What’s your preference of HDTV? From a home theater point-of-view this is an important element but the truth is, when choosing your home theater TV, it really is your decision.

Yes, you’ll get a ton of advice and information and that’s great but you really want a unit which you’re going to be happy with, not someone else.

Home theater is a personal thing, from the type of TV to the sound system to the seating arrangements. Everyone has their own peculiarities and the first rule of setting up your showpiece is…”Don’t build it to someone else’s satisfaction!”

As far as home theater TV is concerned, there are many issues which come into play such as size, picture and the ability to have it wall mounted. What’s your preference?

Projection TVs

If you are into size and a budget then projection televisions are great. You get plenty of “bang for your buck” with a projection unit including the best screen size for your outlay. You also have the option of DLP and LCD technology with today’s units.

The only drawback of course is if you prefer the wall mounted look.

LCD TVs

Flat screen LCDs are more expensive than their rear projection cousins and are much smaller in size. They are lauded for their brightness and contrast levels and the problem of burn in isn’t really an issue.

Another factor in their favor is their low power consumption. This is important if you are an avid television watcher and for home theater TV purposes, then this is a plus.

Plasma TVs

Plasmas are very slim these days making them ideal to be wall mounted. They are still regarded as having the best color delivery as well as high contrast ratio for greater detail.

They also provide the widest viewing angles which is great for home theater if seating placement becomes an issue. On the downside, their life expectancy is shorter but this is not really an issue in our book.

Their life expectancy is somewhere between 20-30,000 hours. This equates to 15-20 years with a set used 4-6 hours a day.

With today’s rapidly increasing technology, a set bought today is going to be pretty ancient by the time it’s due to burn out and in all likelihood, a new home theater TV will have already replaced it.

Want more great tips and tricks on home theater installation? Get the best from your home theater with the latest advice in home theater set-up, buying and installation with our in-depth reviews.

Are you thinking of buying a great television set? You have to check out what kind of value a plasma television can offer you. You want to get something that is worthwhile for the money and time you’re going to spend. It’s definitely worth looking into.

With so many different brands and models of plasma televisions out there in the market, it is not easy to determine which one is best for you. You need to consider several factors before you can decide on which brand and model is the one you want to buy.

You need to shop around in order to find the best deals. Take your time. There are so many different choices available to you. You can afford to be fussy about the one you’ll pick.

Imagine the kind of things you want your plasma television to have. Look at all the different features that you can choose from that’s available in the market. You’ll have a great time arranging your options as you look at the many creative options available to you.

It is most important to get the best deal available for your money. Be careful when you’re looking for a cheap plasma TV, just like shopping for any other things. Look for great deals that will work within whatever budget you may have.

Be sure that you’re doing whatever you can to carefully check out what’s available to you in the market. Find a product that you’re comfortable with that meets your budget. You must get something that’s worth the money you’re going to spend. You must ensure that you’ll spend the time necessary to look at all your available options. Something that looks good on paper may not necessary be that great after all.

Be a little cautious when you’re selecting the television set you’re going to buy. Check out on the brand to see if any current problems have been reported or any recall have been issued that you may need to know about. Different televisions offer somewhat different features. You may want to get all the newest features that’s offered.

Once you’ve set your budget, you can then take you time looking around for the television you want to buy. You can use the Internet for your research. Also, visit the various stores out there. You may want to check out any clearance sales. If you shop around, you may find the deal of a lifetime.

About the Author: Hovan Newton is a Flat Panel TV enthusiast. Grab a free report on Tips For Setting Up Your Flat Panel TV from his website. http://www.lcd-plasmatv.com

Getting your home theater set up correctly from the outset will save you a lot of frustration and cost. Calibration services are a sensible way to go if you don’t have any experience in setting up home theater.

The set up process includes planning the lay out of your room with things such as where to place the television, the speakers, the furniture or whether you have enough power outlets in the area.

Home Theater HDTV

High definition television is a must today for any home theater set up. What’s the point of spending thousands of dollars on establishing your showpiece and then putting in a non high definition tv to drive it. Doesn’t make sense.

Okay, budget is going to restrict some but in all honesty, the television should be just about the first thing you give consideration to once you’ve got your room layout.

What size tv? Some may say this is not important but we’re thinking big in this article so how about going “the whole way” and grabbing yourself a 100 inch HDTV? You want the effect of cinema viewing and a big unit is going to go a long way to giving you this.

Home Theater Speakers

It’s a little unsightly to have speakers just sitting in the room and giving it a cluttered appearance. Why not investigate the possibility of having them hidden.

This may take a little planning if you are renovating an existing room in your home but for those building a house from scratch, a hidden surround speaker system makes good sense.

Home Theater Accessories

Furniture comes under the banner of accessories and home theater seating can only enhance your viewing experience. We’re talking true theater seating and a look online will net you plenty of avenues to purchase seating as part of your home theater set up.

Your lighting and curtains need to be automated. At least that’s what I told my better half! Realistically, if you are going to do this right then full automation is required. You are trying to create a true home theater experience.

To take it a step further, luxuries such as a lighted fibre-optic ceiling can only add an extra dimension to your home theater set up.

Have we gone overboard? Perhaps, but this article is only meant to show you what’s possible. How about a fully integrated home theater system throughout the entire home? We’ll save that for another time.

