Digital Domain Draw the curtains: It's showtime. The latestaudio and video goodies turn any living room into a high-tech screening room. Plus, the hottest portable electronicsfor those on the go.

Digital Domain Attract the curtains: It's outset. The most recent audio and also video rewards turnany living-room into a state-of-the-art screening process room. Plus, the most popular mobileelectronic devices for those on the move.

(FORTUNE Small company) - Ah, the excellent old days. A slice of pizza was a nickel, a flick was aquarter, and the trickiest choice when picking a television was whether to obtain color or black aswell as white. I usually do not buy the whole "it was an easier time" thing, but in furnishing a housemovie theater, it's difficult not to become sentimental when dealing with half-a-dozen competing tvmodern technologies and also at the very least as numerous audio formats, in addition to myriadmeans to see and also videotape movies as well as television shows. Do not acquire me started onthe wide variety of devices and also extras, and that's not also including frozen TV suppers.

Although the experience of raking through all the acronyms as well as abbreviations could bediscouraging-- if I didn't have a cut head, I would have taken out all my hair when I lately establishedmy very own rig-- it deserves it when it's done. While not every person will want his own testingarea, it's now possible to have movie-theater-quality audio as well as a better-than-theater-qualityimage in your house without having to take out a second mortgage. Thankfully, with numerousalternatives, unless you acquire things labeled "Soni" off the back of a vehicle, it's tough to finish upwith a really poor product. Which means a house theater could be something you spend as much oras little for as you like: Decent home-theater-in-a-box items start at $400, but you could invest asmuch as $100,000 if your nouveau riche heart wishes. The system I've assembled right here fallsgladly between, at a not horrendous $7,500, and showcases technologically progressed items thatprovide great, frequently terrific performance. The procedure could be demystified-- if you choosejust what your eyes and also ears tell you and also do not buy into the techno-jargon.

The TELEVISION is the heart of any kind of home-theater configuration, and also there's afrustrating variety of selections: cathode-ray tube (CRT), plasma, liquid-crystal display screen (LCD,additionally referred to as level panel), flat display (not to be perplexed with level panel)-- youacquire the suggestion. CRTs, particularly the newer, flat-tube designs, stay the most effectiveselection for the masses. Rear-projection collections are usually more economical compared to hugeCRTs as well as offer the most significant screen sizes on the marketplace (over 70 inches).Superthin LCD Televisions have actually started to strike the market in the past couple of years aswell as make a fantastic option if you're looking for tiny sets for ultramodern TV spaces like thekitchen; I wouldn't buy one for my living-room merely yet since the image high quality still tracks theother technologies.

If I got an established today, it would be a plasma TV, which provides the exact same fantasticaccount as an LCD however with a much better photo. Although [2] Entrance's 42-inch Plasma TV(gateway.com) can't take on the photo high quality of state-of-the-art $6,000 collections, nobody cantake on Gateway's $2,999 rate for the efficiency it provides. One of the most obvious imperfection isthe set's display screen of the colour black, a recognized weak point of numerous plasma Televisions

and also a certain shortcoming of this model. And don't be absorbed by the Gateway name-- yes, youcan connect the established to your PC, yet this is a TELEVISION collection first, a computerperipheral 2nd.

All I wanted in a receiver was to be able to crank up the quantity to 11-- much like in This Is SpineTap. Yet there are other selections to make when choosing just what is essentially the human brainof a home movie theater-- like having lots of inputs for your elements, and assistance for audioformats like THX Surround as well as Dolby Digital, which aid duplicate the flick theater experienceby splitting flick soundtracks in between your front, center-channel, and also back speakers. (Toabsolutely imitate the cineplex experience, try overcharging on your own for popcorn.) I ultimatelywelcomed [5] Onkyo's TX-NR900 ($1,499; onkyousa.com) because it assists virtually every soundformat under the sunshine, which offers to improve both flick browsing and excellent out-of-dateCDs. I additionally loved that I can hook it into my house network, allowing me hear both Internetradio as well as documents stored on my PC's hard disk. While I expect that one day I'll choose astand-alone "media server" to keep all my songs and also recorded TV programs, I haven't seen oneyet that fits the bill. In the meanwhile, this will do. My one quibble with the Onkyo is that thehandbook made about as much sense as Vertebral Tap's verses.

Like getting a house, acquiring speakers is an issue of just how much size you can pay for. I wished a"huge" noise without having to sacrifice half my living-room for the benefit, and also the [1] PowerTake 5.2 system (energy-speakers. com) allows me come super close. The speakers ($600) audiobetter than numerous two times their size and, more vital, give a wonderful experience with bothmusic as well as movies, mostly due to their excellent midrange performance. The sub-seven-inchsatellites deliver rich, comprehensive noise and are perfectly complemented by Power's boomingS8.2 subwoofer ($300).

