Vince Maskeeper
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Jan 18, 1999
- Messages
- 6,500
Welcome to the HOME THEATER FORUM, the premiere discussion forum for the hobby and obsession of Home Theater.
As part of our "HT BASICS" area, some of the established members of the forum have all pitched in and created a basic primer of information all newcomers to the hobby should know. This set of posts should help you get acquainted with all the basic concepts involved with this hobby-- and answer some of the more common questions that people have.
This set of tips has been compiled "on the fly"- so while you can simply read it from beginning to end, I have compiled a table of contents to organize the posts into a logical progression to help you make your way through the information.
It is advised that you take a minute and read the topics in the order I have presented them below. I'm sure after finishing, you will find that have a much greater understanding of the technology and the ideology that goes into the hobby of home theater. It might answer some of your questions, and might help you realize some new questions.
See you on the forum!
Vince Maskeeper
Table of Contents
I. General Concepts
What is Hometheater anyway? by Mike Knapp
Home Theater Means Accuracy & Calibration by Jay Mitchosky
What the heck is a DVD? by Vince Maskeeper
Who Invented DVD? by Adam Barratt
What the heck is a Laserdisc? by Vince Maskeeper
HDTV Overview by Ray Melnik
What is a PVR- Personal Video Recorder? by Greg_R
Music Listening as Part of Your Home Theater by Mike Broadman
What are DVD-A and SACD? by Jagan Seshadri
What is a DAD disc? by Philip Hamm
DVD vs. CD, they look the same by Adam Barratt
DVD vs. VHS, why we need DVD by Nate Anderson
Why DVDs are letterboxed by Vince Maskeeper
Why Some DVDs aren't letterboxed by Adam Lenhardt
Common Film Aspect Ratios by Michael Reuben
What is Region Coding? by Adam Lenhardt
II. Software Concepts & Specifics
Anamorphic DVD by Michael Reuben
Dolby Digital Audio Format by Adam Barratt
DTS Audio Format by Dan Brecher
Dolby Prologic and Prologic II by Chris Tsutsui
Older Surround formats vs. modern 5.1 / 6.1 formats by Patrick Sun
A 7.1 surround sound format by Jeff Kleist
What is the difference between MATRIXED and DISCRETE audio channels? by Vince Maskeeper
THX - is this an audio format? by Dan Brecher
Layer Change Pause, Dual/Single Layered DVDs by Chuck Mayer
HD-DVD: High Definition DVD by Jeff Kleist
A complete guide to Laserdisc {GREAT INFO} by Rachael B
Why are some CDs so much louder than Other Cds? by Vince Maskeeper
The Criterion Collection, and its purpose by Paul Dalmaine
Ugly Fire Streaks in Saving Private Ryan? by Jeff Kleist
Getting the most out of your audio and video with a calibration DVD! by Vince Maskeeper
Great sounding DVDs to show off my system by Ash Williams
Great looking DVDs to show off my system by Jesse Leonard
Why won't this DVD play? by Jesse Leonard
Special Edition DVD vs. Bare Bones DVD by Nate Anderson
Easter Eggs on DVD by Keith_R
Why are DVDs released on Tuesdays? by Jeff Kleist
III. Hardware Concepts & Specifics
If I buy a 16x9 wide screen TV, will I get rid of the black bars forever? by Vince Maskeeper
16x9 vs. 4x3 - Which type of equipment setup should I select? by Neil Joseph & Cees Alons
Understanding Basic Hardware by Chris Matson
General Hookup Tips by Steve Berger
Different Video and Audio connection cables and types by Chella
Why receivers have video ins and outs by Neil Joseph
Options for Routing Audio & Video by Ted Lee
Digital Audio: Optical Connection vs. Coax connection by Neil Joseph
Purposes of 6 channel inputs and outputs on HT equipment by Vince Maskeeper
Not Able To Get DTS Audio? by John Garcia
Why is CD and TV so much louder than DVDs- Did I hook it up wrong? by Vince Maskeeper
DVD setup with 16:9 TVs by William K F
Amplifiers & Preamplifiers by Cees Alons
Why You Need So many Speakers by Ted Lee
Do I really need a subwoofer?? by Cees Alons
