A home entertainment center (or home entertaiment console) is a piece of furniture seen in many homes in North America, which houses major electronic items, such as a television set, a VCR and/or DVD player, stereo components (such as an AM/FM tuner, multi-disc compact disc changer, record player, one or more cassette players and graphic equalizer), and cable or satellite television receivers.

Entertainment centers also feature high-fidelity speakers. Modern units often have a set of home theater system-type speakers, to greatly enhance the sound quality of the various stereo and television components.

The audio and video components have special connectors which are often hooked to a dedicated box. The items are then plugged into an electrical outlet strip, which sometimes has a surge protector. One can usually control each of the components by using a universal remote control.

The term home entertainment center may also refer to the complete package – the electronic components and the unit in which they are housed. The unit is often either an armoire or a self-contained unit (usually of wood and glass); they often contain dedicated areas (either drawers or other spaces) for storage of records, videotapes, compact discs and/or DVD discs.

In many homes, an entertainment center is often placed in the living room, family room or recreation room. Perhaps the first example of a built-in entertainment center was created by Frank Lloyd Wright at his 1917 Hollyhock House in Los Angeles, California.

The term home entertainment center was widely used in the 1980s, but is being replaced by terms such as home theater system.

See also

• Home cinema