Home Theater Articles Around the Web

We’ve gathered this huge list of articles and buying guides on home theater. Even though many of the links are a few years old, there was still enough relevant information to keep this page in our archive.  Also, see our latest home theater articles.

• Surround Sound Systems Recommended by CEA - eCoustics.com (9/09)
• 7.1-Channel Surround Sound Considerations - eCoustics.com (7/09)
• Home Theater Speaker Shopping Advice - eCoustics.com (8/09)
• Dolby Pro Logic II and Ambience Processing Explained - eCoustics.com (1/09)
• 5 Tips to Improving Your Stereo Sound or Home Theater Experience - eCoustics.com (11/08)
• Loosen Up, Stereo Devotees: You Just Might Prefer Music in 5.1! - eCoustics.com (12/07)
• Demonstrating Your Home Theater System - Home Theater Magazine (10/07)
• Finding the Right Type of HTIB System - Home Theater Magazine (9/07)
• HTIB Shopping Tips & Strategies - Home Theater Magazine (9/07)
• It’s the Sound and The State of High-Definition Audio - Home Theater Magazine (4/07)
• The Ideal SPL For Home Theater - eCoustics.com (3/07)
• Home Theater Alternatives: What Kind of System Makes Sense for You? - Crutchfield Advisor (12/06)
• Building a Soundproof Home Theater Room Within a Room - eCoustics.com (12/06)
• Soundproofing Your Home Theater - eCoustics.com (11/06)
• Basement Home Theater: What You Need to Know - eCoustics.com (11/06)
• Five Steps to Integrating A/V Installations - eCoustics.com (8/06)
• How Much Do I Spend on My Home Theater? - Audioholics (8/06)
• 5.1 Ways to Improve Your Home Theater Experience - eCoustics.com (8/06)
• Budgeting and Building a Dedicated Home Theater Room - eCoustics.com (7/06)
• Home Theater Set-up Basics 101 - Audioholics (6/06)
• Building a Moderately Priced Home Theater Room - Audioholics (6/06)
• How to Buy a Home Theater System - PC World (6/06)
• How to Buy an Integrated Home Theater Audio System - PC World (5/06)
• Setting Up Your First Home Theater Surround System: Do’s and Don’ts - eCoustics.com (4/06)
• THX-Certification: What It Means and How to Use It - Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity (1/06)
• Home Theater Builder: Selecting Your Room - Audio Video Interiors (1/06)
• The Shadow Box: What Is It and Why Use It? - Audio Video Interiors (1/06)
• Optimize Your Seating Distance For Your Screen Size - Sound & Vision (1/06)
• The Finer Points of Home Theater - Audio Video Interiors (11/05)
• Building a Home Theater in your Basement - Audio Video Interiors (11/05)
• Video: Home Theater Basics - Crutchfield Advisor (11/05)
• Rules for Home Theater: Speaker Placement - Home Theater & Sound (11/05)
• Rules for Home Theater: Speaker Types - Home Theater & Sound (10/05)
• How to Shop for a Surround Sound Speaker System - Home Theater Magazine (10/05)
• Common Facts and Fallacies About Home Theater, Stereo and Video - eCoustics.com (10/05)
• Where to Place Surround Speakers - eCoustics.com (10/05)
• Planning and Redesigning a Home Theater - Philips (10/05)
• Tips for Lighting Your Home Theater - Philips (10/05)
• Introduction to Home Theater - Crutchfield Advisor (9/05)
• What Do You Need for Home Theater? - Crutchfield Advisor (9/05)
• Rules for Home Theater: The Room - Home Theater & Sound (9/05)
• Does an All-in-one System Make Sense for You? - Crutchfield Advisor (9/05)
• Speaker Placement for Home Theater - Crutchfield Advisor (9/05)
• Choosing Speakers for Home Theater - Crutchfield Advisor (9/05)
• What Size Is Your Home Theater Room? - Crutchfield Advisor (9/05)
• Tips on Connecting Home Theater Speakers - Crutchfield Advisor (9/05)
