Five Things To Know Before You Purchase Any Home Theatre System

Purchasing a new home theatre system can be a daunting task. With so much technology built into an AV Receiver it can be quite confusing identifying what you need and what you don't. To help, consider these five questions before you start shopping:

1. What do I currently have?

   If you have components such as a DVD, VHS or DVR player, Digital Set-top box (which are usually built-in to the more recent LCD and plasma televisions) then you will need to make sure you purchase a receiver with enough connectivity (ability) to accommodate all these sources.

2. What type of connectivity do my sources have?

   If you have a plasma or LCD, chances are it has HDMI. HDMI transfers both audio and video over one cable and can handle the highest picture resolution of 1080p which comes from Blu-Ray sources.

   So, if you have plasma or LCD and a source player (such as a Blu-Ray player) with HDMI, then you should be looking for a receiver with HDMI. All the receivers in Yamaha's latest range feature varying degrees of HDMI capability.

3. Do I want wireless surround?

   Five or more speakers placed around the room can take up a significant amount of space, not to mention running wires either in the walls or along the floor. If you want an uncluttered room, look at Yamaha's exclusive Digital Sound Projectors which produce 5.1 channels of surround sound from one single component. They have amazing technology that literally bounces the sound off the walls.

4. Do I need 5.1 or 7.1 channels?

   With the advent of Blu-Ray, the capacity for movies mastered in 7.1 channels is now available. Standard DVD has 5.1 channels due to its limited storage capacity. If you have the room for the extra speakers and want to future proof your system, select a system with 7.1 channels.

   Most receivers that can power 7 channels will have the ability to take 5.1 channels of sound and output this in 7.1 channels, making use of the extra rear speakers and the current DVDs that you own. Read more »

5. Do I want to listen to music through my system as well as watching movies?

   If you love listening to music and watching movies equally, you need a receiver that is good for both.

   More and more people listen to music from their iPod or other compressed source. You need to consider how the AV Receiver deals with both compressed audio sources as well as uncompressed sources such as CDs. Many of Yamaha's home theatre packages come with iPod docks or are iPod compatible via Yamaha's own dock. Check for features such as Yamaha's Compressed Music Enhancer, which is great for compressed audio sources.

   It sounds like a lot to think about however it's important that you find the right product for your needs.

   For any further enquiries please feel free to email us on avsales@gmx.yamaha.com

   Good luck and happy shopping!