance, you want the best equipment for your particular space.

Not everyone is able to have their home system custom installed. Follow some of these worthwhile tips if you are bringing your stereo equipment home and installing all of the components yourself.

Installation is not as simple as placing the plasma TV and speakers up to the appropriate shelf of your home entertainment stand. For the less than technical, it may take a couple of hours to sort out the appropriate wires and connection cables and layout the correct plan for all of the home theater equipment. Take your time and feel comfortable with the plans. Make sure that the equipment you bought has all of the appropriate parts for solid installation. Taking the time to assess everything will save you stress later on.

Some pieces, such as a projector system, will require calibration and adjustment in addition to mounting. If you are unsure about how best to do this, schedule to work on installing everything in a couple of days so that you won’t be pressured to install equipment incorrectly or to settle for imperfect calibration.

Ask your retailer when you purchase a home theater system about any optional or “not included” components that may best go with your home theater design. This will save you from having to make several trips to the store for additional parts.

Most home theaters designs include a television - whether plasma, LCD, projector system, or CRT - some form of speaker package for the audio home theater system element, a DVD player, and a cable box, satellite TV system or other connection system. Depending on how sophisticated you wish your home theater to be, you may include high-end receivers, subwoofers, and universal remote controls. Choose what is right for your household – don’t succumb to hypes or pressure. It is your home atmosphere that matters.

As you are planning your room, decide where the best speaker placement is for the size of your room. If need be, move furniture around for the best sound or buy longer wires to easily connect your components in the way you want. Most manufacturers will recommend placement options for the particular speaker types. Subwoofers can generally be placed to the front and left of the TV. Other speakers should be placed to the right and left of the TV and, depending on how many you have, midway in the room on both the right and left and behind the main viewing area. As you place speakers, stop and play your favorite DVD and see if you are getting the sound you want. Move the speaker if you are not.
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Once the speakers are in place, connect them to the DVD player, cable box and the television, placing each component in the proper place as you get it connected. Play your favorite DVD in as you put on the finishing touches to test the sound quality, connections and the room lighting.

These tips are simple but they could save you a lot of time if you are installing a home theater system on your own.

Ben Anton, 2007

About the Author: Ben Anton lives in the Northwest.

Ben invites you to check out the complete line of custom home theater systems, accessories & reviews available through Ronny's detailed home theater design & installation retail store.