Comparison Sony BDV-E6100 vs Sony BDV-N890W

Home theater speaker system AC impedance. Impedance matters when connected to an amplifier: if the impedance of the speaker system is less than that of the amplifier, distortion in sound is possible, if it is higher, the acoustics may sound quieter than we would like. Naturally, in the original home theater sets, the speakers and amplifier are selected with the optimal impedance ratio, so in fact you only have to pay attention to this parameter when you need to connect acoustics to a “non-native” amplifier.

The ability to connect speakers to the base via a wireless interface — most often a radio. The main advantage of this connection is the absence of connecting wires, which significantly limit the movement of the speakers and can interfere, getting confused with each other and with other wires. The disadvantages of wireless speakers are often lower sound quality than wired counterparts, as well as high cost.

Possibility to block the control of the home theater — so a small child will not be able to independently remove the disc from the DVD player, change the operation settings, etc. Usually, we are talking about blocking the control panel on the main unit, because. the remote control without any problems can be placed in a place inaccessible to the baby (in extreme cases, keep it with you). To disable the lock, a method is chosen that is easily accessible for an adult, but not feasible for a child — for example, by simultaneously pressing two rather tight buttons.

Prevent children from viewing discs with inappropriate content, such as erotica or violence. Licensed discs with such films, usually, have appropriate digital marks that are recognized by the home theater player, and adult users can set a password without knowing which it will be impossible to start such a disc.

— Smart TV. This function actually turns the home theater into a networked medical centre with Internet access. Specific Smart TV capabilities vary by manufacturer, but in most cases they include at least access to branded online content repositories and/or Internet services (like YouTube). In addition, games, educational programs can be provided, and the most advanced models even allow you to install additional applications at the request of the user. To connect to a network, a Wi-Fi module(see below) or a LAN port (see "Inputs") is usually used.

— Connecting an iPod. A special dock connector for connecting iPod family players to the acoustics of a home theater (except shuffle, which does not have a dock connector). You can also connect such players to play music through a regular line -in, however, connecting via a dock connector provides more additional features — for example, you can switch tracks from the home theater control panel.

— Wireless playback (AirPlay). The device supports AirPlay wireless playback technology. AirPlay was created by Apple to replace AirTunes proprietary wireless technology. Wi-Fi technology is used to transfer data, and in this way you can broadcast not only music, but also additional data (song titles, album covers a...nd even videos). AirPlay is especially useful for portable devices (iPhone, iPod touch, etc.) as allows you to play music without placing the gadget on the docking station. Although the technology was originally created for Apple devices, it is not completely closed. Not only portable devices and Apple computers can serve as music transmitters, but also PCs with iTunes installed, and receiving systems of various classes (from acoustic sets to music centers) are produced by several third-party manufacturers.

— FM tuner. The presence of an FM tuner allows the home theater to receive and play FM radio broadcasts through its own acoustics — that is, in fact, turns the device into a full-fledged receiver (however, an external antenna may be required for reliable operation). This feature is relevant in light of the fact that it is the FM band that the vast majority of modern music radio stations prefer.

— TV tuner. With a TV tuner, your home theater can receive cable, over-the-air or satellite television broadcasts. This option can be useful given that not all TVs come with their own built-in tuners (especially for wall panels). When buying a cinema with a TV tuner, you should separately pay attention to the standard of the received signal. Main signal standards:
DVB-T (Terrestrial) — conventional terrestrial television signal;
DVB-C (Cable) — cable TV;
DVB-S (Satellite) — satellite TV.
In addition, it should be taken into account that all these standards are digital, and analogue broadcasting is still very common in the post-Soviet space.

— Bluetooth. Wireless communication technology between different devices. In home theater systems, Bluetooth can be used, for example, to play music from a Bluetooth device (such as a mobile phone or player), copy files from such devices to the home theater's own storage, connect wireless headphones, etc.

— Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi technology is most often used to wirelessly connect a home theater to local computer networks. In this way, you can access content that is stored on the hard drives of computers on your home network, and even access the Internet — for example, to update the player's firmware. In addition, such a connection can be used to use DLNA features (see DLNA Support). And more recently, many Wi-Fi modules also support other accessibility features, such as Direct mode (a direct connection between two devices that does not require a computer network). Such a connection can be used, for example, to operate a smartphone as a remote control, to wirelessly connect a video signal using Wi-Di or Miracast technology, etc. Specific Wi-Fi capabilities vary by home theater model.

— Card reader. A memory card reader that allows direct playback of memory card content on your home theater system, such as photos taken with this digital camera or video from a camcorder. Note that at the present time several types of memory cards are actively used, and not all of them are mutually compatible; therefore, when using a card reader, you need to pay attention to the type of supported cards.

— NFC. NFC technology is intended for direct wireless communication between various devices over short distances — up to 10 cm. Theoretically, the applications for this technology are very diverse, but in home theaters it is most often used to simplify connection with an external device (also with NFC support) using Wi-Fi technology and bluetooth. The chip is most often installed in the remote control, and to establish a connection, it is enough to bring the connected device to this remote control so that the chips “see” each other and confirm the connection via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. This is much more convenient than digging into the settings and establishing a connection manually.

— Karaoke. A popular entertainment that gives users the opportunity to sing their favorite songs themselves: under the appropriate musical accompaniment (the so-called phonogram — “minus”, in fact, a composition with a cut out vocal part), lyrics are displayed on the screen, highlighted as they need to be sung. A mandatory attribute of a home theater with a karaoke option is a microphone jack; sometimes there can be two such connectors.

— Karaoke Mix. A system that provides advanced features for using karaoke (see Karaoke). So, participants can be given points for the quality of performance, it becomes possible to arrange team competitions. There is a function of creating and editing a list of favorite songs, sorting them by a number of parameters (title, artist, genre), etc.

Non-video file formats supported by the home theater (see above).

— MP3/WMA. One of the most common music file formats. They are two separate types of digital audio, but in many practical aspects they are so similar that it is technically easy to provide simultaneous support for MP3 and WMA, and in most modern home theaters one is not separated from the other. They belong to formats that provide the so-called lossy compression (lossy) — the file size is small, but this is achieved by deteriorating the accuracy of sound transmission in certain sections of the track. However, these sections are chosen in such a way that the deterioration is almost inaudible, and at a high bitrate, the sound in MP3 or WMA is almost indistinguishable from FLAC (see below) and other lossless formats.

— Audio CD. An ordinary, familiar to everyone and ubiquitous music disc, usually containing about 15-20 tracks (up to 80 minutes of sound). Universal, supported by absolutely all devices capable of reading optical media, regardless of the year of their release. At the same time, the sound quality of Audio CD is so high that it is sufficient even for Hi-Fi level equipment. Due to this, and also due to the low cost, such media are still widely used, despite the emergence of more advanced options.

— Audio DVD. A format similar to Audio CD, but designed for DVD discs and designed specifically for the storage and high-quality reproduction of audio information. In this format,...you can record sound with a different number of channels, up to 5.1. It has not received wide popularity, although it enjoys a certain popularity — in particular, due to the higher sound quality than on Audio CDs (which are quite good in themselves).

— Super Audio CD. An improved version of a regular Audio CD that exceeds its sampling rate by 64 times, thereby providing a higher sound quality. SACD discs are not compatible with conventional CD drives (at best, it is possible to play the so-called "hybrid disc" as a normal Audio CD); therefore, to work with media of this type, it is worth choosing devices in which support for Super Audio CD is directly claimed.

— JPEG. The most common modern graphic file format is, in particular, the standard in digital photography. Therefore, if you intend to use your home theater to view photos, you should choose a model with JPEG support.

These are the most common additional formats. In addition to them, modern home theaters can support other types of files, for example:

— AAC. An audio format similar to MP3 and WMA, but primarily used by Apple technology.

— GIF. Graphic format primarily used for creating animated images.

— FLAC. An audio standard that provides lossless compression, one of the most popular lossless audio formats today. Provides higher fidelity sound transmission than MP3 and the like, but the file size is many times larger.