Want more great tips and advice about creating an integrated home theater system for your home? Get the latest tips and tricks in home theater set-up buying and installation with our in-depth reviews.

Readers of this article, need to know this disclaimer. Some of the practices you encounter in this article pose some risk. Be careful when crawling in an attic or crawl space with sharp tools. Be wary of any spiders, rodents or any other creatures that may be lurking in these spaces. If there is any question of safety, then call a professional and let them do the work for you. There is always risk when working with tools especially if you are unfamiliar with their dangers.

You have your new surround sound system and have the cables ran across the floor and now have thrown bits of carpet across the wires so you do not trip over them, or perhaps you have run the cables along your baseboard and either stuffed it underneath the edge or stapled it across the baseboard. Now you wish you hadn’t and want a “Professional” installation. You can do the professional installation yourself with a few tips.

One of the most complicated parts and most labor intensive parts to installing a surround sound system is running cables from the speaker placements to the surround sound amplifier. With some tips presented on this article, perhaps this will become a little easier.

Know why a professional charges so much for the installation, it is hard work. It is not nice to crawl in an attic or basement or any crawl space. You will get dirty and sweaty and wish that you had paid someone at times. In the end, though it is satisfying and does save quite a bit of money.

The first thing you should do is to find where you want to place your speakers. There is no sense to running any cable without knowing exactly where you want the end point to be. Please see my article on surround sound speaker placement. Wire for the future, you may be installing wiring for a 5.1 surround sound, but what happens when you upgrade to a 6.1 or a 7.1 surround sound. Since you only want to do this chore once, make sure that you do it all and do not have to do it again down the road. Make sure and double check your speaker placement, same rule as measure twice and cut once. You want to be absolutely sure that you do this once and once only and not do double work, nothing is more frustrating.

The next step is to determine the best route for your run. For this you need to know your home, become familiar with your home and all of the crawl spaces, attic spaces. Know what types of walls you have and the insulation inside those walls, also make sure you know where your studs placed. Determine which route out of the ones you have available will be the easiest to work with. Knowing all the options that you have to run the cable will always make this task easier.

Gather your tools

Make sure that you have all of the tools that you may need to do the job. This can vary greatly from each cable run. Below is a list of commonly used tools.

Drill - I would suggest a cordless 18 volt fully charged drill. Make sure it is fully charged. Nothing is more frustrating than a drill dieing before the work is complete.

Drill Bits - Quite a variety of drill bits out there to do a variety of jobs. Make sure that the bit is long enough to do the job, but not too long. Here are the most commonly used types.

Paddle - A wide bit used for cutting holes in wood. The bit is flat squarish with a sharp tip tapering to a point.

Auger Bit - has a screw tip followed by a wider drill cutting edge. Used for cutting through wood.

Twist drill - a standard drill bit useful for drilling through wood. Not as wide as an auger bit or paddle bit, more useful for drilling smaller holes.

Extended flex bit - A long twist drill bit with a variety of tips. Make sure to have one with a center hole, useful for attaching a pull string. They come in a variety of lengths from 3 to 7 feet long. Perhaps the most important bit for this type of work, everyone should have one.

Masonry bit - Useful for drilling through concrete or stone.

There are many other types of drill bits, make sure to choose the ones that will do the job for you.

Pull string - a variety of items can be used as a pull string, make sure that the pull string is strong enough to do the job. One of the most common types is a Polyolefin Pull Line, a strong pull string that usually comes by the bucket.

Fish Tape - a steel ribbon or fiberglass enclosed in a round encasing. Fish tape is used to push up or down through a wall. They come in a variety of lengths.

Drop chain - a length of chain, usually a hanging plant chain. Useful for dropping down drywall.

Drywall Saw - a short saw useful for cutting drywall.

Pair of pliers - Needle nose pliers for grabbing things you just can’t reach.

Electrical Tape - For taping the wire to pull string or to fish tape or drip chain.

Sonic Stud Finder - Since you can’t look through walls, a stud finder will help you plot out where the cable can be pulled and the potential obstacles that will get in your way.

Pencil and good eraser - So you can mark the studs and where you will be drilling.

Inductive Amplifier - To check to see if there will be potential interference along the way.

Flashlight - I prefer the type that can strap onto your head to keep your hands free.

Hammer - Used to secure various fasteners.

Screw Driver - Used to secure various fasteners.

Permanent Marker - To mark you cable with it’s location.

Level - For mounting your speakers

A second person - I know, not a tool. However, a second person comes in very useful, you can’t be in two places at once.

Gather your supplies.

Here is a quick list of supplies you need to gather for your cable.

Proper Speaker cables - please refer to my article about speaker cables. Make sure that you have enough cable. I would suggest having a reel of cable for each run you perform. This saves an incredible amount of time and effort. Be sure to have a lot more cable than you need. The last thing you want is to be a foot too short on your cable.

Fasteners - Anything used to secure the wire. Staples, wire loops, hooks etc. You do not want your wire hanging down in large loops.

Drywall or wood screws - For attaching fasteners and for mounting speakers.

Drywall Anchors - I prefer the Threaded Drywall Anchors for their strength.

