January 25th, 2012 by moviebuff
There are plenty of tips and recommendations out there involving the selection, purchase and installation of home theater rigs. With home theater popularity skyrocketing, many have taken it upon themselves to provide resources and direction for those considering a home theater purchase.
What about those who have already made the investment in a great home theater system? Those who are buying systems have a world of valuable information right at their fingertips. One the check is signed or the credit card processed, however, these buyers disappear from the sites of the home theater experts.
As such, there are very few tips or recommendations available for those who already own a home theater system. This article, however, does spell out some very simple things you can do to maximize the enjoyment of your home theater.
One of the best things a new home theater owner can do is to find a place for their paperwork. Too often, installation guides, warranties and other documentation end up in a box or bag, destined for the garbage.
These documents are actually quite important. If there is ever a problem with the system, the materials provided with your system will help you to understand exactly what is happening. In addition to being a valuable troubleshooting aid, the owner’s manuals are exceedingly handy when one forgets how to use a particular feature. The documentation is also useful when one moves or rearranges the system, as the provided schematics will help you to make sure all the proper connections are in place. If there is ever a serious problem with the equipment and it stops operating, the manufacturer’s warranty an/or store guarantees will be necessary to secure new equipment or free repairs.
If you have a home filing cabinet, this is a great place to store the information. If not, store it somewhere easy to find and remember.
Another helpful hint for home theater systems involves remote control batteries. Sometimes it seems as if a remote control’s batteries will last forever. As soon as we convince ourselves of that, however, we suddenly find the remote difficult to operate or completely dead. Invariably, it seems, we never have the right replacement batteries immediately available, making for an annoying evening in front of the big screen!
Purchase and store an extra set of batteries for all remote controls. Put them somewhere you can easily find them and one commonly encountered hassle can be completely avoided. Some advocate storing batteries in a refrigerator or freezer to increase their active lifespan. This is one possibility that might be considered.
Another commonly encountered problem occurs after we let someone else use or operate our home entertainment system. A multicomponent system can seem complicated for a new user. It seems as if every time someone else, whether it be a novice family member, friend or babysitter, takes the helm of the home entertainment system, they run into problems trying to figure out how to make it work. Sometimes this is just an inconvenience to them. On other occasions, it results in changed settings and subsequent confusions for the primary user, too.
One can find relief from this problem by writing or typing up a simple stepbystep instruction sheet for use of the system. This will allow other users to enjoy the home theater system without risking a frustrating experience. A home theater ‘cheat sheet’ can make things run quite smoothly no matter who holds the remote.
Home theaters can be complicated assemblies, and there are several great resources for hints and tips regarding their use and optimization. However, it is easy to lose track of some of the more basic issues involved with home theater ownership. It is also easy to overlook some basic things we can do to make our home theater system a better investment.
By storing all documentation in a centralized location, maintaining extra remote control batteries and creating a stepbystep user ‘cheat sheet,’ one can make owning a home theater system a little easier and a lot more efficient.
January 20th, 2012 by moviebuff
Home theater is entertainment at home with a bit of excitement thrown in. It is basically a combination of video and audio equipment set up in your home in such a way that you feel you are actually sitting in a movie theater as opposed to in your own living room or family room. Contrary to popular belief, home theater does not have to run you into scores of big bucks. Instead it can be whatever you want to make it. A home theater can consist of as simple or as elaborate a system as you prefer. For example a 32inch television set coupled with a DVD player and/or a HiFi VCR with a stereo and speakers can equal a home theater experience. Make it whatever you wish.
HDTV programming is gaining strength all of the time, in the form of broadcast, cable and satellite service. Home theater can intensify tremendously with HDTV. For example the audio that is part and parcel of HDTV video comes in surround sound. What this does is it takes complete advantage of the surround sound receiver of HDTV broadcasting.
Although a DVD (which stands for digital versatile disc) is not available in a highresolution format, it displays what is known as a progressive scan signal. It is a progressive scan which makes the DVD player work to its optimum best. The majority of DVD players have the ability to give off progressive scanning and it is this function that gives the movie watcher an image that is clear, smooth and greatly resembles the quality of a film seen in a movie theater.
As well more and more DVD players in today’s electronics world have the capability of HDup scaling. This up scaling takes high definition capacities of HDcompatible televisions to greater heights. In addition, DVD continues towards greater advancements. Bluray and HDDVD are both forms of high definition DVD that are up and coming elements of HDTV. All of the benefits that HDTV has so richly to offer when it comes to details seen in visual images could go well beyond what the present technology of DVDs are, in particular in regards to projections on large screens.
