Home Theater Hacks by McLaughlin, Brett -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Home Theater Hacks

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About the Author Contributors Acknowledgments

Preface

Why Home Theater Hacks? How to Use This Book How This Book Is Organized Conventions Using Code Examples How to Contact Us Got a Hack? Disclaimer

1. Buying Gear

1.1. Hacks 1–8 Hack #1. Master Theater-Speak

1.2.1. Televisions 1.2.2. DVD Players 1.2.3. VCRs 1.2.4. Satellite and Cable Receivers 1.2.5. Receivers 1.2.6. Separates

Hack #2. Audition Before You Buy

1.3.1. Prepare Your Ears with AM Radio 1.3.2. Bring a Favorite DVD and Audio CD for Auditioning 1.3.3. Avoid Switch Boxes 1.3.4. Evaluate the Whole, Not the Parts 1.3.5. Always Look at the Manual

Hack #3. Buy from Chain Stores with Skepticism

1.4.1. The Pitfalls of Chain Stores 1.4.2. Dress for the Best Service 1.4.3. A Limited Inventory

Hack #4. Buy in Person from Electronics Boutiques

1.5.1. Understand the Pricing Model 1.5.2. Prepare First, Shop Second 1.5.3. Shop for the Complete Package

Hack #5. Shop Intelligently at eBay

1.6.1. What Should I Get Online? 1.6.2. Avoid Scams

1.6.2.1. Insist on pictures 1.6.2.2. Pay attention to feedback 1.6.2.3. Email, email, email

Hack #6. Find High-End Equipment Online

1.7.1. Be Careful of Auctions 1.7.2. Retail Prices Are Useless 1.7.3. Always Call Dealers

Hack #7. Buy Cabinets for Your Gear

1.8.1. Starting Out "On the Cheap" 1.8.2. The Real Deal 1.8.3. Cable Management? 1.8.4. Avoid Glass Like the Plague

Hack #8. Plan Your Room Décor

1.9.1. Paint and Carpet 1.9.2. Lighting 1.9.3. Posters 1.9.4. Seating 1.9.5. The Little Things

2. Video Components

2.1. Hacks 9–20 Hack #9. Get the Right TV

2.2.1. Look for Dim Lighting 2.2.2. Consider the Source 2.2.3. Connectivity 2.2.4. Size Is Everything… 2.2.5. Which Brand?

Hack #10. Your TV's First Steps

2.3.1. While the Delivery Van Is in the Drive 2.3.2. Prevent Early Burn-In

Hack #11. Move Your TV Safely Hack #12. Fix Panasonic's Picture Glitch

2.5.1. Entering the Service Menu 2.5.2. Fixing the Picture 2.5.3. What Happened?

Hack #13. Figure Out Aspect Ratios

2.6.1. From the Big Screen to the Small Screen 2.6.2. Prevalent Aspect Ratios

2.6.2.1. 1.33:1 (4:3) 2.6.2.2. 1.66:1 2.6.2.3. 1.78:1 (16:9) 2.6.2.4. 1.85:1 2.6.2.5. 2.35:1

2.6.3. What Does This Mean to Me?

Hack #14. Avoid Cheap Projectors

2.7.1. The Players

2.7.1.1. Cathode-ray tube (CRT) 2.7.1.2. Liquid crystal display (LCD) 2.7.1.3. Digital light processing (DLP) 2.7.1.4. Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCOS)

2.7.2. Black Is Beautiful 2.7.3. High-End Projectors

Hack #15. DVHS on a Budget

2.8.1. A History Lesson 2.8.2. Enter the Hackers 2.8.3. Modding the VCR 2.8.4. A DVHS Application

Hack #16. Cover Black Bars with Letterbox Mattes

2.9.1. Widescreen TVs, Take Notice 2.9.2. Creating the Matte 2.9.3. Attaching the Matte

Hack #17. Improve the Picture on Rear Projection TVs Hack #18. Paint Your Theater a Neutral Color

2.11.1. The Munsell Neutral Value Scale 2.11.2. The Munsell Book of Color 2.11.3. Putting It Together

Hack #19. Backlight Your TV

2.12.1. Some Nice Side Effects 2.12.2. My Light Is Too Bright!

Hack #20. Add Metal Plating to Support a Center Speaker Hack #21. Squeeze Your TV into Your Basement

