Here i have provided an explanation of common Home Theater terms for the beginner.
5.1 Surround Sound: Is a Surround Sound format that utilizes 6 different speakers (5 audio channel speakers and one subwoofer). The speakers include center channel, Front Left and Front Right Channels, left and right Surround Channels and a subwoofer. If 2 subwoofers are used it becomes a 5.2 Surround Sound system.
7.1 Surround Sound: Is a Surround Sound Format that utilizes 8 different speakers (7 audio channel speakers and one subwoofer). The speakers all of the same speakers as 5.1 surround sound as well as left and right Rear Surround Speakers. If two subwoofers are used it becomes a 7.2 Surround Sound system.
Aspect Ratio: The aspect ratio in home theater refers to ratio of the width to the height of a TV or projection screen. Most flat panel televisions and projection screen today have an aspect ratio of 16:9 (wider than taller). The older style televisions have an aspect ratio of 4:3. There are less common aspect ratios in home theater such as 2.35:1 (aka anamorphic or cinemascope).
Audio/Video Receiver: This is a piece of equipment that often serves as the “brains” of your Home Theater setup. It is usually responsible for amplifying and routing the sound signal to each of your speakers and switching between your various input sources (such as Satellite TV, Blu-Ray/DVD etc.)
Bass: These are the low frequency audio sounds that can be described as the deep sometimes “boomy” sounds. In Home Theater applications Nextec usually incorporates 1 or more subwoofers to provide bass in Home Theater applications.
Built in Speakers (In Wall – In Ceiling) : These are speakers that are installed into the wall or ceiling with the front mostly flush with the surface of the wall or ceiling. An advantage of these types of speakers is cleaner and more customized look for your room or space.
Center Channel: Center Channel refers to the speaker in surround sound formats that is usually placed below or above the middle of the display or screen. In surround sound the center channel usually plays the primary voice dialogue as well as other front sound effects.
Equipment Rack: This is a frame or enclosure designed to house all of your home theater equipment in a centralized location. The advantages of utilizing an equipment rack include better wiring management and better thermal management (temperature control) for your equipment. Nextec offers a variety of custom AV rack enclosures including in wall applications, free standing racks with casters, wall mounted racks, and slide out rotating racks for custom millwork.
Front Projection System: In basic terms this is a Home Theater setup where a projector displays an image on a screen located in front of it. These are popular for Home Theater Applications because you can typically achieve a larger display area than a flat panel TV (affordably that is).
Front Speakers: The front speakers refer to the speakers in a surround sound format that are responsible for the main soundstage and musical scores in movies and televisions. They also broaden the soundstage by playing the “offscreen sound effects” . These speakers also act as the left and right stereo music channels when listening to music.
Floorstanding Or Tower Speakers: This is a speaker system that is mounted in an enclosure, has a “tower” type shape and is usually used for front speakers in surround sound, and the main speakers in music listening in a home theater environment.
HDMI cable: This is a cable commonly used in Home Theater applications that is capable of sending High Definition Video, Multi Channel Audio (Surround Sound), control signals, and copyright protection on a single cable. While HDMI has become an industry standard for Home Theater Systems, HDMI is known to present reliability issues especially over distance.
HDTV : Stands for High Definition Television. Although the FCC has no formal definition of HDTV, the Consumer Electronics Association defines it as an image with 720 progressive scan lines or 1080 interlaced active scan lines (or higher). At Nextec we consider HDTV to be an image of 1080i or 1080p or greater (new 4k televisions) to be high definition.
Interconnects: Interconnects are cables connecting your Home Theater equipment. Interconnects usually carry audio, video, or control signals. Some examples of interconnects would be HDMI cables or RCA audio cables.
Subwoofer: A speaker designed to play very low frequency sounds, sometimes referred to as boomy. Stand-alone Home Theater subwoofers usually look like a cube. Besides standalone powered subwoofers Nextec also utilizes in wall and in ceiling custom subwoofers. In home theater applications Nextec usually utilizes 1 or more subwoofers.
Surround Speakers: Refers to the speakers in a surround sound format that are responsible for playing many of the effects that create the sense of the environment. For example the sound of a helicopter flying by, or the sound of a rainstorm. These speakers are typically located to the left and right of listening positions.
Universal Remote Control: This is a remote control that is capable of controlling multiple devices from a single unit. Nextec Systems Remote Control Solutions are usually custom programmed Easily control your entire audio video system as well as other systems such as lighting and temperature control. We focus on making your control as intuitive and user friendly as possible.
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