In order to set up your own home theater to receive HDTV signals, you must first determine what particular sources are available in your area. HDTV can be obtained from three different sources. The first and most commonly accessible source is overtheair (otherwise known as terrestrial) broadcasts that can be received by way of an aerial (or rooftop) antenna. In order to make use of this source of HDTV signals for your home theater you must live within a sixtymile radius of the nearest transmitter and your property must have an unobstructed view for the signals to clearly come through.
HDTV signals can also be transmitted by satellite. This is the second most widely used source. Presently there are only two networks by way of satellite that broadcast HDTV. These are DirecTV and Dish Network. DirecTV offers the channels HBO, Showtime and HDNET, while Dish Network offers the Discovery channel, HBO, Showtime, a 24hour payperview channel, an HD demo channel and the national feed of CBS HD.
Cable is the third source of HDTV for home theater. Not all cable systems carry HDTV broadcasting as it varies from place to place. Keep in mind an important point, and that is that a ‘digital cable system’ has no association whatsoever with DTV transmitted by way of cable. Digital cable is basically just regular cable that is digitally transmitted but with a multitude of other channels. The closest thing this could compare to is digital satellite. If you want to go this route it is important that you get in touch with your local cable company to find out if it is even possible to do so.
An HDTV tuner will be necessary for your home theater in order to do a variety of functions including grabbing, decoding and converting HDTV signals into a format that a television can recognize. An honest to goodness highdefinition television has a tuner that is already built into the console of the set but this is not very common, as the technology for tuners has moved along swiftly and reduced in price much quicker than the technology for displays. The best thing to invest in is an HD monitor (which is a display minus an HDTV tuner) that can, if you like, be combined with a tuner any time you care to do so.
January 15th, 2012 by moviebuff
Ok, let’s talk money, and how much will it cost to set up a HDTV home theater. These could only be found in millionaire movie stars and producer’s homes. Now with all the new equipment on the market, it’s possible to set up your home theater without spending millions.
The first item you’ll need is the HDTV with a wide screen format. The movie moguls introduced the wide screen format to make movie going different than home viewing. As we all know, the movie experience with the panoramic cinematography allowed the audience to completely immerse themselves in the movie experience. This allowed the directors and cinematographers to create scenes that involve the viewer’s entire field of vision. HDTV strives and succeeds in creating a movie atmosphere in the comfort of your own home. HDTV prices have come down since it was first introduced, just like any other new electronic gadget. It still is an expensive investment.
Sets range up to $2000 or more. It depends on the design, how large, and the complexity of the equipment the set has. An ‘inexpensive’ true HDTV can cost between $1400 and $1800, again to get really good equipment you could spend upwards to $3000. The display is what can drastically affect the price. Some units may use the new flat screen cathode ray tubes, others liquid crystal displays or a projection method for larger screen sizes. These prices will come down soon. Price estimates based on current advertising should be down to the $1000 to $1200 mark in the not too distant future.
Before you think you’ll never be able to afford your own HDTV and be able to take advantage of the many quality features, there is another way you can enjoy digital broadcasts. You can purchase a set top digital decoder that will convert digital signals to something you can see on your TV. It won’t be as detailed or as sharp as a true HDTV set, but even on a regular analog TV these pictures will still look better than your current television picture. They will look like the pictures you get from a DVD player, digital cable, or satellite service. Today this set up box will cost between $300 and $900. Industry sources tell us that eventually these boxes will come down to under $100 or will be included in your cable or satellite receiver boxes.
Be sure to research or talk to a knowledgeable sales person because there is a difference if the digital formats used. Many popular television stations use different formats. The industry hasn’t yet set a formal standard yet so what you buy today may not work with your cable system in the future. It’s suggested that you buy an HDTV and a decoder separately other than in one unit because of the changes that are still yet to come.
Visit local retailers and let the sales person show you the difference of the current analog TV you might be using compared to the new HDTV’s. They can also show you the latest DVD player or digital satellite feed. Don’t be tricked into thinking you have to have a satellite system to enjoy HDTV. That simply is not true. We discovered that fact the hard way.
It is also possible to buy video display cards that feature a built in DTV (Digital TV coder) tuner to put into your computer. True, the whole family can’t huddle around your computer monitor, but you can get the HDTV technology on your computer monitor for an investment from $299 to $499. It will allow you to see the difference between your analog DTV and the new HDTV.
