Home theater sound started with the monophonic sound.
This had a single channel and directional sound with 1 amp speaker output.
It was directional since the sound was channeled to a single point for all the audience.
However, things changed with the stereophonic sound.
Home Theater Sound In the ’50s
In the ’50s movie theater started to use multi-sound channels.
And the stereophonic tried to recreate at home.
It had two-channel sound, with a mixed sound going to the left or right speaker.
As a result, this improved the sound greatly
But created the ping pong or bounce effect.
In the ’70s
In the ’70s the system changed to 4-channels, being 4 mono amps or 2 stereo amps.
So consequently this change made them a bit expensive for most home users.
But then appeared the quad system!
4 channels within 2 channels recording and were less expensive than 4-channels.
In the ’80s
Dolby surround became popular in the ’80s
Since it encodes 4 channels within 2-channels signal
In other words, decoding the sound to be sent to the right destination being multi-directional with a phantom center.
Which brings us to today’s home theater systems more like an experience, being a complete surround sound atmosphere.
In the ’90s
In the ’90s most systems had Dolby support creating an amazing sound.
And could integrate with VHS, Betamax, and DVDs.
In the Begining of the century
Systems continued to make advancements with amplifiers that added more power output.
And newer and more diverse amplifiers where designed.
Then, this eventually translated into the full digital components that could handle all sorts of audio formats.
MP3 anyone?
Now we are all accustomed to our digital music, with high definition audio.
Audio systems are now behaving more like computers that connect to the internet.
Are fully compatible with Blu-ray, Apple TV, Smart TVs, and many other devices.
Without mentioning that nowadays home theater can be set or designed based on the type and size of the room