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Today home theater systems can do
a remarkable job towards a great cinematic experience. It is all about an
intermix effect brought together by the various system components:
the big screen
TV,
home theater receiver, speaker placement,
home theater room setup, overall room decor...
Even what may appear as a simple sheet of stretched fabric - the projection
screen - can do a lot to help support this cinematic effect.
Through the info published on
Practical Home Theater Guide, we show you that it is all a
question of selecting the appropriate gear to complement your room. It is also a
matter of following the necessary implementation principles for a correct home
theater setup.
It is not true that the bigger a big screen TV is, the
better. Nor is it true that you will have better home theater sound by pumping
more power into that sub-woofer!
Follow through the various
articles in Practical Home Theater Guide to discover more.
Website Objective
We hope that
Practical Home Theater Guide
will serve as a comprehensive reference source with easy-to-follow information
covering all aspects of home theater.
Our aim is to help you achieve
through your own home theater system
that same magical experience we enjoy at movie theaters.
We are therefore presenting a
series of informative articles and setup guides that discuss the various aspects
of home theater.
Practical Home Theater Guide is broken down into various sections
targeting specific areas of interest:
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CRT, Plasma and LCD
direct view displays |
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LCD and DLP Rear
projection TVs
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Home Theater and
Multimedia video projectors |
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Video
projector screens and projection screen paints |
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Home
theater receivers and wireless speaker systems |
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Home theater
calibration and setup discs
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Equipment
protection
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...and much more.
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Each of these sections include the
relevant home theater guides that discuss in detail the respective design
criteria, setup constraints, equipment selection, and overall equipment
integration.
Related home theater system reviews are also included, while links to
manufacturers' sites and major online suppliers are provided whenever possible.
We are also featuring an interesting series of
Home Theater Design
articles that takes a full 360o
approach to the subject, starting with the basics in design concept up to final
implementation.
Topics covered include: initial
planning issues such as budget and available space, room acoustics, lighting,
shared versus dedicated home theater room, room decor, home theater seating,
screen size and viewing distance, equipment and speaker placement, speaker
wiring, etc.
On our part, we
are committed to continue developing our website into a complete resource of
free home theater guides and product reviews.
We encourage you to subscribe to our free e-zine
'Practical HT Guide Update'
to remain abreast with the latest additions to our site.
To subscribe, simply fill in
the form below:
Remember also to subscribe to our
RSS news-feed
for the latest news and updates at Practical Home Theater Guide. If you would
like to know more what an RSS news-feed is, click here.
Please feel free to use the site
Feedback Form to post in your comments, suggestions or queries.
Meanwhile, we hope that you will enjoy and profit
from the articles and guidelines appearing in
Practical Home Theater Guide.
In the news...
The latest home theater news and more
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Practical Home Theater Guide - Website Index
Main Categories
Video/TV - Digital Television
and Direct View Guides:
CRT, LCD, and Plasma TV
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Guide to Digital TV
Discover all you need to know
about digital television - from converter boxes to
DTV antennas - and see what you can to so that the
latest and greatest change since the introduction of
color TV would not make your analog TV set obsolete by
February 2009. |
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Home Theater Entertainment: Direct-view Big Screen TVs
A complete guide to home theater
big screen TV systems covering direct-view CRT, flat
panel LCD TV, and high definition plasma televisions. |
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CRT TV Guide:
The latest low prices on
flat-panel TVs seem to imply that the CRT TV days are
over. But is it really so? CRT still offers unsurpassed
picture quality, and the new slim type tubes offer even
more… |
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The Complete LCD TV Guide:
LCD HDTVs are turning out sharper,
bigger, better, and cheaper. Discover all you need to
know about LCD TV sets in this series of articles on LCD
televisions. |
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Plasma Television ...the primary choice in BIG screen TV
A Complete Guide to Plasma
Television: Discover the basic operational principles,
find out the pros and cons of plasma vs. LCD TV, and
identify the features to look for when making a plasma
TV purchase. |
Flat-Panel TV Reviews:
LCD and Plasma HDTVs
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LCD TV Reviews:
A series of LCD TV Reviews
covering some of the best LCD HDTVs - from
expensive LED LCD TVs to affordable LCD
televisions in the
so-called 'value category'. In the process, we also take
a look at a few cheap LCD TVs selling at under $1,000! |
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Plasma TV Reviews – discovering the best plasma
televisions!