2.14.1. Remove the Speaker Grill 2.14.2. Wiggle the Grill Off 2.14.3. Remove Vented Rear Cover 2.14.4. Remove the Screen 2.14.5. Detach Wiring from the Screen Assembly 2.14.6. Remove the TV's Top Housing 2.14.7. Move It! 2.14.8. Reassemble

3. Audio Components

3.1. Hacks 22–27 Hack #22. Get the Right Receiver

3.2.1. Choosing a Brand 3.2.2. Spending Some Money

Hack #23. Watts Are Meaningless Without Context

3.3.1. Getting a Handle on SPL 3.3.2. Relating Wattage to SPL 3.3.3. Factoring in Distance

Hack #24. Amplify the Front Soundstage

3.4.1. Connecting the Amplifiers 3.4.2. Where's the On/Off Switch? 3.4.3. But That's a Lot of Equipment 3.4.4. Experiencing the Difference

Hack #25. The Mythical Burn-In Period

3.5.1. Warm Your Components Up, Don't Burn Them In 3.5.2. Cable Burn-In Is a Waste of Time

Hack #26. Use Gain Offset to Regulate Volume

3.6.1. Understanding Dynamic Range 3.6.2. Dynamics Between Playback Formats 3.6.3. Gain Offset

3.6.3.1. Sample procedure: Lexicon MC-12. 3.6.3.2. Sample procedure: Pioneer Elite VSX-49TXi.

Hack #27. Use Dynamic Range Compression to Regulate Volume

4. High Definition

4.1. Hacks 28–35 Hack #28. Ensure You Can Get HD Programming

4.2.1. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 4.2.2. Should I Buy an HDTV?

4.2.2.1. Can I afford an HDTV? 4.2.2.2. How much programming is available?

4.2.3. Terrestrial Broadcasts

4.2.3.1. Cable TV. 4.2.3.2. DirecTV. 4.2.3.3. DISH Network. 4.2.3.4. VOOM. 4.2.3.5. CBS national stations. 4.2.3.6. C-band 4DTV.

Hack #29. Get the Right Type of HD Set

4.3.1. Display Technologies

4.3.1.1. CRTs. 4.3.1.2. Plasma. 4.3.1.3. DLP. 4.3.1.4. LCD. 4.3.1.5. LCOS and D-ILA.

4.3.2. Set Types

4.3.2.1. Direct view. 4.3.2.2. Rear projection. 4.3.2.3. Front projection.

4.3.3. Set Configurations 4.3.4. Burn-in 4.3.5. The Rainbow Effect

Hack #30. Add a Set Top Box

4.4.1. STB Video Output Options

4.4.1.1. More on DVI. 4.4.1.2. Avoiding (most) risk.

4.4.2. STB Audio Output Options

Hack #31. Properly Size Your HD Image Hack #32. Get the Right Antenna

4.6.1. Antenna Basics

4.6.1.1. The TV channels. 4.6.1.2. Decibels. 4.6.1.3. Noise. 4.6.1.4. Signal amplifiers and preamplifiers. 4.6.1.5. Receiver noise. 4.6.1.6. Transmission cable. 4.6.1.7. Receiver overload.

4.6.2. Types of Antennas

4.6.2.1. The dipole antenna. 4.6.2.2. Stacked dipoles. 4.6.2.3. Reflector antennas. 4.6.2.4. Log-periodic dipole arrays (LPDAs). 4.6.2.5. Yagi antennas. 4.6.2.6. Comparing antenna types. 4.6.2.7. Radiation patterns.

4.6.3. Commercial Antenna Types

4.6.3.1. UHF antennas. 4.6.3.2. VHF antennas.

Hack #33. Erect an OTA Antenna

4.7.1. Proceed at Your Own Risk 4.7.2. Choosing a Mounting Site

4.7.2.1. Diffraction. 4.7.2.2. Trees. 4.7.2.3. Is a higher antenna always better? 4.7.2.4. Adding to the confusion. 4.7.2.5. Attic antennas.

