Overview of connections for a typical HT set-up
In this section, you'll learn more of the details of the complexity of a well-equipped home theater. It can seem daunting, but it helps to understand what's feeding the system, and the basics of how the components are connected.
HD components look clean and simple from the front. The depth of their connection possibilities is only revealed when you examine their back panels.
Connect through HDTV or through surround receiver?
There are two ways to organize your home theater's nerve system. If you want the best possible sound quality, make a surround receiver the switching heart of your system. Connect all signal sources to the receiver, letting it feed the TV and speakers. If you have only a few signal sources, and are not fussy about sound, you might omit the receiver and connect everything to the TV. But relying on the TV's speakers won't give you a true theatrical experience--just simple stereo or virtual surround sound.
Placement
A video display should be placed far enough back to make the dotted pixels invisible. A surround receiver should sit atop the hi-fi rack for best ventilation. If it must go in the middle of a tall rack, to reach the other components, allow space of at least 80mm above it for cooling.
Audio/video signal sources
To get TV programming, you'll need either an antenna, cable box, or a satellite box. To watch disc or tape, you'll need A/V source components. Note that if you want HDTV, you'll need an HD-enabled service or components.
Audio-only signal sources
While the HDMI interface handles both video and audio, audio signals from A/V components usually travel separately, via either digital or analog connections. A CD changer may use either type. Though some turntables come with a pre-amp on-board, most require an analog input or external pre-amplifier. Analog cassette decks need analog inputs and outputs to record and play. An iPod may connect via docking device or 3.5mm adapter cable.
