No traffic. No tickets. No lines. No cell phones ringing at inopportune times. And it can all happen in your favorite chair. This is what home theater is all about. Pop in a great movie, sit back and feel the audio and video wrap around you. With a home theater, you have an escape anytime you want it. Drama, comedy, musicals, concerts -- all of it rests at your fingertips.
This page will guide you in designing a state-of-the-art home theater layout, and make sure you avoid the pitfalls. You'll need to consider home cinema picture quality, speakers, lighting, chairs, and of course the best HDTVs, wireless home theater receivers. More than just the products, we provide the how-to knowledge you can use to create a home theater system that will rival any multiplex.
Audio
Moveable Music You've got your walkman and your boombox, but how about sharing some of that sound around? A look at wireless speakers.
Don't Forget the Surround Sound Big screen TVs get the glory, but home theater isn't complete without great sound. Plus: 10 DVDs with supreme sound.
Buyer's Guide: Ultimate Audio Think you know all of the specs about speakers? We've got the lowdown on some of the lesser-known elements.
Video
I Want My HDTV There's a lot of talk about high-definition, but where's the programming?
Install a Video Selector Add a video selector to your A/V system and your entertainment options might just be endless.
Home Theater Projects
Home Theater's Biggest Mistakes Avoid technical glitches and bad purchases with this collection of stupid home theater mistakes.
You Don't Know Jacks Don't let all those A/V connections fry your brain or your equipment. Here's what you should be looking for.
Quiet, Please! Thrills, chills and a hum? Kill off the noise and pump up the performance of your audio and video.
News & Technology
High-Def TiVo on Its Way You can pause live TV and make recordings in near-original quality, so why not go one step further?
Coming Soon: Digging Digeo We’ve been hearing about it for a while, now cable operators are finally starting to introduce Digeo to the masses.
Intel Makes Big TV Cheap You can stop squinting. Intel says it's got a new chip that's going to make big TVs cheap for all.
Editor's Links
Recommended sites from the TechLiving staff
AV Forums Ask a question, and an answer you (may) receive.
Audioholics A place to offer and seek A/V advice.
Home Theater Forum Over 1,000 members ready to dissect your A/V problems.
Make sure to revisit our Home Theater page for updates about home theater layout, home theater design, and all aspects of designing your home cinema experience.
Home Theater Archives
- Fall Sneak Peek (news)
- DirecTV offers subscribers an exclusive sneak peek at fall TV programming.
- McCain Wants to Subsidize Digital TVs (news)
- John McCain wants digital TV for everyone, and who are we to argue?
- A Blow for Anti-Piracy (news)
- A U.S. appeals court tells the FCC to let their broadcast freak flag fly.
- Klipsch Buys Jamo (news)
- Style meets style and everyone's a winner!
- Them's Fightin' Formats! (news)
- Guest writer Bob Archer gives us a peek at new HD DVD formats from the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas.
- High-Def TiVo on Its Way (news)
- You can pause live TV and make recordings in near-original quality, so why not go one step further?
- Home Theater Systems Need Good Sound
- Big screen TVs get the glory, but home theater isn't complete without great sound. Plus: 10 DVDs with supreme sound.
- High Quality Loudspeakers Getting Small in Size
- Sound should not be seen! At least that’s the theory behind new advances in ultra-thin audio.
- Loudspeaker Buyer's Guide
- The ultimate buyer’s guide! Think you know all of the specs about speakers? We’ve got the lowdown on some of the lesser-known elements.
- Condense Many Remote Controls Into One Unit
- When it comes to remotes, the more does not make for a merrier system. Learn to put all that power into one handheld.
- Digeo's Moxi Digital Video Recorder Utilizes Two Tuner Design
- We’ve been hearing about it for a while, now cable operators are finally starting to introduce Digeo to the masses.
- Intel Works On Liquid Crystal On Silicon Technology
- You can stop squinting. Intel says it's got a new chip that's going to make big TVs cheap for all.
- Audio/Video Connections Explained
- Don’t let all those A/V connections fry your brain or your equipment. Here’s what you should be looking for.
- Stop Electrical Noise For Better Audio and Video
- Thrills, chills and a hum? Kill off the noise and pump up the performance of your audio and video.
- How To Build a PC-Based Home Theater
- Learn how to turn your media room into a computer-based Cineplex.
- HDTV Programming Lags Behind Sales
- There's a lot of talk about high-definition, but where's the programming?
- Install a video selector
- Add a video selector to your A/V system and your entertainment options might just be endless.
- 10 Things To Look Out For When Setting Up a Home Theater.
- Avoid technical glitches and bad purchases with this collection of stupid home theater mistakes.
- Moveable Music
- You've got your walkman and your boombox, but how about sharing some of that sound around? A look at wireless speakers.
- FCC Allows Internet Transmission of TiVo-Recorded Broadcasts
- A recent FCC ruling opens the door for sharing TiVo recordings over the Web and between devices.
Make sure to revisit our Home Theater page for updates about home theater layout, home theater design, and all aspects of designing your home cinema experience.