Unless you've been hiding in a cave for the past ten years you've seen the emergence of the home theater from a nice-sounding stereo hook-up to a thundering experience worthy of a modern movie facility. Since the advent of the Digital Video Disc (DVD) the sonic and picture quality have soared and, in many cases, outrun the systems that play them.

Televisions Have Technological Breakthroughs.

Following close behind are the television monitors which are no longer CRT (cathode ray tubes) but flat screens which show movies in incredible detail. Not only are they light but can be mounted on a wall making the old TV stand a wastes of space.

With new technological hardware always comes new connection procedures and much of the wiring, although different in sizes and connection abilities, must still be run between components. Many new systems feature wireless technology but this is still in its infancy, especially the wireless speaker connectors. For the purpose of worry-free entertainment it is best to use the system that's commonly available.

You Have the Walls Open . . . Run Wire

The best time to install audiovisual and computer cables this is when the home is being built or renovated. For obvious reasons the walls and ceilings are wide open and running the cabling is a snap compared to fishing lines through insulation. The best method for installing cable is to do everything: coaxial cable for television and other signaling like security systems; power cable for speakers, RG6 wire for video, and Cat5 line for computer and telephone. If down the road you suddenly switch to wireless you had the benefit of a few years of hassle-free enjoyment. Although the new buzz word seems to be “fiber optic” cable this is overkill for home needs and requires technical expertise to install and cap it.

Types of Cable

Speaker Cables: If we work back from the business-end of the system we have an array of speakers that project the sound. (This could be as many as 8or even 10.) Your system should use a minimum of 16-gauge speaker wire although for the small extra cost go for 14 or 12-gauge wire for speaker runs.

Subwoofer Cables: These speakers require a lot of power and, because of this, sometimes have an amplifier built it in so that they can be placed further away from the main signal source. In this case you would run a coaxial cable and have an electrical outlet close for the power cord. If it is not a powered, or “passive,” subwoofer then speaker wires need to be run to them like a regular speaker.

Standard Coaxial (RG59) Cable: This is standard television cable and carries just the signal and no power. It has a solid center wire – usually copper - surrounded by an insulating layer and then a grounded shield of braided wire to prevent electrical interference.

Hi-Quality Coaxial (RG6) Cable: This is the recommended coaxial cable for carrying HDTV (High Definition) signals from cable TV, satellite dish or from a roof-top antenna. The RG6 cable construction provides better shielding than the older, RG59 coax cable.

Cat5 Cable: Category 5 - or Cat5 – cable consists of 4 pairs of twisted copper wire with RJ45 (computer) connectors. If you've seen the back of a computer you've seen the Cat5 from the internet source. This can used for telephone connections as well but mostly for computer or other microprocessors that may be in the home like in ethernet security systems.

S-Video: Separate-Video, or YC, cables feature small 4-pin plugs. They transmit the chrominance (color) and luminance (brightness) parts of the video signal along different paths. This implements a sharper picture than the coaxial systems. There is a small degradation of the video because it carries just two signals instead of three but it is almost unnoticeable

Component Video Connections: Found on most DVD players, HDTV, video projection systems, wide screen televisions and audio-video receivers. It delivers better detail and color accuracy than you get with RF, composite or S-video connections.

The Hook Up

The instructional manuals will inform you of how to hook up the system but be aware of one important point: the cables must be organized and protected.

Conduit

Installing a protective conduit between the equipment and the monitor and speakers is one of the quickest and cheapest ways to hook up your system. A conduit is a casing in which the cables are inserted through a slit in the side making it one large cable with a protective cover. This cable can then be tacked to the baseboard or other non-intrusive path with special clips. When a wire is needed you isolate it form the conduit and hook it up to the part: speaker, subwoofer, etc.

Hassle-Free Wiring

1. No long cable runs — Make them a short as possible but not stretched..

2. Keep power cords separate – Alternating Current can produce interference, so try and keep them separate from the signal cables.

3. Quality connectors - Good interconnects have direction-arrows printed right on the wire. Not only is connection material better – sometimes gold – but this will avoid confusion.

4. Avoid kinking or severe bending- If there is excess make a gentle circle with the cable and tape it in four places with electrical tape. It shouldn't just be entangled with the other cable.

Hardwired

If you have your home entertainment room planned out while building or renovating then you can put ion the following:

1. Component Cupboard: All units are placed in a non-intrusive cupboard in an adjacent room. Disc, Mp3, DVD, Blue-Ray, amplifier, etc. This well-ventilated cupboard can be accessed to change discs and renew settings. Otherwise everything is controlled from the home theater room.

2. Sensor: Universal remote control activates a sensor above the television monitor. The sensor is connected to all the components.

3. Wall Speaker Ports: In the location of each speaker a wall or ceiling port with a standard cable panel cover is installed so that the cable may only have to reach a maximum of one to two feet to make the connection.

For the best possible experience in home entertainment call a professional. Renovation Experts has qualified electricians and low-voltage specialists who can make your theater come to life. You just add the popcorn.