Comparison Samsung HT-J4500 vs Samsung HT-J4550K

The sensitivity value determines the volume of the speaker system when an external signal of a certain power is applied to it. With the same signal strength and resistance (impedance), more sensitive acoustics provide greater volume.

Rated power delivered by the built-in home theater power amplifier per front channel.

Note that in home theaters the rated power of the amplifier output to any channel (any channel, not just the front one) is usually equal to the rated power of the standard speaker installed on this channel (see above). Therefore, many manufacturers do not give the characteristics of the built-in amplifier separately at all — firstly, they are easy to determine from the information about the speakers, and secondly, when using a system with complete acoustics, these data are not required. However, information about the power of the amplifier is indispensable if you plan to use third-party speakers instead of standard acoustics. The rated power of each such speaker must not be lower than the rated power on the corresponding amplifier channel — otherwise, various undesirable phenomena are possible at high volume, from sound distortion to damage to the speaker.

Rated power delivered by the built-in home theater power amplifier per rear channel. For more information about this characteristic, see "Front" above.

Rated power delivered by the built-in home theater power amplifier per centre channel. For more information about this characteristic, see "Front" above.

Rated power delivered by the built-in home theater power amplifier per subwoofer (low frequency) channel. For more information about this characteristic, see "Front" above.

— 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 and even videos). A...irPlay 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.

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, DTS X i...s 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. Outpu...t 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.

— S video. An analogue connector is most often used to receive a signal to a home theater from a computer or camcorder, although it can be used with any other signal source equipped with an appropriate output. The connection uses one cable and one connector, but the signal is transmitted through two separate wires, due to which S-Video outperforms the composite interface in terms of image quality and resistance to interference, although it is inferior to the component one (for more information about these interfaces, see "Outputs").

— USB input. A classic USB connector used to connect various peripherals. In home theaters, it is most often designed to connect external drives — "flash drives", hard drives — and play the files recorded on them. Also, such drives can be used to update the firmware. Anyway, this function greatly simplifies the exchange of information between the theater player and the computer.

— Coaxial. Input for digital audio transmission via RCA connector ("tulip") and the appropriate cable. However, a regular RCA cable is not suitable for such a connection; it is advisable to use a shielded one; this is the main difference between a coaxial interface and an analogue interface with the same connectors. Another difference is that all sound channels (there may be more than two) are transmitted via one connector. The coaxial interface formally belongs...to the S/P-DIF standard; from another variety — optical (see below) — it differs in two ways: on the one hand, lower resistance to interference, on the other, a less delicate and fragile cable.

— Linear. Input for analogue audio transmission, usually in stereo format. Through such an input, you can connect an external signal source to the home theater — for example, an MP3 player — and listen to music through the acoustics of the cinema. Despite the development of digital technologies, the line-in is still one of the most popular connection interfaces. It can use different types of connectors; the most popular options are 3.5 mm mini-jack or a pair of RCA jacks (one for each stereo channel).

— Optical. Digital input for high quality sound transmission, including multichannel. The optical connection is notable for its complete insensitivity to electrical interference. On the other hand, the TOSLINK cable used for such a connection is quite delicate and can break if sharply bent or crumble under strong pressure.

— LAN (RJ45). It's a network port. Allows you to connect your home theater to a local computer network and access content stored on computers on this network, and if you have the appropriate capabilities, also access the Internet (both for watching video and listening to audio online, and for service purposes, such as updating firmware). However a wired connection is less convenient than Wi-Fi (see "Multimedia"), due to the presence of the wire itself. On the other hand, it provides higher actual data transfer rates, and also allows you to “offload the air” — to remove part of the load from the Wi-Fi router, to which, in addition to the cinema, many other devices (mobile phones, laptops, etc.) can be connected. .).

— Under the microphone. Standard input for connecting an external microphone. The presence of such an input is mandatory for players with a karaoke function (see Karaoke).