The home-ground advantage

Television and home-entertainment system sales always spike - sometimes considerably - immediately before significant international sporting events such as the Olympics and world cups and the folk at the retail coalface say lots of people get it wrong. Their priority is to buy a system with the biggest screen possible. For many that's where it starts and ends but there are traps, some of which have only surfaced recently. For example, if you want to know when a 100-hertz television is really a 50Hz one, you'll need to read the story on screens (page 12).

First, you've got homework. It's all about where you'll be using your system. If the room is small, square and intimate, chances are you can get by without a full surround-sound system and still get involving audio. Multidirectional soundbars and systems with two or three speakers at the front can be set up for virtual surround sound and it works well in such rooms.
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If you've got a big, open-plan area to fill, however, where soundwaves are not going to bounce co-operatively off nearby walls and ceilings, you'll need at least three speakers at the front and two behind for surround sound. To get the best from sporting broadcasts, we recommend a subwoofer.

How many people are you going to have over to watch all this? If it's a lot, you need to ensure you can seat them within the area defined by the five speakers. Inside this area they'll reap the benefits of the surround format. Outside, surround will be lost. Viewers will still hear everything, they just won't feel like they're part of the crowd in the stadium.

Now let's talk about the screen. One of the most common mistakes people make when setting up home theatres is buying a screen too big for the room. A big screen is enveloping and involving but when was the last time you wanted to sit in the front row at the movies?

If you're setting up in a smaller room, you don't need a giant screen. The rule of thumb is to measure the distance from your viewing position to where you plan to place the screen. Half that distance should be the maximum length of the screen along its top or bottom. The absolute maximum.

Go larger than this and your peripheral vision may not be able to pick up all the action. And everyone knows the very best biffo occurs on the periphery of the play.

If you've got a very large room, you'll want a very large screen and projection is very tempting. The strong dollar has seen prices plummet with the big hitter, Runco, starting from $7500.

But beware the hidden costs. You'll need to make the room at least dim if not dark, so window treatments may be required. You'll also need a screen - a white-painted wall won't cut it. As well as soaking up too much light, you'll see every inconsistency in the painted surface, including areas where the paint is uneven.

A good screen reflects up to 97 per cent of the projected light to provide a bright, sharp, even image. They can be permanent fixtures, or they can retract into the ceiling.

You'll also likely need professional installation. This can range from bolting the Projector Lampto the ceiling (or, at a pinch, to a good, solid coffee table) to having a motorised mount that disappears into the roof on turn-off.

Then there are running costs. Most projectors need new lamps after 2000 to 3000 hours and they're far from cheap. Changing the lamp (which you can do yourself with some projectors; others require a technician) provides an opportunity to clean the projector. It will likely need it, especially if there's a smoker in the house.

Some manufacturers are now making 3D projection systems and, like 3D TVs, these require every viewer to have compatible glasses, even when 3D is only simulated. Without them, the screen will present an out-of-focus mash-up. If there are more people than glasses, you'll have to revert to a normal 2D picture but at least it will be full high definition.