Hack #34. Don't Use Portable Signal Strength Meters Hack #35. Resolve Problems After Buying an HDTV

4.9.1. Bridging Component Video and VGA Connectors 4.9.2. Understanding Subchannels 4.9.3. Why Can't I Get My Local DTV Station? 4.9.4. Picture Quality 4.9.5. Determining Display Resolution 4.9.6. Waiting on Local Networks to Broadcast in HD 4.9.7. Grabbing HD Local Channels Through Satellite Providers 4.9.8. Getting Rid of Artifacts 4.9.9. The Problem with SD Programming

5. Speakers and Wiring

5.1. Hacks 36–47 Hack #36. Organize Your A/V Racks

5.2.1. Component Placement 5.2.2. Label Your Components 5.2.3. Use Banana Plugs for Connectors 5.2.4. Use Velcro for Cable Management

Hack #37. Get the Right Speakers for the Job

5.3.1. Understand Speaker Crossovers

5.3.1.1. Crossover basics 5.3.1.2. Digging into the technical details

5.3.2. Choose the Speakers with the Best Music Playback 5.3.3. Five Mini-Speakers Trump Two Towers 5.3.4. The Importance of Brand Matching

Hack #38. Select the Perfect Rear and Side Speakers

5.4.1. Monopole Speakers 5.4.2. Dipole Speakers 5.4.3. Bipole Speakers

Hack #39. Little Speakers Can Create Big Problems Hack #40. Add Bass Shakers to Feel the Lows

5.6.1. What Is a Bass Shaker? 5.6.2. Buying a Shaker 5.6.3. Sample Installation: Aura Systems 5.6.4. Filtering

Hack #41. Lower the Resonant Frequency of Aura Bass Shakers

5.7.1. Going Further

Hack #42. Use Subwoofers as a Poor Man's Bass Shaker Hack #43. Convert In-Wall Speakers to In-Ceiling Speakers Hack #44. Banana Plugs Trump Bare Wires Hack #45. Use the Same Speaker Wire Lengths (Not!) Hack #46. Use Thicker Wiring for Longer Runs Hack #47. Bi-Wiring and Bi-Amping Speakers

5.13.1. Active Bi-Amping 5.13.2. Passive Bi-Amping 5.13.3. Bi-Wiring

6. Subwoofers

6.1. Hacks 48–54 Hack #48. Learn Sub Talk

6.2.1. Subwoofer Parts 6.2.2. Subwoofer Connections 6.2.3. Miscellany

Hack #49. Choose the Right Subwoofer

6.3.1. Displacement 6.3.2. Power 6.3.3. Subwoofer Alignments

6.3.3.1. Sealed. 6.3.3.2. Ported. 6.3.3.3. Bandpass alignments. 6.3.3.4. Basshorn. 6.3.3.5. Infinite baffle. 6.3.3.6. Dipole.

6.3.4. Hoffman's Iron Law

Hack #50. Match the Sub to Your Room

6.4.1. Room Size Doesn't Limit Subwoofer Extension 6.4.2. Subwoofer Orientation Doesn't Matter 6.4.3. Analyzing Room Effect 6.4.4. Going Shopping

Hack #51. Hook Up Your Subwoofer Correctly

6.5.1. Set Speakers to Small 6.5.2. Setting the Crossover Frequency 6.5.3. Connecting the Subwoofer to the Receiver 6.5.4. Defeating the Plate Amplifier's Crossover 6.5.5. All That Other Junk

Hack #52. Optimize Subwoofer Placement

6.6.1. Basic Principles 6.6.2. The "Six-Pack" Method

Hack #53. Use Multiple Subwoofers Hack #54. Remove Subwoofer Hum

6.8.1. Hum Created by Coaxial Cable 6.8.2. Ground Loop Hum

7. Connectivity

7.1. Hacks 55–59 Hack #55. Cable Basics

7.2.1. RCA-Analog Audio 7.2.2. RCA-Digital Audio 7.2.3. RCA-Composite Video 7.2.4. S-Video 7.2.5. RCA-Component Video 7.2.6. BNC 7.2.7. Optical 7.2.8. XLR 7.2.9. F-Connector

Hack #56. Watch Out for Entertainment Centers

7.3.1. Problem #1: Overheated Equipment 7.3.2. Problem #2: Impossible Wiring Access 7.3.3. Problem #3: Unusable Remote Controls 7.3.4. Problem #4: Bad Sound from the Speakers 7.3.5. Problem #5: Bad Stereo Separation 7.3.6. Problem #6: Inflexible or Unmovable (or Both!) 7.3.7. Problem #7: Inconveniently Low Access 7.3.8. Problem #8: Speaker Blockage 7.3.9. Conclusion