Survey the cable runs

The single most important decision you will need to make is where you will route the cable. It is always best to route your cable to an unfinished portion of the house, unfinished attic, basement, crawl space, underneath the house. Try to avoid tearing up the drywall or beams in your home, try to keep the cable as concealed as possible. If there is not a unfinished portion or any place you can crawl to, then skip to the wire raceway section.

This means that you measure the length of cable you need as well as crawl in the attic or basement or any other crawl space that you need to. Make sure to survey the entire run of the cable so that there are no surprises. Check for pipes, electrical cables, lights, you do not want to route too close to any of these items. Pipes (hot water) can damage your cable. Electrical cables, light can place a hum or buzz on the wire (since a wire acts as an antenna). Be sure to never run a speaker cable side by side with an electrical cable, keep a foot or more distance. If you have to cross across an electrical cable, that is fine, keep at least 2 foot distance from florescence lights. Keep 1 foot distance from lights. Route your cable so that is out of the way, following the cross beams. If you want to do some preliminary work then hang wire fasteners along the route you want to take. This will make the wire installation go much easier.

It is always best to route your cable to an unfinished portion of the house, unfinished attic, basement, crawl space, underneath the house. If there is not a unfinished portion or any place you can crawl to, then skip to the wire raceway section.

Make sure you have enough length of cable to do the job. Please see my article about Speaker cables to help you choose which cable will be best for you. Since most speaker cables come on reels, I would suggest get a separate reel for each cable you want to pull, this will make your experience so much easier.

An inductive amplifier is used to pick up RF signals that your cable may inadvertently pick up. Speaker cable can act as an antenna and when combined with an amplifier will play this RF (radio interference) over your speakers. In the area you want to run the cable, scan with the inductive amplifier to hear if you have any hum or noise. In an optimum area, there should be no buzz or hum.

Since you do not know what is in your walls use a sonic stud finder and scan the wall from the speaker placement to either the top of the wall or to the floor.. Mark any studs that are in the way with a light pencil mark. Given the standard spacing using to frame most houses, expect to find most studs 16 or 24 inches from center. Scan the walls with your sonic stud finder horizontally marking your studs and then vertically, marking your studs. You will find a stud near the bottom at floor level and you will find a stud at the top of the wall.

Speakers should be mounted just above ear level when sitting down. Mark this vertical position with your pencil. Speakers should also be mounted in a standard surround sound configuration. Please see my article on surround sound speaker placement for this information.

Now you are ready to start running the cable.

Wire Fishing Prep

To prepare for your cable runs take your drywall saw and cut open a section of drywall about 1 ½ to 2 inches square.

Check visually or place your finger into your cutout to check to see if you have insulation. If it is an inside wall you may or may not have insulation in the walls, if it is an outside wall you will have insulation (if you don’t you really need to).

Take your Extended flex bit and drill and carefully guide it up or down, depending on where you are going to run your wires to. Try to target the center of the stud, this is difficult at best, but after a couple of trials, you will start to get the hang of it. Drill slowly at first until you establish a guide hole, also you want to make sure that you do not drill through anything else other than the stud. Try to catch any misguided drilling early. Once you are sure you are on center stud and not drilling back through the drywall or the other side of the wall, you can increase the speed of the drill until you are through the stud. If there are other horizontal studs, continue drilling until you have gone through them all.

Once you have drilled through all of the studs and the drill bit is sticking through the attic or basement, STOP. Do not pull the bit back out. Now it is time to get a length of pull string, be generous. If you have a 6 foot drop, do not measure off 7 feet, measure 10 or 12 feet so that you have plenty to work with.

Make sure that a second person is available now.

Make a trip to the attic, basement or crawl space. Bring along some supplies. You’ll need your flashlight, electrical tape, pull string and pliers. Navigate your way carefully in the attic, basement and crawl spaces, be especially cautious for any creatures that may live in these spaces; spiders, rodents, centipedes are just a short list of what you might encounter. Try not to disturb them and they will not disturb you. Remember that this is an exercise in running cable not an extermination exercise.

Find the tip of the drill bit, making sure that you do not stab yourself with the sharp tip. There is usually a center hole in most Extended Flex Bits, carefully thread your pull string into this center hole and make a small knot. Use your electrical tape and tape around the tip of the drill bit and over the pull string and knot.

Signal to your second person to pull the drill bit back to themselves, they may have to rotate the drill bi to do so. Make sure there is plenty of clearance between the drill bit and yourself. **If you do not, there is a risk of injury or death**. Be EXTRA cautious. I cannot stress this enough, you do NOT want a drill bit to go through your arm, leg, eye, etc. If you are now worried, then call a professional to do this work or use wire raceway.

If you do inadvertently pull the bit back out, use a Drop Chain from above or a Fish Tape from above or below and carefully fish the empty space. The rule of thumb is, if it is a non insulated wall, use a drop chain, if it is a insulated wall, use a fish tape. Fishing a wall with a Fish Tape is a bit more of an art than a science and does take considerable practice. A drop chain however is simple enough, drop one end of the chain down the hollow space and let gravity take over, don’t let go of the other end of the chain, otherwise it will be lost. If the space is insulated, then you have to use your Fish Tape. It is best to avoid this all if possible and leave the drill bit in the wall and fish with it instead of using a fish tape.

Once the second person has pulled out the drill bit and the pull string, secure the pull string into the attic onto a cross beam with a secure knot. Have the person assisting you secure the pull string on his end as well, you do not want to accidentally pull out the pull string and have to start over again.

