Term of the Moment
high-resolution audio
Redirected from: home cinema
Definition: home theater
An audio/video entertainment center that has a large-screen TV and high fidelity audio system with at least three speakers in the front (left, right and center) and left and right speakers in the rear. Starting in the early 1990s, video inputs were added to stereo receivers, turning them into audio/video (A/V) receivers. Today, most home entertainment hardware vendors make A/V equipment for both listening and viewing (see A/V receiver).
Audio - Equally Important
A good sound system is important in a home theater setup. Realistic high-fidelity greatly enhances movie watching, and in many home theaters, the audio is the more elaborate and much more costly part of the system. See home theater in a box, soundbar, digital media server, videophile and audiophile.
Home Theater Components
Home Theater Control
Big Screen Home Theater!
Audio - Equally Important
A good sound system is important in a home theater setup. Realistic high-fidelity greatly enhances movie watching, and in many home theaters, the audio is the more elaborate and much more costly part of the system. See home theater in a box, soundbar, digital media server, videophile and audiophile.
This is a typical 5.1 home theater (see home theater speakers). Except for the subwoofer, which is always on the floor, speakers range from tiny, wall-mounted units to floor models containing several drivers.
Anyone would be happy to have these high-end McIntosh units in their home theater. The processor is the control hub for selecting video source, decoding surround sound and streaming music from the home network or Internet. (Image courtesy of Audio Video Synergy.)
This monochrome Zenith TV was just as exciting in 1951 as a 75" OLED TV is today. In the early 1950s, screen sizes jumped from 10" and 12" to the 16" screen you see here. Color TV emerged in 1954. (Equipment courtesy of World Wide Stereo.)