Links - Accessories - Home Cinema
| Home cinema is currently part of the revolution taking place within the entertainment industry, and is a subject that is full of hype and misinformation. Essentially it is a combination of techologies, every one of the leading edge, which means every one of them can also be very expensive. The following links have been broken into the various groups for ease of understanding. |
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DVD players
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These are pretty much the starting point for any Home Cinema system, as they produce the source for everything else. DVD players range in price from less than $100 to as much as $1000, so it depends on how you are going to use it how much you need to spend. |
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Widescreen televisions
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These will suit the smaller Home Cinema systems where space is limited. Widescreen televisions generally display in the 16 x 9 format, but most also have a widescreen option for Cinemascope 16 x 6 format which leaves a black border at the top and bottom of the display. They are available in a range of types such as CRT, LCD, Rear Projection and Plasma, with sizes ranging from 30" to 72" depending on the type of screen. However, as the screen siz increases, the bulkier the display unit will be. |
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Digital Video projectors
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For the large Home Cinema systems, a Video projector, combined with a large screen, is almost a must. Here it is important to generate as much light onto the screen as possible with as much definition as possible. While many of the projectors are designed for high-quality business presentations using a computer, they do not necessarily make good projectors for cinema use. |
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Projection Screens
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When using a video projector is important to use a good quality projection screen designed to suit the environment. Some screens offer a flat white screen, which gives medium reflectivity and wide viewing angles, while others offer highly reflective surfaces with a narrower viewing angle but these are also susceptible to ambient light. Apart from the size, other options such as free-standing, built-in or motorised are other things to consider. |
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Cinema style sound systems
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While many people often make do by using their regular stereo system, most are not setup to process the sound signals that can be generated from the DVD players. It is important to consider a dedicated surround sound system and position the speakers for optimum sound performance, generally with a sub-woofer located behind or below the screen. |
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Other Information
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There are many aspects of Home Cinema that cannot be covered within these pages, but there are many sites out there with so-called experts on the subject, so we have compiled a number of sites to get you started - there's bound to be many more out there that we haven't included. |