Continue to repeat this until all of your pull strings are in place. Do not forget that you need to drop all the wires down to the surround sound unit itself.

Fishing your Cable

If all goes well, you now have all of your pull strings in place and are ready to pull the wire into the attic, basement or crawl space. Attach one reel of speaker cable to each of the pull strings. Take the speaker wire and loop it back onto itself, secure the loop with electrical tape. Mark each cable with a permanent marker as to it’s location so there is no guessing, mark it in several places. Take the pull string and tie a knot through the speaker wire loop you just made, making two loops. Secure both loops by wrapping electrical tape around both loops. Repeat this for all wire drops.

Test each loop you have made by trying to pull them apart with some pressure. If it falls apart without too much pressure, you need to try a more secure loop. If it holds then you are ready to fish.

Have your assistant stay with the wire and pull string, their job is to make sure all pulls will go smoothly and not tangle or snag. Your job will be to climb again into the crawl space, basement or attic. This should be the last time. Bring your tools and wire fasteners with you, you’ll need your Flashlight, Electrical tape, pliers, hammer (if using nail in fasteners) or screwdriver (if you are using screw in wire fasteners).

Route your cable out of the way, so if you have to access the area again, you are not dealing with a spider web of wires. I suggest routing along cross beams, attaching the wires to each beam you have. Of course this all easier said than done and it will take quite a while to route all of your cables. Pull all of the cables to where your surround sound system will be. Take all of your cables and bind them together with electrical tape, making sure that one of the cable runs is 6 inches longer than the others. The reason for this is simple, you want to double over one cable and not 6 or 7 cables, this make fishing downwards (or upwards) much easier.

Loop the long speaker wire and attach it to itself. Tape it together. Take the pull string and tie a knot through the speaker wire loop you just made, making two loops. Secure both loops by wrapping electrical tape around both loops.

Test each loop you have made by trying to pull them apart with some pressure. If it falls apart without too much pressure, you need to try a more secure loop. If it holds then you are ready to fish.

Have your assistant pull the pull string and cable down (or up) until they have the cable in their hands.

Wiring your Surround Sound

The difficult work is now done, now it’s just a matter of wiring your surround sound and mounting your speakers.

Untape your wire and route behind your surround sound system. Identify each cable (using the markings you made earlier) and separate out the wires. Identify which wire you are going to use for positive (red) and negative (black). Cut approximately ½ inch from the end to remove the insulation so that it is bare copper. Twist the strands of copper together so that it forms a tight ribbon of cable. Install each copper wire in its correct connector.. Do the same for your speakers.

Mounting your speakers

Thankfully, most speakers these days are light weight and can hand directly from the drywall. Use Threaded drywall anchors and screws if you have drywall. If your speakers are heavier then you may have to use mollies (expansion bolt) or toggle bolts to mount your speakers. Use a level.

UnRoutable Cables Wire Raceway

Of course there are always times that you are not able to access above or below the room you want to wire. However hope is not lost. You can still have a professional looking installation, you will just have to pay a bit more.

Wire Raceway is a product sold in many hardware stores, it is often found in electrical supplies. It’s a cable management system that is easy to install, usually peel and stick. They make straight raceways and angled raceways and couplers.

Before buying wire raceway plan your route and measure the length of raceway you need. If you have to make turns on the same wall, you need a 90 connector. If you have to join 2 pieces of wire raceway, then you need a coupler. If you need to join 2 pieces on adjacent walls you need an elbow. Make a list of the types of connectors and raceway that you need before going to the hardware store. I recommend using the plastic raceway, it is considerably easier to mount.

While at the hardware store, do not forget to buy a large level, this will help you with the installation.

Installation of wire raceway installation is very easy so I will only give a couple of tip to its installation.

1. Always use a level to install raceway.

2. Never place the raceway to the edge of a wall, allow at least ¼ inch so that you may snap on the front cover.

3. Plan your route before sticking the wire raceway

4. To secure raceway with more than the double stick adhesive on the back, drill a screw through the raceway.

5. Raceway is paintable, conceal it after installation

6. Raceway is easily cut using a hacksaw, make sure the cut is level.

Good luck and enjoy your newly wired surround sound system.

http://naturalsurroundscape.freehostia.com/cabling.htm

A universal remote control is a remote control that can be programmed to control a wide variety of types of components. There are many different varieties of universal remote controls ranging from the basic, low price model that can be found at the local discount store that is only able to control a set number of devices to the more advanced models that can allow you to control virtually any number of devices as well as set up preset activities or macros.

Some may wonder why you really need to buy another remote control when your current set of remotes can already control your components. The following reasons will show why a quality universal remote control is an essential part of your home theater system.

1. Reduce your home theater clutter – Today’s home theater systems are becoming more and more complex with multiple devices and more and more integration with things not previously connected to your home theater such as game consoles and lighting systems. The typical home theater will have at least four remote controls and often times many more to control all areas of the home theater. The vast majority of home theater owners (and maybe more importantly spouses of home theater owners) do not want their theaters cluttered with mismatched remotes of multiple shapes, sizes and colors. The ability to get one remote control to replace all of the others is an obvious benefit.

