With the coming of Blu-ray technology, DVD players have seen a tremendous drop in price. While this initially causes concern for manufacturers and vendors, they have found a way to market DVD players with home theater systems in a compact package. These systems are extremely popular not only because of their ability to encompass two useful technologies--DVD and surround sound--but also because they are able to do so in sleek, space saving ways. When you get one of these systems home, you will even find that the installation process becomes simpler than having to hook up the components separately.
Instructions
1. Decide where to put the control unit for the system. Normally you will be limited by the length of the power cord and of the cable you are using to connect it to the TV.
2. Position the speakers where you want them. The speakers will be labeled as front, rear/surround or center. Place them accordingly and decide on any mounting you want to do. Often, DVD home theater systems will have speakers that can be mounted with just a screw, similar to hanging a picture frame. If you decide to mount them on the wall, speakers should be positioned near ear-level when you are seated and watching the television.
3. Connect the speakers to the DVD unit. These systems come with the speaker wires and are frequently color-coded. The longer wires are for the rear speakers and the shorter ones are for the front and center speakers. Be sure to connect the same wire to the positive terminal on the speaker and on the receiver. Connect the other wire end of each speaker wire pair to the negative terminals on the speaker and receiver. Be sure to connect the wires to the correct speaker output on the receiver. They outputs are clearly labeled--remember that left refers to left when you are looking at the television, not facing out into the room.
4. Place the subwoofer on the floor, close enough to the receiver that the provided speaker wire will reach. Connect the subwoofer in the same way as the other speakers. On some systems, the speakers and subwoofer may come with wires that are plug-in rather than exposed wire. In that case, plug the ends into the appropriate jacks that exist in place of terminals.
5. Determine what connection your player uses to connect to the television. The newest players will have HDMI connections, whereas RCA connections are still standard on most systems. This will also depend on your television. Once you determine which connection option is present on both your television and DVD home theater receiver, connect the two using that type of cable. Connect to the television input jacks and the DVD receiver output jacks. This will stream your DVD to your television.
6. If you want to stream sound from your television to your surround sound, you will need to connect an audio cable from the television to the receiver. Make sure your television has an audio output. On many TVs this will be a digital or optical output, but a simple headphone jack can be used--with a headphone to RCA adapter. Determine what type of output you have and make sure that the DVD receiver has an input jack for that type of connection. Connect the two using that type of cable--if the television and the receiver do not have any type of matching audio jacks consult an electronics store for a converter.
7. Plug in the receiver and power it on. Make sure that all of the functions of the receiver are working and that the DVD shows up on the television.
Tags: your television, that type, come with, Determine what, home theater