Hack #57. Don't Be Swindled into Buying Overly Expensive Cables

7.4.1. About Wires and Electricity

7.4.1.1. Water pressure=electrical voltage. 7.4.1.2. Water flow=electrical current. 7.4.1.3. Water's sudden change in direction=electrical frequency/signal 7.4.1.4. Pipes/corrosion resistance=wires and cables/corrosion resistance 7.4.1.5. Pipe/watertightness=cables/shielding 7.4.1.6. About electrical signals

7.4.2. The Truth About "Wiring Upsell" 7.4.3. Wiring Recommendations

7.4.3.1. Speaker wires. 7.4.3.2. Audio "line-level" signal cables. 7.4.3.3. Video signal cables 7.4.3.4. Antenna/broadcast cable connections

Hack #58. Use Your Receiver for Video Switching Hack #59. Understand Component Video Switching

8. Calibration

8.1. Hacks 60–74 Hack #60. Choose the Right Seating Distance Hack #61. Get the Best Calibration Tools

8.3.1. Types of Calibration 8.3.2. Tools of Calibration

Hack #62. Choose the Right Calibration DVD

8.4.1. More than a Tool 8.4.2. Digital Video Essentials

8.4.2.1. DVE pros. 8.4.2.2. DVE cons.

8.4.3. Avia

8.4.3.1. Avia pros. 8.4.3.2. Avia cons.

8.4.4. Sound & Vision Home Theater Tune-Up

8.4.4.1. S&V pros. 8.4.4.2. S&V cons.

Hack #63. Calibrate Speakers with a Sound Meter

8.5.1. Positioning the SPL Meter 8.5.2. Testing the First Speaker 8.5.3. Testing the Remaining Speakers

Hack #64. Set the Receiver's Reference Level

8.6.1. It's About Output 8.6.2. A Moot Point

Hack #65. Avoid Using THX Optimizer Hack #66. Avoid Using Internal Test Tones Hack #67. Set Your Speakers to "Small" in Your Receiver Setup Hack #68. Hack Your TV's Service Menu

8.10.1. Hitachi

8.10.1.1. The hard way. 8.10.1.2. The easy way.

8.10.2. Mitsubishi 8.10.3. Panasonic

8.10.3.1. Terminology. 8.10.3.2. Entering Serviceman Mode. 8.10.3.3. Accessing and modifying the service adjustments.

8.10.4. Sony

8.10.4.1. NTSC sets. 8.10.4.2. PAL sets.

8.10.5. Toshiba

8.10.5.1. Service Menu. 8.10.5.2. Designer Menu 8.10.5.3. Navigation

Hack #69. Clean the Optics on RPTVs

8.11.1. What Is Dust? 8.11.2. The Effect of the Mirror 8.11.3. Regular Maintenance Required 8.11.4. Cleaning the Optics and Mirror 8.11.5. Watch Out For…

