Choosing the Right Media Center for Your Living Room Space

Before going out and buying equipment for a media center, knowing some basic information about your living room arrangement will help you in making the best decisions regarding the equipment. Therefore, you will be completely satisfied with your purchases.

Choosing the Right Flat Screen

Measure the distance of how far you will be sitting from your flat screen; this will help you decide which size of screen will be appropriate for your room. Once you are in the store, measure the screen diagonally, and then multiply that by 1.5. This will tell you how far you should sit from the television without seeing the lines and pixels in the picture. Sitting further will be okay, but you want to stay as close to this recommended distance to ensure that you will be captivated by what you are watching with as little distractions as possible.

If your living room is arranged so that some of the viewers may be sitting at an angle from your flat screen, you may consider buying a direct view CRT or a plasma hdtv. When viewing a LCD screen at an angle, the colors may have a purple tint.

You will want to locate your flat screen hdtv where you won’t have outside light reflecting on the screen. If it cannot be avoided, then you might consider either a black out shade or curtains. This will keep the picture from getting white washed. You will also want to arrange the lights in the room so that they won’t reflect on the screen. You may want to look into buying 6500k color temperature bulbs and have them on dim when watching a movie.

Setting Up Your Surround Sound System

Surround sound systems are usually made up of five speakers, plus one subwoofer (that is a 5.1 system). There are also 6.1 and 7.1 surround sound systems, which include additional rear speakers. If your primary seating location is on a couch (sitting against a wall), then you will more than likely want to go with a 5.1 system.

Positioning your speakers correctly will ensure that you will get the best sound experience possible. For a 5.1 system, you can position the subwoofer anywhere you want, as long as it is in the same room. The front two speakers you want to place them to the side of the television approximately 3 feet from the center on each side. Put the center front speaker in the center, as the name implies. For the rear speakers, you will want to locate one on each side of your couch (or chairs that are across from your television). If you purchase a 6.1 or 7.1 system, you will place the additional rear speakers in the center behind your couch.

DVD or Blu-ray?

Blu-ray discs are formatted in true high definition, where DVD’s were made for standard definition television. The limitations of DVD’s are apparent when watching them on an hdtv set. If you are purchasing a surround system with a DVD player included, it may come with what is called an upconvert DVD player which will simulate a high definition picture. Blu-ray players will also play the DVD’s you already own.

Whether you decide to go with a Blu-ray or DVD player, make sure that it is compatible with the television that you will be connected it to.

You are now equipped with information and can make good decisions on what to buy for your media center, as well as where to locate it in your living room.