Popular Home Theatre Terminology

Today’s home theatre terms can be a bit confusing for the average homeowner looking to set up a hifi system in their family room. From aspect ratios, acoustic suspension, and Bluetooth, to Parametric EQ, THD (Total Harmonic Distortion), and HDCP, there are enough terms to make your head spin.

If you are finding it challenging to understand home theatre terminology, keep reading as we take a look at some of the most popular terms you will hear when you set up your home theatre system from Hi Fi Confidential. Let’s get started:

Popular Home Theatre Terminology

Acoustic Suspension- this is a sealed enclosure, typically referring to a bookshelf speaker or subwoofer whereby the trapped air pressure in the cabinet provides a controlling back pressure to the driver.

Amplifier- an amplifier provides power to a loudspeaker or subwoofer. It takes line level audio that is input to itand outputs it at sufficient power to drive a loudspeaker.

Anamorphic-anamorphic generally refers to the horizontal squeezing of a video signal to maximise all of the available pixel resolution of the format.

Aspect Ratio- the aspect ratio of an image is the relationship of the width to the height.Standard definition video has a 4:3 aspect ratio which met the requirements of pre-HD televisions. Modern HD shows are 16:9 (also known as widescreen).

Bandwidth- this is a “high-low” term used to denote the span of frequencies a device either reproduces or passes.

Bass- bass frequencies are low frequencies, typically under 150Hz.

Bluetooth-Bluetooth is a wireless streaming format that allows for high resolution stereo audio streaming.

Codec- this word actually is short for “COmpression/DECompression”. It’s an algorithm that is used to store data in smaller sizes to save space and facilitate better or easier transmission of that data.

Composite Video- this signal is transmitted over a single video cable and is a literal composite of both colour and grayscale information.

Dispersion-diffusion refers to the scattering of an emitted sound once it hits something, dispersion is more about spreading the sound out from the source.

Dynamic Range- dynamic range is the difference between the loudest and softest parts of a signal or audio signal.

HDMI- this format provides digital audio and video over a single cable from source components to televisions.

HDTV- literally “High-Definition TV”, this refers to a resolution of at least 720p (1280×720) but more typically 1920×1080 (known as 1080p or 1080 progressive).

HTIB (Home Theater in a Box)- this is a term used to indicate any home theater system sold as a one-box package.

Parametric EQ- a type of EQ which allows adjustment of frequency, bandwidth, and boost/cut level.

SPL (Sound-Pressure Level)- this is a unit of measure for air pressure as it relates to audio frequencies. SPL is measured in decibels (dB).

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