Home Theater Design and Installation Online

Course Description

Complete instruction on the possibilities, benefits, technology, design, and installation of a home theater for residential installers/integrators, builders, developers, contractors, and real estate professionals.

Home theaters are becoming a "must have" in homes these days, and this course teaches what students need to know to understand, design and install a home theater. Low-, mid-, and high-end home theater possibilities are reviewed, as well as important safety considerations, standards, and codes that must be followed during installation.

Students are taught the technology fundamentals of home theater including signals - analog and digital, video displays - aspect ratio and formats, audio formats, audio reproduction, and power conditioning. The course is very practical in nature, focused on how to successfully design and install a home theater system. Inputs including cable, off-air, VHS, digital VHS, DVD, HD-DVD, satellite, PVRs, media center PCs are explained in detail, as are the necessary connections to tie the home theater system components together. Special attention is paid to control options and calibration of the home theater. Both new construction and retrofit installations are considered, with a clear process outlined for each situation. Finally, testing and troubleshooting methodologies are provided to ensure a successful installation.

Informative text, detailed color diagrams, and engaging case studies make learning distributed audio efficient and enjoyable. Special In Depth articles provide deeper background and technical information on critical topics, and Project Management Tips coach installers on good management practices. An online Glossary provides ready access to definitions of key terms.

The course is divided into 15 training modules – each module ends with a quiz, and a comprehensive test at the end of the course allows students to demonstrate their newfound knowledge of home theater systems.

After completion of this course, students are prepared for hands on, product specific training in a training center or on a job site.  Three months access to this course.

Prerequisites

Students should be familiar with the video display system (TV and input components such as DVD player) and have basic knowledge of audio (see the Whole House Audio Technology and Distribution Online Course for more information).

Course Learning Objectives

– To understand the technology fundamentals of home theater signals, displays, audio reproduction, and home theater processing

– To know the steps to follow when designing and planning the installation of the whole house audio system

– To understand the specific steps involved in the pre-wire, trim-out, and final installation phases of installation

Course Outline -

1. Course Introduction

• System Requirements
• Navigating the Course
• Course Learning Objectives

2. What is a Home Theater?

• Inputs
• Processing
• Video Displays
• Audio Reproduction
• Making Connections

3. Benefits of a Home Theater

• Entertainment
• Convenience
• Aesthetics
• Centralized Master Control

4. Safety andTools

• Safety Guidelines
• Planning Tools
• Rough-in Tools
• Trim-out Tools
• Testing Tools

5. Technology Fundamentals

• Home Theater Flow Chart
• Analog / Digital Signals
• Display Aspect Ratio
• Letterbox / Anamorphic
• Audio formats - Dolby Digital, DTS, 5.1, 7.1, THX
• Display formats - SDTV, EDTV, HDTV
• Interlace/Progressive
• Power Conditioning

6. Inputs

• Cable
• Off-Air Signals
• VHS / Digital-VHS
• DVD
• Digital HD-DVD/Blue
• Satellite - Standard / Digital
• TIVO
• PVR - Personal Video Recorder
• Microsoft Media Center
• Satellite Radio - HD Radio

7. Processing

• Stand-Alone Single Function
• Multi Function
• Key Features
  - Inputs - toslink / coax
  - Outputs - video
  - Amplifier - analog / digital

8. Video Displays

• CRT Monitor
• Flat Panel
• Projection

9. Audio Reproduction

• Surround Sound
• Speakers

10. Control Options

• Handheld Remote
• Touchscreen
• Macros
• Scenes

11. Designing a Home Theater System

• Steps in the Design Process
• Identifying Inputs
• Selecting a Surround Sound Processor
• Selecting the Video Display
• Identifying Speaker Placement
• Understanding How Components Work Together
• Room Acoustics
• Documentation
• Home Theater Examples

12. Installing a Home Theater

• Pre-wiring
• Trim-out - Installing Speakers
• Finish - Installing Components
• Programming Control

13. Calibrating a Home Theater

• Video Calibration
• SPL Meter

14. Troubleshooting a Home Theater

• System Wide Troubleshooting
• Equipment Troubleshooting

15. Course Summary