During Homo erectus’s time, cavemen sat transfixed by a blazing fire.

During the George W. Bush era (insert your own joke here), men sit transfixed by a big-screen TV.

Ain’t evolution wonderful?

As the Super Bowl looms, home theaters are a growing concern, thanks to technological innovations and a resulting drop in price. Systems composed of a big-screen television, multiple speakers, and high-definition DVD players and satellite or cable TV receivers are becoming a fixture in more homes across the United States.

This direction is really a return to TV’s roots, according to Robert J. Thompson, a professor of television and pop culture at Syracuse (N.Y.) University.

“If you follow the trajectory of the TV set in the American living room, it started as a big piece of furniture that represented an enormous investment,” Thompson explained. “Then sets began getting smaller, as people wanted one in their own room.”

Still, sets have been growing again in recent decades, Thompson said. A 19-inch set was the norm in the 1980s, with a 27-inch set the standard today. In addition, the furniture term “entertainment center” started coming in vogue in the ’80s.

“Most homes have a TV in a prominent place in a big piece of furniture,” said Thompson, who still has a 19-inch Sony in his office. “We’ve been slouching toward home theater for quite some time.”

Thompson said quite a few factors have combined to increase the number of home theaters: high-quality picture technology, increased availability of movies and TV shows on DVD, advances in DVD distribution such as Netflix, colorful TV programs such as “Lost” that look great on big-screens and digital video recorders.

“All of this stuff is lining up and pushing us toward lush, home-theater treatments,” he said. “Now home theater can live up to its name. It’s not the same as going to the movies, but it’s closer than before.”

The biggest catalyst in the home-theater revolution has been the sports fan, Thompson said, followed closely by the cinephile, who wants to dissect every nuance of his or her favorite film.

To build a home-theater system, envision it as a meal from a Chinese restaurant, where you pick a favorite item from each column to create a sumptuous meal for the eyes and ears.

In Column A is the big-screen TV (the screen part of the home theater). There are a number of options to choose from (plasma, liquid crystal display, digital light processing, rear projection), with prices running into thousands of dollars.

How do you know which one is right for you? You need to answer questions. Do you want it lightweight? How about wall mountable? Do you want a flat screen? What kind of design do you require? Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder in this case.

In Column B is the home-theater system, which consists of a receiver, five to seven speakers and a subwoofer. It’s the sound portion of home theater. These can range from $200 to $500.

Column C is the high-definition DVD player, which will run around $150 for a quality one. With DVDs this year’s format of choice, it’s essential that this be part of any home-theater system. Combination DVD-VCR or DVR-VCR units are also available, for those with much programming recorded on videotape.

Finally, in Column D is the high-definition receiver for either satellite or cable TV. Some may be content with just a handful of over-the-air channels and DVDs. But why go to all that expense just to watch a snowy picture on a 50-inch screen? With programming providers desperate for the customers, to the point of the hardware being practically free, why not take the plunge and enjoy all that’s available on the TV landscape today?

On top of that, figure another few hundred for cables essential to joining this all together and a surge protector.

John Drye, a senior product specialist at Circuit City in Bangor, said that home theater comes down to personal taste.

“They need to find the most suitable unit for what they’re doing,” said Drye, who has worked with home-theater products for 13 years. “The system is only as good as its weakest part.”

Depending on the complexity of the package, Circuit City offers installation services, with cost ranging from $150 to $699. Drye recommends this service, because “we accept responsibility for what we do.”

Drye estimated that 50 percent of buyers can set up a home-theater package by themselves, but “I’ve rarely seen anyone who can conceal the wires in the wall.”

He also recommends in-home service plans, as a bulky big-screen would be difficult to transport for repairs. He added that 93 percent of sets with problems end up being replaced, free of charge, under service plans.

“We guarantee performance 100 percent,” he said. “It covers power surges and normal wear and tear. If we can’t fix it, we replace it.”

How have home-theater systems progressed during Drye’s time in the business?

“It’s gone from wanting to go to a theater to having it in your own home, and enjoying it twice as much,” he said.

Syracuse’s Thompson doesn’t see home theater as being the end of society as we know it. He argues that people staying home to watch movies isn’t that much of a change.

“When people go out to the movies, it’s not really a social experience anymore,” he said. “It’s not like when people went to an all-day Saturday matinee and would make new friends. People go in isolated groups, watch the movie, then go out to eat afterward. It isn’t a big social interaction. In fact, it’s most likely to be a negative interaction, telling other moviegoers to shut up or turn off their cell phone, or asking them to move so their child can see.”

In fact, Thompson added, while fewer people are going out, technology is creating new communities.

“People are finding communities of specialized interest online,” he said. “They’re not alone, or solitary. Instead they’re interacting with human beings more than they used to, through e-mail, instant messages and text messages.”

The same goes for home theater: “The first thing we want to do is show off, to hold a Super Bowl party,” Thompson said. “The big screen encourages viewings by multiple people at a time.”

Like any technology, home theater won’t be an overnight sensation, thanks to resistance and inertia to change. Thompson pointed out that it took color TV a decade to reach 50-percent penetration in this country.

But change is coming: “Just wait until all these things go down [in price] 50 percent, within the next five years,” Thompson said.

Dale McGarrigle can be reached at 990-8028 and dmcgarrigle@bangordailynews.net.

Pick the home-theater system for you

John Drye, senior product specialist at Circuit City in Bangor, provided three levels of home-theater packages, with prices rounded to the nearest dollar:

Top of the line

1. 60-inch, rear-projection Sony TV (KDS-R60XBR1), $5,000; four-year in-home service plan, $550; Monster Home Theater Preference PowerCenter surge protector, $155; Sony LCD rear-projection TV stand, $500.

2. Sony high definition-conversion DVD player (DVPNS70H), $150; five-year service plan, $55; Monster HDMI cable, $125; Monster optical cable, $75.

3. Onkyo home theater system (HT-S780), $500; five-year service plan, $150.

4. DirecTV high-definition receiver (H20), $200 (free after rebate); Monster HDMI cable, $125; five-year service plan, $65; five-year service plan for dish, $25.

Total: $7,475

Mid-range

1. 42-inch plasma Hitachi TV (42HDS52), $2,492; five-year, in-home service plan, $720; Monster Home Theater PowerCenter surge protector, $100.

2. Sony high definition-conversion DVD player (DVPNS70H), $150; five-year service plan, $55; Monster HDMI cable, $125; Monster optical cable, $50.

3. Onkyo home theater system (HT-S580), $300; five-year service plan, $90.

4. DirecTV high-definition receiver (H20), $200 (free after rebate); Monster HDMI cable, $125; five-year service plan, $65; five-year service plan for dish, $25.

Total: $4,297

Bargain basement

1. 52-inch, rear-projection RCA TV (HD52W59), $1,140; four-year in-home service plan, $325; Monster Home Theater PowerCenter surge protector, $100.

2. Sony high definition-conversion DVD player (DVPNS70H), $150; five-year service plan, $55; Monster HDMI cable, $125; Belkin optical cable, $35.

3. Sony home theater system (HT-DDW670), $200; five-year service plan, $55.

4. DirecTV high-definition receiver (H20), $200 (free after rebate); Monster HDMI cable, $125; five-year service plan, $65; five-year service plan for dish, $25.

Total: $2,400.