Although you can listen to movie and video game audio straight through your television, it won't provide the theater-quality surround sound that you would get from using a receiver. Home audio receivers act as a hub for both audio and video content. Electronics such as DVD players can hook their audio through the receiver to provide surround sound through speakers purchased separately. It will also feed the video to the television, cleaning up the amount of cord connections to your TV.
Instructions
1. Ensure that the receiver has all of the inputs for your home entertainment needs. Inexpensive home theater receivers often don't have HDMI inputs, which provide the highest quality video and sound for video games and HD movies. Ensure that it also has enough inputs to accommodate everything you want to hook up, including gaming consoles, DVD players, VCRs, cable or satellite receivers and CD players.
2. Choose the number of audio channels provided by the receiver based on your surround sound system. Receivers come with either 5 or 7 audio channels. If you have 5.1 surround sound, a 5 channel receiver will work. Consider a 7 instead, just in case you increase the number of speakers in your surround sound system to 6.1 or 7.1 in the future.
3. Pick a receiver bundled with surround sound speakers if you don't already have speakers of your own. This will save money compared to buying everything separately. Since you need speakers in order to hear sound from the receiver, speakers are required.
4. Purchase a THX-certified receiver if you plan to create a home theater experience that is as close to the real thing as possible. THX certification ensures that the sound experience is just like being in a movie theater. This option will raise the price of your receiver and will only be noticeable if you are setting up your home theater in a large room.
5. Read reviews of any receivers you're considering purchasing. While some manufacturers are known to have high quality receivers, different models within their product line will give a unique experience to the user. Visit websites like Amazon and Consumer Search to read user reviews and ratings. Purchase a receiver that has a high average rating.
Tags: surround sound, home theater, audio channels, Ensure that, receiver will, sound system