NEVER say never is what Digital Life is proving here, as far as a reasonable home theatre system goes.

Some people say that a home theatre system must cost an arm and a leg to be of quality.

We say a high-definition entertainment hub - flat-screen TV plus sound system with a DVD player - can be had for under $1,000.

We've worked out the sums and waded through the permutations.

There are trade-offs and caveats to be sure.

But, hey, this go-cheap but get-real guide will put you in entertainment bliss.

Flat-screen TV

You can get a Japanese branded 32-inch HD-ready LCD TV for $699.

However, given today's big-screen standards, a 32-inch TV is incredibly small and not the best way to enjoy a movie.

Also, bear in mind that where resolution goes, skip worrying about whether to go Full HD (superior in that you can see an actor's pores oozing sweat, for example) or HD-ready (you can see the sweat but not the pores).

In truth, the eye can barely distinguish any loss in quality between the two types of screens - unless the TV is larger than 42 inches.

Depending on the brand, a 37-inch TV starts from $1,000 and a 42-inch one from $1,300.

Pay more for the extra inches if you plan to watch movies, or play games with the TV.

Make sure you check for connectors like HDMI, component video and PC-Out as you need them to maximise the HD Ready display.

Other considerations:

• Contrast ratio: It measures the brightness of the whites compared to the blacks on screen. Some models offer up to 30,000:1. But anything above 10,000 is good enough.
• Response time: It indicates the degree of ghosting or the shadowy trail or blurring of moving images. The faster the response time, the less the blurring.
• An 8ms response time is acceptable but aim for 5ms or even 2ms if you're going for bigger screens, especially if you are a football fan.
• Screen refresh rate: The faster the screen refreshes, the less it flickers. Measured in either the more common but slower 50Mhz (megahertz) or the faster 100Mhz.

Sound systems

Sets priced from $150 are common, but the cheaper sets may not have component video inputs which is the bare minimum to extract the most out of your DVDs, especially if you are using a flat-screen TV.

The basic sound systems should provide 5.1 sound in DTS and Dolby Digital format and work out of the box, so you do not have to spend more on speakers or cables.

Other considerations:

• Speaker size: Most sets priced under $300 come with five grapefruit-sized speakers, a DVD player and subwoofer, which is good enough for a bedroom but not your living room. 
• Multi-format playback: Aside from playing DVDs, there are sets that play other file formats - from video to music - such as MP3, WMA, MPEG 4 and DiVX.

DVD players

Prices of DVD players have fallen drastically so it is possible to get a branded set for about $60.

Due to region coding, where DVDs are coded for six regions, not all DVD players are compatible with every DVD.

Singapore is Region 3 while DVDs from the US are Region 1, so check to see if the DVD player has been 'unlocked' to play DVDs of all regions.

Other considerations:

• Progressive scan: Normal players have a video output of 480i while progressive scan models offer the higher 480p resolution. 
• HDMI: Sets with HDMI output are priced above $100 as these offer a better visual and audio transfer to the TV set. 
• Upscaling: These more expensive players upscale your DVD content to 720p and 1,080p, by artificially upgrading the original image quality.

Blu-ray players

The latest in high-definition technology, Blu-ray is a format that offers up to 1,080p resolution.

Still relatively expensive, players retail at about $600 but they can play DVDs as well. HDMI outputs for Blu-Ray players are also a universal standard.

Other considerations:

• Blu-ray format 2.0: Watch out for seemingly cheap Blu-ray players as these may be older models. The format is an evolving one, currently at version 2.0. This updated format requires 1GB of local storage for movie updates and content and an Internet connection. Older, cheaper models lack these features. 
• Software: Local Blu-ray movies are expensive so consider ordering them online from retailers like Amazon as the online cost per disc is much lower than the current retail price of $49.90.

Deals

Check with electronics stores and they will always have special offers to sweeten the deal.

Audio House, for example, is now offering a trade-in of old equipment for the purchase of new machines and you can get $50 off from an old DVD player and $200 off from a 34-inch colour TV.

Glossary

• Full-HD TV (High-definition)

TV screens in full HD (often labelled as 1,080p) offer a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels.

The 'p' stands for progressive scan - pictures are transmitted as a full image instead of alternating lines in an interlace image, which can cause the image to flicker.

So with 1,080i, the image will not be as sharp as 1,080p.

• HD-ready TV

These offer image quality of up to 1,080i, which is good enough for screen sizes up to 42 inches. The next lower image quality is 720p followed by 720i.

• Standard definition (SD)

Measured at 480i and 480p, this is the normal quality offered by the current crop of DVDs.

• Component input

Cables, made up of a blue, green and red cable, are a visual transmission medium that provides up to 480p quality images.

• Plasma and LCD flat-screen TVs

The key difference between the two formats of flat screens is that plasma technology, although displaying richer colours, consumes more energy and heats up faster than an LCD equivalent.

• HDMI

The high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) is a means of connecting two devices, such as TV and DVD player, to allow high-definition content to be transmitted.

There have been several upgrades to the HDMI format and the most recent is version 1.3.

Beware of cheap HDMI cables as they may be configured to the old 1.1 or 1.2 standards.

• DTS and Dolby Digital

These are digital audio standards used in movies and on DVDs. Most home systems can decode both formats, although not all DVD movies contain soundtracks in both formats.

• 5.1 surround sound

Regular music on headphones and TV sets come in two-channel audio - left and right.

The 5.1 surround sound splits the audio into five speakers - two each in the front and back, a centre speaker plus a subwoofer for bass.

This article first appeared in Straits Times Digital Life on Sep 10, 2008.

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