Americans are givers, especially during the holidays, regardless of how bad the economy gets. One way to stretch your holiday shopping budget is to look for gifts that will benefit multiple recipients, like household items, food and beverage gifts and home entertainment.
(ARA) – Americans are givers, especially during the holidays, regardless of how bad the economy gets. One way to stretch your holiday shopping budget is to look for gifts that will benefit multiple recipients, like household items, food and beverage gifts and home entertainment.
Buying several costly gifts for each family member can add up to more expense than a single item that will benefit them all. Even with the downturn in the economy and dismal holiday retail predictions, spending on consumer electronics is expected to grow this holiday season. Electronic gifts that the whole family can enjoy, like a home theater system, are poised to be popular items this year.
Actual home theater systems – complete with projection screen and surround sound – are costly. Many people are opting for a more cost-effective approach by connecting several audio-visual components, including a flat-screen TV, DVD player and speaker system, to create a home theater experience.
While transforming an extra bedroom, basement or even garage into a home theater may be the ideal, many of us simply don’t have a spare room to devote to just one function. Many home theater owners choose to set up their systems in the family room. Wherever you decide to place your system, plenty of comfortable seating – positioned so that everyone can clearly see the screen and enjoy the sound – is the first essential ingredient.
Flat-screen TVs are now a favored option to an actual projector and screen. Each year, the quality of these electronic showpieces improves while prices drop. Most flat-screen TVs can easily be connected to other AV components, including external speaker systems.
Properly mounting a flat-screen TV on the wall can really create a theater-like effect. You’ll need a special mount to secure your TV, and there are several kinds to choose from. You could opt for a full-motion mount which allows you to move the TV for optimum viewing from any angle. Or, a tilting mount might be right for your setup if the TV is positioned higher on the wall, such as above a fireplace. Sanus Systems is a leading manufacturer of mounts for flat-screen TVs. Visit www.sanus.com to see the range of options.
Sound components will elevate your simple flat- or big-screen TV to home theater status. A good home theater system should have at least five main speakers, according to sound innovators Dolby Laboratories. A center speaker should be mounted just below the screen. Two speakers should be positioned in the front of the room in the corners on either side of the TV, at the same height as the center speaker. Finally, two speakers should be placed slightly behind the seating area and above ear level but facing horizontally and not down toward the listener. These five components give the “surround sound” effect.
Speakers can be placed on bookshelves but may yield better sound if mounted on the walls. Sanus makes speaker stands and mounts that can attach to walls or ceilings, and side speaker mounts or center-channel speaker mounts that attach directly to the TV mount.
Finally, add on your AV components like a DVD player or a satellite TV receiver. While many people simply place these components on a piece of furniture beneath their wall-mounted TV, a wall mount can help streamline the look of your system, eliminate a lot of wire clutter and still provide easy access to the components. Sanus’ Vertical Foundations line of on-wall furniture provides stylish, simple and efficient mounting options for AV components.
Visit www.sanus.com to learn more about mounting systems for flat-screen TVs and home theater systems.
Courtesy of ARAcontent