IF YOU want to have a home theatre in your bedroom, you no longer need to plug in a multitude of speakers, subwoofers, amplifiers and DVD players, movie buff Nitin Balachandran has discovered.
He is using a DVD micro system instead.
The 22-year-old bought an LG FB163 ($499) which he connected to his 27-inch LCD TV. Now he enjoys his collection of DVD movies from his bed.
Said Mr Nitin: "I don't watch movies in the living room anymore."
The machines are basically bookshelf-friendly hi-fi systems with a built-in DVD player. They only require the video cable to be connected to a HDTV.
Models you could also check out are the Sony CMT-DH5BT ($499), the Samsung MM-DA25T ($199) and the Panasonic SC-PM86 ($399).
Retail store Audio House says it has seen "significant" growth in the sales of these systems, whose prices start at $199, and that high-end brands have got into the act. These include Onkyo, Denon and Marantz.
Observed manager Jason Toh: "Customers of all ages are buying. Most use it in their bedrooms."
Plays iPod too
To cater to the IT-savvy crowd, manufacturers have added features to the systems - an iPod speaker dock, that effectively transforms the set-up into iPod speakers; USB ports to slot in flash memory drives; and Bluetooth technology to stream music wirelessly from a mobile phone.
Some systems can play the DivX video files - whether burnt on a CD-ROM or loaded on a flash memory drive - that are popular with Internet users.
Those with libraries of video and MP3 files on their computer will find they can pump up the volume of these, as the micro systems can be easily connected to a PC's audio output.
Dos and don'ts
Do test the models first in an electronics superstore.
Do pick a DVD micro system with virtual surround mode. This should give you almost the same sound ambience as a 5.1 home theatre speaker system.
Do not use a HDTV with a screen that is larger than 32 inches as your picture will not be sharp. Micro systems generally do not have the upscaling feature that improves standard definition visuals.
User profiles - home theatre systems
Blown away
IT WAS the quality of the sound produced by a small DVD system costing $399 that caught 22-year-old Nitin Balachandran's attention.
"It blew me away," confessed the mass communications undergraduate. "It was comparable to speaker systems that cost much, much more."
Which was how the LG FB163 micro DVD system ended up in his bedroom.
The iPod user shopped around and auditioned several DVD micro systems that contained an iPod dock at Courts Superstore in Woodlands before picking the FB163.
"Its compact size was definitely a factor as my room is small," said the owner of 150 DVDs, who also enjoys heavy metal music.
No complicated wiring or furniture shifting was required to connect the system to his 27-inch LCD TV.
He does not use it just to experience the whiz-bang sound effects of his movie collection but also as a speaker system for his iPod classic. He plays CD albums by Radiohead and Metallica and even streams music from
his Nokia E71 mobile phone via Bluetooth.
Conveniently, the system can play video clips stored in his iPod, which means he can watch downloaded highlights of English Premier League matches that feature his favourite team, Tottenham Hotspur, on his TV.
"I'm really enjoying the set-up I have here in my bedroom. It brings out the best in the music of my favourite bands, like Nirvana."
Family affair
AS FAR as 33-year-old Lim Yin Fern is concerned, 5.1 is a better number when it comes to home theatre systems, as it produces sound effects that surround the listener.
The public relations consultant said: "I could have bought a smaller system without so many speakers but my husband and I wanted a full experience."
The couple have a Pioneer system with a built-in DVD player which they bought for around $500.
The system comes with five speakers, which are arranged around the living room of their new home, along with a large subwoofer that brings out the booming sounds of explosions and thundering dinosaurs in Hollywood movies.
"We're not audiophiles but the sound effects of this system were richer and better than the others we tested. Also, we really liked the design."
She and her family enjoy their purchase in different ways:
Her three kids watch children's shows on DVD while she and her husband enjoy listening to Jazz music on CDs.
"'I'm going to buy more movie DVDs to get the best out of the surround sound speakers," she added.
This story was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life.
