What is the Best Home Theater System?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions. What is the best home theater system? In reality, the person should finish the sentence by adding: for my home. The best system for me might be far away from what the best system is for you. Lets consider the three main things to consider when shopping for a home theater system.

Even the most basic home theater consists of three fundamental components. Ranked in normal order of importance, you could say that any person wanting to experience perhaps the minimal home theater experience must use a good sized video display, a digital surround sound system and a DVD player. Of course the best home theater system depends upon your specific needs and available space and budget. The challenge is deciding what is the best home theater system for you.

Typically the DVD player will function as your video source so taking into account today's technology, it would be foolish not to obtain a good quality Blu-ray dvd player. Nearly all consumers will go with a HD capable tv at the minimum, so picking out a Blu-ray player ensures you that you will have access to all the latest movie releases. Depending upon your spending budget, one may possibly take into account one of several new DVD players perfect for playing 3D Blu-ray Discs in 1080p if you have a 3D-ready HDTV in your sights. At the time of this writing, the Samsung BD-C6900, Sony BDP-S570, Sony BDP-BX57, Panasonic DMP-BDT350, LG BX580, and Samsung BD-C5900 3-D Blu-ray disc players are among the most popular. In case you choose cheaper models, just be sure your chosen component has progressive scan capability and has a component video output. In fact for all those on a limited spending budget, the entire home theater in-a-box may be the ideal solution.

In the past when you mentioned a complete home theater in-a-box, one normally thought of cheap worthless junk. Nowadays that is not very true. Some high-end theater in-a-box systems include the Yamaha YHT-591BL, LG LHB953, Yamaha YHT-390BL, LG LHB977, and the Onkyo HT-S5200 7.1 system. I've noted some excellent deals on a Onkyo home theater system. Buying A home theater in-a-box permits a fairly easy purchase and all the buyer has to add is a HDTV. For many, a high end system in-a-box is probably the best home theater system for your situation.

The 2nd component of any home theater system is a Digital Surround Sound System or the home theater speaker systems. If you purchase a component Blu-ray dvd play, you will need a quality sound system composed of satellite speakers and a receiver. The normal surround sound system will be a 5.1 system meaning it has a center stage speaker, four satellite speakers and a subwoofer. If space allows, a 7.1 surround sound system adds another two satellite speakers for even a far more theater-like experience. When looking for a receiver, remember you can get lost in the many options such as 5.1, 6.1, 7.1, video switching, HD plus more. For anyone who is not prepared to do some research at this point, it would be a good move to think about those high-end theater in-a-box packages described earlier. If you are determined to go the component option, you can find outstanding video receivers including the Sony STR-DN1000 7.1, Sony STR-DG520 5.1, Sony STR-DH510 5.1, Pioneer VSX-1020-K, and the Pioneer VSX-920-k.

The last, but most important part of any home theater will likely be your video display. If you're on a restricted budget, you'll find some excellent buys in regular 32" TVs. Needless to say think about the weight of that size TV before you decide to settle for anything but a thin flatscreen. The best option of course will probably be a LCD or plasma wide screen television in the 46" to 50" range for family viewing. Lately most of these also have come down significantly in cost. A number of popular and affordable models are the Samsung LN40C630, Samsung LN46C630, LG 32LD450, VIZIO VA370M, LG 42LH40, Panasonic TC-P42S2, Sharp AQUOS LC32LE700UN, and Sony Bravia S-Series KDL-40S5100. When looking for a flat screen TV, consider how you'll use the TV. Nowadays they are offered with a lot of things from internet connections and wireless access to home networks. However you should search for a model providing 1080p and 120Hz refresh rate in case you view a lot of action sports. Needless to say you can really go to the high end and consider the new 3-D TVs on the marketplace also. There are good quality deals on the Samsung UN55C7000 and Samsung UN55C8000 if you purchase their 3-D DVD player at that time. Besides the the flat screens, a few home theater builders will go with a video projector or a rear-projection TV. Needless to say the video projectors call for the largest amount of space and also the extra cost and installation of a screen.

If you think about your alternatives in home theater systems, you will discover that it is possible to have some level of movie theater experience no matter what your available space and budget. Consider your budget, your available space and your use and you'll be on your way to finding your best home theater system.