Home Entertainment System Features

Evenings in can be brightened up with a good home entertainment system, and the claws of the credit crunch are still keeping people in and as a result the ‘home entertainment’ market is doing very well. What exactly does a home entertainment system mean to you? ‘Home entertainment’ is a fairly broad umbrella that a number of products sit under, the fact that it has system in it does imply however that it is complete and ready to go. For the sake of this article I’m going to label home entertainment system as those that come complete with CD, DVD, amplifier, speakers and possibly radio that are ready to go straight out of the box. Most, if not all, DVD home entertainment systems will also play CDs, so if you’re searching online for a system I would miss out searching for a ‘CD home entertainment system’ because it is unlikely that you will get many results.

So who are the players in the home entertainment market?

Without a doubt Bose have the largest range of home entertainment systems and that literally swamp the market. Don’t be fooled in to thinking though that they are your only option, Onkyo and Denon both do good quality, highly dependable systems.

What sort of features would the best home entertainment system have and what should you be looking for?

• CD’s & DVD’s
  Any home entertainment package should this and it goes with out saying, but for completeness… they will play CD’s and DVD’s
• Connectivity
  Not so obvious is this point, ideally you should get a system that will allow you to connect your iPod or other mp3 player to it in a convenient manner i.e. not in a away that means you need to fiddle around the back of your system to connect the cable.
• Radio
  The best systems will have an am / fm radio built it, some may have DAB and satellite radio also built in.
• Dolby Digital and/or DTS
  They will have a Dolby Digital and/or DTS decoder to allow you to enjoy your movies in surround sound.
  

• Surround Sound
  Leading on from the last point they should have minimum of 5 surround sound speakers and a subwoofer – i.e. a 5.1 speaker setup.
• Music Storage
  The best systems will also feature some form of storage that you can backup you CD’s and mp3 on to and allow you to play them back easily.
• Remote Control
  Again this one goes without saying, and you’d be hard pushed to find a system without one, but ideally you want a remote control with your system. A point to mention is that although they will all have remote controls, they are not all as easy to use, so check out reviews before buying your system. A good feature to look out for (and it’s rare) is a back lit remote control so you don’t have to fumble around in the dark to find the pause button.
• Unit Size
  Depending upon the size of your room and space to put a home entertainment system size may be an issue for you. Packages come in a wide variety of formats and do vary dimensionally. Perhaps one of the best options to look for is one in the same format as separate hi-fi components. It may not look cutting edge, but it will stand the test of time and not date as quickly as some of the more modern looking systems.
• Speaker Size
  Not only do you need consider the size of the central unit it’s self but also the size of the speaker. You can get some speakers that are the same size as floor standing speakers and you’re going to need a large room to get the best out of these. At the opposite end of the scale are the small satellite type speakers that will unobtrusively sit in the corners of your room. The smaller type of speakers is suitable for use in most types of room and so could be considered more flexible than the floor standing type.
• Expandability
  I’m not sure if that’s a word but I’m sure you know what I mean, you want to look for a system that allows you to put another set of speakers in another room and potentially add other components to.
• Inputs
  The more inputs in the biggest variety of format the better, the more formats it has means better future proofing. Look out for optical inputs, coaxial inputs, HDMI inputs and of course the standard phono inputs. Also look at where these inputs are, scrambling around the back to plug your mates PS3 in to an optical input isn’t fun let me assure you. Try to find a system that has a variety of concealed inputs on the front.
  

Hopefully this hub has given you starting point in home entertainment systems and package and will allow you to make a more informed decision about your purchase.