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The Big Picture

Find out how to create the perfect home theater.

From "Home Theater"
episode DHTW-101

(Continued from page 1)

A rear-projection television set is also an option. It's a classic big-screen TV, and there are three from which you can choose:

CRT--This is the analog tube set we've had around for some time. This "Cathode Ray Tube" is relatively inexpensive, and the picture is considered the best of the rear-projection models. One major downside is that CRT's take up more space and need periodic maintenance.
DLP--"Digital Light Processing" screens have a chip with thousands of mirrors in it. The mirrors flip back and forth, reflecting the pixels onto your screen.
LCD--Discussed earlier, see above.

CRT Screen

DLP Screen

Front Projector and Screen

Figure A

The next option is the high-end sports car of televisions:

A front-projection system just like what you see in a real movie theater. Now there are several popular front-projection televisions on the market, and each uses a different technology to display the image, so the pros and cons vary.
Front-projection DLP and LCD both offer superb picture quality, but their prices vary greatly--from around $1,500 to $30,000 and up.
The high-end front-projection system is a CRT. They are used mainly in custom installations, and they cost anywhere from approximately $5,000 to $50,000 and up.
The downside to CRT front-projection systems is that they are costly and require lots of maintenance. If your projector gets misaligned, even slightly, it will really affect the clarity of your image--and you'll usually need the help of a professional installer to correct the problem.
Note: No matter what type of projector you use, ambient light will wash out the picture. This means that you'll need a dark, dedicated room to ensure the best picture quality.
When choosing a screen for your front-projection system, you have two choices:
1. Non-perforated, which is less expensive.
2. Perforated (figure A), which has tiny holes that let sound pass through. This allows you to put speakers "behind" the screen.

HDTV

Even after you've chosen the right TV technology for your home theater, there's still one decision you have to make. Luckily, it's an easy one. Since the advent of television, screens have had an almost square, 4 x 3 aspect ratio. But in recent years, widescreens have been introduced with a 16 x 9 image--the native aspect ratio you'll need to best display high-definition television (HDTV). In fact, the colors pop off the screen. They're extremely vivid, and you see colors you've never seen on a TV before.

HDTV delivers twice the number of lines or resolution over standard analog TV, giving the picture great color and detail. Nearly all new widescreen televisions are HDTV compatible. Some cable and satellite boxes have HDTV tuners, or you can buy a separate outboard tuner to receive HDTV signals.

Although it will be more than five years before all television programming is in high definition, if you plan to spend more than $500 on a TV, choose an HDTV-ready widescreen over the old standard screen size.

And just when you think you have an educated grasp of your television options, don't forget that there are new technologies coming out all the time.

In the next segment find out about surround sound as Corey helps you choose a state-of-the-art audio system.

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