Practical Home Theater: A Guide to Video and Audio Systems

by Mark Fleischmann

How can an average person navigate the maze of audio/video technologies in a home theater system? Turn to Mark Fleischmann's Practical Home A Guide to Video and Audio Systems . The 19th edition has been thoroughly revised and updated for 2020. The ultimate answer book for beginners and intermediate-level readers, it tells you everything you need to know when shopping for video and surround sound gear including how to read a spec sheet, how to separate fact from hype, and how to get good value for your money. This year's edition goes into detail on new developments such as 4K and 8K Ultra HDTV, HDR picture-quality improvements, the HDR format war, the new HDMI 2.1 interface, and both Dolby Atmos and surround technologies. This year's edition features new material on IMAX Enhanced certification and the 4K Filmmaker Mode. The book weighs the pros and cons of video display technologies such as LED-backlit LCD and projection systems, plus next-generation quantum-dot and OLED displays. It dispels the confusion surrounding such topics as HDTV, smart TV, and refresh rates. It explains the differences between Dolby, DTS, THX, and Audyssey surround technologies and high-resolution audio formats. It covers all formats under the sun including Blu-ray and DVD, DVRs, streaming from a multitude of devices, and wireless connectivity. And it explores often ignored topics such as buying a DTV antenna, power-line accessories, and cables. A richly detailed connections chapter tells how to hook up every component. By knowledgably guiding readers through the briar patch of video and audio, Practical Home Theater has become the standard reference work for home theater buffs. This edition is dated 2020 and will be sold between October 2019 and October 2020. Readers are warned to buy only the latest edition. Future annual editions will continue to track changes in home theater technology.

284 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2007

Reviews

[Alan Bresette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Read Covers All Things Home Theater...A Must Have

This book covers absolutely all facets of a home theater system (soup to nuts). If you are one of those folks that needs every piece of information regarding all aspects and knowledge bits, this is the best reference I've come across. It even has a comprehensive glossary.

[Vincent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, clear explanation on the topics it covers. I found the discussion about surround sound systems to be the most helpful in the book as that is what I find the most confusing in home theatre.

I do wish that Fleishmann more strongly recommended particular setups based on particular usage (ie: streaming vs Bluray vs music)

[Daniel Chen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative, but a little hard to follow and not evenly distributed among the sections. I wanted to learn more about 4K UHD player and disc specs and what the number ranges for each category signify.