10 Home Theater Essentials

Reviews of the hottest new products for home theaters.

By Bob Gatton
Not that long ago a home theater was just for the fortunate few. In the last few years, though, the cost has come down, and the performance has increased dramatically. More and more homeowners either have or want a room that has the big picture and big sound that make a home theater.

Below are some of the hottest new products; a few others have been around for a while, but are still very useful.

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JVC DLA-HD1 front projector
1) JVC DLA-HD1 (and its sister product in the professional line, the RS1), $6,299.95
This is one of the hottest products today in the world of home theater. It uses JVC's Digital Image Light Amplification (D-ILA) technology to deliver outstanding color and detail. It has 1920 x 1080p resolution, the highest HD resolution available. The colors are vibrant but natural, and the contrast is outstanding. There are more than a few quality front projectors currently in the market, but I have seen this projector in action at several installations, and it does not fail to impress.

Pros: This level of performance was unavailable a year ago for twice the price.

Cons: As with all front projection system, set-up is more complicated than with other displays.

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Audyssey Sound Equalizer

2) Audyssey Sound Equalizer, $2,500.00
Even if you are using quality speakers, the walls, furniture and other objects in the room reflect and absorb sound, which distorts the audio. The Audyssey corrects these distortions. During the set-up of the system, the Audyssey uses a microphone to analyze the sound at different seating locations in the home theater. It then adjusts the sound to minimize any distortions caused by the room and its contents.

The Audyssey Sound Equalizer is connected between the pre-amp and power amplifier(s); it cannot be connected to most AV receivers.

Pros: The difference in sound quality in many systems is staggering.

Cons: It's $2,500, but select AV receivers from Marantz, Onkyo and Denon include less sophisticated but still very powerful versions of the Audyssey system. And Onkyo
TS-RX605 retails for $499.99.

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Philips Pronto Pro TSU9600 universal remote
3) Philips Pronto Pro TSU9600, $1,299.00
Every home theater system should have a quality universal remote control that not only replaces all the individual remotes, but can also do macros — a series of commands that can be executed by pushing just one button. For instance, if you press "Play DVD," the remote will turn on all the equipment needed to play the movie and start playing the DVD.

The Pronto Pro is a powerful, easy-to-use touchscreen remote that you can personalize to your preferences. With accessories from Philips, you can use it to control equipment in an enclosed cabinet or closet. And you can even put channel logos on the screen. No need to remember the channel number for HGTV; just touch the HGTV logo on the screen.

Pros: When properly programmed, it makes the most complicated system easy to use.

Cons: If you have never worked with this remote, programming, while not too difficult, will take some time. Other options are to have a professional installer or Only One Remote program the Pronto.