Primer - Introduction

Volume 1, Number 1, 1994

Introduction and Main Index

Revised July, 2003

So you are interested in Home Theater and audio are you? Welcome to the most popular topics in home electronics. At least 60% of high fidelity equipment and televisions sold at present are being purchased with Home Theater in mind. Because so many potential buyers are out shopping for components to build their own system, the industry is going crazy designing and marketing new equipment, and almost every week, you can find items on the shelf at the local electronics stores that were not there the last time you looked. The choices are mind boggling and confusing. Fortunately, prices have dropped considerably because there are so many choices.

This issue of the magazine (Volume 1, Number 1, 1994) is designed as a primer. In the following pages, we will explain how to go about choosing the television and other video sources, surround sound electronics, amplifiers, speakers, and how to arrange them in your home so that you can 1. get more enjoyment from the vast library of surround sound movies on tape and laser disc, as well as current television programs that are encoded with surround sound; 2. feel comfortable that you got your money's worth; and 3. impress the daylights out of your friends.

As you will see, there is no reason not to combine Home Theater with listening to music on compact discs, so I will describe how you can purchase one system to do both (of course, you can always buy two systems ;-) In doing this, it will be necessary to explain how electronic components work, because if you decide to combine Home Theater with music listening, you will want to have this information in your mind when you go shopping for equipment. It will help you make better choices, and it will also help the salespeople to provide you with better service, since they will be spending their time as well as yours, showing you first rate equipment rather than asking you questions that end your day with, "Let me think about it," and you go home not knowing what it is you are supposed to be thinking about.

The primer is divided into different sections discussing various parts of a Home Theater and High Fidelity System (click on the section you wish to see):

1. Televisions (Revised January, 2001)