2. Ease of use – Do you feel like you need an electronics degree to operate your home theater? Over the years I was able to get pretty adept at the process of cycling through my available remotes to turn on the proper components to the proper settings, but my wife would struggle through all of the settings and my kids and visiting mother in-law, well you could forget about it. Today’s universal remote controls allow you to input what devices you have either through programming codes or through a computer program. Once you get through this initial setup your remote control then is able to work intuitively to control all of your components.

3. Programming activities or macros – To simplify things even one step further most of the mid range and up universal remotes will allow you to program activities or macros into the remote. This will allow your system to be set up at the touch of a button. For example on my remote I hit the Play a DVD button on the LCD screen and my TV comes on, gets set to the proper input and the DVD player turns on, the receiver turns on and gets set to the proper input, my bass shaker receiver turns on and my lights dim to proper viewing level, all at one touch of a button. This is not just an added simplification, but the backlit LCD screen and automation provide that little extra wow factor that helps set apart your home theater from others.

4. Tired of losing remotes – Having three small children, it seemed like a rare occasion when all of my remotes were in the correct location so that I didn’t have to search for them. I spent many a day checking behind recliner cushions, under the sofa, on the bookshelf in search of the last elusive remote. Now I only need to keep track of one remote.

5. Reduce battery usage – Whether you are concerned about the environment or simply wanting to save a few bucks on replacing batteries, a universal remote control will drastically cut down on the amount of batteries that you need to use.

I will admit that my frugal nature for years kept me struggling over whether I really needed to purchase another remote control when I already had six remote controls that were in perfect working order. Since I finally broke down and purchased my universal remote I have not regretted it for a single minute. It is one accessory that I now feel is an essential part of any home theater system.

To learn more about shopping for a universal remote control and to find out what universal remote controls Jared recommends check out Jared’s Universal remote control page. For comprehensive information about home theater visit Jared’s site at http://familyhometheaterguide.com

The Family Home Theater Guide is an informative guide to home theater, with a particular emphasis on family entertainment. Jared has a wife and three children that love to experience the magic of the big screen in the comfort of their own home.

Buying furniture for electronic equipment and media collections can be challenging. There are TV and entertainment stands, television armoires, wall and modular units, all of which are designed to hold a variety of media. Since media storage comes in a variety of types, styles, sizes and diverse configurations, it might seem like an overwhelming task.

Examine the size of your current selection. Take stock of how many different types of media you own and how many of each kind that you have. This will determine how much room you will need to house your CDs, DVDs, etc. If you have a smaller sized media collection, it is possible that it can be conveniently stored in an entertainment center.

The type of media storage you select will depend on how you wish to organize your collection. When selecting the kind of unit best suited to your requirements, consider accessibility. If you want to be able to spin them around when looking for something, a tower on a swivel base would be the best choice. But if you would prefer to store them out-of-sight in drawers, a wall unit or cabinet with doors would be the ideal solution.

Types of Media Storage Furniture:

Freestanding Wall Units:

Freestanding wall units typically resemble a bookcase and can range from one unit to several ones that fill an entire wall. Although a media storage wall unit might resemble a bookcase, the shelves of a media storage unit tend to be slightly narrower and it is designed specifically to hold a variety of media. When purchasing a freestanding wall unit, keep in mind the number of CDs/DVDs you own. Some units can hold over 1500 CDs. If your collection will never be that large, a smaller unit will probably be ideal for your needs. If you are a serious collector, multimedia wall units with two or more sections will allow you to easily organize and access your collection as it grows and changes.

Wall Mounted Cabinets:

When space is an issue, choose a compact wall mounted cabinet that will hold a large number of CDs/DVDs. To make your collection very accessible, select an open wall unit that will allow you to easily identify and reach stored items. Consider the shape of your wall mounted cabinet. If the wall mounted unit is long and rectangular, it will use the space horizontally, while an oversize, square or tall cabinet will utilize the space vertically. If you are an avid collector and are concerned that this type of media storage will not grow with your collection, many wall mounted units are stackable, meaning you can add more shelving as needed.

Cabinet with Doors:

A multimedia storage cabinet with doors is ideal for someone who wants to protect their collection from dust and light. This type of media storage is also good if there are children in the home. If securing your collection is a further concern, select a CD/DVD cabinet with a turnkey lock. Since many cabinets come with doors that open outward, check to see if opening them will disrupt traffic flow. Because multimedia cabinets have become central pieces of furniture in their own right, it is important to select a color and style that will blend with your current decor.

Spinning tower

Spinning towers combine compact organization solutions with accessibility and convenience. They are specifically designed to use a minimum amount of floor space. Today, spinning media towers are available in sleek, stylish colors and designs versatile enough to fit in anywhere in your home. They are especially useful in small rooms since a revolving rack requires two square feet, but will store a maximum number of CDs/DVDs.

A well designed media storage unit is a useful piece of furniture to have. No matter what kind of media storage you are considering buying, I hope this article has provided you with valuable insights that will help make the decision a little easier.

For more info on media storage, please visit http://www.MediaStorageCenter.com

Heather E. Brown is a contract writer, currently working as a Marketing Associate for online furniture distributor CymaxStores Inc.

As obvious as the answer to this question may seem to some of you, there are actually more than one reason you would want to buy a cheap HDTV. The top 3 reasons to purchase an HDTV at a lower cost would be:

1.) budget,
2.) buying for your children and
3.) buying more than one.