Besides a digital TV decoder, or digital tuner module, you might still need an outdoor antenna to pick up local broadcasts that are sent in HDTV format. You also can use a small indoor antenna that sets on your TV, but these have been found to be not quite as effective. Cable stations are not required to carry the digital signal put out by local stations. That too may change in the future. As far as local digital transmissions from your hometown station, you will need either an outdoor antenna or an indoor antenna that connects to your digital tuner or decoder.
January 13th, 2012 by moviebuff
Nancy asks…
Home theatre system!! people with samsung tower speaker?
Hi, before i buy by samsung home theatre system with 2 front tower speakers , i was wondering if these 2 front tower speakers are connected by wires or not? If so how many wires goes from each one of them? for example: one wire from speaker 1 to speaker 2 and one wire from each speakers to sub woofer thus in total three wires running…right?
and if they are indeed connected by wires then help me with the following please:
i have a tv above fire place….we dont really use fire place at all…so the right place to place these 2 tower speakers would be on either side of the fire place….so if these speakers are connected by wires..then how should i conceal these wires?? the speakers on the wall i can conceal them behind the wall…like i did for tv…but if these 2 tower speakers are wired..then i dont want wires running right front of my fireplace and then to my audio/entertainment stand where i got cable box, dvd, and so on…
please help me with this? thank you…can i put them under my rug? and bring it to other side where i can connect?
how did u conceal ur tower speaker wires?
thanks
moviebuff answers:
The tower speakers would be too close together if they are on either side of the fireplace. You’d be better off with two small speakers on opposite walls and a center channel speaker. Or look into a sound bar. These can be pricey so see if one would work with your system.
Ken asks…
please help me tower speaker on samsung home theatre system?
Hi, before i buy by samsung home theatre system with 2 front tower speakers , i was wondering if these 2 front tower speakers are connected by wires or not? If so how many wires goes from each one of them? for example: one wire from speaker 1 to speaker 2 and one wire from each speakers to sub woofer thus in total three wires running…right?
and if they are indeed connected by wires then help me with the following please:
i have a tv above fire place….we dont really use fire place at all…so the right place to place these 2 tower speakers would be on either side of the fire place….so if these speakers are connected by wires..then how should i conceal these wires?? the speakers on the wall i can conceal them behind the wall…like i did for tv…but if these 2 tower speakers are wired..then i dont want wires running right front of my fireplace and then to my audio/entertainment stand where i got cable box, dvd, and so on…
please help me with this? thank you…can i put them under my rug? and bring it to other side where i can connect?
how did u conceal ur tower speaker wires?
thanks
moviebuff answers:
“for example: one wire from speaker 1 to speaker 2 and one wire from each speakers to sub woofer thus in total three wires running…right?”
NO:
Each speaker will have a two-conductor wire connecting it to the receiver. There is no wire connecting the two speakers together. If you did do this, it would cancel out your stereo sound. You would have no independent left and right channels any more.
As far as routing your speaker wires goes, it makes no difference where your TV is because your speakers aren’t connected to your TV. Your speakers will be connected to the receiver. The receiver is then connected to your TV.
Honestly, if you know this little about home audio, I would suggest buying a system from some place like Best Buy where they will come to your home to install the system. Usually for free.
David asks…
how can i get my samsung home theater system to give surround sound when watching tv?
i jus bought a samsung home theater system and i want to get the surround sound when watching tv.i already found out it works on dvd but i really want it to work on tv.is there a way?
moviebuff answers:
Here is the correct answer. Yes there is a way to do this. You have to run a DIGITAL sound cable from your TV to your HT system. You will then be able to decode the 5.1 sound from broadcast or cable TV.
There are three forms of this digital connection: HDMI, coax, and fiber optic. You are usually limited to the format your particular device supports, hence AV receivers have several inputs of all types available for use. HDMI is the best supporting high definition 7.1 24 bit sound but most TVs don’t have an HDMI output. Nor is anything broadcast in HD sound. Coax and optical hookups run a close second supporting 5.1 16 bit sound.
In short you need to run a digital coax or fiber optic cable from the audio OUTPUT on your TV to an INPUT on your HT.
James asks…
My Samsung Home Theater system is brand new and keeps powering down for no reason?
