Home Cinema

What Is Home Cinema?

If you've heard the phrase 'home cinema' mentioned on TV or in the press and are wondering what it means, then this guide will answer all your questions.

If you are new to home cinema, you may be wondering what it's all about. In simple terms, home cinema involves combining a separate sound system with a television and /or satellite / video recorder (VCR) to create a more involving atmosphere. At the top end of the home cinema scale, a complete system includes a large screen television (Plasma/LCD) or projector, separate amplifiers, surround sound decoders and a full set of speakers, in addition to the latest audio and video sources such as DVD and digital television.

Depending on your budget and the amount of space you have in your proposed home cinema room, there are many ways that a system can be constructed to suit your needs. But regardless of these factors, the basic components of a home cinema system remain essentially the same; the only differences being the quality of each component and the features that are included.

Should I buy a projector Plasma screen for my home cinema system?

Both Plasma screens and projectors are suitable for home cinema use, but are both very different. Plasma screens offer a clearer image but can be more expensive that your home cinema projector. It's also worth noting that with a Plasma screen your restricted by size and location as they are usually a permanent fixture.

Projectors on the other hand are very popular because they do create a "cinema" experience.

If you would like more information on Plasma screens make sure you visit our 'Plasma Screen' section.

Which projectors are suitable for home use?

There are a number of factors to take into consideration when choosing a Projector for home use, these are:-

Resolution
Resolution refers to the level of detail your projector can display and is measured by pixels.
An example of resolution is 800 x 600. The first number (800) refers to the width of the image -- how many pixels are displayed horizontally. The second number (600) refers to the number of pixels displayed vertically, from top to bottom. More pixels mean higher resolution and clearer detail.

Brightness

A projector's light output is measured in units called ANSI lumens. The more lumens, the brighter the image. Most projectors for home cinema need to be more than 700 lumens for the curtains closed or 1200 lumens for daylight conditions.

Keystone Correction

'Keystoning' is the name given to the effect on the projected image when the projector sits below or above the centre of the screen. Keystone correction counteracts this effect by stretching the image at the bottom or top, resulting in a squarer, more professional image.

LCD or DLP?

Until a few years ago projectors were mostly based on LCD technology, where the light from the lamp was filtered through red, blue and yellow LCD panels to produce a full colour image. Having three panels means that the projector casing needs to accommodate more room for the electronics, making the projector larger. Then Texas Instruments developed DLP technology. DLP converts light straight into a full colour image, allowing manufacturers to make much smaller projectors.