The home entertainment market was created when the VHS was invented; it brought entertainment to peoples living rooms and bedrooms. The VHS progressed to VCDs and DVDs which became the latest in the home entertainment. The cinema theaters, meanwhile, still had their hold on audiences due to certain unique characteristics such as a big screen, digital sound effects, high amplified sounds, and the entire theater experience. There has been a constant effort to bridge this gap between the theater movie experience and that of the home entertainment system. There have been great technological advancements in this field, and the present home theater systems have brought theater quality of entertainment into peoples home with the invention of high definition technology.

High Definition Technology

The HD or High Definition technology comprises of HD Televisions, HD DVD players, and HD DVDs, which when combined with accessories like high quality amplifiers and speaker systems, provide for an exceptional quality of home theater system. The HD technology is relatively new, but has become very popular among consumers. HD equipment may seem to be expensive to the average consumer at first, but with time, as is true with all other types of technologies, these prices will come down as the usage becomes widespread and more advanced technologies emerge.

High definition televisions have already been around in the markets for some time. HD DVD players were rolled-out in Japan in March 2006 by the Japanese electronics giant, Toshiba Corp. This was followed by their inauguration in the U.S. a few days later, and they are scheduled to hit the UK market by the end of April. There is a lot of excitement regarding this technology, and people are expecting to see a revolution in home theater quality.

HD DVD Players and DVDs

The HD DVD or High Definition DVD was introduced in 2005 and was an adaptation of the existing basic structure of the DVD. The HD DVD has a greater storage capacity and can provide better audio and video quality as compared to a DVD. The HD DVDs are integrated with a state-of-the-art content protection technology which is unique to this medium. The storage capacity is 15 GB for a single layer, 30GB for a dual layer, and 45GB for a triple layer HD DVD. It uses the highly sophisticated compression techniques of MPEG-4 for increased capacity. At the core of the DVD format is a blue laser, having a shorter wavelength (405nm) that allows discs to store data at higher densities that are needed for high-definition movies and television. Toshiba has brought into the market two models of HD DVD players, the HD-XA1 and HD-A1, in the United States, priced at $799 and $499 respectively. The new machines are expected to breathe new life into the home video market and change the way people perceive home theater.

HD TV

The large screen plasma TVs and the LCD TVs have already been in the markets for some time and are widely acclaimed to have achieved high levels of quality. These are TVs that have a wide, flat screen that minimizes visual distortions dramatically. A large variety of screen sizes are available in display sizes ranging from 20 to 65. They come with very high resolutions varying from 1024x768 pixels, 1280x768 pixels, 1366x768 pixels, and 1024x1024 pixels. The HD TVs are equipped to provide higher levels of brightness and contrast ratios. Brightness can vary from 450cd/m2 to 1,200cd/m2, while contrast ratios are 400:1 to as high as and 10,000:1. All these attributes provide for a greater picture resolution and result in very clear and well defined visual quality.

The audio quality is as important in the audio-visual medium as the picture quality. There are a lot of options available in the market that can constantly cater to high quality listening experience. There are three main systems used in the surround sound system; Virtual Surround, Dolby Digital, and the DTS system. For televisions that are not HD compatible, provisions can be made to make them HD-compliant by minor modifications.

The major brands selling HD TVs in the market are Sharp, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, Pioneer, Philips, Toshiba, and several others. HD TVs are available in a wide price range of $2000 to $5000, depending on the technology, brand, and features available.

Amplifiers or Home Theater Receivers

The amplifiers or home theater receivers are the hub of a home entertainment system and provide high quality digital-to-analog conversions. They decode and process any type of program material or surround mode of audio. They are capable of passing HD signals by converting all S-video and composite video inputs to the component video. Certain receivers also provide features like digital video recorders that enable viewers to watch and record programs in HD picture quality. The price range of digital amplifiers can vary from $300 to $750.

The Dolby system and the DTS (Digital Theater System) are currently very popular in both the home theater and the movie recordings. The first Dolby digital format (AC-1) was used in 1984, followed by the AC-2 improvement that was used for cinema. The latest, Dolby Digital (AC3) arrived in the cinemas in the year 1992. With the advancements made in the digital technologies, Dolby was later introduced in home theatre systems.

At present there are Dolby 5.1, 6.1 and the latest Dolby 7.1. These names are based on the number of channels provided. These also come with a great variety of speaker systems that include home theater subwoofers, speaker kits, in ceiling, in wall, book shelf speakers, center channel speakers, and floor standing speakers. They are available in a price range of $350 to $1500.

The overall effect of a home theater system is greatly influenced by the type and placement of speakers and the acoustic quality of the room in use. The right equipment combined with the right type of room make for the ultimate home entertainment theater.