The Sony Guide to Home Theater
Contents What is Home Theater? ................................................... Why Sony? ...................................................................... What You'll Need: Sources, Sight & Sound..................... Home Theater Sources DVD Players........................................................ About Progressive Scan....................................... Super Audio CD Playback................................... Digital Satellite Receivers....................................
What is Home Theater? Think of what makes movies in a theater so compelling. Consider the giant screen, teeming with brilliantly detailed, vivid color pictures. Think of the sound, sometimes booming with explosions, sometimes delicately whispering and always immersing you in a full 360-degree experience. At the movies, these elements can come together with astonishing emotional force. Home theater is the technology that brings this experience into your room.
Why Sony? No company is better prepared to provide your home theater than Sony. We coinvented many of the essentials of home theater, including Compact Disc and DVD. Our award-winning FD Trinitron® WEGA® television is the gold standard in picture quality. Our Plasma WEGA™ and Grand WEGA™ televisions have won rave reviews. And Sony leads the industry in both A/V receivers and packaged home theater systems.
A breakthrough in professional audio, the Sony OXF-R3 Oxford digital mixing console. In all the world, no other company has this intensity of home theater focus—or this breadth of home theater expertise. Only Sony.
What You'll Need: Sources, Sight & Sound Home theater combines three essential elements into one powerful experience. These elements are Sources, Sight and Sound. SOURCES. A good DVD player is the essential source for today's home theaters. In one easy purchase, a DVD player offers studioquality pictures, CD-quality sound and access to the over ten thousand movies available on DVD! SIGHT. Home theater requires a big screen, at least 27 inches diagonal.
Home Theater Sources DVD Players The essential home theater source component, a DVD player is also one of the best entertainment values today. It delivers digital picture quality that until recently you would only have seen in a TV broadcast studio. You'll hear digital-quality surround sound. You'll enjoy over ten thousand titles including movies, concert videos, children's programs and more.
Component video outputs. These Y/PB/PR outputs are a must for progressive scan DVD—and they're highly desirable for all other players. They do the best job of preserving the picture quality. Component video outputs (Y/PB/PR) are the best way to convey the full quality of the signal from the DVD player to the television. MegaStorage® DVD changer capability. This lets you load any mix of up to 300 CDs and DVDs for pushbutton access to all your music and movies. No more rummaging through the shelves.
About Progressive Scan In video, what appears to be a continuously moving image is actually a series of discrete still pictures, called frames. Each frame lasts 1/30 second each contains 480 scanning lines that appear on the screen. Because of limitations in the early days of television, these 480 lines were divided into two "fields," each of which lasts 1/60 second. The first field displays the odd-numbered scanning lines. The second field comes back and displays the even-numbered scanning lines.
Super Audio CD Playback A music source, Super Audio CD belongs in any discussion of Home Theater thanks to multi-channel sound capability. You haven't enjoyed the ultimate in home audio reproduction until you've heard a multi-channel Super Audio CD reproduced over a multi-channel speaker system. Thanks to Sony's Direct Stream Digital™ recording technology, the sound is an obvious improvement over Compact Disc and other digital audio systems.
Digital Satellite Receivers With over 200 channels of entertainment, the DIRECTV® service brings an incredibly rich array of programming options into your home. Subscribe to the service and you'll be able to choose from pay-per-view movies and events, college and professional sports packages, plus a long list of cable favorites.
About High Definition Television High Definition TV will dazzle you with up to six times the picture detail of conventional TV. HDTV means a widescreen 16:9 picture with cinematic sweep and grandeur. It also means Dolby Digital sound, including surround sound for movies and TV dramas. Best of all, High Definition television is not a promise for the future. It's here today. The DIRECTV satellite service carries three HDTV feeds (HBO, Showtime and HDNet) to a national audience.
Active Horizontal Aspect Scanning Pixels Ratio Lines 1080 720 480 1920 1280 704 480 640 16:9 16:9 16:9 or 4:3 4:3 Picture Rate (frames per second) P = progressive i = interlace 30i, 30P, 24P 60P, 30P, 24P 60P, 30i, 30P, 24P Definition 60P, 30i, 30P, 24P Standard Definition High Definition High Definition Standard Definition Of the eighteen DTV broadcast formats, only the top six are designated High Definition.
The DVI-HDTV interface carries High Definition in full digital quality. Component video outputs enable high-quality analog connection to a television. The separate components of the video signal can be Y/Pb/Pr or R/G/B. The D-sub 15-pin interface supports component video R/G/B signals. Dolby Digital optical passthrough. To enjoy surround sound, you'll want to connect the optical digital audio output of the HDTV receiver to your A/V receiver.
