The Savvy Guide To Home Theater [Paperback]

Sams Technical Publishing (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2004

Sams Technical Publishing expands its long history in the consumer electronics industry with this guide. It is aimed at the savvy, do-it-yourself consumer, this book will assist the reader with the purchase, upgrade and installation of his or her home theatre system. As the consumer electronics industry and consumer's desires continue to change, so has the way we view entertainment in our homes. Whether it is enjoying the big game with our friends, or a quiet, romantic evening of movie watching with our significant other, the set-up is important. Choosing appropriate components that complement each other, work well together, fit within the budget, and provide the opportunity for new technologies are equally important. With the myriad of choices at the local electronics retailer, it can be mind-boggling. "The Savvy Guide to Home Theater" will help the reader in identifying the main entertainment uses, and in designing the ideal system around those uses, whether it is for watching sports, or movies, or enjoying music. After reading this book the reader will be able to make educated choices in the purchase of components and cabling, whether building a system from scratch or adding one piece at a time.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sams Technical Publishing Engineering Staff

Product Details

• Paperback: 175 pages
• Publisher: Indy-Tech Pub (December 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0790613034
• ISBN-13: 978-0790613031
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,545,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Buy for Interested parties seeking Information, February 16, 2005

By 

Chris (Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Savvy Guide To Home Theater (Paperback)

I had been considering setting up my own home theater over the last year, and with HDTV, Plasma Screens, Dolby Digital Surround sound, and a slew of other items I didn't really understand, I was prepared to listen to the salesguys sell me 'Exactly what you need'.

Luckily for me, my wife picked up this book. It's an easy read, but has all the content necessary to make good decisions about what to buy, where to put components, and what sort of items are really right for the room I was using.

This book saved me several hundred dollars in oversold components I didn't need, and our friends all agree, it looks GREAT!

If you're looking to build your own theater, or even upgrade the theater you already have, and don't want to pay an expert to do it for you, this book is for you.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Home Theater made easy!, February 16, 2005

By 

Sarah L. (Fishers, IN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Savvy Guide To Home Theater (Paperback)

Easy to read, simple to understand, very helpful. This book was exactly what we needed as we update our home equipment. Provided very good direction on choosing new components. Useful diagrams in planning and setting up our new equipment, too.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Covers the Current and Soon to be Technologies, April 3, 2005

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Savvy Guide To Home Theater (Paperback)

It used to be that home entertainment was so simple. You went to the store and bought a TV set, where the only choices had to do with how big a tube and how fancy a cabinet. Not any more.

This book is intended to make sense out of the techno-babble that the salesman is going to give you about modern day equipment. Even the words are changing. HDTV, aspect ratio, LCD and many such terms are thrown about by the salesmen, who may have only a slight hint as to what they mean but whom will try to make you look stupid by throwing them out.

This book covers the current and soon to be technologies to tell you what is important and what is not when you are putting out your hard earned money. It covers the technology in a very general way, explaining what is possible, not the gritty details of how everything works. The book is generally speaking not brand specific. It talks about the general capabilities, not specific brands and models, most of which would be discontinued before you could find one.

This is a very helpful little book.