• Choosing Screen Size and Placing Your TV - Crutchfield Advisor (9/05)
• Understanding Surround Sound Formats - Crutchfield Advisor (9/05)
• Home Theater Calibration Discs - Projector Central (8/05)
• Building Your Dream Theater: Step 1 – Assembling Your Team - Revolution Home Theater (5/05)
• An Essential Guide to Home Theater Speaker Placement - eCoustics.com (3/05)
• Multichannel Audio and HDTV - eCoustics.com (3/05)
• Planning Your Home Theater - Crutchfield Advisor (3/05)
• Getting Stereo and Surround Sound to Coexist - Home Theater & Sound (3/05)
• Five Common Home Theater Problems - Sound & Vision (3/05)
• Tips for Building a Home Theater in an Apartment - Audioholics (2/05)
• Intro to Home Theater Sound - Connected Magazine (1/05)
• How to Shop for a Surround Sound Speaker System - Connected Magazine (1/05)
• All-in-one (Home Theater in a Box) Systems vs. Components. Which is Best For You? - eCoustics.com (12/04)
• How to Buy a Great All-in-One Home Theater System - PriceGrabber (12/04)
• Home Theater Setup: Performance Considerations, Part Two - Home Theater & Sound (12/04)
• Home Theater Setup: Performance Considerations, Part One - Home Theater & Sound (11/04)
• Home Theater Expanded - Home Theater & Sound (10/04)
• Thinking Inside of the Box - Digital Trends (10/04)
• Finishing Touches For Your Home Theater - Sound & Vision (10/04)
• High Performance Home Theater Calibration - Audioholics (9/04)
• Lost in the Middle: Center Speakers - Digital Trends (8/04)
• 5.1 Surround Sound From the Engineer’s Perspective - Crutchfield Advisor (7/04)
• Planning for a Home Theater - Tech Living (7/04)
• 7 Recommended Complete Home Theater Systems - The Perfect Vision (6/04)
• Home Theater Defined - Aperion Audio (6/04)
• Five Home Theater Shopping Tips - Aperion Audio (6/04)
• Types of Home Theater Speakers - Aperion Audio (6/04)
• Putting Your System Together - Aperion Audio (6/04)
• The Biggest Bang for your Audio Buck: Why Components Makes Sense - Crutchfield Advisor (6/04)
• Viewing Distance: Home Theater’s Forgotten Problem - Home Theater & Sound (6/04)
• Digital Cinema 101 - DLP.com (5/04)
• So You Wanna Buy a Home Theatre? - Digital Journal (5/04)
• Five Systems for $5,000 - Home Theater Magazine (5/04)
• Why 6.1 Surround? - Crutchfield Advisor (5/04)
• Dolby Digital, DTS and DVD: A History - SpannerWorks (4/04)
• What is Home Theatre? - SpannerWorks (4/04)
• Time and Distance In Your Home Theater - Home Theater & Sound (4/04)
• The Levels of Home Theater Audio Nirvana - Connected Home (3/04)
• Dolby Pro Logic IIx: What it Is, How it Works, and a Comparison - Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity (3/04)
• Maximize Your Home Theater Experience By Tricking Your Room - Axiom Audio (2/04)
• Transforming my Basement into a Home Theater Haven - Crutchfield Advisor (1/04)
• In a Home Theater, Does Size Matter? - Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity (12/03)
• Retrofitting a Home Theater - TechnoFile (12/03)
• Setting Up a Home Theater: The Room, the Gear, the Installation - This Old House (11/03)
• Setting Up Your Home Theater - Masters on Audio (11/03)
• THX Select and THX Ultra2 Certification Interview - Audioholics (11/03)
• Round-Up of Home Theater Questions - Audioholics (10/03)
• How To Setup A Basic Home Theater - Revolution Home Theater (10/03)
• Six Common Home Theater Questions - Crutchfield Advisor (10/03)
• 5.1-channel Sound: From the Studio to Your Home Theater - Crutchfield Advisor (9/03)
• Home Theater Component Basics - DIY Network (9/03)
• Speaker Choices for Home Theater - Home Theater & Sound (8/03)