I just bought a brand new samsung home theater system HT-TWZ415 and when i put in a dvd it starts to go and loads but at the same time is saying “Fan Chk” and the menu for the DvD will come up and then itll power down and say “goodbye” its brand new and idk what to do anyone think they can help?
moviebuff answers:
You have a bum steer. There’s some electrical issue that’s causing the system to shut down. If it didn’t shut down it might be catching fire, so try to see this as a good thing. Take it back.
Daniel asks…
How do I hear all the channels from my TV using my Home Theatre System?
I just bought a Samsung home theater system. Everything is all connected and I hear my movies perfectly. I wanted to be able to hear my cable channels the same way so I went out and bought a optical cable, but unfortunately I can’t hear all the channels. Only some of the channels I am able to hear and on some the voice goes in and out and on my theater system it flashes the letters LPCM. I thought it might be a problem with my cable box but my cable company came and nothing. Does anyone know how to fix this problem?
moviebuff answers:
Your cable box or TV is probably not compatible LPCM oversampling above 48khz. Your Samsung will have a “downsampling on” switch somewhere in the menu, that will drop down to regular PCM. This should make things work fine. Check the Samsung owners manual for the location of the downsampling on switch.
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January 10th, 2012 by moviebuff
Analog television is the form of television broadcasting that has been used in the United States for the past 50 years. At the time of its invention, it was one of the greatest discoveries of all time. Later, as black and white analog television evolved to color, people were amazed by its ability to transmit such clear and wonderful pictures. But, analog television is quickly becoming the dinosaur as it clears way for the new technology of HDTV.
What is Analog Television?
Analog signals are transported as electronic waves, in which sounds and images are represented through changing voltage levels and frequencies. Transmitters broadcast these signals over the air and they signals are, in turn, translated into sounds and images by the television. The waves shape is, unfortunately, prone to degradation as it travels from the transmitter to the viewer’s home. In addition, factors such as household appliances and planes passing overhead can interfere with television signals. This can result in a less clear picture.
HDTV Produces a Clearer Picture
HDTV needs to be transmitted via digital television. Unlike analog television, digital television is transmitted by dividing sounds and images into small computer information components as binary code. This produces a more consistent signal, which is capable of better resisting interference. Also, there is no possibility of the computer data being misinterpreted, unlike the analog wave. Digital television sets are able to receive data consistently in order to decode it back into sounds and images. Digital television signals are free from interference and, therefore, do not develop ‘ghost’ images or snow, as seen on analog televisions. In fact, the result is a perfect picture that is comparable to studio quality.
In addition, HDTV has much better sound quality. Just like the image, the sound is digital. The difference between analog sound and HDTV sound is comparable to the difference between the sound produced by CD’s and that produced by audiocassette tapes. Furthermore, most HDTV broadcasting offers Dolby 5.1 surround sound, which further enhances the quality of listening.
Basically, HDTV can make the television viewing experience comparable to that of watching a movie at the theatre. Analog television simply can’t compete.
FCC Regulations
Currently, digital television sets are set up to also display analog content. The current FCC plan, however, calls for stations to give up their rights to analog spectrums to the FCC by 2006 or when 85% of the households in the station’s market are capable of receiving digital television. Furthermore, the FCC is dictating that all televisions made after March 2007 have digital tuners. For most television companies, this means phasing out the production of analog televisions altogether.
When this happens, it will be necessary for analog television users to purchase digitaltoanalog converters. Without one, the analog television set will be completely incapable of receiving television signals.
The majority of HD tuners currently on the market are capable of making the conversion from digital to analog, but less costly settopboxes will most likely be available by the time the mandated digital transition takes place. These boxes will be capable of converting the digital transmission to an analog signal for analog televisions. Still, viewers using analog televisions will not receive the extra quality and sound gained by HDTV technology. In addition, all widescreen programming will be displayed as letterboxed on an analogy television set.
Widescreen Viewing
Analog television is completely incapable of broadcasting in true widescreen format. On the other hand, HDTV’s are set up to accommodate widescreen movies and television shows. Widescreen formatting allows the shape of the picture on the television screen to resemble the shape of a movie screen, which is the way the filmmaker intended it to be seen.
In addition, sports are more enjoyable to watch on an HDTV than on an analog television. In fact, more sports action can be captured with HDTV than with an analog television set. So much of the action can be seen on an HDTV that the entire length of a football field can be viewed on the television, without making it look like the field is a long distance away from the camera.
With so many advantages to HDTV it is hard to understand why so many people continue to hang on to their analog television sets. Furthermore, within the next few years, those still clutching to their ancient analog television sets might find themselves without television unless they finally make that leap into the wave of the future, HDTV.
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