| When you are choosing your home theater system, rather than purchasing an all-in-one system, you may prefer to purchase each component separately. The most important component when choosing your system piece-by-piece is the A/V receiver. This component allows you select what source you want to control, such as the VCR, DVD player, or cable. Each component you connect to the receiver can be different brands, as long as they all comply with Dolby* standards. The Equipment Needed document describes the minimum equipment required for a surround sound system. Your A/V receiver is the central point for all the audio equipment, and it controls and decodes the surround sound from the different video components. The receiver also controls the amplification of the speakers that make up the surround sound system.
One of the biggest advantages to buying a stand-alone receiver are the extra features that the manufacturers pack their models with. This includes 5.1-channel inputs and several different processing modes (Dolby Digital, DTS**, Dolby Pro Logic). However, purchasing each component separately does tend to be more expensive than purchasing an all-in-one system. |
