Theres A Theatre In The House

At the lower end, you have Home Theatre Systems (HTS) by BPL or Sony. Dont be fooled into thinking that you get all the components in an integrated system the HTS kits only refer to the audio components, so you have to mix and match the player and television anyway.

BPL does not make laser disc players; they market the Pioneer laser disc-cum-video compact disc player as part of the system. This itself requires a hefty Rs 37,000. If you want to go easier on your wallet, you should settle for just a laser disc player Sony is selling its MDPMR1 at Rs 25,000. Laser discs (LDs) are superior to video compact discs (VCDs) in both the audio and visual aspects. LDs carry at least 425 lines of image resolution and 4 channels of sound encoding; VCDs, only 250 lines of image resolution and 2 channels of sound encoding. A VCD player is only useful if you are a Hindi movie buff, as most titles are available in this format, whereas only about 20 Hindi movies are available as LDs.

 

The BPL Home Theatre Kit also requires you to buy a separate amplifier and sound processor. Critics say that it is better to invest in an integrated amplifier-cum-sound processor like the one Sony supplies. Theres less sound distortion, since theres also less circuitry. They cite the total harmonic distortion (THD) to measure the faithfulness with which sound is reproduced from the original studio recording. The BPL sound processor DSP-2000 ranks at a high 10 per cent THD, while the Sony integrated amplifier-cum-sound processor ranks at a lower 5 per cent THD.

The BPL system also does not contain a special speaker called a woofer. This component allows your home theatre to reproduce low frequency or bass sounds effectively. Without it, you will miss out on the exciting reverberations that you would normally experience in a cinema.

Both the BPL and Sony systems require one to buy the full audio-deck comprising a CD player, tuner and cassette player. If you already have such a deck, it makes sense to mix and match higher quality components. Both BPL and Sony offer only the Dolby Pro Logic sound system. This has four full frequency channels of sound encoding, and is surpassed by more sophisticated five channel systems.

If you can lighten your wallet by more than Rs 2 lakh, then buy equipment which allows you to decode the Digital AC-3 sound system. This is a five full-frequency channel system developed by Dolby for movie soundtrack recording. Experts suggest that you look for amplifier-processors and speakers made by companies like Jamo, Denon or Onkyo. These have noise distortion levels of a mere 0.003 to 0.5 per cent THD, so the difference in sound clarity is very noticeable.

Amplifier processors come for about Rs 65,000 and speaker systems, at least Rs 1.25 lakh with woofers included. Onkyo explains the technical superiority in terms of its discrete output circuitry (as opposed to the integrated power-pack circuits of cheaper models), and its 24 bit processors (as opposed to 18 or 20 bit processors of cheaper brands). Jamo claims it uses pure copper cables and gold-plated internal plugs, plus special coupled cavities in its speakers. All these features translate into better output power, and a greater range of sound frequencies for the movie watcher.

To upgrade the visual clarity of your home theatre, look for better image resolution televisions. Most 29 models give you under 600 lines of resolution, but the latest Samsung model gives you a full 800 lines for about Rs 30,000 more. You can also consider the Samsung 32 TV for widescreen viewing this has better image resolution but is twice the price of the 29 model.

Those willing to part with Rs 3 lakh and above can enjoy the highly sophisticated five channel sound system developed by Lucasfilm called THX. Such amplifier-processors from Denon and Onkyo cost at least Rs 75,000. The top quality THX speaker systems from Onkyo and Jamo are about Rs 1.5 lakh.

For the full effect of a movie, home theatre enthusiasts suggest a giant screen television. These 46 to 52 screens are available from Thomson, Toshiba or Samsung. They range from about Rs 1.8 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh, depending on the image resolution the minimum is 625 lines, while the maximum is a spectacular 930 lines.

If you are still wary of the investment that a home theatre entails, take the advice of Om Pal of Powertown showroom: Dont put it all together at once, but as your budget allows. You can buy the large screen TV for normal broadcast viewing. You can get the amplifier-processor and main speakers with your sound system. Get the LD player and surround speakers last. And remember, the most important part of your system will cost only Rs 10 lots of homemade popcorn!

Seema Nazareth