A series of plasma TV reviews
covering some of the best yet most affordable plasma
television sets. |
Video Projection Systems - Guides
and Product Reviews:
Rear projection TVs, Video Projectors and Projection
Screens
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Projection TV - the center of attraction in home
entertainment
In search of BIG fun; look to the
big screens of Projection TV. A complete guide to front
and rear projection television systems, and DIY
projection TV. |
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Front Projection: Business and Home Theater Video
Projector Reviews
Multimedia video projectors can
serve many purposes. Our video projector reviews can
help you discover the best-selling business and home
theater projectors available today from major brands. |
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Rear Projection TV Reviews
A selection of Rear Projection TV
reviews covering major top-selling systems for home
theater use. |
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DIY projection TV – Converting any TV into a 150” big
screen Television
Imagine watching movies or your
favorite sports in real life-size without spending a
fortune! DIY projection TV can make all this a reality
but … |
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Home Theater Screens – the Secret behind Great Image
Projections
Home theater screens are usually
the last to be considered when setting up a home cinema.
Many would choose among the cheapest available projector
screens. However, this is a BIG mistake... |
Home Theater Audio:
Multi-Channel Sound
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Home Theater Surround
Sound Formats
For many, the long list of terms
and brand names associated with home theater surround
sound - Dolby, DTS, THX, etc., as well as the
availability of DVD-A, DualDiscs, and SACDs, is getting
a bit too complicated.
Help
is on the way! This home theater guide takes a detailed
look at the different sound formats and certifications
in use today in the home theater world.
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Home Theater Cables:
AV Interconnects and HDCP
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Home Theater Cables: A Guide to AV Connectors and
Speaker Wire
Do not underrate the importance of
quality home theater cables. The build quality of AV
connectors and speaker wire will impact system
performance. Read here to discover more. |
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HDCP - An Introductory Guide to the most debated Digital
Content Protection
Discover what HDCP is all about,
why it impacts your HDTV viewing, and how it works. Is
there an alternative to noncompliant HDTV devices - what
about HDCP strippers? |
Home Theater Guides:
HT Design, AV Racks and System Set-up
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Towards a Successful Home Theater Design: A series of
articles to get started
Fire your system, drop a new DVD,
and dim the lights… Instantly, you are immersed into a
totally different world. A correct home theater design
is crucial for this kind of experience. Discover more
here. |
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Getting the best out of your system: Home Theater Setup
DVDs
Home Theater setup DVDs can help
you get the best out of your system without calling a
professional. Read here to discover how these
calibration discs can come in handy during equipment
setup. |
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A Guide to Audio Video
Equipment Racks
AV Rack enclosures come in all
shapes and sizes, and are great to help you keep your
gear well organized and safe - essential for long-term
trouble-free operation.
But there is more to equipment racks than a storage
space for your system components. More in this
informative home theater guide.
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Home Theater Room Decor:
Home Theater Pictures and Movie Posters
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Home Theater Pictures - Visitor's Gallery
A collection of Home Theater
Pictures to help you discover what others have done to
build their home theater masterpiece.
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Movie Posters - a great way
to relive the magic of your favorite movies!
Movie posters can help recreate
the magic of the movie theater in the home. Learn more
about the fascinating world of movie pictures, poster
sizes, poster books, poster light boxes, etc., in this
Movie Poster Guide.
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Wireless Home Theater:
Headphones, Speakers & Media Players
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A Practical Guide to Wireless Headphones and Dolby
Headphone technology
Ever told to turn it down?
Wireless headphones may be a solution. However, you need
to combine the flexibility of a wireless headset with
Dolby Headphone technology to enjoy a great sound
experience.