• Home Theater Aesthetics - Crutchfield Advisor (8/03)
• Home Theater Tweaks 102: Fine-tune Your System So Your Video Shines - Crutchfield Advisor (7/03)
• Home Theater Systems: Starting Out and Stepping Up - Crutchfield Advisor (6/03)
• Setting Up a Home Theater - Liquid Theater (5/03)
• Ten Biggest Mistakes of Speaker and Home Theater Shopping - Axiom Audio (5/03)
• Three Mix and Match Home Theater Systems Compared - Gary Raskin (5/03)
• Home Theater Systems from $1,000 to $2,000 - Sound & Vision (5/03)
• Home Theater Alternatives: Stereo, Simulated Surround, TruSurround and Dolby Headphones - Home Theater & Sound (5/03)
• Home Theater Grows Up - Audiofile & AV (5/03)
• HTiBs: The Wave of the Future - Audiofile & AV (4/03)
• Quick Guide to Surround Formats - CNET (4/03)
• Explaining Surround Sound - Audio Video Revolution (3/03)
• Playing Music in Surround: Part One - GoodSound (2/03)
• Home Theater Audio on the Cheap - Canada Computes (2/03)
• Extended Surround: Confusing the Consumer - Home Theater & Sound (1/03)
• Tomlinson Holman’s Latest Experiment – 10.2 - Audio Video Revolution (12/02)
• Integrating High Quality Stereo with Home Theater - Home Theater & Sound (11/02)
• Design the Ultimate Home Theater On a Budget: Part Two - Home Theater Magazine (11/02)
• Problem with the Dolby Digital soundtrack on certain recent DVDs - Dolby (10/02)
• What is meant by 5.1, 6.1, and 7.1? - Dolby Laboratories (10/02)
• What’s the difference between Dolby Digital and DTS? - Dolby Laboratories (10/02)
• What is Dolby Digital Surround EX? - Dolby Laboratories (10/02)
• Pro Logic vs. Pro Logic II vs. Dolby Digital 5.1 - Dolby Laboratories (10/02)
• Budgeting a Home Theater System for All Around Performance - Home Theater & Sound (10/02)
• THX Certified: What Does it Mean? - Sound & Vision (10/02)
• Speaker Placement: Setup Tips for Upgraded Home Theatre Systems - Audioholics (10/02)
• Design the Ultimate Home Theater On a Budget - Home Theater Magazine (10/02)
• Pros and Cons of Using Different Crossover Frequencies for the Various Surround Sound Channels - Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity (9/02)
• Upgrading a Home Theater on a Budget - Electronic House (9/02)
• Configuring a 5.1 System - Audioholics (9/02)
• Home Theater on a Budget - Home Theater & Sound (9/02)
• 10 Tips for Better Home Theater Sound - CNET (8/02)
• What to Look for in a Home Theater in a Box - CNET (8/02)
• What is the Difference between THX Ultra and THX Select? - THX.com (7/02)
• Building a Home Theater PC - ExtremeTech (5/02)
• Why Home Theater In A Box? - Popular Mechanics (5/02)
• The Dolby Guide to Home Theater Sound - Dolby Laboratories (4/02)
• Speaker Placement for Home Theater Systems - onhometheater.com (4/02)
• What is Dolby Pro-Logic II? - Axiom Audio (4/02)
• Stereo’s Intrinsic Flaw: Why Multiple Channels Are Better - Axiom Audio (4/02)
• Dolby and THX – How they work together - Dolby Laboratories (4/02)
• A Primer for Home Theater Newcomers - Home Theater Forum (3/02)
• How to Position Home Theater Loudspeakers - AVguide (3/02)
• Home Theater Speaker Systems - onhometheater.com (3/02)
• Buying Your First Home Theater System - Home-Theater-System.com (3/02)
• Desktop Theater: The Home Theater PC - LiquidTheater (3/02)
• About Home Theater Surround Sound Formats - Cinema Source (3/02)
• Surround Sound Format Table - Cinema Source (3/02)
• About Multi-Aspect Ratio Screens - Cinema Source (3/02)
• About Tactile Sound - Cinema Source (3/02)
• Understanding Home Theater Room Acoustics - Cinema Source (3/02)
• Popular Theatrical Aspect Ratios - Cinema Source (3/02)