More on the purpose of Subwoofers and how to connect by Neil Joseph
Can I use bookshelf sized speakers for my HT? by Ted Lee
Where am I supposed to put all these speakers? by Ted Lee
Speaker Positioning and Aiming by Neil Joseph
Dipole Type Speakers by Andy W
Why is my subwoofer/speaker humming? by Greg_R
Line conditioners and surge protectors by Bill Kane
So where do I put all this stuff? by MarcVH
Color and Video Signals by Cees Alons
Displays: Color Decoder, Red Push, Grayscale by ThomasL
Front Projection - How do I select one for my needs? by Neil Joseph
Universal Remote Controls by Ted Lee
An Overview of Calibration and Reference Level by Vince Maskeeper
Universal and Hi-Rez (DVD-A and SACD) Player FAQ by Brian L
IV. Shopping, Buying, Choosing
Buying speakers from some guy in a white van by Vince Maskeeper
How to decide what to buy (best bang for the buck) by Max Knight
More advice on picking components by Greg R
Choosing the right Speaker Wire by Chris Tsutsui
Choosing Speakers by Jeffrey Forner
Isn't Bose the best? by Jeffrey Forner
The truth about Nuance Speakers by Michael Hein
Advice on Auditioning and Shopping by Robert Gaither
More Auditioning Tips by Jim DiJoseph
More Auditioning/Shopping Tips by Elbert Lee
More Shopping Tips- Discount vs. Audio Specialty Shops by George King
Budgeting for HT, what you need by Adam S
Specific Components Suggested by Robert Gaither
V. Advanced Concepts & DIY Topics
Using a computer in you home theater: An introduction to HTPC by Vince Maskeeper
What is a BFD and do I need one? by Brian Fellmeth
Bi-wiring & Bi-Amping Speakers by Vince Maskeeper
Speaker Wiring and Connections by Earl Simpson
What's an OHM? by Charles J P
Should I consider a Do It Yourself speaker or subwoofer project? by Brian Fellmeth
Speaker Designs and Methodology by Kerry Hackney
More Speaker Designs and Methodology by Earl Simpson
DIY Subs: Understanding Powerhandling by Rudy H
Amplifier Wattage and how it relates to speaker output by Dustin B
Crossovers: Basics and Advanced by Dustin B
How to Solder by Marc Rochkind
What is the Chroma Bug? by Cees Alons
-Vince
(revised 7/07 by Mike Frezon)
As part of our "HT BASICS" area, some of the established members of the forum have all pitched in and created a basic primer of information all newcomers to the hobby should know. This set of posts should help you get acquainted with all the basic concepts involved with this hobby-- and answer some of the more common questions that people have.
This set of tips has been compiled "on the fly"- so while you can simply read it from beginning to end, I have compiled a table of contents to organize the posts into a logical progression to help you make your way through the information.
It is advised that you take a minute and read the topics in the order I have presented them below. I'm sure after finishing, you will find that have a much greater understanding of the technology and the ideology that goes into the hobby of home theater. It might answer some of your questions, and might help you realize some new questions.
See you on the forum!
Vince Maskeeper
Table of Contents
I. General Concepts
What is Hometheater anyway? by Mike Knapp
Home Theater Means Accuracy & Calibration by Jay Mitchosky
What the heck is a DVD? by Vince Maskeeper
Who Invented DVD? by Adam Barratt
What the heck is a Laserdisc? by Vince Maskeeper
HDTV Overview by Ray Melnik
What is a PVR- Personal Video Recorder? by Greg_R
Music Listening as Part of Your Home Theater by Mike Broadman
What are DVD-A and SACD? by Jagan Seshadri
What is a DAD disc? by Philip Hamm
DVD vs. CD, they look the same by Adam Barratt
DVD vs. VHS, why we need DVD by Nate Anderson
Why DVDs are letterboxed by Vince Maskeeper
Why Some DVDs aren't letterboxed by Adam Lenhardt
Common Film Aspect Ratios by Michael Reuben
What is Region Coding? by Adam Lenhardt
II. Software Concepts & Specifics
Anamorphic DVD by Michael Reuben
Dolby Digital Audio Format by Adam Barratt
DTS Audio Format by Dan Brecher
Dolby Prologic and Prologic II by Chris Tsutsui