Simultaneous record and playback. Here's another trick that hard disk recorders can do that VCRs can't. This feature lets you record a current show onto the unit's hard drive, even while you're watching another show that you've previously recorded! Season Pass automatically records every episode of your favorite show every time it airs—even if the network changes the schedule. Wish List records upcoming shows with your favorite actor, actress, director or keyword.
If your network provides no Ethernet cable near the home theater system, the receiver can be connected to a Sony PCWA-DE50 for 802.11a wireless LAN connection to a compatible wireless LAN access point. VHS Hi-Fi VCRs Even in the age of DVDs and personal video recorders, the old VCR still has a role to play. Some movies are not yet released on DVD and some rental stores still have more VHS cassettes than DVDs. You may own a shelf full of VHS movies that you still want to play.
Home Theater Sight A New World of Choices If you haven't shopped for a television recently, you're in for a surprise. You now have a new range of choices that extends beyond conventional Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs) to include Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) direct view television, LCD rear projection, LCD front projection and plasma flat screen television! You also have a choice of the squarish screen with its 4:3 aspect ratio or sleek, widescreen television with the new 16:9 aspect ratio.
Choosing a Screen Size The guidelines for choosing a TV screen size are not set in stone. Much will depend on the amount of space you have for a television, the size of your room and particularly the viewing distance. But the "right" screen size also depends on your preference. If most of what you watch is movies on DVD and if you want to be immersed in the full cinematic experience, you may be better off with a larger screen than the one recommended here.
Choosing a Screen Type As we've mentioned, the range of available television screens has never been greater. If you're into the technology, it's an incredible feast. If you're a little uncertain, the sheer selection can be daunting. Here's a quick guide to what's what, and how to choose. Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) direct view. WHAT IT IS. The conventional television. You're looking at the front of a large glass envelope, the inside of which is coated with phosphors.
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) direct view. WHAT IT IS. Liquid-crystal display technology first appeared in the early 1970's. LCD is used in front projectors, rear-projection TVs, and flat-panel displays. Like a laptop computer screen, a flat panel direct view LCD consists of a panel of viscous liquid sandwiched in plastic. The liquid is driven by a network of transistors that control individual pixels.
Plasma Display Panel. WHAT IT IS. Another flat panel technology, this contains chambers of plasma gas for each pixel. The plasma pixels are made to glow by a network of electrodes. Plasma is the king of the "wow factor" technologies—giant-screen televisions currently up to 63 inches diagonal, yet svelte enough to mount on the wall, in an armoire or on a tabletop stand. Even large plasma TVs can be as thin as 5-1/4 inches. The picture is only part of the beauty. BENEFITS.
CRT rear projection. WHAT IT IS. The most popular choice for giant screens. These are single piece, self-contained televisions. They typically use three small CRTs—one each for red, green and blue. The resulting light is projected through a lens and mirror system behind the screen. BENEFITS. As in direct view, rear projection CRTs offer superior performance and moderate cost.
LCD rear projection. WHAT IT IS. These systems shine a high-intensity light through a single LCD panel or three individual LCD panels for Red, Green and Blue. The resulting light is projected through a series of lenses and reflected off a mirror behind the screen. BENEFITS. Systems that use three LCD panels—one each for red, green and blue—can achieve superlative picture quality.
LCD front projection. WHAT IT IS. These are small, portable projectors that project an image onto a separate component screen or a white wall. They work by shining a high-intensity light through a single miniature LCD panel or three individual panels for Red, Green and Blue. The resulting light is projected through a lens system onto the screen. BENEFITS. If you want the biggest possible picture, LCD front projection is the definite way to go. You can project images as large as 25 feet diagonal.
Features to Look For High scanning/HD monitor/HD upgradeable television. These televisions accept the full 1080 interlaced scanning lines (1080i) from an external High Definition receiver or High Definition DIRECTV receiver. They also accept the 480 progressive scanning lines (480p) from progressive output DVD players. In both cases, the picture is vastly more detailed than conventional television, which uses 480 interlaced scanning lines (480i).
zipper-like texture. And this unwanted artifact happens frequently, occurring on two out of every five video frames! To make matters worse, the problem is not limited to those times when you're watching movies. Most prime-time dramas, music videos and commercials are also shot at 24 frames per second. That's why CineMotion 3-2 reverse pull-down is so important. It analyzes the picture, identifying the difference between footage shot on interlaced video and footage shot on film.
Super Fine Pitch™ CRT. An improvement in the FD Trinitron picture tube. Behind the screen, we've reduced the spacing or "pitch" of the Aperture Grill by 65%. You get higher resolution, greater precision and a television that takes full advantage of High Definition source material. Component video inputs enable high-quality analog connection from a DVD player or satellite receiver. The separate components of the video signal can be Y/Pb/Pr or R/G/B. HDTV reception.
