[ Cables ] [ Components ]

The components of a home theater system are the individual parts that make it up. They have names they are usually referred to as. They are:

• Display – This is the piece that displays the image. Usually this is a TV but sometimes it is a monitor, which is like a TV with no internal TV tuner or speakers. There are many kinds of displays like CRT, flat panel, rear projection, front projection. And each one of those categories can break down into individual technologies. The display is probably the greatest contributing factor to picture quality.
   

• Source –  A term for any device that provides a image, audio or both. A CD Player, DVD player or a satellite receiver are all examples of sources.
   

• Controller – The controller is an advanced pre-amp. It contains the source selection, attenuation of volume and digital to analog converters and surround processors. It may also provide video switching.
   

• Amplifier – An amp provides power to the speaker, forcing the magnet to move in and out at various frequencies which gives you sound. The amp only provides power.
   

• Speaker – A speaker is a device used to recreate sound. Usually a box it can take other shapes. It is most often made up of 1-4 (sometimes more) magnet driven drivers (tweeters, woofers), 1 or more crossovers (a device that determine which frequencies are played out of which drivers), 1 or more chambers of air in an enclosure made of MDF or other rigid, non-resonant material. (There are many variations on this formula.)
   

• A/V Receiver – The audio/video receiver is the central hub of the modern home theater. This device receives the source audio and video signal, translates the signal, applies any audio corrections, amplifies the audio signal to power the speakers and sends the video signal to the display device. The a/v receiver controls what source you wish to play, how it sounds, how loud it plays, what speaker plays which sounds along with many other controls. It is important when buying a receiver to consider what speakers it is powering and what sources it will connect to now and in the future. A/V Receivers can run anywhere from $200 to $7000. A/V receivers will often have almost every kind of a/v connection except coax.
   

• Blu-Ray Player – Named for its blue laser the Blu-Ray player is a high definition disc player. The Blu-Ray disc looks just like a DVD or CD but stores up to 50 GB per side compared to 4.7 GB on a DVD. Blu-Ray movies can play back at up to 1080 lines progressively at 24 frames per second (matching film frame rates) or 60 frames per second (matching standard video frame rates). Blu-Ray competes with HD DVD. For best picture quality you must connect a BP through an HDMI cable.
   

• Cable Box – Usually leased from the cable provider cable boxes contain the cable tuner and usually allow for premium content and ordering pay-per-view. They come in analog, digital and HDTV versions and are also available with an internal DVR. Cable Boxes have coax inputs and outputs and may be found to use composite video, S-Video, Component Video, HDMI, DVI, Analog Composite Audio, Optical and Digital Coax connections.
   

• CD Player – Plays CDs. Connects to receivers via Composite Audio and sometimes Optical or Digital Coax connections.
   

• CD Recorder – Plays and records CD. Can record from outside audio sources or built in second CD drive.
   

• Divx Player – The Divx player is a DVD player that also played Divx discs ( a “disposable” DVD that played for 48 Hrs before requiring another “rental” fee ) that were available for around $4.00 during the late 90s. The Divx discs are no longer available but the players still play DVDs. They will typically have Composite Video, S-Video and sometimes component video along with an optical or digital coax connection.  They also had a phone line connection to check in with homebase on a regular basis, but there is no longer a reason to connect the phone line as this feature is no longer functioning.
   

• DVD Player – Probably the most common component around now DVD players play back DVD movies. Ranging in price from $30 up to over $1000 DVD players vary greatly in quality. Most of the quality difference lies in the picture quality but there are differences in build quality, control options, sound quality and ability to read scratched discs. They use some of the following to connect to other components and display devices; composite video, S-Video, Component Video, HDMI, DVI, Analog Composite Audio, Optical and Digital Coax connections.
   

• DVD Recorder – Has everything a DVD player has and can record from external video sources, from an internal TV tuner or a built-in VCR or DVR if included. Attempts to record from pre-recorded DVD will usually fail due to a copyright protection embedded on the DVDs. In addition to all other connections found on a DVD player you may find input connections and Coax inputs and outputs on units with an internal TV tuner.
   