It used to be that you would certainly now slide a VCR into the mix, yet today two devices haveactually changed it-- one for playing movies and also one more for tape-recording TELEVISIONprograms. It won't be as well long prior to you can buy an all-in-one item that will certainly let yourecord shows, replicate them, and enjoy flicks, but many points require to take place just before Icould recommend one, including the resolution of a VHS vs. Beta-- design format battle. A DVDplayer is a good place to conserve a little when assembling a residence theater, since there arenumerous completely acceptable players available for much less than $150. But my desire gamerworth splurging on is [4] Denon's DVD-1600 ($499; usa.denon.com). The additional cash obtains youa first-rate progressive-scan design that makes a crisper, more filmlike image, which makes aconsiderable distinction with an HDTV-capable TELEVISION. Undoubtedly it is more recognizableseeing Jurassic Park compared to Gosford Park. Try to transform up among Panasonic's ceased RP-82, XP30, or XP50 designs: They supply the very same photo quality as the Denon for much less.

A digital video recorder (DVR) replaces all those unlabeled videotapes jumbling your living-room(certain, it's only me who had that problem) by tape-recording programs to a hard drive. Thatpermits audiences stop briefly real-time television and also avoid commercials far more effortlesslythan fast-forwarding with videotape. The TiVo name is well on its way to ending up being associatedwith DVRs, however I like the [7] ReplayTV 5080 ($399, plus $9.95 each month subscription cost;replaytv.com). Unlike TiVo, which caved in to TV sector stress and also eliminated its button to misscommercials, ReplayTV makes its capacity to bypass advertisements a selling factor. And while thereare models with up to 320 hrs of storage area, 80 appears plenty to me. If you watch a lot more TVthan that-- well, you merely shouldn't, fine? My only inconvenience is that the configuration can beannoying, since electronic video recorders have to play perfectly with the TV, a phone line and/or

residence network, as well as your wire or satellite firm. If you have satellite solution, go with a mixsatellite receiver/DVR (both Direct TELEVISION and Recipe provide them), which is easier toestablish and also does away with the "Whom do I call?" game if something goes awry. SonicBlue,ReplayTV's moms and dad business, just recently announced strategies to offer Replay to thecompany that possesses Marantz and also Denon. At this early date, it's not clear if the new ownerswill make any type of changes to the product.

Those aspects comprise the basics of any type of house movie theater, but I would certainly add afew various other accessories to round it out. If you have youngsters or, like me, simply need a greatstress-relieving video game of Tiger Woods golf every so often, a videogame system is a must. [6]Microsoft's Xbox ($199; xbox.com) has yet to topple Sony's PlayStation, yet with the introduction ofXbox Live, which allows gamers to contend online with choose titles, it's more fun compared toplaying against the computer continuously and also most definitely much more socially acceptablecompared to inviting your expanded friends over for an evening of Mech Attack. And due to the factthat a residence movie theater ought to involve the house and also not merely a den or living area, Iwould certainly position a rack system-- think glorified boombox-- strategically in rooms where theresidence movie theater does not get to. With its blend of traditional elements like a CD player andalso high tech's most recent gift, wireless Net connectivity, [3] Philips's Streamium MC-i250 ($399;usa.philips.com) acquires my salute. While I desire that Philips offered even more Web radioterminals, also its limited options are greatly superior to the regular industrial AM and also FMtrash.

Once you decide what to get, you'll have to determine where to buy, which isn't really as very easyas you might think. If you go to a manufacturer's website, the impression you'll get is thatpurchasing its items from an unauthorized reseller is merely somewhat far better than swiping themwhich you could nullify your warranty by doing so. I do not believe two times about buying"unauthorized" products that are much less most likely to need repair, like speakers, but I attempt toplay it safe with products like TELEVISION sets. Not everyone may take pleasure in the tinkeringentailed in obtaining a residence movie theater set up, so ask a salesman at the regional high-endaudio-video establishment. He'll either be able to recommend a good installer or offer to do ithimself (and also maybe reduced an offer on your purchases at the same time). If you select the do-it-yourself course, think about running an optimization DVD to readjust audio and also videosettings. Several Televisions come with screens that are merely also intense, since they look a lotbetter on establishment racks, yet programs like the Sound & & Vision Home Movie theater Tune-Up($19.99, finest for newbies) or the Avia Guide to Residence Theater ($49.99) will help generate thevery best feasible photo and audio outcomes (both from Ovation Software program; ovationsw.com).

The last knotty issue is wires-- as well as the dreaded wire up-sell every salesman has grasped.Whether you get premium cords to hook every little thing together is up to you. I can view arenovation onscreen utilizing midrange video cables as opposed to the low-end things, though I cannot listen to much difference making use of premium sound cords as well as speaker cords. Myaudiophile pals would possibly suggest the contrary. Monster (monstercable.com) is the most famousname in premium wires.

In another 50 years, naturally, wires may join black-and-white TVs on the junk pile. Around thensome magazine will cover the most recent in residence theater as well as ask, "Keep in mind whenTELEVISION was two-dimensional?" Ah, the great old days.