What Is Home Theater?
The words "home theater" are being thrown about all the time lately. But what do they actually mean? On a grand scale, it's enjoying a movie theater-like experience in your own home. Some people will tell you this takes many thousands of dollars and a dedicated room in your house. Not true. All you need is a good-sized TV, a DVD player, and, ideally, a surround-sound system. The sound system is pretty easy too, but we're going to concentrate on the TV part.

What's It For?
This may seem like a silly question, but it really isn't. Sure a home theater is supposed to play movies, but it is more than that. It's a way to bring people together. It's a great way to bring your family together. A weekly family movie night is why many people buy a home theater system in the first place. These days, gathering everyone together is no small feat, and enjoying a movie is the perfect excuse (not to mention fun in it's own right). Or perhaps you want a home theater for sports—getting the guys together on a Sunday afternoon to yell at the worst, most blind ref in the league or celebrate a winning field goal. Wanting your home to be the hub of a fun activity is something we all can relate to.

Types of TVs Explained
There are a number of technologies out there, and each has its strengths and weaknesses. Here's a brief overview to help you get familiar with them.

CRT: This is the type of TV you probably have now. The picture quality is generally excellent, but they are big and bulky, so good luck hanging one on your wall. But, since they are the most common type of TV, you can use them as a benchmark when you shop for a DLP, plasma, or LCD. Keep in mind, none of these newer technologies can rival CRTs when it comes to black level. CRTs also look the same from any angle, so the picture won't change depending on where you sit.

Plasma: This is the one that everyone knows. It's the most common "flat" TV. It's the one you can hang on the wall. Plasmas tend to have great color and viewing angles. The smallest you can get is 37 inches, and they go up from there; the most common size is 42 inches. However, plasmas tend to be expensive. For example, that 42-inch plasma can run you between $3,000 and $7,000.

LCD: LCDs, or liquid crystal displays, come in two flavors: flat panel and projection. In flat-panel form, they can easily be confused with plasmas because they're also flat and can be hung on the wall. Flat-panel LCDs are available in smaller sizes than plasmas (from 10 to 36 inches as well as larger sizes), so they're convenient and somewhat affordable for smaller rooms and as a secondary TV. Larger LCD flat panels (over 36 inches) are much more expensive than similarly sized plasmas, although they do offer higher resolution.

The same technology, though on a smaller scale, is found in LCD-based projection TVs. There are two types of projection TVs: rear projection and front projection. Rear-projection TVs are like the big screen TVs of old, but new models are skinnier and less fussy than those bulky old behemoths. Front projectors are usually mounted on the ceiling or back wall or placed on a table, and they project the image onto a separate screen – kind of like a mini-movie theater.

Rear-projection LCDs are more affordable at larger sizes than flat-panel LCDs, but they require more space. Some front-projection LCDs are less expensive than rear-projection LCDs (although high-end models can be much more expensive), but they require a much larger room and need a very dark environment for optimal picture quality.

DLP: DLP, or Digital Light Processing, uses a chip covered with hundreds of thousands of tiny mirrors that reflect light of different colors to create a picture. DLP is used in both rear-projection and front-projection TVs. DLP offers deeper black levels than other kinds of projection TV (with the exception of the best CRTs). Many people feel that DLP offers excellent price/performance when considering picture quality, screen size, and purchase price.

LCOS: Liquid Crystal on Silicon, or LCOS, is also called D-ILA and SXRD depending on the manufacturer. Like DLP, this is strictly a projection technology, both front and rear. Instead of tiny mirrors reflecting light as in DLP, a small LCD panel is mounted on a mirror, and each LCD pixel allows more or less light to reach the mirror and be reflected. This technology isn't as common as the others (it's only available from two or three companies) because it is newer and can be extremely expensive.

What Should I Look For?
This question will get you lots of advice from anyone you ask. Salespeople will tell you one thing, friends will say something else, and magazines and websites will offer different advice. You surely want many of the things that a video enthusiast looks for, but there are plenty of other requirements specific to your needs. Having an idea of what those are will help you considerably when you start shopping.

Black Level: This one is a biggie. It's something that magazines and websites love talking about, but what does it actually mean? Black level is how dark the darkest parts of an image are. If you're watching Star Wars on DVD, space should be black and not a dark gray. If you watch a lot of movies, especially at night, this is something to keep an eye on. Black level is related to contrast ratio, which is a number every manufacturer loves to tout (maximum light output/black level = contrast ratio). In general, ignore manufacturers' contrast-ratio specs; they are, shall we say, flexible numbers. Your best bet is to go to a store and judge for yourself as best you can.

Light Output: Chances are this is going to be the biggest factor in your TV purchase. Light output determines how bright a TV's picture is. If the TV is going into your living room, it should be bright enough to be seen despite the lights in the room or the beaming daylight on a Sunday afternoon. Certain technologies are almost always brighter than others.

Color: This one is a little harder to judge, but it's something to keep an eye out for. TV images are created using just three colors: red, green, and blue. In different quantities, these three blend together to create all the colors you see on the screen. The problem is, each TV has a slightly different red, green, and blue. Usually, the difference is subtle, but occasionally a TV's color is far enough off that the image looks cartoonish.