Solid But Not the Best

HOME THEATER was once the earliest to devote themselves exclusively to home theater video gear. Unfortunately, the somewhat wacky, full-of-personality magazine was replaced with a much more boring corporate version when it was sold to a bigger publishing house.

It is a solid magazine but that may not be enough these days when TV and video systems range from a minimum of 4 figures to over 6 figures. Even if you're not planning on buying a $100k system, you want to know what is available in the highest end system so you can scale down and ultimately feel you are getting the best value for your money at your price point. (If you're not building an HD setup with surround, there's not that coverage anyway in any mag not just HOME THEATER).

You want knowledgeable testing so you know what you might be willing to trade in for buying something a few $k less ... and you want to feel confident that you've been presented all the choices and then you can decide what factors to trade off and in terms of costs.

Compared to PERFECT VISION magazine, HOME THEATER comes up way short. HOME THEATER mag does cover more topics (also published more often) so if are interested in seeing more photos and blurbs about lots of AV gear, it's a fine complement to PERFECT VISION magazine - just don't expect the depth or breadth in testing and knowledge about high-end video gear.

If you're just starting out in your decision process in HD sets and perhaps other home video electronics gear, then HOME THEATER is a solid place to start to learn the basics. Then you will want to add PERFECT VISION magazine. As I noted in that review, HOME THEATER is in the ballpark of PERFECT VISION but in the sense that PERFECT VISION is the star and HOME THEATER is a utility infielder - still useful, just not indespensible.

Excellent information

From a professional perspective, Home Theater magazine consistently provides me with cutting edge information. Highly recommended (and excellent editorials).

Fun read... and does not take itself too seriously

This magazine is great if you enjoy reading about new equipment and audio/video software, in a rather tongue-in-cheek style. You will probably be disappointed if you are the type who truly enjoys the in-depth articles of The Absolute Sound or the old Stereophile, or if you are very proud of your latest 12 watt SET amplifier that "only" cost you $8.000.

If the subject was wine, this magazine would not spend half a page discussing whether the berry bouquet is actually raspberry or blackberry. Rather it would try to determine which of the 5 wines reviewed would be best for your next BBQ (and while doing this, crack a few jokes about the French).