The popularity of Home Theater Systems (HTS) has taken off in recent years as prices have fallen. These days you don’t have to take out a second mortgage to enjoy remarkable sound and video quality in the comfort of your own home.

System Components

Whether it all comes in one box, or you mix and match individual components, the basic home theater system consists of:

• Television set
• DVD player
• DVR (digital video recorder) or VCR
• Surround Sound Receiver
• Speakers
• Cables and Connectors
• Surge Protector

Home Theater Considerations

The best advice when purchasing a home theater system is to let your eyes and ears be the guide, relying less on marketing hype and more on what looks and sounds good to you. Also remember to take into consideration:

• Room size: Fit television and speakers to the size of the room.
• Seating: Consider the angle and distance from the screen and speakers.
• Acoustics: Determined by the room’s shape, materials, and furnishings.
• Lighting: Take windows and room lights into account when positioning TV.
• Ventilation: Assure adequate cooling for both components and audience.

Speaker Wire

When it comes to speaker wire, the thickness or “gauge” matters. The general rule for optimal sound quality is:

Cables and Connectors

The quality of the connectors and cables that tie all the components together can make a big difference in the picture and sound. While you don’t have to spring for top-of-the-line gold plated connectors, avoid the least expensive ones.

Good:

• Composite Video Connector: Carries the video signal to the TV with standard stereo (RCA) cables used for audio. The color and sound produced is good but not as high quality as other connections.

• 

  RF Coax Cable: Same as that used to connect cable television. The cable carries both audio and video signals. Can be push-on or screw-on types.

Better:

• 

  S-Video Connector: The connector has four pins that separate the video signal into separate channels to provide high quality.

• Component Video Connectors: Like s-video, component connectors separate the video signal into different channels but provide even better quality. Separate RCA style plugs are used for each channel.

Best:

• 

  High Definition Multimedia Interface: (HDMI) Produces the best picture and sound quality. The signal carried is completely digital and requires an HD compatible television.

• 

  Fiber Optic Audio Cable: (TOSLINK) Uses a light beam in a plastic fiber optic cable to connect the audio source with the receiver.

Making Connections

Although all systems are different, it helps if you think of cables as paths leading from one component to another. Your goal is to get the audio or video signal out of one device (output) and send it into another one (input.) For example, the video signal has to travel from the output jack on the DVD player to the input on the TV.

In addition to connecting the video and audio components to each other, the speakers have to be connected to the receiver using speaker wire. Slide the wire in the retainer and close it, making sure to keep the polarity the same at both receiver and speaker.

Speaker Placement

The three basic HTS speaker configurations available today are 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1. The first number tells how many full range speakers the system has while the second number indicates the subwoofer for low frequencies. The 5.1 system, with five main speakers and one subwoofer, was the first introduced and remains the most popular.

Speaker placement is the single most important factor in a home theater experience. Here are some general guidelines for setting up each system:

5.1 System: Position the side surround sound speakers even with or slightly behind the seating area and the two front speakers on either side of the TV at about a 30 degree angle to the seating area. The center speaker goes on top of or below the television while the subwoofer sits on the floor to one side.

6.1 System: Speakers are positioned the same as 5.1 with the addition of a rear speaker placed directly behind the seating area.

7.1 System: The setup is the same as 5.1 except there are two additional rear speakers placed at an angle behind the audience

Hiding the Wires

We’ve all done it—poked holes in walls and floors and stapled wires around doorways—but there are better ways to hide speaker wires:

• Wireless Speakers: The easiest method – no wires! But wireless means the possibility of interference and degraded audio quality. They can be either battery operated, powered by AC, or both.
• Channeling: Wires are routed though a hollow plastic tube, known as a raceway, that has adhesive backing so that it can be attached to the baseboard. Channels come in a variety of colors and can be painted to match. Snap on connectors and elbows make it easy to run channeling along walls and around corners.
• Flat Wire: Flat wire is just as the name implies. It can be easily run under carpets without creating a bulge. Some have adhesive backing to hold it in place and can be painted.
• Fish Tape: A special type of wire that is very stiff, perfect for “fishing” through walls or under carpets.

The Final Word

A rainbow of colors, and a tangle of wires. While it looks intimidating, it’s not if you understand the basic principles involved and take the time to plan out the installation. While most systems today have color coded cables, they can still be confusing, so the best thing to do is READ THE MANUAL. Done right, you’ll end up with a home theater system that will literally knock your socks off!

Home Theater Info

• Dolby
• Audioholics
• Home Theater Info
• RAM Electronics

Home Theater Manufacturers

• Harman Kardon
• JVC
• LG
• Onkyo
• Panasonic
• Sony
• Yamaha

Wireless lighting systems for your home used to be considered a luxury item that could set you back thousands of dollars, but the JetStream Lighting Control System® from CentraLite contains everything you need to control up to five rooms in your house for under $700. Individual wall switches communicate with each other using radio frequency signals without the need for a central controller, making the system easy to install in existing home.

