Most people are content with a fairly basic setup in their living rooms. While you can still enjoy your favourite TV shows, movies and games with a standard TV and in-built speakers, why not take it to the next level? According to research, people today spend more than a third of their waking hours in front of a screen.
Whether it’s catching up with the latest news, watching a hit new TV series or enjoying some quality games, there are more ways than ever to entertain yourself. However, the experience can be so much better if you invest in good equipment and put some time into designing your own home entertainment system. In this article, we’ll show you how to do exactly that.
Setting Up Your TV
The first and most important step in your home entertainment system installation should be setting up your TV. This is an integral part of any living room, allowing you to view media like movies and TV shows. Ensure that your TV is in a good position, where it can be seen clearly and plugged into a socket.
Aside from connecting your TV to the mains power, you also need to provide a signal for watching media. While you can use a traditional aerial for picking up the main channels, most people prefer to have a wider selection. A lot of modern TVs are designed to be connected to the internet, but you can also use an android box to connect to online streaming services.
Any additional devices you need to connect to your TV will use an HDMI cable. Ensure that the cable you use is capable of transmitting HD signals, with better quality cables leading to a higher quality picture. They’re used for any kind of digital audio device, including Blu-ray players and games consoles.
Your Speaker Setup
While most TVs will have speakers built-in, they’re not the best quality you can get. If you really want to enjoy our favourite media in the best quality, it’s essential to have some speakers. A good set of speakers is probably the easiest way to upgrade your home entertainment system, and they normally last a long time.
However, if you’re not used to dealing with audio setups, some of the jargon around speakers and the terms can be confusing. However, there are specifications that you need to look at when choosing which to buy.
One of the most important things to look for when choosing a set of speakers is the frequency response. This tells you the range of frequencies the speakers are capable of producing. You need a good range in order to create high quality sound with high and low frequencies. This is indicated by a number with a plus or minus symbol, and the lower the number, the better the range.
Aside from the frequency, you also need to look at sensitivity. This figure, which is measured in decibels, essentially tells you how efficient a speaker set up is. The higher the number the better, and anything over 90 dB is considered excellent.
Connecting to a Receiver
An AV receiver is capable of receiving signals from multiple devices, including DVD and Blu-ray players, satellite dishes, games consoles and more. This signal is then amplified and sent to output devices such as your TV and speakers. What this does is ensures that the signals are the highest quality, improving both the picture and sound of any media you play.
When looking for receivers, make sure you choose one that is capable of 4K media, and has a large number of ports to connect with HDMI cables to all your devices.