• About Home Theater Seating - Cinema Source (3/02)
• About Projection Screens - Cinema Source (2/02)
• Surround Sound Made Easy - onhometheater.com (2/02)
• Just What Is Home Theater? - onhometheater.com (2/02)
• Getting Started: How to Shop for Your Home A/V System - Crutchfield (2/02)
• Get Home Theater Thrills! - Crutchfield (2/02)
• Home Theater: The Components You Need - Crutchfield (2/02)
• Surround Sound Formats: What You Need To Know - Crutchfield (2/02)
• Home Theater Surround Sound Formats Chart - Crutchfield (2/02)
• Dolby Surround Pro Logic II Decoder Principles of Operation - Dolby Laboratories (2/02)
• What You Should Know About Home Theater - Hawkeye Audio (1/02)
• Recommended Demo Material for Pro Logic II (pdf) - Dolby Laboratories (1/02)
• Home Theater For Every Budget - Electronics House (1/02)
• Basic Cabling for a Home Theater System - Home Theater & Sound (1/02)
• Home Theater Systems: Easy Options - Crutchfield (12/01)
• Home Theater and Audio Systems: Frequently Asked Questions - Crutchfield (12/01)
• Home Theater and Audio Systems Glossary - Crutchfield (12/01)
• How Home Theater Works - How Stuff Works (12/01)
• How Surround Sound Works - How Stuff Works (12/01)
• Update on 6.1 Surround Sound - Home Theater & Sound (12/01)
• Three Home Theater Systems Compared at Different Price Points - Home Theater Magazine (11/01)
• Almost Everything You Need to Know about Surround Sound Formats for Home Theater - Home Theater & Sound (11/01)
• Frequently Asked Questions about Dolby Digital in the Home - Dolby Laboratories (11/01)
• A Listener’s Guide to Dolby Digital EX - Dolby Laboratories (11/01)
• Switching Scenarios for Component Video Sources. - Home Theater Magazine (10/01)
• Mixing Home Theater and Hi-Fi Playback Systems - Decware (10/01)
• THX Ultra2 Released - IGN (9/01)
• Home Theater Speaker Setup and Diagrams - AudioLinks.nl (9/01)
• The Basics of a Great Sounding Room and System Set-Up - Audio Video Revolution (9/01)
• Home Theater Video Connections Explained - CNET (8/01)
• Great Home Theater Performance? - Home Theater & Sound (9/01)
• The Aspect Ratio Equation - Extron (8/01)
• Surround Sound: The Mystery Behind Multichannel Audio - ExtremeTech (7/01)
• Sound Advice from the Pros - Connected Home (7/01)
• Surround Sound Explained - ExtremeTech (7/01)
• A Listener’s Guide To Pro Logic II - Dolby Laboratories (7/01)
• Three Home Theater Recommendations - Sound & Vision (7/01)
• The Living Room Screening Room: Data Projectors for Home Theater - PC World (6/01)
• The Ultimate Home Theater is More Than a Pretty Picture - Connected Home (6/01)
• Your Dream Home Theater is Within Reach - Connected Home (6/01)
• Introduction to Home Theater Components - DIY Network (6/01)
• Planning a Home Theater - DIY Network (6/01)
• Planning a Surround Sound System - DIY Network (6/01)
• Surround as She is Spoke Today (Futurama): Part 2 - onhifi.com (6/01)
• Surround as She is Spoke Today - onhifi.com (6/01)
• Surround Sound & Cognitive Dissonance - Stereophile (6/01)
• Choosing a System — The Logical Approach: Part 2 - Home Theater & Sound (6/01)
• Choosing a System — The Logical Approach: Part 1 - Home Theater & Sound (5/01)
• Ten ways to improve your home theater for less than 100 bucks - Liquid Theater (5/01)
• Surround Sound Formats: Dolby Digital, DTS, THX Surround EX and DTS-ES - TimeForDVD (5/01)
• THX Ultra vs THX Select Overview - TimeForDVD (5/01)
• Video Mixers and Scalers Explained - Sound & Video Contractor (5/01)
• Home Theater Systems Based on an A/V Receiver - Home Theater & Sound (5/01)
• What the Heck is THX? - Home Theater & Sound (5/01)
