What You Need to Know about Home Theater Systems

Speakers: Why would I need more than two?

Classic stereo utilizes two independent audio channels to reproduce sound with depth and directionality. “Surround sound” refers to a growing number of available formats, like Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound, that use multi-channel audio to create a more immersive, three-dimensional audio experience via additional speakers strategically placed around the listener. Surround-sound technology has long been familiar to moviegoers, but it’s fast becoming the common choice for consumers of home theater systems, video game consoles, and personal computers, too. More and more entertainment companies are encoding audio in surround-sound formats, including producers of video games, DVDs, and HDTV broadcasts.

Surround-Sound Formats

There are many surround-sound formats available for use in the home, ranging from 3-speaker setups, to 7-speakers and beyond. The most common, standardized speaker configuration is known as 5.1 Surround Sound, which refers to left, right, and center speakers up front, surround-left and surround-right speakers in the rear, plus an additional low-frequency speaker. Several competing audio formats are used to encode DVDs, video games, and other popular forms of entertainment to achieve some like-variation of 5.1 Surround Sound, the most common being proprietary technologies by Dolby and DTS. Many home theater systems, including those made by LG, allow you to switch between these and other standard formats, so you can enjoy the widest variety of entertainment options.

Need Help Matching Your TV to Your Other Components?

With the vast array of formats available for connecting home electronics—using both cables and wireless technologies—determining the compatibility of various devices in your home entertainment system can get complicated very quickly.

Wirewize 24/7 Support Service

Wirewize makes setting up a home theater easy. Our setup wizards will provide a personalized system profile, cable recommendations, and customized step-by-step setup instructions for your exact components.

Or better yet, have a Wirewize LIVE Setup Coach help you get connected and configured over the phone. Wirewize LIVE puts an expert in your corner anytime you need it. Our U.S.-based Setup Coaches can help you connect, configure and troubleshoot your home theater, and answer your questions, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Wirewize LIVE gives you anytime access to your own personal support specialist, who’s an expert on your exact products. Our U.S.-based reps can help you solve most issues over the phone, at your convenience, and will get your home theater performing at its best in no time.

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LG Design Philosophy for Home Theater Systems

Design plays a critical role in harmonizing technology and human needs. In an effort to predict emerging needs, and to deliver innovative products to the public, LG has developed a comprehensive design philosophy which boils down to four basic elements: Concept, Style, Interface, and Finish

Digital Audio

In digital audio products, we produce home theater systems, new karaoke systems, and Hi-Fi systems that are equipped with the latest sound technology. LG’s Digital Media Company teamed with Mr. Mark Levinson, the world-renowned audio industry expert, to set new standards in sound quality and excellence.

Our audio products are perfect for bringing the best digital entertainment experiences to the home—and we’ve received many awards that underscore this, including coveted EISA Best Product awards, reddot Design awards, iF Design awards, and CES Innovation awards. For enthusiasts seeking the ultimate digital audio experience with the finest design, LG's current lineup features a wide array of digital audio products—from a stylishly designed. high power output home-cinema system, to micro systems that maximize available space.

Digital Video

LG is renowned for its expertise in digital video and information technology. We’ve received numerous international awards for our digital video products, including EISA Best Product awards and iF Design awards. We also created the world's first dual-format, high-definition disc player, and an array of similarly advanced multimedia convergence products.

LG integrates numerous multimedia features into its digital devices. We’re committed to the art of helping people enjoy their media any time, any place. For this reason, we pursue strong initiatives on multimedia convergence products. Already, LG makes a wide range of digital video products, including premium high-definition disc players, DVD players, DVD recorders with HDD, portable DVD players, and digital set-top boxes. Moving forward, we will stay true to our tradition of innovation by continuing to introduce stylish digital video designs and broadcast convergence technology with customers’ needs foremost in our mind.

What do I need to know about "Watts"?

A watt is a unit of energy. With regard to audio systems, watts refer to the energy output of the amplifier or receiver that’s being used to power the speakers. More watts equals more power, and thus more potential volume—itself usually measured in decibels.

What do Watts Mean for my Speakers?

When purchasing home entertainment components, you need to make sure that your speakers are compatible with the maximum output of your amplifier or receiver. For example, if you purchase a receiver with an output of 100 watts-per-channel, make sure your speakers are compatible with that level of output. If the speakers are designed to "max out" at less power, the audio will become distorted, and could even damage the speakers. Conversely, if the speakers are designed to handle more power than your amplifier provides, this may result in the sound "clipping"or cutting out), which might likewise cause speaker damage.

How Many Watts Do I Need?

There is no set rule for deciding how powerful a sound system you need. Basic ballpark figures say at least 50 watts-per-channel for smaller rooms, and 100 watts-per-channel for larger rooms—and upwards of that for larger spaces. Your own ears are the best guide in making this decision.

Another thing to keep in mind when choosing home theater components is that the relationship between watts and decibels is exponential, not linear. This means that doubling the wattage does not give you double the volume. As a rule, if you double the number of watts (for example, from 50 to 100) you only get a volume increase of 3dB, which is almost imperceptible. To double the volume, you would instead need to multiply the number of watts by a factor of ten—requiring, for example, a 500-watt system to achieve twice the volume of a 50-watt system.

Compatibility Between Components

To ensure that your amplifier and speakers are compatible, always ask an audio expert for assistance. That’s what we did. Many of LG’s audio systems were fine-tuned by renowned audio expert, Mr. Mark Levinson. Just one more assurance that our home entertainment systems are designed to allow all components to work together—to give you breathtaking audio clarity and performance, every time.