Design

Today, "home cinema" implies a real "cinema experience" and therefore a higher quality set of components than the average television provides. A typical home theater includes the following parts:

1. Input Devices: One or more audio/video sources. High quality formats such as HD DVD or Blu-ray are preferred, though they often include a VHS player or Video Game Systems. Some home theatres now include a home theater PC to act as a library for video and music content.
2. Processing Devices: Input devices are processed by either a standalone AV receiver or a Preamplifier and Sound Processor for complex surround sound formats. The user selects the input at this point before it is forwarded to the output.
3. Audio Output: Systems consist of at least 2 speakers, but can have up to 11 with additional subwoofer.
4. Video Output: A large HDTV display. Options include Liquid crystal display television (LCD), video projector, plasma TV, rear-projection TV, or a traditional CRT TV.
5. Atmosphere: Comfortable seating and organization to improve the cinema feel. Higher end home theaters commonly also have sound insulation to prevent noise from escaping the room, and a specialized wall treatment to balance the sound within the room.

For more discussion on home theater design and construction you can visit Home Theater Systems, Electronics and Forum: HomeTheaterShack