• Multi-Channel Audio: A Dose of Realism - Beat Reviews (5/01)
• HTPC – Home Theater Personal Computer FAQ/Guide - multimedian.com (5/01)
• How Important is Upgradeability? - Home Theater & Sound (5/01)
• Getting Started With Home Theater - Home Theater & Sound (4/01)
• Almost Everything You Need to Know About Surround Sound Formats for Home Theater - Home Theater & Sound (4/01)
• Surround confusion: Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby Digital and DTS explained - AudioEnz (4/01)
• Buying the Best Home Theater - Ask Men (3/01)
• Dolby Surround Pro Logic II – The Technology and the Sound - Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity (3/01)
• Why Dolby Pro Logic II? - Home Theater & Sound (3/01)
• Audio Calibration of Your Home Theater System - Home Theater & Sound (2/01)
• Home Theater Usability - LiquidTheater (2/01)
• Perforated Projection Screens - AudioEnz (2/01)
• Home Theater Speaker Placement - Home Theater & Sound (1/01)
• Creating a Media Room - Masters on Audio (1/01)
• Doing the DSP Dance: Surround Sound Confusion - AudioEnz (11/00)
• THX Optimode Audio Calibration - SMR Home Theatre (11/00)
• A Beginner’s Guide To Building A Home Theatre System - Audio & Video Lifestyle (11/00)
• Center Channel in the Rear? - SoundStage (11/00)
• Surrounded by Surround Sound - Robb Report (10/00)
• Dolby Digital, DTS and THX Explained - Liquid Theater (10/00)
• How THX Works - How Stuff Works (9/00)
• An Instant Introduction to 5.1 Audio - Audio Video Revolution (9/00)
• Budget Home Theater Recommendation - Liquid Theater (8/00)
• A Listener’s Guide To DVD-Video - Dolby Laboratories (8/00)
• 5.1 for Dummies - IGN (8/00)
• Home Theater 101 - Home Theater Magazine (8/00)
• Looking for a Dream System? - IGN (7/00)
• Home Theater Trends - LiquidTheater (7/00)
• Home Theater For Cheap - LiquidTheater (6/00)
• Home Theater 101 - LiquidTheater (6/00)
• What is the difference between Dolby Digital and DTS? - DVD Answer Man (6/00)
• High End Theater Recommendation - LiquidTheater (5/00)
• Surround Sound Buyers Guide - IGN (5/00)
• Home Theater Guide - AWH (4/00)
• The Misunderstood 0.1 LFE Channel in 5.1 Digital Surround Sound - Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity (4/00)
• Surround Speakers: single vs dual speakers, dipoles vs monopoles - Home Theater Magazine (4/00)
• Home Theater Loudspeaker Placement - Home Theater Magazine (3/00)
• THX: Admit One - Home Theater Magazine (2/00)
• Dolby Digital vs. DTS - Audioholics (12/99)
• Theatrical Matte Option - DVD Angle (11/99)
• What is DTS? - DVD Angle (10/99)
• Home Theater Speaker Setup Tips - Home Theater Advice (9/99)
• Understanding the Different Surround Formats - DVD Angle (8/99)
• Widescreen DVD Matted vs. Anamorphic - DVD Angle (8/99)
• Surround Sound Past, Present, and Future (pdf) - Dolby Laboratories (4/99)
• Home Theater vs Two-Channel Purism - Stereophile (11/98)
• Home Theater FAQ - Lalena.com (11/98)
• Planning a Home Theater - Sound & Video Contractor (8/98)
• Home Theater, Music, or Both? - Stereophile (10/96)
• Beginner?s Luck? Not a Chance! - SoundStage (8/96)
• Home Video Resolution Comparison - (5/97) – Compares picture quality between HDTV, DVD, LD, VHS, & CD-I
• Audio/Video Computer Entertainment System Hookup Connection Diagram - Monster Cable
• Home Theater Speakers Hookup Connection Diagram - Monster Cable
• What You Should Know About Surround Sound - AVguide
• What is Home Theater - AVguide
• DTS and THX…How Do They Relate? - DTS Online
• Home Theater Handbook (pdf) - Polk Audio
• Who invented surround sound system? - ePanorama.net