Let’s explore these reasons in more detail…

1.) HDTV On A Budget

This is the most obvious reason. You’ve noticed a trend that your friends, family and all the rest of the Jones’ are getting bright shiny new HDTVs and it’s eating a hole in your wallet not to have one of your own. But when you check your budget you realize why you don’t already have one - you’re ‘extra money’ isn’t as plentiful as you wish. Remember, no one - other than you - have to know how much your HDTV cost.

2.) HDTV for your children

This is a situation I found myself in recently. My pre-teen is asking for a HDTV for Christmas. Wow! I think I was asking for a $10 action figure when I was his age… but I digress.

Now granted it probably isn’t worth buying an HDTV for your child just to watch TV shows in high definition. However, if you have purchased (or plan to purchase) a newer video game system like the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 then you’re really wasting your money without having it hooked up to a HDTV.

3.) More Than One HDTV

Have you just moved into a new house and want to have all new high definition TVs? Have you decided it’s time to step up to the 21st century with your television viewing and want to upgrade a few of your rooms? Imagine soaking in a hot jacuzzi bathtub with a 27″ HDTV starring down at you. Now that’s luxury living and if you do it correctly, you can purchase cheap HDTVs and not have it break your bank account.

Summary

Ok, if you fit one of these situations don’t worry there are solutions for you to get what you want without spending a fortune. First decide if you can wait 4-6 months. If you can then the in-store prices will drop. If you have to have it sooner rather than later then look for auctions, clearance and refurbished items. If you can find clearance or refurbished HDTVs that still have a warranty that’s the best.

CustomerReviewVideos.com is dedicated to help you make better HDTV buying decisions. Step 1: Check out our HDTV review videos to find the model you’d like and Step 2: See our Top 3 Cheap HDTV solutions.

Are you looking for a new TV set? You’ll need to look at all the pros and cons. Besides the usual tube TVs, you’ll also find new models of TVs that are designed and built using new technology. Nowadays you’re not just buying a TV, you’re also buying the technology that comes with it. You may not be so keen on the traditional tube TV. You’ll rather look at a plasma TV or a LCD TV. You’ll need to spend some time in order to make a good choice.

You will need to do some research when buying a new TV set today. There are so many options available for you to choose from. Spend some time online to find out what options are there in the market. Get as much information as possible about LCD TVs and plasma TVs. Take your time to find the type of TV sets that you’ll be interested in.

If you’re looking at the LCD TV sets, you’ll be able to find many things that you need to know about it. You’ll need to learn how it works and what are some of its the pros and cons. Do not be surprised to come up with many pros and cons in your research.

A pros concerning LCD TVs is that they do not need much space and can be mounted practically anywhere. A cons about these TV sets is that they are quite expensive to buy. You’ll need to consider a lot more information before making any decision.

Besides knowing about the pros and cons of these TVs, you’ll also need to know the maintenance of these sets. For example, you need to handle them with soft gloves and make sure that you don’t touch the screen with your bare hands and ruin it.

You’ll need to know how to take good care of the set. Do not allow dust to settle on it. No spill too. Do not spill anything over it. These are the things that will cause damage to the LCD TV. Handle the TV gently and with care because the slightest bump or scratch may damage your TV.

There are many factors to consider when you’re thinking of buying a LCD TV. Do not place the set in a child’s room as the slightest bump can cause damage to it. You have to give due consideration to where you want to place the TV set. It has to be a place where nothing will be thrown at the screen. It has to be a place where everyone can appreciate it.

About the Author: Hovan Newton is a LCD TV enthusiast. Grab a free report on Flat Panel TV Set Up Tips from his website. http://www.lcd-plasmatv.com

A standard surround sound system has 6 channels of audio information coming across the speakers. 4 directional speakers, a center speakers (used mostly for dialog) and a sub woofer speaker. This is known as a 5.1 setup. 5 stands for the 4 directional speakers and 1 for the center speaker. The .1 stands for the sub woofer, which is non directional. There are a few other types of speaker setup; Stereo 2.0 or 2.1 (if you have a sub woofer), the obsolete quadraphonic system 4.0, Enhanced surround 6.1 or 7.1. This article concerns itself with the setup of the 5.1 surround sound system.

The speakers in a 5.1 surround sound system are labeled as the following. Center speaker (also known as C) is where most dialog is panned to, it usually is placed directly in front of the listener. Front Left (also known as FL) is a surround speaker and sound effects are passed onto it, as its name describes sits in the front of the listener to the left. Front Right (also known as FR), is a surround speaker and sound effects are passed onto it, as its name describes sits in the front of the listener to the right. Surround Left (also known as SL), is a surround speaker and sound effects are passed onto it, as its name describes sits in the side or slight rear of the listener to the left. Surround Right (also known as SR), is a surround speaker and sound effects are passed onto it, as its name describes sits in the side or slight rear of the listener to the right. The sub woofer (also know as LFE or low frequency emitter) is non directional and can sit anywhere.

The standard set forth by the ITU (international telecommunications union), calls for varying positions and angles from the reference listening position and angling of speakers to provide the optimum listening experience with a surround sound system. In plain English, where to place your speakers so it sounds the best.

