Whenever someone wants to add to their home theater set-up, a lot of things immediately come to mind. Bigger televisions and more powerful sound systems immediately jump to the forefront, and 3-D television is the news-making innovation that everyone cautiously considers. However, perhaps the biggest new trend to come to home theater in the past decade is not what you’d expect. It doesn’t directly affect what you’re watching, but, rather, how you’re watching it.
Home networking.
Sure, you wouldn’t normally think of your internet connection when you’re talking about watching your favorite program or sitting down for a film, but internet connectivity and devices capable of such have been rapidly changing the entire industry over the past several years. You have to think of what you’re watching and how you’re watching it — or, more specifically, how you could be watching it.
The popularity of streaming services has skyrocketed in the past few years. Services like Netflix and Hulu have become many peoples’ go-to sources for basically anything they want. Rather than being confined to whatever is on television, recorded on a DVR, or exists in their DVD/Blu-ray collection, home theater enthusiasts and amateurs alike have instant access to thousands upon thousands of programs from every genre, era, and interest imaginable. This level of accessibility has even rendered cable television and disc collections obsolete, for many.
Streaming content through home networking isn’t even limited to services like Netflix, however. Most any device capable of networking is also capable of accessing a number of free services that add a lot to the home theater experience. All sorts of things are possible with home networking, including checking news and weather, watching videos on YouTube, playing your music collection through your sound system, and even accessing Facebook or Twitter. Setting up a network to your home theater can transform it from somewhere to watch television and film into a central part of home life, enhancing many aspects of it with a simple flick of the thumb. This revitalization of any home theater opens up a near endless number of possibilities.
Setting up a home networking system with your theater set-up isn’t even very difficult. Due to its rising popularity, a broad range of devices have been made network-compatible, including dedicated streaming devices, gaming consoles such as the Xbox One and the Playstation 4, many new Blu-ray players, and even Internet-enabled televisions. The entry cost isn’t steep by any means, either; a top-of-the-line, high-definition Blu-ray player with built-in WiFi can cost you as little as $250. Considering the fact that a Blu-ray player is already near-essential for any modern home theater, this is, no doubt, a fantastic deal.
No matter what kind of content you enjoy, home networking can provide and enhance your experience with such in your home theater. There’s little doubt that within just a few years this new technology will become absolutely essential for even the most basic of home theater rigs – and it isn’t difficult to see why.
Interested in learning more about the latest, greatest products to make your home theater cutting-edge? Talk to an Advanced Home Theater Systems professional today:(469) 656.4804.
