use of the malaise that has befallen high-end audio dealers. But he's got to admit that home theater jargon is considerably more confusing. From composite to S-video to component video inputs, to 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p, RGB, VGA, and PLUGE (and so much more), home theater terminology is over the top. And actually using home theater gear is far more confusing than using two-channel audio ever has been. The fact that intelligent adults can barely remember how to turn on and use their own home theater systems is testament to that. Home theater convolutions baffle even some industry professionals.And I'm not referring to fine-tuning gaps here; most audio/video processors and DVD players simply have lousy ergonomics, practically requiring that the operator be able to read hieroglyphics to decipher the bizarre menus. This kind of stuff is rare in the stereo world. The whole "exclusivity vs. social enjoyment" argument is illogical. A full-tilt home theater, with five full-sized speakers and multiple subwoofers, is more domestically intrusive than a good high-end system. And railing against high-end audio systems because they have a "sweet spot" (the magic zone were the sound is at its best) strikes me as a bit odd. Sure, most of the better pure audio systems have a restrictive sweet spot -- so sit there! It's funny how almost every time I check out a home theater, the surround speakers are way too loud. I guess keeping these things dialed in just right is tough. Or maybe I wasn't sitting in the sweet spot? Well, who could blame me for not sticking around long enough to find it? Many people are pretty demanding when it comes to the do's and don'ts of home theater setup. “First off, you absolutely must use the same speaker for all three front speakers.” I agree, but demanding this is just not "real world." Industry professionals become more inflexible as they goes along: "[If you] use a different center speaker and you might as we...
