Entertainment Unlimited

Tanya Siqueira finds out how home entertainment systems are making it harder for people to venture out...

It’s yet another wet rainy afternoon and the last thing you want to do is venture out. And imagine now, a 15 feet high, 40 feet long, six-ton Tyrannosaurus Rex stomping into your living room or experiencing almost first hand the breathtaking size and structure of the Titanic. A not so boring day after all, eh!

For the many of us who have simply longed to cosy up on a warm sofa with a mellow cognac or a throat warming brandy on a long rainy day, home entertainment, audiotainment or infotainment all spell incredibly inviting thoughts. Home entertainment has journeyed way ahead of merely flipping the switch on a little television set or simply slipping a cassette into a tape deck. The concept, which revolves around music, movies and interactive games, opens up an entertainment portal into your private world where the possibilities seem infinite.

Home entertainment seeks to reproduce cinema quality audio and video right in your own home. Quality audio reproduction is usually achieved with a high fidelity 5.1-surround sound system at the very least. For those with very specific audio needs there is even a 7.1 surround sound system. The video aspect usually involves a large screen and/or high definition television or projector. Another very important component in terms of enriching the quality of the sight-sound experience is the audio/video receiver and amplifier which in essence receives signals from a VCR, DVD player, satellite dish, etc - interprets and amplifies those signals and then sends them to output devices, ie. your television and sound system. Navigating the maze of product choices, room planning, and connections is much like a trip to a destination where planning every detail is of the utmost importance but the end result is more than worth the effort. As KP Salian, owner of a car rental company, says, “My audio system incorporates various parts which I put together myself. Although I do not know very much about the technical aspect I did do much research and with a little help from the right people now own some of what I believe is best in the market which includes Bose speakers, and an Onkyo amplifier”.

In all senses

Music is one of the key components of an home entertainment system. There are many avid music lovers who do not mind that extra cost of better reproduction. KK Shukla, a retired engineer, is one such person. He says, “My love affair with music began in the early ’60s. Although an expensive affair, I am very particular in my selection of music systems and always believed in owning the best. Now since I’m retired, I looked for options within the country and decided on Onkyo, which has been very prompt with service and any kind of after sales needs.”

Makers of Bose audio systems have come up with something simple to aid customers, gain an edge over the competition as well as subtly nudge their profits upwards. For a stipulated fee, the company conducts a survey of the customer’s house and will figure out the perfect place the speakers should be situated. If that doesn’t fit in with the decor or the physical structure makes it impossible, they position the speakers to derive the best sound possible within those limits.

Sonodyne International Pvt Ltd, dealing with premium speaker and amplifier ranges, has another option- ‘Listening Rooms’. The first of such rooms established in Kolkata, will see another of its kind in Mumbai soon. It comes equipped with two settings, one for two channel music listening and the other for multi-channel home theatre viewing of live concerts and cinema. In each of these settings one may listen to the latest range of products. Via this one-on-one experience, the customer is guided to the right product after a series of queries relating to choice of music, size of the listening area and preference of product aesthetics. The customer may then audition this personalised audio or entertainment solution before making the final purchase.

With such audio options, the visual output has to be equally good. And when it comes down to the best available in this medium, two types of technologies dominate the flat-screen TV frenzy: plasma screens and Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD). These are available in various colours, textures and even contours.

Viewing angle for LCDs come in smaller packages but tend to have a higher resolution (at least 1024 x 768 pixels), which gives better quality and clear image. Plasmas on the other hand are large and more impressive in size but generally have a lower resolution (852 x 480 pixels). Their advantages are myriad ranging from fantastic colour reproduction, to being very thin and lightweight, perfect sharpness at native resolution, longevity, no screen burn-in effect, etc.

Visual output is also relevant to the relatively new entrant to home entertainment - the interactive gaming experience. Says Alfred Lee, copy consultant, at Wunderman India Pvt Ltd, “People are very serious about gaming and it’s an entire realm of business all by itself. You’d be surprised to know that it’s not only 20-somethings who are drawn to this experience but also parents, grandparents, businessmen. There is even scope for professional gamers. People enter international leagues and play for a substantial monetary prize.”

Made to order

You can either buy home entertainment systems off the shelf or, at a premium, get it made to order. Many companies receive requests to customise home entertainment systems to fit the contours of rooms. For example, one can accommodate luxuries such as acoustic surroundings for crystal clear sound and high-end projector systems complete with a remote controlled table lift to adjust the positioning of the projector optimising viewing.

Also, while many home entertainment systems are confined to one room, some of the latest technologies in audio and video home entertainment can expand these systems from the central viewing room to everywhere in the house, including the kitchen and a swanky bathing room turning entertainment into a complete home experience. Says Sunando Bannerji, general manager, human resources for a reputed multinational corporation, “I am completely in love with my system which takes luxury to a whole new level. My system is configured for the use of a universal remote linked to my humble personal computer. These remotes adjust just about everything from the volume on the television to the temperature, the lighting and even the blinds or curtains in the room.”

Hasmuk Fajethiwala, managing director, Nastax Textiles, is another person who takes his entertainment seriously. He says, “Travelling for most part of the year is difficult in itself and home entertainment for me includes making it a complete experience for my wife and kids. I have brought the theatre right to my living room. Speakers from Bose, an Onkyo amplifier and my latest addition, a 50 inch Sony Plasma Pro television, complete the entertainment circle. Every bit of equipment is completely worth the money spent on it.”

And, the good news is that the best options are becoming available in India. There is also a definite shift in trend towards customisation which is why companies today position themselves as providing complete solutions. Says MA Dhandapani, managing director, Onkyo Sight & Sound India Pvt Ltd, “Onkyo has forged a tie-up with LG (for Plasma Display Panels) and B&W (for speakers in the range not covered by Onkyo). In addition to this we have brought in custom installation products and technology to provide more utility.”