• DVR/PVR/TiVo – More addictive than cigarettes the Digital Video Recorder makes watching TV more personal by allowing you to watch what you want, when you want. These devices allow you to pause, rewind, fast forward  and slow down live or pre-recorded television shows by use a of an internal hard drive. They allow you to easily schedule recordings of your favorite TV shows one at a time or a whole season at a time. Over 25% of households currently have a DVR, a number that is expected to increase dramatically. DVRs are adding functions all the time like the ability to play content from a networked computer or download videos from the internet to playback through the TV. PCs can be modified to act as a DVR and even the Sony PS3 is adding a TV tuner and DVR function to its available options. The price of these units range from a $10/month lease up to around $800 + a $15/month service charge. They are available through your cable or satellite provider or purchased separately.
   

• Entertainment Server/Client – An entertainment server is one of the newest types of home theater component. What it consists of is a hard drive array that stores movies, music, photos or any combination of the three which is then accessible through client components often in any room of the house. These systems are scalable and very convenient. The Kaleidescape, one of the first entertainment servers, can be configured to store over 10,000 DVDs on 70 Terabytes of hard drive space and could stream different movies to up to 25 rooms at a time if desired. Of course such a system would be very expensive (Somewhere north of $360,000 before purchasing the movies and TVs). A basic movie server could be purchased for around $7000.
   

• HD DVD Player – This is a High Definition version of a DVD player. It will play back HD DVD discs and standard DVDs. It will play content up to 1080 lines of resolution. HD DVDs can store up to 30 GB on a single disc. HD DVD competes with Blu-Ray Disc.
   

• LD/VCD Player – The laser disc is the early version of DVD and was much bigger, more expensive and was never as popular as the DVD. But at the time it was about as good a picture as you could get on a TV.
   

• Media Center – Usually refers to a Windows PC configured for entertainment rather than traditional home computing needs. Being a Windows PC allows for great flexibility and a great variety of capabilities including built-in DVD player, surround processing, theater control, DVR, DVD burning, media storage etc. It may connect to a receiver through analog or digital audio cables and to a display using s-video, component, DVI or HDMI cables.
   

• Mini Disc – The mini disc is a small disc similar to a CD but enclosed in a plastic housing protecting it from scratches and impact. It is also virtually skip proof. Because of it’s small size and recording ability it was more widely accepted as a portable device than a home playback device but home components exist. It would connect to a receiver using 2 sets of  composite audio cables, 1 set for playback and one set for recording.
   

• Satellite Receiver - Usually leased from the satellite provider satellite receivers translate the satellite broadcast into a usable TV signal. They come in standard digital and HDTV versions and are also available with an internal DVR. Satellite receivers have coax inputs and outputs and may be found to use composite video, S-Video, Component Video, HDMI, DVI, Analog Composite Audio, Optical and Digital Coax connections. You will also find a phone line connection on them.
   

• Separates – Separates refer to a group of components that perform the functions often performed by a receiver but housed separately. These components are the pre-amp, amplifier and sometimes tuner. The pre-amp may convert digital signals to analog, controls what source is playing, may control tone through an internal EQ and controls gain (volume). The pre-amp connects to the amplifier through analog cables. The amplifier then amplifies the signal to power the speaker. The tuner operates as a separate source and serves to receive local over the air radio broadcasts. Separates can start around $1000 and have almost no upper limit in price though a typical separate system runs between $5000 and $25,000.
   

• Stereo Receiver – Stereo receivers allow you to select what source you wish to play, control volume, power the speakers and include a built in radio tuner. A few of these have limited video switching ability.
   

• Tape Deck – Allows you to playback and record onto analog audio cassettes. It connects to the receiver using 2 sets of composite audio cables, 1 set for playback and one set for recording.
   

• Turntable – The primary audio format for most of the 20^th century the Phonograph record is still in production today and is the format of choice for some ‘audiophiles’. The turntable or phonograph plays 12” or 7” flat discs at 33, 45 or 78 RPM. Connect to the receiver using composite audio cable but must be connected to a ‘phono’ input because the signal from a turntable 1 tenth as strong as a line level signal and must be amplified and re-equalized before playback. Turntables range in price from $100 to over $1000 and needle cartridges can range from $15 to several hundred dollars.
   

• Video Game System – A category that started with the Atari 2600 has become almost as large as the home movie industry. Video games are very advanced now often combining many other features including music and photo storage, online web browsing, movie streaming and soon DVR service. Video game quality has increased to the point that some HD sports video games resemble actual live action games. The big 3 are Sony’s PS3, Nintendo’s Wii and Microsoft’s Xbox 360. For best picture quality connect using HDMI or at least component video.

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