How To Find The Perfect Htib

How To Find The Perfect Htib

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Back when televisions were black and white, nobody would have ever thought of having a theater in the comfort of their own home, and even more suprising would be purchasing that home theater in a box.

What is an HTiB?

We may call it an HTiB, but what does that even mean? Well it's short for Home Theater in a Box. So there it is: one term, with a lot of variation to that definition. Let's take a look into what could be enclosed in your new HTiB.

What's in the box?

Not all electronic companies that make receivers make speakers, so, you will need to make sure that it is a quality receiver and that the speakers are quality speakers too.

It is fairly common for the speakers to underperform while the receiver is performs very well, you might be getting a price break with this type of HTiB,but the real benefit is convenience, which means you don't have to take the time to decipher compatibility, resulting in you having to pick and choose which speakers will work best with which receiver.

This is why the HTiB was "invented" because all that's required is one decision, for simplicities sake.

It's all in the box

A common thing that we see in an HTiB is a complete package. For example the DVD player and the AV Receiver are built into one unit. There is no doubt that it is cheaper for the manufacturer to build a system this way, hence, the simplicity on both sides, for the consumer and the manufacturer.

Another advantage of the all-in-one design is simplicity of hookup since there's at least one less component to connect. It's substantially easier to use, because the system's remote control can be designed around the functions of the combined electronics rather than being a traditional "universal" or "programmable" remote.

The only negative is, it's much harder to expand or upgrade a system like this. The built-in amplification may not be designed to handle a broad range of speaker impedances. Sometimes the manufacturer will push the limits of cost savings and putting all the amplification in the subwoofer.

We can see that the solution is also the problem. Ease of decision in the now, while making upgrading hard in the future.

1.1 Home theater systems

One-box, systems could be considered the ultimate HTiB. (Sometimes it's one master speaker/electronics unit with a subwoofer.) These systems are the ultimate in simplicity since the require little more than plugging in a power cord and running an audio cable from the AV source component to the back of the master unit.

Ease of use, ease of installation, and the elimination of all speaker wires are the big benefits of single-cabinet-type HTiBs, but you have to be aware of the potential drawbacks. However, these systems are not upgradeable.

When you decide you want the full-blown 5.1 or 7.1 experience, unfortunately, you'll have to relegate this system to another room and start over. Keep in mind the performance, is often very room dependent. Some of these systems rely heavily on reflected sound and won't perform as well in rooms with lots of open space.

HTiB Speaker Packages

Virtually any electronics company that is worth anything usually have a 5.1-channel speaker package or even sometimes a 7.1 speaker package. In a lot of cases, it's a combo made up of speakers out of the company's regular line. Since it's all together, it's easier to inventory, easier to ship, and easier to buy.

Most speaker companies design packages with speakers that are specifically tailored to work together, especially with companies that have more upscale systems and also in the case of matched satellites and subwoofers.

With LCD and Plasma TVs being so popular, many speaker companies have come up with three-in-one or even five-in-one speakers. This type of speaker package differs from the single-cabinet HTiB in two ways. Sometimes there are no electronics built-in and therefore a separate reciever is required. Also, the speakers housed within the main cabinet are discrete units. The benefit of this design is more for looks than anything else.

Box it up and bring it home

So keep in mind the only thing that's really unusual about an HTiB is the fact that it's packed in one box, it's not all that hard to understand the big HTiB picture. Once you take it out of the box, it's simply the audio portion of a home theater system. The big task is discovering which box contains the gear that's right for you.

About the Author:
Home theaters have always been a source for entertainment to me. That is why I do Best home theater reviews, it's not a job, it's a hobby. Gary Hall is a freelance writer.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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