The home cinema experience

Hear the words "home cinema" and you might be tempted to think of the kind of hedonistic den JR Ewing would enjoy, with plush row seating, a proscenium arch and a flickering projector. That whole package is available at a price.

According to trade magazines, from Which Hi-Fi to International Smarthouse, hypnotized UK technophiles are spending up to £8,000 to £87,000 sterling on a projector Runco (VX5C), tens of thousands on speaker systems by Meridian and Wilson Benesch, and indulgent fortunes on acoustic chambers for their own domestic Odeon.

For most of us, a space solely dedicated to the cinematic experience is just a Lotto fantasy, but the line between glorified TV watching and cinema-inspired entertainment has been cleverly blurred. Today's home cinema is not only affordable but also perfectly tailored to a standard sitting room environment. With a great picture, a wide, flat screen and, most important of all, digital surround sound, a home cinema system can cloak the senses, plunging the viewer into the action and atmosphere of the movies in a truly involving way.

Sounds Convincing

The success of a home cinema system relies on an effective sound system with several speakers to surround your body, recreating the convincing natural effect of noises coming from every direction. Surround sound that uses Dolby Digital technology is what most of us hear at the cinema and, together with the darkened environment, it's primarily sound that cuts us off from the world and focuses our attention to what is happening on screen.

If you have a suitable DVD player (and you'll need a digital 5.1 decoder for digital sound on film), the next step is an amplifier, also known as a receiver, and a five-part speaker arrangement to place around the room. 5.1 systems with amplifiers are available from Argos for as little as €229.99 for Goodman's GDVD100R.

Complete sound packages including a DVD player start from just €149.99 for the Bush DVDAV11K from Argos, through to a Panasonic DVD package such as the SCDM3 for €749.99 (Irwins).

Shop around and read the small print, as cheaper systems may not only lack quality acoustics but will certainly not offer valuable extras such as a DTS receiver and Dolby Pro-Logic.

Jack Filen of Munster Sounds in Cork explains that these complete "plug and play" entry level packages are less flexible than buying speakers, a separate receiver and a DVD player, which will maximise your budget as you gradually build up and develop your system. Jack and his team can put together a versatile home cinema separates system starting at around €1,000. Consider the benefit of "cordless" speakers if you don't want wires trailing all over the room.

Small Silver Screens

The size of screen you can have will depend on space and budget. Flat widescreens are the best choice for home cinema, as they not only marry beautifully with the format of DVD but give a clear clean picture edge to edge, even when you are not sitting directly in front of them.

Plasma screens start at around €8,000 for a Panasonic 42" TH42PW4B or the Philips 42PF9952, rising to an astonishing €13,000 (+Vat) for a 50" Panasonic TH50PHW30B fully fitted by the Sound Store.

Check the deal you are offered, as wall mounting brackets can add several hundred euro to an attractive price.

Choose a high contrast ratio of 3,000:1. Avert your eyes if you can't afford plasma panels by Sony Wega or Panasonic as they are downright gorgeous with intoxicating resolutions.

Relatively cheaper, Philips Pixel Plus is a new family of tube televisions that multiply the pixels for a remarkably good picture on a wide large screen, with none of the tell-tale break-up of the image seen in a projection screen. Prices start at about €2,000 from Munster Sounds for a 32" 100Hz 32PW9527 by Philips.

Home cinema packages such as the Panasonic SC-HT70 that even include the television have a complimentary, sleek design. Examine each feature of the system independently. Whatever set you buy, ensure your screen will sit fairly squarely in the space in front of your "audience", and out of corners and any direct light.

Opening Night

Few rooms are as square as a cinema, but by placing your screen, speakers and seating to the best advantage you can minimise any problems in the acoustics of your chosen room. Jack Finel suggests the use of heavy drapes and carpeting to "dampen" sounds in large rooms with high ceilings and generous windows. Try to position your front speakers at eye level, away from walls, so that the sound path crosses over a few feet in front of you. Munster Sounds suggests using pieces of string running from the speakers to the seats to trace the path of the sound. Your ear should tell you when things are in place.

Position the rear speakers diagonally behind you for that embracing surround feel. If space is at a premium, or you simply don't want speakers cluttering up the room, wall-mount the units or take a look at the Bose 1.2.3 digital home entertainment system.

Owen Lyons of the Sound Store proved to me that Bose deliver just what they promise, with seductive surround sound from just two rectangular speakers and a single media centre incorporating a DVD player. A tidy system for a tidy €2,000 approx.

If you are building a home, remember to follow Jack Filen's advice and think ahead. Invest in 100 feet of good stereo cable, run lines through the walls to any position that you think might be needed for a stereo or home cinema system.

Sources:

Munster Sounds, Tower Buildings, Lower Glanmire Rd, Cork 021-4506588.

Irwin TV & Video, Midleton, Co. Cork 021-4632226.

The Soundstore, Oliver Plunkett St, Cork 021-4277969.

Argos, nationwide 01-2161616 for orders and information.