How many paychecks are invested in your home theater?

That is actually a rhetorical question... the point I am trying to make here is; you have probably spent a lot of hard earned money building the personal theater (or media room) of your dreams. I hope you are not relying on a $99 surge protector as your AV insurance policy! A power conditioner should have been the FIRST item listed on your equipment list, a power conditioner is your first defender of unwanted electrical spikes, over voltage, and noise filtering (yes this includes video noise). The power conditioner will prolong the life expectancy of your AV equipment, please also make sure your HDTV is making use of your power conditioner and not just the Blu-Ray player and surround receiver. Your hi-def TV will surely have a longer life but also have a better picture due to the noise filtering from the power conditioner, a feature surge protectors do not offer. If your AV installer has not recommended a true power conditioner, ask yourself why. Entry level power conditioner models are well within even the lowest media room budgets. For planning purposes, you should expect to pay around $400 for a decent power conditioner, based on a $6000 media room investment, the power conditioner is approximately 7% of your AV budget. Other models are available, even if your budget allows for a $250 power conditioner, do it! It is the wisest decision you will have made. Surge protectors (even high end models) will not prolong the life of the equipment and will not improve the picture quality like a power conditioner will do. The truth is, power fluctuations are the leading cause of AV equipment failures!

Marc
www.HomeTheaterIntegrators.com

Media Servers for Home Theaters

Being a proponent of media servers and technology in general, certain requirements and basic fundamentals should be understood before investing in this constantly evolving media vehicle. Aside from the obvious monetary choices, prices ranging from $900 for very basic entry level units, to $7,000 for mid-grade multi-function pieces, you will need to research your own expectations and requirements to ensure you are getting what you expect. To begin, digital media exists in several formats; there are too many audio formats to list here and too many video formats to investigate in one blog. But for starters, you will need to perform an inventory of your own collection to become familiar with what digital file formats you currently own so you don't exclude your favorite audio track or favorite music video after you buy your new media server. What I am saying is you may have some newer file formats which may not play on all entry level units.

Basically there are numerous digital file formats;
Previous audio formats include .wma and .wav while previous video formats include .mov and .mpg
Newer audio formats include .mp3 and .m4a while newer video formats include .m4v and .mp4

The concern here is; if you are like me and many other music enthusiasts, you probably have multiple formats, both older formats and newer formats. Not all entry level media servers will have the capability of playing both older and newer formats. Undoubtedly the high end units will cover all bases but if you are planning the purchase a mid-grade unit, care should be taken in deciding on a model which will play ALL of your media formats (old & new).


Please look for a more in-depth discussion from me in the future on "media servers myths and realities"

Marc
www.HomeTheaterIntegrators.com