What is home theatre?

Home theatre is the marriage of pictures and sound. A great home theatre system, properly installed, inspires joy, bliss and sometimes even exhilaration. Treat your family to the ultimate home entertainment experience. The “best seat in the house” can actually be in your house.

How important is the sound?

Every bit as important as the picture. Just as a great marriage is composed of two equal partners, so too a great home theatre system combines an optimum balance of sight and sound. The systems we present here are designed to reflect that balance, and offer the best performance available today.

What’s the difference between LCD and Plasma?

A liquid crystal display (LCD) is a thin, flat device made up of any number of colour or monochrome pixels arranged in front of a light source or reflector. LCD technology is used in computers, and is ideal for screen sizes below 42 inches. LCD technology is also available in conventional rear projection TV’s and in front projectors.

A plasma (PDP) is a glass flat panel structure where visible light and picture are created by phosphors and gas that are ‘excited’ by a Plasma discharge between two flat panels of glass.
For home theatre applications with screen sizes above 42 inches, we still
prefer Plasma, although LCD is catching up rapidly. Currently, Plasma sets have better viewing angles, a better contrast ratio, faster response time,
and indeed, a better picture.

But the ultimate choice is yours, because both formats are winners.

How long will my new LCD or Plasma screen last?

There is a common misconception that a plasma screen will burn out. In fact, plasma screens from Panasonic or Pioneer under consistent use can last for upwards of 15 years.

How do you choose the right screen size?

Determining the right size television for your room is based on the distance you will be sitting from the screen. With today's high-definition programming and the high quality picture on DVD, the closest seating distance is now based on a factor of 2.5 times the width of the screen. An example could be looking at a 42´´ panel. 42 x 2.5 = 105 inches. This is 8.75 feet. So in a room where you would sit 9-10-11 feet...a 42´´ set will give you a great picture and be large enough to fill your field of vision.

What about installation?

The installation of your flat panel and Home Theatre components is an important part of the systems performance. Bay Bloor Radio has developed a fixed rate system which allows you to choose the installation necessary. You will clearly understand what is being done and the total charges. This system eliminates surprises at the completion of a project. Our trained staff will review these rates as you select the correct components, speakers and flat panel for your new home entertainment system.

How do you hide all those messy wires?

When installing a new home theatre into your space..there are several questions which you must ask. If the system is going into a wall unit or onto a dedicated piece of furniture, our delivery crew will be able to set up the system and secure all of the wires in the system area. Rear channel speakers and wall mounting flat panels with inwall wiring will require a custom installer. Bay Bloor Radio has a complete installation service utilizing a fixed rate system which allows you to choose the level of installation required.

What’s the difference between 720p, 1080i and 1080p?

Currently there are two HDTV broadcast resolutions available, one being 1080i and the other being 720p. Both of these formats deliver stunning HDTV picture’s on today’s large flat panel TV’s. 1080i delivers higher pixel resolution, 720p scans the picture progressively, giving smoother sharper images during motion. 1080p is simply the combination of 1080’s higher resolution with 720p’s progressive-scan format.

What do I need for HDTV?

An HD-ready television and an HD terminal from your cable service provider (Rogers or Bell).

Why are all new TVs widescreen when some of what I watch doesn’t fit the entire screen?

16 x 9 (the approximate measurement of a rectangle-shaped flat-screen) is the standard for high-definition programming. The old square-shaped standard was known as 4 x 3. With widescreen televisions, it is easy to squeeze or expand a 4 x 3 image to fill your entire picture with the push of a button. However, with high-definition becoming more and more popular, it is only a matter of time before the majority of television programming is broadcasted in widescreen. As for DVD, virtually every new film is released in widescreen.