Turn your living room into a movie theater

Hendarsyah Tarmizi The Jakarta Post Jakarta

Want to transform your living room into a movie theater, sports stadium or music hall. It's not too complicated if you have a TV set, VCD or DVD player, an amplifier or AV receiver, and a set of surround-sound speakers.

Connect all the devices together and you will feel like you are watching a film in the cinema or sitting in the front row at a concert.

A home theater system can be set up that simply with some audio and video equipment. But if you want a top-quality system you will have to invest a lot of money. And the first thing you will have to spend money on is additional speakers.

A good home theater requires speakers not only in front of the listeners but also behind them. And the ceiling of the room should be redesigned in such a way as to enhance the quality of the surround sound of your stereo.

If you think it will be too complicated to assemble a system yourself, you can buy a complete home theater set from a local electronics store.

Generally there are three kinds of home theater systems on the market -- Full Home Theater, Home Theater in a Box and Cinema Compo.

The Full Home Theater is a package set (not including TV) equipped with high-quality components. Its quality is much better than the so-called Home Theater in a Box, but of course it's also more expensive.

Home Theater-Basic 1.1, for example, carries a price tag of between Rp 5.5 million (about US$610). The components include an AV receiver-JVC, a set of JBL SCS-138 speakers, a 500A stabilizer and subwoofer cable. The higher quality model called Silver is sold for between Rp 7.5 million and Rp 8 million.

The best quality model, called the Gold version, sell for about Rp 17 million. This product is equipped with an AV receiver and a set of top-quality speakers, such as those manufactured by Yamaha.

What is a Home Theater in a Box then? It's a package set specially designed for smaller rooms. Unlike the so-called Full Home Theater, all the devices in the Home Theater in a Box are of the same brand. The brands in this category include JBL ESC-300, Yamaha TSS-1 TCL, Teac PL-D2000, Panasonic SC-HT 80, JVC THA5, Sony DAV S500, Polytron, Pioneer HTD1, Ken Wood and Aiwa.

The other type of home theater system is called the Cinema Compo. It comes mostly in the form of a compact stereo equipped with VCD or DVD player. The stereo also has the latest sound system, such as Dolby surround prologic with multichannel speakers.

Brands in this category include JVC MC-DV 19, Panasonic SC- AK177 and Sony LBT-GV10AV. These devices generally are equipped with DVD/VCD/CD/Tape player, five-disc changer and full karaoke mic inputs. Prices range from between Rp 3.5 million and Rp 6.5 million.

Where to find home theater sets? If you don't have much spare time, buying the electronic devices online is quite helpful. If you, for example, visit online electronics store Glodokshop.com, you will find lots of options. You can compare not only prices but also the detailed features of the home theater set you intend to buy. However, when buying online you have to rely just on the pictures of the devices.

If you have the time, visiting electronics centers in Glodok, West Jakarta, or electronics stores in major shopping malls in the capital might be the right move. Here, you can test the gear and ask questions about the advantages of each brand. More importantly you can choose the home theater system that best suits your tastes and budget.