All standards organizations will make a study and give details that are sometimes difficult to interpret. In this case, it would be positioning the speakers. The standard calls for a placement of your speakers at varying degrees from the center. Manufacturers of surround sound systems repeat the exact information that the ITU recommends most are printed like this.

Place your center speaker at 0 degrees from the reference listening position. Place your front left (FL) and front right (FR) at 22 to 30 degrees from the center. Place your surround left (SL) and surround right (SR) at 90 to 110 degrees from the center.

Sounds simple, just dig out your protractor.

First of all, the reference listening position is where you sit. Most people will place their couch or chair in front of the TV and thus in front of the center speaker., this is your reference listening position. If you are not in front of the TV then your “experience” will differ meaning the you will be out of the “sweet spot”, a area where you hear all the speakers independently of each other.

Instead of using a protractor to find all the correct angles, use an analog clock to find the correct angles. Here’s how to do it. Place the analog clock in your “sweet spot, directly in front of the TV in your chair or couch. Position the clock where noon 12 o’clock is pointing to the TV. On the front wall near your TV is where you are going to place your Front and Center speakers. The Center speaker is placed at 12o’clock . The front right speaker is placed at 11 o’clock on the front wall. The front left speaker is placed at 1 o’clock on the front wall. Your surround right speaker is then placed at 4 o’clock on the side wall right to the listener. Your surround left speaker is placed at 8 o’clock on the side wall left of the listener. That’s it for your main speakers.

If you are one of those that own a 6.1 or a 7.1 surround sound system, the additional 1 or 2 speakers are back surround speakers (SB). These will mount directly behind the listener at 6′o’clock.

The placement of the sub woofer is not set because the sub woofer is non directional. Some manufacturers suggest placing this on the floor near to the center speaker, most just suggest to place where it sound the best.. I found the best position for myself and that is behind the listener on the floor (behind my couch). The reasoning for this is that the LFE is used for rumbles or deep thumps and if behind the user (out of sight and out of mind) will surprise the listener when it goes off. It will also provide a slight vibration to the floor behind you or to the couch or chair that you are sitting in which is a nice effect.

A note about speaker heights: many people will place their speakers near the ceiling or very close to the floor. With any surround sound system, many differing height all still sound great, but for optimum performance, it is strongly recommended to keep the speakers at the height of the listener or slightly above the listener ears while sitting down. So if the listener’s ear sit a 4 feet from the ground, then mount the speakers 4 feet 6 inches to 5 feet from the ground.

http://naturalsurroundscape.freehostia.com/speakerplacement.html

One of the first mistakes new owners of surround sound systems make is playing around with the audio setup and not knowing what they are adjusting. This happens every time someone gets a new “toy”, it’s almost human nature, to tweak something, even if you do not know what you are doing. I did the same. This articles will explain how to setup your new surround sound audio settings. A quick note, before you make any adjustments, make sure to note what the original settings were on your system, so that you may be able to return to the manufactures default.

Welcome to your new surround sound system, it has lots of setting available to it, it may or may not have come with speakers and it has lots of interesting labels on it to tell you the formats it supports and you have no idea what it all means. Do not worry, you’ll get used to it soon enough.

Settings.

First a quick note: This article is going to be referring to generalizations, because different manufactures call their features by different names, so refer to your manual to find your manufactures equivalent to the feature described.

Independent speaker volume adjustment. This adjustment allows you to make fine tuning adjustments to each speaker independent from one another. Adjustments are normally made in decibels (db) with a positive or negative number to reduce or increase volume across one or more speakers. This feature gets abused by many new owners of surround sound systems, most people will crank up the surrounds so that they get the full surround experience. The rear surround speakers are where the special effects are played. What listeners are actually doing when they crank up the rear speakers is distorting how the surround is played. This is not how the movie is supposed to sound, directors already optimize how the surround is supposed to be played, they want their viewers to be amazed by the realism of the movie. When you crank up the rear speakers, you are taking the sound out of context.

How to adjust. This one is simple, keep all the volumes the same. If you have to make an adjustment of any kind because of speaker weakness, adjust it to 1 db (decibels) above the front speakers. Sometimes if you are having trouble following the dialog, then adjust the center speaker to 1 or 2 db’s (decibels) above normal. I personally keep all volumes at 0 adjustment db (no adjustment at all). This is most manufactures default, but not all, so check to see if they are adjusted to the same volume.

DRC. Dynamic Range Control. This adjustment allows your surround sound to adjust the volumes itself during extra loud or extra low volume scenes of a movie. It is a great feature that Dolby brought to audio. I just love this feature. When you are watching a movie late at night and do not want to disturb your neighbors, DRC is what you are looking for. This is how it works. When encoding the DVD, a sound engineer will program the audio track for a normalized audio range. If the movie exceeds this volume range, DRC kicks in and lowers the volume to the normalized range of the whole move. This means that an explosion will not vibrate your walls and that a whisper in the dialog will be able to be heard.

DRC is normally used for nighttime listening because of its volume controlling nature. If you do not want to wake your kids at night when watching a movie, then turn on DRC. If you want the full audio range of a movie during the day, then turn off DRC.

Speaker existence. Some surround sound systems have this feature which allow you to tell the player whether a speaker is installed or not. If one of your speakers is not installed or has blown out, the make sure to tell the surround sound that the speaker does not exist. Many systems will try to adjust for the lack of that speaker. If at all possible, install all of the speakers and replace any blown speakers.

