The term "Home Entertainment System" is a relatively new term for a fairly old idea. To say that it all began with people in caves, sitting around a fire for entertainment, would be a bit of a stretch but maybe not all that inaccurate. Mainstream architecture and the arrangement of living space in homes has evolved a great deal since the dawn of domestic dwellings. Throughout the history of the "domicile", however, a sitting area devoted to leisurely activities such as reading, conversation, and gaming has been a main feature of all structures constructed for the purpose of residence. Prior to the twentieth century, these ""living rooms"", or ""dens"" were furnished with some sort of seating (usually facing other seats or a fire place), flanked by some variation of the modern end-table or coffee table to accommodate lamps, refreshments, reading material, etc..
These rooms were initially designed for families and/or guests to relax in and socialize; for entertainment. After the advent of electricity, the purpose of the living room shifted slightly. While still a place for congregation, the average living room's focus was no longer on a fire or merely reading and conversing, but on an electric media device (archaic entertainment system); a huge AM Radio, in the early 1900's, became the first electronic entertainment centerpiece and focal point of millions of households. Technology has come light years since then, bringing with it an array of entertainment tools. From the most archaic black and white TV to Plasma Display technology, from the fuzzy mono-audio sound of music-in-radio to the amazing sound experience of digital surround sound, the idea of an Entertainment System has changed drastically since the idea and term were coined. Through a constantly updated database, I will provide an ongoing series of articles devoted to educating consumers about the rapidly changing face of Entertainment Systems in the Twenty-First Century. I will be covering all aspects of this subject, from baseline equipment reviews, setup and installation, to leading edge developments in the art of seamless merging of multimedia utensils into the homes of the future. With so many options available today, the unsuspecting customer can't possibly know where to start when planning a new Entertainment System for their home. If knowledge is power then this is a high capacity outlet for anyone wishing to supercharge their home's entertainment potential.