Is Stereo Enough for Home Theatre?

Plain old 2-channel stereo is still the standard for music recording, and a sadly underrated way to get high quality sound from your movies. Stereo avoids the complexity and cabling of multichannel surround sound and allows you to spend more money per speaker to get better sound quality. If you are happy with your hi-fi, don't rush into surround sound. First try out your existing sound equipment with your movies and if you're satisfied, then there's little need to upgrade unless you really want those rear effects.

For more information, return to the HDTV glossary introduction.