Where to place surround speakers

I always suggest locating the two main left and right surround speakers in a standard 5.1-channel home theater setup to each side of the listening area (and a bit behind) rather than at the "rear" or "back." In fact, when the subject arises, some may find my advice borders on the militant, especially when innocent mailers or callers ask me if they can use in-ceiling speakers as surrounds. With a deep sigh of frustration, I usually respond, "Well, if you absolutely must, and there is no other alternative, but please consider using well-designed speakers at the sides, with stands or brackets if necessary. Ceiling speakers are for airport and subway public-address systems, not for high-fidelity multichannel music and soundtrack reproduction..