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TECHNOLOGY
I
magine recreating the best things about going to the cinema in the comfort of your own living room; the crisp comfort of the sliding seat (no “premier” seating for us serious movie buffs), the excitable glance between you and your chums as the houselights fade, and the unique joy as the screen flickers into life. KUDOS teamed up with local home cinema specialists PPS-AV to help you turn this fleeting, beautiful dream into reality…
the screen...
If you’re looking to recreate the pictures perfectly then a whopping great screen is essential. More attentive readers will remember the KUDOS Plasma Vs LCD piece of last month, but the issue with home cinema screens is whether to use a television or a video projector. Recommendations: (LCD) – Sony 40” 40W4000 £1300 (Plasma) – Pioneer 42” PDP-428XD £1500 (Projector) – Infocus DLP IN81 £3000
the source...
Television: As most of the screens and projectors now available in the UK are HD Ready you would be well advised to have a Hi-Definition television source coming into your home, the most popular and one with the most HD content is Sky HD although this does carry a monthly cost. Launching in the UK soon is Freesat HD, which will give you a selection of HD channels free as well as normal channels like BBC and ITV. Films: The engine of the cinema experience was traditionally the reel to reel projector, but in your lounge it is your format of preference, whether that be DVD or Blu-Ray. This is where sound and picture quality originate so it’s crucial to get it right… Blu-Ray’s victory over HD DVD in the hilariously-titled “high
definition optical disc format war” means that the format that will supposedly trump DVDs may be your best bet. Recommendations: (DVD) Sony RDR-HXD870 (Blu-Ray) Panasonic DMP-BD30 (Blu-Ray) Playstation 3
£230 £400 £300
Wirelessly play music all over your home Audio Visual Installations, Consultation & Sales • • • • • • •
LCD & Plasma wall mounting Basic and custom installations Sky setups and upgrades One to one consultation Wireless multiroom hi-fi Complete home cinema systems Equipment sales & after sales support
01797 07786
229204 513492
www.PPSAV.com enquiry@ppsav.com
www.Sonoscentre.co.uk In-home demonstrations available
TECHNOLOGY
your lounge… your
CINEMA
a beginner’s guide to home theatre systems
the sound...
the connections...
The main option in choosing a sound system for your Home Cinema is whether you’re going to choose an All-in-one System or Separates. All-inone systems are a good starting block and gives you complete 5.1 Surround Sound at great prices, also with most models you get a DVD player included. Separate systems are for the true home cinema enthusiast, giving more power and more options however this way can be more costly as you will need to add a speaker package. Recommendations: (All-in-one system) Sony DAV-IS10
£600
(Surround Sound Amplifier) Onkyo TX-SR605 £400 (Speaker Package) Kef KHT3005SE £1000
Connecting all you equipment together with the right cables and connectors is as important as the equipment you choose. Most audio visual products come complete with a selection of budget cables included, however, it would be best to leave these in the box and connect your equipment using professionally manufactured leads from companies like Ixos or QED, thus making sure the quality of the picture and sound arrives at the desired piece of equipment with no signal or quality loss.
confused?
Don’t be. If you would like to talk some more about your Home Cinema setup or just ask some advice on any audio visual subject no matter how small, call PPS-AV on 01797 229204 for a free in-home consultation.
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