QuickTips Index
Demystifying CRT, Plasma, LCD, and DLP Television Technologies
Buying a television for your home theater can be very confusing these days, especially with several types of TV technologies to choose from. Gone are the bulky CRT sets that dominated living rooms in the second half of the twentieth century. Here is a brief overview that should shed some light on the difference between CRT and current television technologies.
June 12, 2009 - Analog Television Broadcasting Gets Turned Off
As June 12, 2009, all full power over-the-air analog television transmission signals on channels 2-13 and 14-69 in the U.S. have ended. What does this DTV transition mean to the U.S. television viewer? For all the details, check out my article.
Connecting a VCR, DVD Recorder, and Analog TV Using One DTV Converter Box
The DTV Transition - The end of analog TV broadcasting has arrived. However, along with analog TVs, your VCR or DVD recorder may also be affected. If you have a TV, VCR, and DVD recorder with only analog NTSC tuners, and you receive your programs via antenna, ordinarily you would need a separate DTV converter for each of them to continue recording TV broadcasts now that the DTV Transition has taken effect. However, there is a way you can use just one DTV converter for all of them, with a catch.
The DTV Transition, HDTV, and Your VCR and/or DVD Recorder
The end of analog TV broadcasting has arrived. However, along with analog televisions, your VCR or DVD recorder may also be affected. Even if you have a digital or HDTV with an ATSC tuner and receive HD programing successfully an antenna, you may still need a DTV converter for your analog VCR or DVD recorder, in order to continue recording TV broadcasts on those devices now that the DTV Transition has taken effect. If this describes your TV setup, check out some useful steps.
Inside The DTV Transition Converter Box Coupon Program
For those that own an analog TV, VCR, or DVD Recorder, and receive TV programs via an Antenna, you need a converter box to continue to receive and record TV programming now that the DTV Transition has taken effect. The U.S. Congress approved a subsidy of $40, in the form of a Coupon to defray most of the cost. To find out how the coupon program works, check my article.
Video Copy Protection and DVD Recording
Video Copy Protection and DVD Recording: Just as you can't copy commercially made video tapes to another VCR due to Macrovision anti-copy encoding, the same applies to making copies to DVD. DVD recorders cannot bypass the anti-copy signal on commercial VHS tapes or DVDs. To find out more on this, check out my Quick Tip: Video Copy Protection and DVD Recording.
Audio Video Synchronization in Home Theater
Audio Video Synchronization (AV Synch) is a problem that has cropped up in more home theater setups. Sometimes you may notice that the audio is slightly ahead of the video image when watching a high definition cable/satellite program or upscaled DVD/Blu-ray Disc video on an HDTV. This is especially noticeable on close-ups of people speaking. It is as if you are watching a dubbed foreign movie. For some useful tips on how correct this, check out my article: Correcting Audio Video Synch Problems.
LED TV - The Truth About "LED" Televisions
LED TV - There has been a lot of hype and confusion surrounding the introduction of "LED" Televisions. Even many marketing reps and sales pros that should know better are falsely explaining what an LED TV is to their customers. To set the record straight, the LED designation refers to the LCD TV's backlight system, not the chips that produce the image content. LED TVs are still LCD TVs. It is just that they use LED backlights rather than the flourescent-type backlights of most other LCD TVs.
HDMI Facts - An Overview of HDMI
HDMI stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface. However, what does HDMI really do and how does it relate to Home Theater? HDMI is an evolving connection standard for home theater applications there are several versions, based on when each version was released. To find out more about HDMI and its several versions check out my article: HDMI Facts.
Why Analog TV Signals Don't Look As Good On An HDTV
HDTV is a great advance in home entertainment, however, during the transition period from analog to digital, there are still many consumers that are watching mostly analog television programs on their new HDTVs. This has generated a lot of complaints about the apparent degraded picture quality of analog television signals when viewed on an HDTV. For more on this, check out my Quick Tip: Why Analog TV Signals Don't Look As Good On An HDTV
Headphone Surround Sound: Getting Surround Sound Without Loudspeakers
Headphone Surround Sound can be a great complement to your home theater experience. Here is a brief overview of headphone surround sound.
What You Need To See High Definition on an HDTV
Many consumers, after they purchase their HDTV, assume that everything they will watch on it is in High Definition. Needless to say, many are disappointed when they find out that their VHS videos and analog cable channels many times actually look worse on their new HDTV than they did on their old analog set. So, after investing a lot of money on an new HDTV, how do you get the High Definition picture everyone is talking about? To find out the answer, read on...