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Wireless Home Theater – A buying guide to Wireless
Speakers Systems
Wireless speakers offer greater
flexibility especially when in-wall wiring is not an
option. This wireless speakers buying guide should help
you identify the best solution for your needs. |
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PC - Home Entertainment integration through Wireless
Media Players
Are you ready to expand your
wireless networking from a simple home-office to a fully
integrated wireless home entertainment system? Today’s
wireless media players make all this easily achievable. |
Home Theater Books, Magazines
and Electronics Catalogs
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Home Theater Magazines (and books) - Reviews and
Suggestions
Grab one or two ‘solid’ home
theater magazines and a few ‘good’ home theater books,
and you are on a sure way to avoid costly mistakes when
planning a home theater or making a purchase. |
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Free Electronics
Catalogs
Now you can get some of the best
Electronics Catalogs from major companies covering top
electronic gadgets and home theater gear, free of
charge. More info here. |
Power Protection:
Line Conditioners and Surge Suppressors
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Power Protection in the Home Theater - Power Line
Conditioners
A guide to power protection in the
home theater: Power line conditioners, surge protectors,
and AC regenerators surely represent an effective
insurance policy for your home theater gear, but not
only… |
Satellite Television -
Installation Guides & 'Free' Sat TV
Offers
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A comprehensive online guide to Digital Satellite TV
With its exceptional picture and
sound quality, digital satellite TV is delivering
entertainment to millions in the USA - it is surely a
great choice to complement your home theater… |
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FREE Satellite TV Offers from DirecTV and DISH – Where
is the catch?
The fierce competition between
DirecTV and DISH Network has translated itself into a
number of free satellite TV offers for the end customer
– offers worth a couple of hundred dollars, but… |
Useful Links
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Home Theater Resource
Directory
A
selection of home theater guides and informative
articles from specialized top-rated home theater sites,
with links to related web resources. |
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Useful Links - Home Theater
Lots more info at
Practical-home-theater-guide.com: Recommended Home
Theater links sorted by category. |
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More Links
Additional resources: Useful
websites worth visiting. |
Online Store & Price Search
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The Practical-Home-Theater-Guide.com Home Theater Store
The Home Theater Store with the
movie 'magic' in mind - covering books, home theater
magazines, audio video cables, DVDs, videos and music
CDs, home theater receivers and TVs, etc. |
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Price Search
Do not just buy it... Best Price
Search It! We have partnered with one of the major price
comparison search engines to help you identify the best
deals and save money when shopping online. |
About ME
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How I built this Site - Turning passion into an income
earning activity
Revealing the secret behind
practical-home-theater-guide.com success - A detailed
account of how I built this site. |
Feedback, Site Search, and Site
BLOG
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Feedback Form
Submitting your queries, remarks,
and suggestions on anything appearing on our site is
fast and easy. Just use the Practical Home Theater Guide
Feedback Form and it is all done! |
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Practical Home Theater Guide 'Site Search'
The Practical Home Theater Guide
website is a comprehensive online guide to home theater.
Use the search facility provided here to search our site
for the required information. |
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Practical Home Theater Guide Blog
The Practical Home Theater Guide
Blog provides instant updates about anything appearing
on practical-home-theater-guide.com, as well as timely
home theater news and comments. Click here to subscribe. |
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Discussions and Submissions!
2009 Samsung LED TVs vs. Samsung
LCD TVs Samsung LED TVs are among the most awaited HDTVsbut...
How do they compare with Samsung LCDs, and are Samsung LED TVs worth
the extra expense?
Join our discussion
and share your opinion here.
Submit your home theater to our
Picture Gallery.
It is fun, easy, and free!
Professional Home
Theater Designers and Installer -
read here!
Submit your site to be featured on Practical Home Theater Guide;
details here.
Satellite vs. Cable TV Share your experience about
sat. and cable TV services; it will surely be of value to many others.
Samsung A950 vs. Sony XBR8: Which is better? Join our
discussion and
submit your views here.
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More information @ Practical Home
Theater Guide
Taking your gear for a SPIN... AVRAK AV Racks -
AVRAK are mainly renowned for their rotating AV equipment racks. These racks are
of exceptional quality and makes for ease of equipment installation.
Samsung LED TVs vs. LCD TVs
Which is Better?
Now that we have reviewed both the new Samsung LED and Samsung Series 7 LCDs, it
is only natural that we discuss this LED vs. LCD TV issue.
Samsung 2009 LCD TVs: The B750
Series
The new 240Hz Samsung Series 7 LCDs have all that it takes to become the best
selling LCDs for 2009. Discover more in this LCD TV review.
2009 Samsung LED TVs: The Complete Lineup
Full evaluation of the B6000, B7000, and B8000 Series - analyzing features
and performance issues.
LCD TV Reviews and Product Guides - 2009 Update
Featuring some of the best LCD TV sets presently available for consumer use.
Rear Projection TV Reviews - 2009
Update:
Covering the latest Samsung and Mitsubishi RPTVs.