Home Theater Sound About Surround Sound Surround sound began in the movies, with the urge to convey a more convincing, more complete audio-visual experience. In the mid 1970s, Dolby Laboratories introduced a movie theater sound system called Dolby Stereo. During the production of movie sound tracks, this system encoded or "matrixed" the Left, Center, Right and Surround channels onto just two channels of the film distribution print. Dolby Stereo gained acceptance in movie theaters.
The next wave of home theater sound innovation came with the launch of digital distribution formats, including DVD, digital cable, DIRECTV digital satellite broadcasting and free, over-the-air digital television broadcasting. These digital media opened the door to digital surround sound. Dolby Laboratories answered with the Dolby Digital system. Compared to Dolby Pro Logic decoding, the Dolby Digital system has crucial advantages: Digital sound quality.
proportion of analog stereo TV broadcasts. If you watch television or enjoy VHS HiFi movies, you'll use Dolby Pro Logic surround sound. Dolby Pro Logic II-movie and Pro Logic II-music. These new decoding systems derive 5.1 channels instead of the conventional 4 channels of Dolby Pro Logic surround sound. These are decode-only systems. By design, there is no Pro Logic IImovie or Pro Logic II-music encoding for source material. dts® 5.1-channel surround sound.
Features to look for: Surround sound decoding. All modern A/V receivers will decode Dolby Digital and Dolby Pro Logic signals. You should also look for dts decoding. If you're a home theater enthusiast, you may also want the full laundry list of decoding systems. 32-bit decoding. While many decoders operate with 24 bits of precision, some go the extra step to 32 bit decoding. This is on par with professional movie theater decoders. It delivers higher precision and lower noise.
Inputs and outputs. As the nerve center of your entire A/V system, your receiver needs a good complement of inputs and outputs. Make sure that the type of inputs and outputs matches your other equipment, especially your DVD player, DIRECTV receiver and television. In particular, if you have a High Definition monitor television, look for component video (Y/PB/PR) inputs and outputs that can support 480p and 1080i signals. You'll also want optical or coaxial digital inputs for connecting your DVD player.
Speaker Consistency When buying home theater speakers, you'll want to consider the space you have for speaker placement and the types of speakers available today. But the most important consideration is the consistency of sound from one speaker to the next. To appreciate the importance of consistent sound, consider a mis-matched stereo system with a big, bass-heavy speaker on the left and a small speaker on the right.
Types of Speakers A full 5.1-channel home theater system includes five full-range speakers: Left, Center, Right, Surround-Left and Surround-Right; plus a Subwoofer for the "0.1" channel. You've got a range of choices for each. Front speakers. You can choose from large, floor-standing speakers, smaller "bookshelf" speakers or tiny "satellite" speakers. Your choice will probably be dictated by your budget, the amount of space you have and the locations you have for speaker placement.
Bringing it All Back Home We've completed our tour of Sources, Sight and Sound. Now is the time to put it all together. This section will review the practical considerations for buying and installing a home theater system. Before You Buy STEP 1. Determine what building blocks you already have. Decide whether you have a television, A/V receiver or DVD player that you want to keep. STEP 2. Determine your viewing distance.
How to Buy If you've done your homework (see "Before You Buy," above), buying home theater is easy. Just consider four typical scenarios. Your current television a Sony DVD Dream system SCENARIO A. Let's say you have only a television and you simply want to add home theater. You can just purchase a Sony DVD Dream™ system and you'll be done! The system contains an A/V receiver and DVD player housed together in one, sleek component, plus a matched set of speakers, complete with subwoofer.
SCENARIO C. Assume that you're starting from a blank sheet of paper. You won't be using any existing components. If you choose, you can build a completely customized system with exactly the television, DVD player, A/V receiver and speakers that fit your specific needs! SCENARIO D. Maybe you're passionate about having equipment of the highest quality. Maybe you hate the idea of having a room where A/V equipment is a prominent visual feature.
Where to Put It All Speakers. Absolutely correct speaker placement would have you sitting in the middle of a circle. The television would be directly in front of you, with the Center channel speaker directly above or below. The Left and Right speakers would be 30 degrees to either side. Ideally, you'd have a perfect equilateral triangle with the Left speaker, Right speaker and your listening position at each point of the triangle.
A television stand can solve many issues at once. It elevates the television to the correct height and it provides shelves for the source components. Finishing Touches While not essential for home theater, two add-on purchases can make your system much more enjoyable. A "universal" remote control can replace all your separate remotes—an especially good move if you've built your system from individual components.
