This page lists some of the home theater information sources I would like to share:
Author: Joel White
ISBN 1-929685-67-X
Copyright (c) 2002
Publisher: Muska & Lipman
This book does a very good job of providing an overall set of instructions for purchasing and setting up a home theater for the beginner. Very straightforward. Easy to read. No bad habits.
Author: The Editors of CONSUMER REPORTS Magazine
ISBN 0-89043-991-5
Copyright (c) 2005
Publisher: Consumers Union of U.S., Inc.
You can't beat their buying advice, reviews of electronic retailers, and advice on how to buy on the Web. Their home entertainment section has very good information on what is important and what is unimportant when a beginner goes shopping for the basic elements in a home theater. "High-end" audiophiles and videophiles sneer at Consumer Reports, but I agree 100% with 90% of what they say. There really isn't any better place to go for shopping advice for the beginner.
www.consumerreports.org
Author: Howard Ferstler
ISBN 0-02-864715-7
Copyright (c) 1997
Publisher: Schirmer Books
By far the best book I've seen for a better understanding of the technical elements of home theater for the layman. Its best strength is its consistent application of common sense combined with an excellent understanding of the technologies involved. The only thing that keeps me from recommending this as 'the only book you need' is its publication date. Published in 1997, it does not address many of the newer technologies, such as digitally-based displays or digital video recorders.
Author: Brett McLaughlin
ISBN 0-596-00704-3
Copyright (c) 2005
Publisher: O'Reilly(R)
Although this book's rear cover says that it "covers home theater installation from start to finish" it is probably much closer to the core aim of the O'Reilly's Hacks Series, which is to reclaim "the term 'hacking' for the good guys--innovators who explore and experiment, unearth shortcuts, create useful tools, and come up with fun things to try on their own." It does not do as good a job at providing basic setup information as Home Theater Solutions, Home Theater Companion, or Home Theater for Everyone. It gives a hundred snippets of cool stuff, but not a coherent overview.
However, they published some of my stuff, so I'm grateful. See "Events" on this Web site. hacks.oreilly.com
Author: Stephen Lampen
ISBN 0-07-138621-1
Copyright (c) 2002
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
If you want to learn more about cabling for home theaters, this book will provide you with hard information that will let you intelligently evaluate advertising claims. This book assumes you already have some technical knowledge of electronics. Feel free to get this book if you want to move beyond my basic cable recommendations (see "Cable and Wiring Hustle.")
Author: F. Alton Everest
ISBN 0-07-136097-2
Copyright (c) 2001
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
This so-thick-it's-scary book will provide you with all the information you need to design and install acoustic solutions and improvements at a professional level. If you are really serious about your home theater's acoustics, the investment in money and time to purchase and read this book will pay off enormously, because you will understand How you hear, how your room affects what you hear, AND allow you to do something about it without having to pay some acoustic engineering firm tens of thousands of dollars to do it for you. (Or you can check their work to be sure they're doing it right. They probably won't like you, but you'll get a much better result. ) You will also learn about affordable modern tools that you can use to analyze your theater's acoustics. I HIGHLY recommend this book if you want to improve your home theater's acoustics--or anybody else's. It's actually written so that you don't have to be highly technically trained to get nourishment from this book. It is well-written enough to teach you what you need to know. A tip of the hat to Tim Ressel, my good friend and technical whiz, for bringing this fine text to my attention.
Author: Danny Briere, Pat Hurley
ISBN 0-7645-1801-1
Copyright (c) 2003
Publisher: Wiley Publishing, Inc.
This book actually offers information about many elements beyond the basics, like home theater pcs, gaming, whole-house wiring, whole-home networks, soundproof rooms, and other esoterica that, to me, take up space they might have better spent further explaining things us dummies need to have explained, like how to hook up your equipment, or how to choose the right speakers. I would not depend on this book as a primary information source if you are just starting in home theater.
In my opinion, Consumer Reports is the best source for a sane, brief, beginner's introduction to home theater. The Annual Buying Guide has excellent introductory articles on topics about home entertainment, home theater, and the various components used in home theater. They do a great job of identifying what's valuable for people on limited budgets. Go to Consumer Reports Online or the Buying Guide can be purchased at bookstores.
This website provides another introduction to home theater. There are some "high-end" touches like fancy cabling that should be viewed cautiously, but otherwise this is a good next level past the Consumer Reports articles. Go to www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_1_1/index.html
Mr. Paul White wrote an excellent series of articles on practical acoustic treatment for Sound on Sound magazine a few years ago.
The articles are aimed at people building their own recording and mixing studios, but the principles and ideas are DIRECTLY applicable to home theater owners. If you want to make real improvements to the sound of your theater, these articles can be a very useful reference.
Go to: www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul98/articles/acoustics1.html
Once there, look for the "Room for Improvement" articles.