Older Surround formats vs. modern 5.1 / 6.1 formats by Patrick Sun
A 7.1 surround sound format by Jeff Kleist
What is the difference between MATRIXED and DISCRETE audio channels? by Vince Maskeeper
THX - is this an audio format? by Dan Brecher
Layer Change Pause, Dual/Single Layered DVDs by Chuck Mayer
HD-DVD: High Definition DVD by Jeff Kleist
A complete guide to Laserdisc {GREAT INFO} by Rachael B
Why are some CDs so much louder than Other Cds? by Vince Maskeeper
The Criterion Collection, and its purpose by Paul Dalmaine
Ugly Fire Streaks in Saving Private Ryan? by Jeff Kleist
Getting the most out of your audio and video with a calibration DVD! by Vince Maskeeper
Great sounding DVDs to show off my system by Ash Williams
Great looking DVDs to show off my system by Jesse Leonard
Why won't this DVD play? by Jesse Leonard
Special Edition DVD vs. Bare Bones DVD by Nate Anderson
Easter Eggs on DVD by Keith_R
Why are DVDs released on Tuesdays? by Jeff Kleist
III. Hardware Concepts & Specifics
If I buy a 16x9 wide screen TV, will I get rid of the black bars forever? by Vince Maskeeper
16x9 vs. 4x3 - Which type of equipment setup should I select? by Neil Joseph & Cees Alons
Understanding Basic Hardware by Chris Matson
General Hookup Tips by Steve Berger
Different Video and Audio connection cables and types by Chella
Why receivers have video ins and outs by Neil Joseph
Options for Routing Audio & Video by Ted Lee
Digital Audio: Optical Connection vs. Coax connection by Neil Joseph
Purposes of 6 channel inputs and outputs on HT equipment by Vince Maskeeper
Not Able To Get DTS Audio? by John Garcia
Why is CD and TV so much louder than DVDs- Did I hook it up wrong? by Vince Maskeeper
DVD setup with 16:9 TVs by William K F
Amplifiers & Preamplifiers by Cees Alons
Why You Need So many Speakers by Ted Lee
Do I really need a subwoofer?? by Cees Alons
More on the purpose of Subwoofers and how to connect by Neil Joseph
Can I use bookshelf sized speakers for my HT? by Ted Lee
Where am I supposed to put all these speakers? by Ted Lee
Speaker Positioning and Aiming by Neil Joseph
Dipole Type Speakers by Andy W
Why is my subwoofer/speaker humming? by Greg_R
Line conditioners and surge protectors by Bill Kane
So where do I put all this stuff? by MarcVH
Color and Video Signals by Cees Alons
Displays: Color Decoder, Red Push, Grayscale by ThomasL
Front Projection - How do I select one for my needs? by Neil Joseph
Universal Remote Controls by Ted Lee
An Overview of Calibration and Reference Level by Vince Maskeeper
Universal and Hi-Rez (DVD-A and SACD) Player FAQ by Brian L
IV. Shopping, Buying, Choosing
Buying speakers from some guy in a white van by Vince Maskeeper
How to decide what to buy (best bang for the buck) by Max Knight
More advice on picking components by Greg R
Choosing the right Speaker Wire by Chris Tsutsui
Choosing Speakers by Jeffrey Forner
Isn't Bose the best? by Jeffrey Forner
The truth about Nuance Speakers by Michael Hein
Advice on Auditioning and Shopping by Robert Gaither
More Auditioning Tips by Jim DiJoseph
More Auditioning/Shopping Tips by Elbert Lee
More Shopping Tips- Discount vs. Audio Specialty Shops by George King
Budgeting for HT, what you need by Adam S
Specific Components Suggested by Robert Gaither
V. Advanced Concepts & DIY Topics
Using a computer in you home theater: An introduction to HTPC by Vince Maskeeper
What is a BFD and do I need one? by Brian Fellmeth
Bi-wiring & Bi-Amping Speakers by Vince Maskeeper
Speaker Wiring and Connections by Earl Simpson
What's an OHM? by Charles J P
Should I consider a Do It Yourself speaker or subwoofer project? by Brian Fellmeth
Speaker Designs and Methodology by Kerry Hackney
More Speaker Designs and Methodology by Earl Simpson
DIY Subs: Understanding Powerhandling by Rudy H
Amplifier Wattage and how it relates to speaker output by Dustin B
Crossovers: Basics and Advanced by Dustin B
How to Solder by Marc Rochkind
What is the Chroma Bug? by Cees Alons
-Vince
(revised 7/07 by Mike Frezon)