Home Theater System: Go Wireless!

By Author: Leola Huffman
Total Articles: 35
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Just like wireless camera security system and wireless lighting, wireless home theater systems can create a world of possibilities for your home in regards to functionality and mobility.

In recent years, home theater system have gained huge popularity along with home monitoring systems. Due to the full, dynamic soundtracks it reproduces, a home theater system can bring a lot to the table. However, one of the disadvantages of having a home theater system is the amount of wiring needed to hook up surround speakers. Fortunately, technological advancements has stepped up and provided a solution – the wireless home theater system.

Importance

With a wireless home theater system, you can get a full setup of surround sound speakers, giving you the full effect of DVD soundtracks, high quality sound recordings and sports. Not to mention the added sound and realism, wireless systems get rid of one downfall of home theaters: the unsightly bulk of wire running in different directions ...
... around your living room.

Features

Wireless home theater systems are mainly composed of a receiver or media player and an array of speakers. Depending on your budget and needs, a home theater can typically use 5, 6 or 7 speakers. Rather than sending the audio signal from a DVD, CD or television input through cables and into the speakers, wireless home theater systems transmits sound information from the receiver using radio waves or infrared. The speakers are equipped with appropriate receiving hardware to receive the radio or infrared signal, which is then processed into sound. Infrared needs a direct, clear line between speakers and receivers, whereas radio based systems are more flexible.

Effects

Wireless home theater systems reasonably seem like nothing but advantages up until now. However, no matter how functional and mobile wireless systems may be, there’s good reason why speaker cables are not only available, but are more widely used and accepted. Speaker cables allow for the most conducive and accurate transfer of sound information from receiver to speaker. Metal wire is easily the better choice, since it’s a more reliable way to transmit the signal than a radio. Imagine the loss of performance that you get when you use a cell phone instead of a hard wired phone. Radio waves are just too unreliable in providing the most accurate sound performance. Additionally, other devices that use similar technology and radio frequencies such as cordless phones, laptop computers or even microwave ovens can impede the radio transmission between receiver and speaker. Though infrared doesn’t get affected by interference, it does require a clear path and is still not as good as hard wired systems.

Things to Consider

It’s always a good idea to test speakers and home theater equipment before purchasing, This is particularly true not only of wireless home theater systems, but also of other wireless gadgets such as security surveillance systems or home security cameras, given the inferiority of signal transfers. Any clever stereo or home theater enthusiast will hard wire speakers for the clearest, most efficient sound. However, a wireless system may just be perfect for you. If you’re not too particular about pinpoint accuracy and lifelike imaging, going wireless will not present any trouble.