The JetStream Starter Kit comes with five dimmable wall switches and a battery powered remote control which can be used to turn lights on and off from your house or car. Four preprogrammed lighting scenes are included, but up to 100 custom scenes can be programmed using a computer and optional USB interface device. Additional switches and accessories—like an automated timer, tabletop keypad and controllers for lamps—are available as well.

Installation requires a neutral wire at wall switches, which may not be present in some older homes. The JetStream carries a five-year limited warrenty and can be expanded to control thermostats as well as security and entertainment equipment. A searchable database of dealers and installers is available on their website.

While phone lines are low in voltage, they carry enough current when they ring to give a mild shock, so it’s a good idea to disconnect the line before working on it. Also, never work on a phone line during a thunderstorm, since lightning can travel down the wire causing serious injury.

To disconnect the line, find the telephone interface box which is usually mounted on an outside wall where the phone lines runs into your house.

Open the customer access panel and unplug the test jack.

On older interface boxes without a test jack, unscrew the terminals and detach the wires, remembering which one went on which terminal.

If the interface box isn’t easily accessible, take another phone on the same line off the hook to prevent it from ringing while working on it.

After checking to be sure the line you’re working on has no dial tone, unplug the phone from the jack. Remove the jack from the wall, noting which colored wires are hooked up to the terminals so you can match them to the new one.

While only two wires are required for a phone to work, the cable usually contains four or more to provide for additional lines or in case one line should fail. These are color coded with red and green normally used for the first line, yellow and black for the second, and blue and white for the third.

After removing the wires from the old jack, attach them to the new one. If the stripped ends of the wires appear discolored or brittle, cut off the damaged section and strip the outer insulation around the line back a couple of inches, being careful not to nick the wires.

Using a utility knife, cut back ½” to ¾” of the insulation around each wire.

Bend the exposed end of the wire into a “U” shape with needle nosed pliers.

Slip the wire over the corresponding terminal on the new jack so it wraps around the terminal in a clockwise direction.

After tightening the terminal screws, attach the jack to the wall, reconnect the line at the interface box, and plug the phone back in.

For more safety information regarding working on phone lines, go to our article Replacing a Telephone Jack.

Is it difficult to replace an existing telephone jack? Does the electricity need to be turned off to replace it? -Sylvia

Sylvia,

Replacing a phone jack in not difficult and typically just requires transferring the color coded wires from the old jack to the matching terminals on the new one. While telephone lines do have 48 volts of electricity running through them, it’s usually not enough to cause a shock, though it may affect a pacemaker.

The electricity in a phone line does spike to around 90 volts when the phone rings, which can give a mild shock. To prevent this from happening, unplug the modular jack at the telephone interface box where the line runs into your house, and check to be sure the phone is dead before working on it. Another option is to take a second phone off the hook to prevent it from ringing.

Since phone lines have their own source of electricity, they remain energized even when the power is off, so flipping the breakers to your house will not make any difference. Also, never work on the phone line during a thunderstorm since lightning can travel through the wire and result in serious injury.

For more information on replacing a phone jack, see our article How to Install a Phone Jack.

With the growing complexity of home theaters comes even an greater tangle of cables and cords. Wiretacks is an innovative product that lets you hide this mess by running a cable channel behind crown molding. [Via Make]

While skylights are a great way to bring more natural light into your home, they can be hard to install, result in unwanted heat buildup, and are prone to leaking. ODL Tubular Skylights solve these problems by using a small diameter round lens on the roof to gather sunlight and shine it down a reflective metal tube to an diffuser mounted on the ceiling.

The lens acts to concentrate the light, even when the sun is low in the sky, while filtering out 99% of harmful UV rays. ODL Tubular Skylights are designed to minimize heat gain in the home and exceed government ENERGY STAR standards. They are available in 10” and 14” diameter models, both of which fit between standard rafters and ceiling joists to allow light in problem areas such as hallways, baths, kitchens, and closets.

The 10” diameter skylight illuminates rooms as large as 150 square feet with up to 3,750 lumens of light—the equivalent of three 100-watt bulbs—while the 14” model can provide enough light for an area twice that size. An optional light kit allows light at night as well. ODL Tubular Skylights can be installed on roofs with a minimum of 3” rise per foot up to a 12” slope.

Due to the reflective qualities of the tube, the ceiling diffuser can be offset up to a 45 degree angle from the skylight, allowing it to fit around obstructions. Once the skylight has been installed, it will provide natural light during the day free of charge, reducing the cost of your electric bills.

ODL Tubular Skylights come with a lifetime limited warrenty and are available online at The Home Depot.