Home Theater Connections Connecting a home theater is easier than you may have imagined. Separate components from reputable manufacturers come with clear directions and easy-to-follow diagrams. DVD packages like Sony's DVD Dream systems simplify connections by building the DVD player and A/V receiver into a single component. These Sony systems go even further with color-coded speaker cables and color-coded speaker terminals.
5.1-channel analog audio jacks enable a Super Audio CD player to deliver multi-channel sound to an A/V receiver. Optical and Coaxial Digital Audio. Digital audio connections generally do a better job of maintaining the sound quality of digital source components, including DIRECTV satellite receivers, HDTV receivers and DVD players. While some music lovers prefer coaxial digital connections, optical connections are immune from electromagnetic interference.
These screw-type speaker terminals on the back of an A/V receiver make for extremely reliable, secure connections. Video Connections Radio Frequency (RF) connections. This is the only way to connect a rooftop antenna, cable TV service or satellite TV antenna feed. You also need an RF connection to carry the antenna or cable signal from your VCR to the television.
Composite video connections. The most common way of hooking up home video source components, the composite connection combines black-and-white information (luminance) and color information (chrominance) into a single signal that's a "composite" of the two. Composite video connection of source equipment enables far higher resolution and far better color than RF connection. In home theater equipment, the physical connector is the same "RCA" or "pin" plug as used for line-level audio.
theater equipment, the physical connectors are the same "RCA" or "pin" plugs as used for line-level audio, typically coded green (Y), blue (PB) and red (PR). Component video connections (Y/PB/PR) are the best way to convey the full quality of the signal from the DVD player to the television. R/G/B component video connection. Another way of connecting a component video signal of exquisite quality is separate connections for the three primary colors of video: Red, Green and Blue, abbreviated R/G/B.
Home Theater Glossary 1080i. High definition signal with 1080 scanning lines and interlaced ("i") scanning. This contains up to six times the detail of conventional TV pictures. 16:9 Aspect ratio screen. This is 33% wider than the standard 4:3 aspect ratio screen. It's closer to the proportions of widescreen movies and perfect for Digital TV broadcasting, anamorphic DVD-Video titles and other state-of-the-art 16:9 programming sources. 2-Tuner Picture-in-Picture.
Anamorphic. A type of lens that "squeezes" a 16:9 widescreen picture into a standard 4:3 image. For proper playback, the image needs to be "unsqueezed" by display on a 16:9 screen or by letterbox presentation (with black bars at the top and bottom) of a 4:3 screen. Artifact. An unwanted distortion of the video signal, visible on the screen. Aspect ratio. The proportion of TV screen width to height. Conventional television has an aspect ratio of 4:3. Modern, widescreen television has an aspect ratio of 16:9.
same wire. Picture quality is lost whenever chrominance and luminance are stripped apart for display on a television. Digital Cinema Sound system. A group of Sony developments that represents a total rethinking of home theater sound. Produces the sound that movie directors intended by recreating the precise acoustics of three post-production dubbing stages in Hollywood. Digital Concert Hall.
case, it's specially encoded into the other surround channels, then regenerated by the receiver. dts Neo6:cinema and dts Neo6:music. Decode-only systems that derive six channels from two-channel material. DTV receiver. See HDTV receiver. DVD-Video. Immensely popular video playback system, for which over 10,000 titles have already been published. Some say that DVD stands for "Digital Versatile Disc." Some say "Digital Video Disc." In fact, the format's inventors could not agree.
Letterbox. One technique for accommodating widescreen programming on a standard 4:3 screen. Letterboxing presents the widescreen picture with black bars across the top and bottom. Cinema purists love letterboxing because it preserves the director's original vision. Others are disturbed by a picture that does not fill their 4:3 screen. Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). A television display type that uses a viscous liquid and a mesh of transistors to turn pixels on and off.
the point of view left or right, "panning" the frame. Cinema purists hate Pan & Scan because it disrupts the director's original vision. Others appreciate a picture that fills their 4:3 screen. Personal Video Recorder (PVR). System that records video onto a hard drive. PVRs offer many new opportunities, including the ability to hold 80 hours of programs, the ability to pause live TV and the ability to automatically suggest TV shows you might like and record them for you. Plasma.
WEGA Engine™ circuitry. Sony scaling circuitry that helps deliver the superlative performance of XBR® LCD WEGA™ and XBR Plasma WEGA™ televisions. Widescreen. Programming and video systems that incorporate an aspect ratio wider than the conventional 4:3 television screen. In video, widescreen means 16:9, which equals a ratio of picture width to height of 1.778:1. Movies can use several widescreen formats, including a ratio of 2.35:1.