Guide to Wireless Media Players:
Wireless Digital Media Players and Wi-Fi
enabled gear take home entertainment to a new level. Even
average PC users can experience their collection of digital content in full glory without being tied to a PC.
Wireless Home Theater System
Reviews
Reviewing Panasonic and Sony's premium line wireless HTiB solutions to help
you see which home theater wireless system will suit you best.
CES 2009: Buying a New HDTV?
Following the myriad of tempting new HDTVs we have seen at CES 2009, many end up
with the dilemma of whether to buy a premium 2008 model at a heavily reduced
price or wait till the more expensive 2009 models arrive.
Wireless Speakers Installation Tips
Installing a set of wireless speakers should be relatively straightforward
but... difficulties still arise. These simple-to-follow installation tips should
help make the process easier.
2008 Line of Samsung LED DLP TVs:
A detailed rear projection TV review of the latest Samsung Series 7 LED DLPs
Samsung A950 vs. Sony XBR8 LED LCD TVs:
A detailed LCD TV review that compares the pros and cons of each.
Spoiled for Choice - Samsung 2008 line of LCD HDTVs:
Updated to include also the latest Samsung LED LCD TVs
Recommended Technical
Guides
Image Sticking in LCD TVs
This is one of the least known phenomena associated with
the use of TFT LCD panels, yet image retention is not just an issue with plasma
TVs...
LCD Response Time - Is faster always better?
Is it possible to compare LCD TV response times between different brands? What
about 120Hz LCD TVs - are they really better at eliminating motion blur?
TV
Viewing Distance
A big screen TV for your home theater? Do not fall
into the trap of buying a too large TV!
Contrast Ratio - Playing with Numbers!
To what extent
high contrast ratios affect the performance of a home theater projector or a
video display device?
 Equipment
Racks:
There is more to equipment racks than a storage space for your system
components. More in this home theater guide.
Dolby vs. DTS - Which delivers better sound?
We discuss the differences between these
surround sound formats to help you understand why this Dolby vs. DTS controversy
prevails.
Plasma vs. LCD TV
A detailed 3600
comparative guide to choosing between a plasma television and an LCD HDTV.
Feel the Shake!
Bass Shakers,
Buttkickers... Add the sensation of tactile sound and discover a whole new world
in home entertainment.
The HDMI Cable Guide
To many, HDMI is still an unfamiliar
term. This easy-to follow home theater guide explains all you need to know about
HDMI.
Satellite Dish Installation Guide
We show you how to select your dish, choose the best
location, install, and even fine tune your satellite antenna for best satellite
TV reception.
Guide to Digital TV
A complete guide to Digital Television - DTV converters, TV antennas, and DTV
transition.
Poster Light Boxes:
 Movie
Posters help bring about the Hollywood magic in the home. But the fascinating
world of movie pictures is more than just a beautiful poster hanging on the
wall. For that unique finishing
touch, you need a poster light box. More in this guide.
Buying Online Guides
A
Buyer's Guide to Shopping Online
Shopping online is
cheaper, but is it safe? Discover how to manage the risks while still
enjoying big savings.
Buying Refurbished Electronics
A way to a cheap
HDTV is to opt for a refurbished product. However, to make the most out of your
purchase, you first need to understand what refurbished products are all about.
Recommended Home
Theater Reading
Home Theater
Loads of useful information,
equipment reviews and buyer's guides.
Sound & Vision
Good reviews on the latest home theater gear - covering
both high-end equipment and budget-priced products.
Practical Home
Theater (2008 Ed.)
A well-written home theater guide
that should serve as a valid reference to anyone interested in home theater.
Great Escapes
Unique source of ideas,
and interesting designs illustrated with over hundred photos.
For our
full list of
recommended home theater books &
magazines, please check out the
Books
and Magazines
section of the site.
Sharper, Better,
Bigger...
Check out the latest offers on HDTV
sets at
Amazon
Detailed review available here.
Detailed product
guide available here.
Best-selling 1080p rear projection HDTV; see our review
here.
See our
LCD TV Review section for more information.
42-inch Panasonic Viera TC-P42G10 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV
Panasonic most affordable THX-certified HDTV - featuring VieraCast internet
connectivity to browse online content like Amazon Video on demand, through a web
interface build direct into the TV.
For the full range of HDTV
sets at AMAZON, check here:
1080p HDTV sets
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