Top 6 Tips to Know About Home Entertainment Centers

Top 6 Tips to Know About Home Entertainment Centers

The home entertainment center is probably one of the most import components to providing a higher quality of leisure life for you and your family. Just think about it. You and your family spend a lot of time in the living room area and the one item of furniture in there that will have the most utility is the entertainment center. This is where at least your television and stereo equipment will go. And it must not only provide utility but be attractive as well because this is where most of your guests will visit too. So here are some things to know before buying your home entertainment center that should help you make your perfect choice.

Tip 1: Get the Measurements

The first thing to know is the obvious. You absolutely must take the measurements of your television before going out to purchase the entertainment center. Accurate measurements are not only critical to fitting the television in the space but also for ventilation. Electronic components in a television can get very hot and without airspace all around the television they can overheat. So you want to measure your television set and then allow for a space of one to two inches on the sides and several inches between the rear of the television and the wall. Not only is the space in the rear important for ventilation but also for the ease of installing wires and cables.

Tip 2: Have Plenty of Room for the “Stuff”

Some people still have movies on VHS as DVDs have not really been around for all that long. The idea behind a home entertainment center is that you want everything centrally-located. Most will of course want to store their media such as VHS tapes at their entertainment center. So depending on what you own in the way of media and where you want to store it will determine the type and size of entertainment center you want.

Tip 3: Don’t Forget the Computer

These days, the personal computer is becoming an integral part of a home entertainment center. You can use your computer to download music and video. You can also use it for streaming audio such as internet radio that can be piped through your stereo speakers. The popularity of integrating PCs with home entertainment centers gives way to a new type of PC known as the HTPC. HTPC is an acronym for Home Theatre Personal Computer. It has options on it like a television tuner, DVD burner, and remote control.

But beware that you are going to pay significantly more for a HTPC than you would by buying a PC and adding these hardware options to interface with the entertainment center. If you know a little about upgrading a standard PC system with hardware to interface with the home entertainment center then you might save a little. But actually make sure your will save by doing that. Sometimes, it is just not worth the headaches to try and upgrade a standard PC. The headaches may not justify the cost savings if any.

Tip 4: Study Where You Will Put It

Since the entertainment center is such a focal point it must fit into its designated area and the décor of the room. People have been known to get very creative when finding an entertainment center to fit in even tight spaces like the corner of a room. At times, an entertainment center is not even derived from one store-bought unit. It could be a combination of an entertainment center and a couple of lateral coffee tables—whatever fits and looks good for your living area. It could be that you can only find a nice entertainment center but it still cannot fit all of the stereo and video equipment you have let alone a PC. If you have the space you can use the coffee tables or bookshelf units on the side to hold all of the “extras.” You are only limited by your own creativity.

Tip 5: Think “Theatre”

The term “home entertainment center” is being replaced these days by “home theatre system” as sound and video systems for the home become more and more elaborate. Things like surround sound and large screen or even projector systems actually turn an area of the home into a movie theatre. Except, if you go this route, make sure you get more comfortable seats instead of those tiny seats typically found in common movie theatres. The seating is very important to adding comfort and adding to the enjoyment of your home theatre.

Tip 6: Consider the Sound System

One of the most important aspects of a home theatre system is the surround sound. The surround sound is a major contributor to the theatre effect. So it is wise to carefully buy the speakers for your home entertainment or home theatre system (whichever you choose to call it). One feature you must look for is the voice-matching quality. If you drop the ball on this one then your surround sound system will have distortion and poor quality. So you want to buy your speakers with similar timbre or tonal quality. Some speakers sold have a timbre adjustment on them so that you can match to the timbre of the other speakers. Another way to ensure a good timbre match is to stay within the same product line or series of speakers. By doing this you increase the likelihood of good voice matching quality.

In summary, remember that you are going to be spending a lot of time in front of your entertainment center. You will have friends and family over as well. Take the time to pick the right setup so that the time in front of it will be exciting.

Comments? Questions? Email Here

© HowtoAdvice.com

How to Advice .com