That"s Entertainment: Living a Life of Leisure at Home
There is a subtle difference between a house and a home. A house is the actual physical entity, constructed of bricks and mortar, whereas a home, as the saying goes, is where the heart is.
Indeed, many people dedicate months, if not years, to turning a house into a home. This will involve decorating and furnishing according to personal taste and it may even have a whole host of wonderful gadgets and contraptions to make life just that little bit easier.
The living room in particular is a very important space in any home. Not only is it where many people spend their days and nights in, but it is also the place where friends, family and other guests are likely to spend most of their time. So if any room is worth getting right, it's the living room.
In the 21st century, technology rules the roost. From widescreen plasma TVs, to surround sound cinema systems, kitting out a home with the latest entertainment contraptions is a fantastic way of creating a true, personalised living area.
Audio and video systems are becoming increasingly more complex, with a myriad of components and connections making life pretty difficult for novices. Many electrical retails offer installation services too for a relatively small charge, which is certainly worth considering if you want to avoid getting tangled up in mesh of wires.
In terms of what equipment to buy, however, this is a decision for the individual to make. For a basic TV and surround sound speaker system, there are a few things to consider.
As the centrepiece of all the action, the TV is probably the most important aspect to get right. For elegance and style, a flat panel TV fits the bill perfectly. Opt for a large screen, high definition model too, and you'll be enjoying picture quality up to four times clearer than that of a traditional television. Remember, analogue will be obsolete in the UK by 2012, so now's a good time to upgrade to a new-fangled digital screen.
Then there's the issue of sound. Most modern TVs have decent enough speakers built in, but they won't do any justice to an ambitious home entertainment set up. A subwoofer and at least five speakers should be the minimum requirement for any home theatre system - and where the speakers are placed in the room is crucial to the process.
Indeed, setting up is all the easier with a square room and the TV positioned in the middle of one of the walls. The five speakers should then be placed with one in each corner of the room and one in the centre below the television, each directed at the main sofa. The subwoofer can go anywhere in the room as it is responsible for bass-frequencies that are non-directional.
It's then possible to hook up a DVD player, games console, karaoke machine - anything at all that benefits from quality surround sound. Of course, for those with a love of TV, a Sky subscription will probably be a wise investment too, ensuring that the latest movies and major sporting events are just a few clicks of the remote away!
Indeed, many people dedicate months, if not years, to turning a house into a home. This will involve decorating and furnishing according to personal taste and it may even have a whole host of wonderful gadgets and contraptions to make life just that little bit easier.
The living room in particular is a very important space in any home. Not only is it where many people spend their days and nights in, but it is also the place where friends, family and other guests are likely to spend most of their time. So if any room is worth getting right, it's the living room.
In the 21st century, technology rules the roost. From widescreen plasma TVs, to surround sound cinema systems, kitting out a home with the latest entertainment contraptions is a fantastic way of creating a true, personalised living area.
Audio and video systems are becoming increasingly more complex, with a myriad of components and connections making life pretty difficult for novices. Many electrical retails offer installation services too for a relatively small charge, which is certainly worth considering if you want to avoid getting tangled up in mesh of wires.
In terms of what equipment to buy, however, this is a decision for the individual to make. For a basic TV and surround sound speaker system, there are a few things to consider.
As the centrepiece of all the action, the TV is probably the most important aspect to get right. For elegance and style, a flat panel TV fits the bill perfectly. Opt for a large screen, high definition model too, and you'll be enjoying picture quality up to four times clearer than that of a traditional television. Remember, analogue will be obsolete in the UK by 2012, so now's a good time to upgrade to a new-fangled digital screen.
Then there's the issue of sound. Most modern TVs have decent enough speakers built in, but they won't do any justice to an ambitious home entertainment set up. A subwoofer and at least five speakers should be the minimum requirement for any home theatre system - and where the speakers are placed in the room is crucial to the process.
Indeed, setting up is all the easier with a square room and the TV positioned in the middle of one of the walls. The five speakers should then be placed with one in each corner of the room and one in the centre below the television, each directed at the main sofa. The subwoofer can go anywhere in the room as it is responsible for bass-frequencies that are non-directional.
It's then possible to hook up a DVD player, games console, karaoke machine - anything at all that benefits from quality surround sound. Of course, for those with a love of TV, a Sky subscription will probably be a wise investment too, ensuring that the latest movies and major sporting events are just a few clicks of the remote away!
