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Thanks to advances in modern audio and video technology, more and more people are becoming home theater enthusiasts. And while some home theater system owners approach their systems as if money is no object, this is certainly not an option for most would-be home theater owners. Luckily, the recent advances in
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Secret #1: WHAT YOU BUY TODAY WILL BE OBSOLETE TOMORROW, IF IT ISN'T ALREADY. What you should do about it: Don't sweat it. Just read what you can before you buy to educate yourself so you don't make a terrible mistake. If you shop wisely, you can get a tremendous leap over what
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The home theater receiver (or A/V receiver) is the heart and soul of your system, so choosing the right model is crucial. In this article, we will discuss the features of a home theater receiver.

Decoding surround audio

You can't really compete with real cinemas in screen size, but you can completely recreate the astonishing surround audio in your living room! The main task of a home theatre receiver is to supply power for the speakers, and to give them the appropriate audio signal from the surround sound mix that comes from the source. Our source for this surround sound is usually a DVD disc (we will discuss this later). Surround sound can be encoded in several formats. You should look for a home theater receiver that can decode at least the following formats:

* Dolby Digital 5.1: This is the standard surround audio format nowadays, and can be found on most DVDs. It has five discrete channels (left, right, center, rear left, rear right), and a subwoofer channel, that's why it's called "5.1". * DTS: DTS is very much like DD5.1. This format has the same channels, but it's encoded in higher bitrates, so it gives a better sound quality. Unfortunately, few DVDs contain a DTS mix. * Doly Pro-Logic: This is an older format, it was used on VHS. It has only three channels, but none of them are discrete.

More modern home theater receivers can also decode DD5.1 EX, and DTS-ES. These are "6.1" systems, and have a rear center channel. There are not much DVD movies containing these formats yet. Processing and amplification

The surround sound signal has to be processed and amplified in order to be heard on our speakers. You should always check these features when it comes to buying a home theater receiver:

* Frequency range: To maintain a realistic sound, the home theater receiver must reproduce the full range of sounds that our ears can hear. This is from 20Hz to 20,000Hz. Don't even think about buying a home theater receiver with anything less than this! * RMS Power: Don't be fooled by high peak power data, that says nothing, really. We should look at continous power, that is called RMS Power. The higher the better, but it also depends on your needs. A small room require about 80-100W, 120W is needed for a medium-sized room, and really large rooms require about 200W of power.

THX Certifications

If you were looking at home theater receivers, you should have seen the phrases "THX Select" and "THX Ultra". If a receiver has one of these certifications, it guarantees that the home theater receiver will produce a high quality sound. But that doesn't mean that home theater receivers without these certifications can't produce the same quality! So, if you're short on money, don't buy one of these, it is certainly not necessary.

Audio and Video Inputs/Outputs

Everything will connect to the home theater receiver. Remember, it's the heart of our system. Its task is to switch between connected audio and video components. About these inputs/outputs, and wiring the system, read our article on home theater cables. Which one to choose?

Now we discussed the main features of a home theater receiver, but all of the decent models have these. So you could ask "Which home theater receiver should I buy?". Our answer: "That you think has the best sound!". Audition is very important when it comes to audio components, and you are able to listen to your selected home theater receiver at your local store. Some of them also have a 30-day return policy, so you can try it out at home with your own speakers if you already have them (this is important).

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