Distance. Distance is a measure of how far away the speakers are from the listener sweet spot. Please view my article on speaker placement before you adjust this feature. Distance from the listener translates to speaker delay. Since you want the sounds to approach you in the manner that the director intended, it is best to adjust the speaker distance so that the sounds will arrive at the same time. The setting is simple, take a measuring tape and measure the distance in a straight show from the speaker to the listener. Do this measurement for all speakers and adjust your distance accordingly.

Sometimes the distance feature is measured just in delay times or the feature itself may be called delay and the settings may be cryptic or measured in ms (milliseconds). The rule of thumb for this is 1 ms delay for every 1 foot of distance. For example if you sat 15 feet away from a speaker, the adjust that delay to 15ms. Sound travels approximately 1 foot per millisecond.

Prologic vs. Prologic II vs Dolby Digital.

Prologic and Prologic II are Dolby features. Prologic II is an enhanced version of Prologic. In fact Prologic II has a setting to make it work like Prologic. Prologic and Prologic II both process 2 channel audio to turn it into a simulated surround sound. However it is a simulated surround sound or virtual surround sound. It is a great feature! Take a normal stereo cd or stereo movie and it will transform into a great audio experience, however it is not true surround sound. For that you need Dobly Digital, however Dolby Digital is not a converter, Prologic and Prologic II are. This of couse is the dumbed down version. The technical specifications are on Dolby site.

Here’s a quick chart.

MEDIA USES

DVD Movie (with a Dolby Digital soundtrack) Dolby Digital

DVD Movie (stereo soundtrack) Prologic and Prologic II

CD (Stereo or Mono) Prologic and Prologic II

Prologic and Prologic II Settings. Prologic and Prologic II takes a mono or stereo signal and phase shifts the signal to the rear speakers. In mono this means that all the speakers will play the same audio, in stereo, the front left and front right speakers are duplicated (matrixed) to the rear speakers using a mathematical formula. Then end result sounds great, but remember it is still not surround sound, just simulated surround.

A quick note: Prologic II is backwards compatable with Prologic, Meaning that all Prologic media will play on a Prologic II processor.

Prologic does not have settings, but Prologic II does.

Pro Logic - It offers users the robust surround processing of the original Pro Logic which has mono surround channels and a 7KHz surround filter

Virtual - Is usually used when Pro Logic II is connected to a virtual process for speaker use.

Movie - It can be called “Pro Logic II”. It has stereo surround channels and no surround filter, unlike Pro Logic which has a mono surround channels and a 7KHz surround filter. Movie mode is the standard required for all A/V systems.

Matrix - It’s the same as the Music mode except that the directional enhancement logic is turned off. It may be used to enhance mono signals by making them seem “larger”.

Music - Is recommended as the mode for sound music systems stereo CD’s (without video)

Prologic II Music Mode. Pro Logic II Music Mode Sound Effects are available when the player is in Music Mode. The settings found in it are:

Dimension - A simple control that alters the ratio of L+R to L-R for the two channel input signals. It allows the user to gradually adjust the soundtrack either towards the front or towards the rear. If a recording is too spacious or strong from the surrounds, it can be adjusted “forward” to get a better balance. Likewise, if a stereo recording sounds too mono, it can be adjusted toward the rear to get a more enveloping sound.

Panorama - Extends the front stereo image to include the surround speakers for a wraparound effect.

Center Width Control - With Pro Logic decoding, dominant center signals can come only from the center speaker. If no center speaker is present, the decoder splits the center signals equally to the left and right speakers to create a “phantom” center image. The Center Width control allows adjustments of the center image so it may be heard only from the center speaker; only from the left/right speakers as a phantom image; or from all three front speakers to varying degrees.

Other Audio Setting to deal with stereo signals found on Surround Sound Systems.

3 Stereo - produces three channels (front left, center, front right) of sound from a two channel analog signal. It is not a surround format and does not use the surround speakers.

Soundfield Effects - Digital Soundfield Effects recreates the effects of sounds reflected from walls or ceilings to obtain the sound presence of real environments, basically this enhances a stereo soundtrack to sound like you are in a particular environment.

- Stadium: recreates a large stadium using very long reflection times.

- Stage: recreates a stage environment, increasing sound from the front speakers.

- Hall: recreates a hall using lots of reflection. Suitable for orchestral music such as classical and opera.

- Disco: recreates the disco or club music effect.

- Live: suitable for all types of music.

About the dot numbers

2.0, 2.1, 3.0,4.0, 5.1,6.1,7.1 and probably many other numbers all really mean the same thing; number of speakers and number of sub-woofers, separated by a period. As you may guess 2.0 means a standard stereo and 2.1 is a stereo with a sub-woofer. 3.0 is a stereo and center channel 3.1 is stereo and center channel with a sub-woofer. 4.0 is a quadraphonic system, now obsolete, however still has a strong following. 5.1 is a standard surround sound system with a front left, front right, center, left surround, right surround and a sub-woofer. 6.1 and 7.1 are a new type of speaker setup that has the same speakers as a 5.1, however it adds a rear channel much like the center channel for the front speakers. 6.1 has one rear speakers and 7.1 has 2 rear speakers.

http://naturalsurroundscape.freehostia.com/audiosetup.htm