Home Theater Info Center

Shopping Guide to Home Theater Find the HDTV, DVD player, and surround sound system that's right for you.

Setup Screwups We diagnose five of the most common problems ailing home theaters - and prescribe the right medicine.

No Problem Today's gear can present you with so many options that sometimes it's hard to make the right choice. Let S&V's experts show you the way out of three common home-entertainment dilemmas.

The Custom Installer: Got Picture, No Sound? What to do when your home theater can be seen but not heard

Back to Basics: How to Set Up a DVD Player or DVD Recorder Hooking up your new player or recorder can be easy if you follow these simple steps.

Basic Cable: Choosing the Right Cables for Your System Understanding your audio and video connection options can help you get the best possible picture and sound.

Working the Room Here are the finishing touches that will make your home theater a theater.

Is Everybody Happy? How to get great home theater performance without having to file for divorce

The Custom Installer: Put It There The right cabinet is crucial for your gear.

POWERHOUSE Power products are becoming as plentiful as DVD players - but what are they and what do they do?

The Custom Installer: Finishing Touch: Lights Go with automation for a better theater experience.

How to Choose a Custom Installer Seven steps to finding the right man for the job

Working with a Pro Ten tips for finding and working with a custom installer

The Custom Installer: We've Got Answers The five questions every installer hears

Top 6 A/V Urban Legends EXPOSED! Heard the one about the leaky plasma TV? We dispel a few home theater myths with hard facts.

Surround Sound

How to Buy Surround Sound One of the best things about home theater is the thrilling realism and impact that surround sound brings to the experience.

Step By Step: How to Set Up an A/V Receiver Get your receiver's surround-sound settings right the first time.

Back to Basics: How to Set Up Your Receiver Our step-by-step guide that will take your receiver from fresh-out-of-the-box to Control Central.

Behind The Numbers: Digital Surround Receivers How to use our lab tests for digital surround receivers.

THX Certified You've seen its familiar logo on A/V gear and at the movies, but what can THX do to improve your home theater?

Inner Workings: Inside a High-End Audio Cable A well-made cable is a thing of electrical and mechanical beauty.

Speakers

How to Buy Speakers A guide to where to go, and what to do once you get there.

Breaking Out of the Box If you spent $5,000 on your TV but only $500 on your speakers, it's time to get some better sound.

Finding the Perfect Speakers Hunting down the right speakers is easy - if you follow these five sure-fire steps.

Speakers, Step by Step Whether you are buying a bookshelf stereo system or equipping a multichannel home theater, here are the basics.

How to Audition Speakers Tips on evaluating speaker sound quality

Making Sense of Speaker Specs Speakers are like women ... because, for one thing, measurements are important.

Poles Apart Which kind of speaker should you use for the surround channels: monopole or dipole?

Step by Step: How to Position Your Home Theater Speakers No matter how much you paid for your rig, you need to set it up correctly to get it sounding its best.

Back to Basics: Surround Sound Speakers Whether you're immersing yourself in surround sound for the first time or just want to fine-tune your system, we show you how to set up your speakers.

The Setup: Speakers What you need to know to get the most from your stereo, 5.1-channel or 6.1-channel system

Why You Need Four Subwoofers What to do when one sub isn't enough.

The Case of the Invisible Speakers In-wall and ceiling speakers aren't just for background music anymore.

Other Home Theater Resources

HDTV Info Center Everything HDTV from the pages of Sound & Vision. Shopping and setup advice, test reports, and more. hdtv_info_logo
hdtv_resource_logo Resource Center S&V's technology explanations and shopping advice help you choose the gear that's right for you. Also includes an extensive glossary of common (and not so common) A/V terms.
Buying Guides Find the best HDTV or receiver for your home, taste, and budget. Our comprehensive buying guides allow fast, easy searches and unlimited side-by-side feature, spec, and price comparisons. Sound & Vision Buying Guides
Sound & Vision Equipment Reports Sound & Vision's expert reviews of audio and video components deliver thorough, critical evaluations of performance and usability for all types of audio and video components.

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