— A.P.E. Another lossless compression standard. The size of APE files is smaller than FLAC, but this requires quite a lot of processing power from the playback device. Therefore, support for this format is somewhat less common.

— txt. Text storage format. Working with such files can be useful, for example, to view the text of a song being played from a disc on a TV screen.

— SRT, SUB, ASS. Popular external subtitle formats. They differ in functional features: for example, SRT allows you to work only with unformatted text, while ASS supports various fonts, colours, effects, etc. However, the essence of such files is the same — the addition of video files with subtitles.

A decoder can be broadly described as a standard in which digital audio (often multi-channel) is recorded. For normal playback of such sound, it is necessary that the corresponding decoder is supported by the device. Dolby Digital and DTS were the first signs of multi-channel decoding, gradually improving and introducing new features. The final stage for 2020 is Dolby Atmos and DTS X decoders.

Dolby Atmos. A decoder that does not use a rigid distribution of sound across channels, but the processing of audio objects, due to which it can be used with almost any number of channels on a reproducing system — the sound will be divided between channels so that each audio object is heard as close as possible to its proper place. When using Dolby Atmos, in-ceiling speakers (or speakers facing the ceiling) are highly desirable. However, in extreme cases, you can do without them.

— DTS X. An analogue of the Dolby Atmos described above, when the sound is distributed not through individual channels, but through audio objects. The digital signal contains information about where (according to the director's intention) the object audible to the user should be and how it should move, and the processor of the reproducing device processes this information and determines exactly how the sound should be distributed over the available channels in order to achieve the required localization. Thanks to this, D...TS X is not tied to a specific number of audio channels — there can be as many as you like, the system will automatically divide the sound into them, achieving the desired sound. Also note that this decoder allows you to separately adjust the volume of dialogues.

— DVI. Digital connector, used primarily to connect external devices to monitors and projectors; almost never seen on TV.

— SCART. An obsolete, but still widely used connector for connecting external signal sources to a TV and analogue audio and video signal transmission. The largest connector in consumer video equipment has a characteristic rectangular shape.

— Component. An analogue three-cable connection (red, blue, green) used to transmit video from the player to the TV. Provides a very high, by the standards of analogue interfaces, signal quality; on the other hand, the audio signal is not transmitted over the component connector — it requires a separate connection.

— Composite. One of the simplest and most common analogue outputs. It consists of three connectors, one of which is responsible for the output of the video signal (coloured yellow), and the remaining two are for audio (1 channel of stereo sound per connector). Thus, the composite output allows both video and audio to be transmitted over the same interface. Another advantage of this standard is its prevalence, including on older TVs. On the other hand, the composite output is not suitable for working with HD video, and the picture quality is noticeably lower than with a component connection (see above).

— Linear.... Output for analogue audio transmission. It can be used both for connecting a speaker system and for outputting an audio signal to musical equipment — for example, for recording. Usually, the line output provides sound transmission in stereo format. It can use different connectors; most often there is either a 3.5 mm mini-Jack or a pair of RCA jacks (“tulips”, one for each stereo sound channel).

— Dolby Digital 5.1. A set of connectors for connecting a six-channel (5 satellites + subwoofer) audio system.

— Dolby Digital 7.1. A set of connectors for connecting an eight-channel (7 satellites + subwoofer) audio system.

— Headphone output. Standard headphone jack. Most modern technology is equipped with plugs with a diameter of 3.5 mm; plugs of most modern headphones are also made for this output. The 6.35 mm jack remains the prerogative of high-quality Hi-Fi and Hi-End technology. There are adapters between connectors of various diameters.

HDMI is a comprehensive digital interface designed to transmit HD content (including multi-channel audio) over a single cable. Today, it is actually the generally accepted standard for HD-compatible video equipment, and is also found in audio devices. In home theaters, such outputs are most often used to connect a TV, monitor, projector or other device for playing video (the audio signal goes through other interfaces to standard acoustics). However, there are other applications — for example, broadcasting sound to an external amplifier, through which regular speakers are connected. Accordingly, the presence of several HDMI outputs allows you to keep several signal receivers constantly connected and not fiddle with reconnecting cables. In the most advanced models, the number of such connectors can reach 8.