| Ah!! There's not much like the thrill of | | | | Crystal Display) and HDTV (High Definition |
| seeing the latest Hollywood blockbuster on | | | | Television). |
| the big screen! Excitement fills the air as | | | | |
| the house lights dim. The low murmur from the | | | | Some useful information for picking out the |
| speakers begins to rise and surround you as | | | | perfect television: Flat-panel TV's come in |
| the sounds permeate the theater from back to | | | | nearly every size and run between $700 and |
| front, left to right- adding a bit of | | | | $10,000; rear-projections are typically 42" |
| vibrating excitement from the tips of your | | | | and up to about 70", and will cost between |
| toes up to top of your head. Every hair on | | | | $1,000 and $5,000. Front-projections with |
| your body stands up on end. This experience | | | | High Definition start at $1,500 and head |
| can be recreated in your very own home, as | | | | upward, but require a very dark room for a |
| long as you have the right home theater | | | | decent picture. LCD is best for a light room, |
| equipment. | | | | while Plasma TVs have darker darks and richer |
| | | | tones to create a better overall experience. |
| A DVD player is mandatory, as the output of | | | | |
| such a device is over 500 horizontal lines of | | | | There are ideally 5 speakers in a home |
| resolution compared to just 200 lines on a | | | | theater- a large one to place above or on top |
| VHS tape for a VCR. Prices for these players | | | | of the television, one smaller one to each |
| can run from $30 to $250 or more depending on | | | | side of the TV, and one at each rear "corner" |
| the amount of extra doodads you want to have. | | | | of the room. Basically, the four smaller |
| DVD players can also play the majority of | | | | speakers should be in the corners of a square |
| music CD's, therefore alleviating the need | | | | or rectangle that creates your home theater |
| for a separate system. | | | | room. If you have high, slanted or cathedral |
| | | | ceilings, or aren't thrilled with the idea of |
| The television in most home theaters is one | | | | drilling holes to suspend the speakers from |
| of the widescreen models, as the majority of | | | | the ceiling, speaker stands will work just |
| DVD's are created in this particular format | | | | fine. If the stands are chosen properly, as |
| to imitate the theaters, but you can play | | | | well as the speakers, they can either stand |
| DVD's on any type of screen. Most new | | | | out or blend nicely into your room's |
| televisions larger than 27" diagonally are | | | | décor. And don't forget the subwoofer to |
| made only as widescreen sets, including those | | | | create the rumbling bass-sound for the echoes |
| in the three main types of sets sold for home | | | | of explosions and/or the oncoming entourage |
| theaters: flat-panel, rear-projection and | | | | of airplanes, as what would a home theater be |
| front-projection in plasma, LCD (Liquid | | | | without those. |