How to Pick a Dolby Digital Receiver

A receiver in general is the component that provides the main control of an audio system. Dolby Digital is one format of receiver that provides a high-quality video stream. For that movie theater experience, Dolby Digital can bring your DVDs to life and create the ultimate cinema feel at home. Dolby Digital is typically the standard for DVD and HDTV equipment.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dolby Digital ready audio or visual equipment
• Audio and video input specifications

Pick a Dolby Digital Receiver

1. Plan a budget and stick to it. The higher-quality receivers may have amazing performance, but they usually come at an extremely high cost.

2. Determine how many inputs you will need. This will depend largely on the number of components in your system. It is best to get a receiver that has a few more inputs than needed.

3. Make sure some of your inputs are for S-video connections rather than coaxial. S-video usually provides a better quality of picture.

4. Pick the Dolby Digital receiver with the correct number of channels. For instance, you will want a 5.1-channel receiver if you have five speakers and one subwoofer.

5. Figure out the number of watts that are needed. A good rule of thumb is 100 watts per channel.

6. Find out about the dealer or seller's return policy. You may not be able to return a receiver you've purchased used or on sale, even if you have a receipt. You should be particularly conscientious about picking the exact equipment your system requires to avoid the hassles of returning unneeded products.

Tips & Warnings

• It may be a good idea to pick both a Dolby and a DTS system (Dolby's main rival) if you have both video and audio components to your home system. This is because Dolby is better for video, whereas DTS is better for sound.
• Although you can find a receiver to fit any component you already have at home, it is a good idea to find a receiver that comes with your home entertainment equipment package.
• Having just a Dolby Digital receiver may not be enough if you plan on both watching videos and listening to music. For music, consider having a system that automatically switches back and forth between Dolby and DTS.
• A Dolby 5.1 is the most standard model. The Dolby Digital EX has a 6.1-channel system, which includes a center channel speaker.
• A Dolby Digital receiver is wasted on equipment that is not built with a Dolby Digital encoder. Make sure your DVD or CD player has this encoder to get the full range of sound.