With the price in quality electrical goods coming down over the past few years it is understandable that people would want to set up their own media room. It's always impressive when you go round to a friend's house and they have a large flat screen TV set up complete with surround sound, DVD player and games console. It's an enticing prospect however for those who aren't so technically minded it can seem like a daunting task to work out what components to buy. There's no need to feel intimidated as it is a straightforward process. Here is a brief guide to the basics of setting up a home media room.
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<br>First you need to determine what role the computer will play as part of your home cinema setup. Ideally a good media setup will be able to play DVDs as well as CDs. You may also wish to incorporate a projecter as opposed to a flat screen TV. Television reception will also be important so make sure that you plan to install a TV tuner card into your computer. It is also a good idea to incorporate some sort of video recording system such as SKY+ or TiVo. If you are going to stream movies using distributors such as Netflix then you will need to make sure that you have a suitable converter box. Games consoles such as the Playstation of Xbox are also good additions to a basic media setup.
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<br>In order to get maximum enjoyment from the sound system, try installing some quality speakers and subwoofers. When it comes to speakers the old axiom of 'you get what you pay for' definitely applies. If you are on a budget you will still notice the difference in sound quality between similarly priced sets of speakers. If you are installing surround sound then make a point of hiding any wiring with cable covers or trims.
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<br>If you decide to use a monitor or flat screen TV then make sure you select a suitable screen. If your intention is to use the computer as a large scale workstation as well as as a media controller then you should go for a larger screen with a refresj rate of at least 60Hz. Be particularly careful as regular TV screens do not have refresh rates that are quick enough to accomodate regular computer use. You would notice that icons appear particularly fuzzy.
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<br>The computer that you are using to control the media setup should be as fast as you can afford. A processor speed of 2.4-2.8Ghz should be suitable enough to run most media processes smoothly. It is also well worth upgrading the RAM in your machine to at least 3Gb and your hard drive to at least 300Gb, especially if you are likely to be recording films or television programmes. If you are installing additional advanced hardware then be sure your computer case is suitably sized to house it all as well as appropriate cooling mechanisms.
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<br>Finally, decide where to locate the computer so that it doesn't intrude with the layout of the rest of the room.
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<br>About the Author: Dave Matthews is writing on behalf of Value TV Brackets (www.valuetvbrackets.co.uk), retailers of <a href="http://www.valuetvbrackets.co.uk" rel="nofollow">LCD TV brackets</a>.
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