From Robert Silva,
Your Guide to Home Theater.
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7. The Radio Reception is Poor

This is usually a matter of attaching better antennas to the FM and AM antenna connections on your Home Theater Receiver. For FM, you can use the same type of rabbit ears or outdoor antenna used for analog television reception. The reason for this is that the FM radio frequencies actually lie between the Television channels 6 and 7, if you reside in North America. Vermont Public Radio offers an excellent resource for checking and improving radio reception.

8. A DVD Won't Play, Skips, or Freezes Often

There could be several reasons for this. One reason is that some DVD players, especially ones made before the year 2000, have difficulty playing back recordable DVDs. If you are having trouble playing a homemade DVD, check the disc it was made on, if it is a format other than DVD-R, this could be the culprit.

However, if you also have trouble playing DVD-Rs, it could even be the brand of blank DVD-R used to make the DVD. There is no guarantee that a specific homemade DVD will play in all DVD players, but DVD-R's should play on most of them. For more information on recordable DVD formats, check out my resource article: What Are The Recordable DVD Formats?

Another reason a DVD might not play at all, is that it may be the wrong region or made in the wrong video system. For more specifics on these issues check out my resource articles: DVD Region Codes and Who's Your PAL?

Another factor that contributes to DVD skipping or freezing is the playing of rented DVDs. When you rent a DVD, you don't know how it has been handled and it could be cracked or be full of greasy fingerprints that may cause some DVD players to mistrack the DVD.

Lastly, it is possible that the DVD player may be defective. If you suspect this, first try using a DVD player lens cleaner, and also, try cleaning the "problem" DVDs. If this does not improve DVD playback, then consider exchanging the DVD player for another one, if still under the exchange or warranty. However, take the "problem" DVDs with you to your dealer and see how they play on other DVD players in the store first to rule out any problem with the actual DVDs.

9. The DVD Recorder Won't Allow Recording of One Channel and Watching Another at the Same Time

Just as with a VCR, as long as you are not using a Cable TV or Satellite Box, you can watch one program on your TV, while recording another on your DVD recorder. The reason you are unable to to do this when using a cable or satellite box, is that most cable and satellite boxes can only download one channel at a time through a single cable feed. In other words, the cable and satellite box determines what channel is sent down the rest of the path your VCR, DVD recorder, or Television. For more details on this, read my FAQ: Can I Watch One TV Program While Recording Another With a DVD Recorder?.

10. The Turntable Volume is Very Low or Distorted

Yes, many of us still have vinyl record collections and a Phono Turntable. However, one problem that is becoming more common, is that many newer Home Theater Receivers do not have dedicated phono turntable inputs. As a result, many consumers try to connect their turntables into the receiver's AUX or other unused input. This does not work due to the fact that the output voltage and impedance of the turntable cartridge is different than the audio outputs of CD players, VCRs, DVD players, etc... as well as the requirement of the turntable for a Ground Connection to the Receiver.

If your Home Theater Receiver does not have a dedicated phono turntable input, then you need to purchase an external Phono Preamp or a turntable that has a phono preamp built-in. Compare Prices on Phono Preamps.

Final Take

In setting up any home theater system, things can end of being connected improperly due to both inadvertent oversight or lack of knowledge. This can result in thinking that there is something wrong with the system's components. However, many of the most common problems, such as the ones illustrated in this article, you will run into can be easily remedied, once a closer look is taken, especially when reading the user manuals before setting everything up.

Even when taking time to do everything correctly, it is not unusual, especially in a complex setup, that you may still run into a problem that you can't seem to solve. You have done everything you can - you've connected it all, you set the sound levels, you have the right size TV, used good cables - but it still isn't right. The sound is terrible, the TV looks bad. When this happens, instead of spending more time and money, or returning it all, consider calling a professional installer to assess the situation.

It is possible that, indeed, something may be defective in one your components. To find out for sure, you might have to swallow your pride and pay for a house call, but the investment can salvage a home theater disaster and turn it into home theater gold.

For a more indepth approach and additional perspective to Home Theater Troubleshooting, also check out the following great reference article Basic Troubleshooting posted by Smart Computing.

For more details on troubleshooting HDMI connection problems, check out the following resource from Best Buy - Canada.

For a resource on how to get more effective surround sound from your home theater system, check out the reference article posted by CNET: Ten Tips For Better Home Theater Sound.

Lastly, for another useful reference article on the potential pitfalls you may encounter in putting together a home theater system, check out: Common Home Theater Mistakes.