Hack #70. Reduce Focus Problems on RPTVs Hack #71. Reduce Lens Flare on RPTVs

8.13.1. Preparations 8.13.2. Working on the Lenses 8.13.3. Conclusion and Results

Hack #72. Focus Your Front Projector

8.14.1. Mechanical Gun Aim 8.14.2. Rough Optical Focus 8.14.3. Electron Beam Astigmation

8.14.3.1. Ovalness adjustments 8.14.3.2. Centering adjustments 8.14.3.3. Triangularity adjustments.

8.14.4. Phosphor Grain Optical Focus Technique 8.14.5. Focusing Lens Cap 8.14.6. Final Beam and Optical Focus

Hack #73. Don't Mess with Odd Screws

8.15.1. What's the Big Deal? 8.15.2. Going in Through the Front of a Pioneer Elite TV

Hack #74. Annual Home Theater Tune-Up

9. Do It Yourself

9.1. Hacks 75–83 Hack #75. Build Your Own Speaker Stands

9.2.1. Basic Bookshelf Speaker Stands 9.2.2. Sturdier Stands for Heavier Speakers 9.2.3. Costs Involved

Hack #76. Add Rollers and a Stand to Your TV

9.3.1. Required Materials 9.3.2. Construction

Hack #77. Construct a Screen for Projection

9.4.1. Frame It and Stretch It

Hack #78. Mask Your Screen

9.5.1. Constant Area Viewing

9.5.1.1. Constant width. 9.5.1.2. Constant height. 9.5.1.3. Constant area.

9.5.2. Constructing the Masking

Hack #79. Construct Speaker Cables Using CAT 5

9.6.1. Materials 9.6.2. Construction 9.6.3. Some Notes on the Design

Hack #80. Home-Grow Your Power Cables

9.7.1. What You'll Need 9.7.2. For Grounded Digital Components 9.7.3. For Grounded Analog Components and Amplifiers

9.7.3.1. Additional parts. 9.7.3.2. Additional notes.

9.7.4. For Ungrounded Components 9.7.5. Some General Notes on Design

Hack #81. Build a 16-Bay UHF Antenna

9.8.1. Gang Up 9.8.2. Mount Types

9.8.2.1. Side-by-side mounting. 9.8.2.2. One-over-the-other mounting.

9.8.3. Mounting the Antennas 9.8.4. Connecting the Antennas Together 9.8.5. Possible Problems

Hack #82. Ground Your Outdoor Antenna

9.9.1. Types of Grounding 9.9.2. Grounding the Antenna 9.9.3. Risks of Damage

Hack #83. Build a Lens Hood for Your RPTV

9.10.1. Taking the Last Part First 9.10.2. Mocking Up 9.10.3. Actual Construction

10. Remote Controls

10.1. Hacks 84–89 Hack #84. Add a Programmable Remote Hack #85. Program Your Remote with ProntoEdit

10.3.1. Updating Your Firmware

Hack #86. Create Custom Graphics for Color Remotes

10.4.1. Choose Colors That Work 10.4.2. Smooth Out Images with Antialiasing 10.4.3. Think Big, Finish Small 10.4.4. Convert to the Right Colors 10.4.5. Dithering Is a Must 10.4.6. Tweak, Hack, Play

Hack #87. Learn IR Codes the Smart Way

10.5.1. Press or Hold? 10.5.2. Proper Spacing 10.5.3. Replace the Batteries 10.5.4. Lights Out! 10.5.5. Software or Hardware? 10.5.6. Right Side Up 10.5.7. Two-Way Confusion 10.5.8. IR Reflections 10.5.9. Duck Blind 10.5.10. The Flutter Effect 10.5.11. Flyboy 10.5.12. Out of Memory?

Hack #88. Work around Proprietary Remote Systems

10.6.1. Sony VisionTouch 10.6.2. High-Frequency IR Systems 10.6.3. Pace Cable Boxes 10.6.4. Parity Bits 10.6.5. RF Satellites

10.6.5.1. Tricking Sony DSS receivers.

10.6.6. Other RF Equipment 10.6.7. X10 Automation

Hack #89. Disable NetCommand for Faster Response

11. HTPC

11.1. Hacks 90–93 Hack #90. Choose the Right Display Resolution for Analog-Input HDTVs

11.2.1. Interlaced Versus Progressive Display Formats

Hack #91. Add Custom Resolutions with PowerStrip

11.3.1. Getting PowerStrip 11.3.2. Adding Custom Resolutions 11.3.3. Tweak PowerStrip on an HDTV Set

11.3.3.1. The computer image is too tall for the HDTV set. 11.3.3.2. The computer image doesn't appear or is badly distorted. 11.3.3.3. The computer image is flickering. 11.3.3.4. The Windows taskbar is 100% chopped off at the bottom of the screen. 11.3.3.5. The computer image is not centered.

Hack #92. Adjust the Overscan on Your HDTV Display

11.4.1. Adjusting Horizontal Overscan/Underscan 11.4.2. Adjusting Vertical Overscan/Underscan

Hack #93. Play Video Games in Custom Resolutions on HDTVs

11.5.1. Force the Games to Run at 60 Hz 11.5.2. Underscan Problems 11.5.3. Fill the Whole Screen

12. TiVo

12.1. Hacks 94–100 Hack #94. Must-Skim TV

12.2.1. Sliding Straight to the Instant Replay 12.2.2. The 10-FF40-10 Solution 12.2.3. Speed Reading

Hack #95. Navigation Shortcuts Hack #96. The 30-Second Commercial Skip Hack #97. Streaming Internet Audio Broadcasts to TiVo

12.5.1. The Code 12.5.2. Running the Hack

Hack #98. Signing Up for the Home Media Option Hack #99. Remotely Scheduling a Recording Hack #100. Moving Shows Between TiVo Units

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