DVD Video Upscaling - Important Facts
Video Upscaling - With the advent of HDTV, the development of DVD players to match the resolution capabilities of HDTV are becoming more important. Many DVD players are now equipped with "upscaling" capability to better match the performance the capabilities of the today's HDTV's. However, the introduction of Blu-ray and HD-DVD has confused the issue between standard DVD upscaling and the true HD capability of Blu-ray and HD-DVD. For more on this, check out my article...
Setting Up A Home Theater System For A High Definition Super Bowl
Super Bowl Sunday is the most popular the annual unofficial U.S. national holiday. Most of those that can't attend the game in person, will be watching it at home. In order to fully appreciate the Super Bowl, you need an HDTV and Home Theater System. Check out some useful tips on how to prepare for the best homebound Super Bowl viewing experience.
How A Home Theater System Can Save You Money
Home Theater has taken on a significant role in our entertainment landscape, but when times get tough it is perceived that a home theater system is a luxury that may no longer be affordable. On the other hand, when you consider the cost of taking the family out to dinner and a night at the movies, buying a home theater system may be just the right, affordable, family entertainment solution during economic doldrums. Check out useful tips for putting together your own economic home theater system.
Firmware Updates and Home Theater
As consumer electronics get more complicated and the speed of technology changes quickly, the need to keep a product up-to-date has gotten more critical. Instead of being faced with buying a new component every year to keep up with the pace of change, engineers have developed a way to keep pace with changes by making products with the ability to be updated with new or added features via Firmware Updates. To find out more, check out my article: Firmware Updates and Home Theater.
1080i vs 1080p - Similarities and Differences Between 1080i and 1080p
1080i vs 1080p. There is a lot of talk about 1080p being the "Holy Grail" of high definition resolution. However, what is the difference between 1080p and 1080i? Can you really see the difference on an HDTV screen? For more details on this check out my article: 1080i vs 1080p - Similarities and Differences Between 1080i and 1080p.
Quick Tip - Three Ways To Copy VHS Tapes to DVD
VHS to DVD - One question I get asked often is: "How Do You Copy VHS to DVD?" There are three ways a consumer can copy VHS tapes to DVD. For all the details, check out my tip: Three Ways To Copy VHS Tapes to DVD.
Correcting Low Center Channel Dialog
With the advent of surround sound, the importance of balancing the levels of the various speakers is very important to obtain the best listening experience. One of the sound balance problems that is quite common is low center channel volume in relation to the left and right main channels. This can make the dialog track almost unintelligible sometimes. For a solution, check out my quick tip.
Home Theater Shopping Tip - Read Ads Carefully
We are always looking for right product at the right price, but before you actually go out and buy that home theater system, blu-ray disc player, HDTV, or other gadget, you need to know how to buy. One important way to prepare for the home theater or consumer electronics shopping experience is to learn how to interpret the different types of ads that clutter the Sunday Ad inserts in your newspaper. To find out more, check out my article: Home Theater Shopping Tip - Read Ads Carefully
Home Theater Shopping Tip - Mail Order and Online Buying
In the quest to find the right product at the right price, many consumers are buying more and more off of the internet, mail order, or from QVC and other shopping channels. However, as attractive as those internet and mail order shopping prices are, there are some pitfalls. For some useful tips, check out my article: Mail Order and Online Buying - Understand What You Are Getting Into.
Recording From A TIVO or Cable/Satellite DVR to a DVD Recorder
DVR to DVD Recording. With the increasing popularity of Digital video recorders, such as TIVO and Cable/Satellite DVRs, is what to do when their hard drives get full. One thing you can do is transfer your hard drive recordings to a DVD, but there are some limitations. To find out more, check out my Quick Tip: Recording From A TIVO or Cable/Satellite DVR to a DVD Recorder.
Playback and Transfer of Old 8mm and Hi8 Tapes
One of the most common questions I get is: "How do I play and transfer my old 8mm or Hi8 video tapes to VHS or DVD if I don't have the camcorder any more?". Unfortunately the answer to this question is not as simple as just buying an adapter to enable your 8mm or Hi8 tapes to play in a standard VCR, as there is no such thing as an 8mm/VHS adapter. For more details on how to overcome this dilemma, check out my Quick Tip - Playback and Transfer of Old 8mm and Hi8 Tapes.
5.1 vs 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receivers - Which is Right For You?
Which is better, a 5.1 channel or a 7.1 channel home theater receiver? In turns out that both options have advantages and disadvantages, depending on what source components you are using and what your personal preferences are. Both types of surround sound setups provide an acceptable audio listening environment, but there are other factors to consider. To find out more check out my article: 5.1 or 7.1 Channels - Which is Right For You?
Use Your PC as Part of a Home Theater System
More people are using their PC as part of a home theater system. Here is a basic overview of using a PC as part of a home theater system.