Home Theater Hacks

Description:

It might be the long lines at the theater, the $4.00 for a small bag of popcorn, or the cutting-edge technology that's now so readily available to the home market. Whatever the reason, the home theater market today is booming like the soundtrack to Star Wars! Want proof? A Google search for home theater reveals over three million results. Yikes!

It's simply undeniable: More and more people prefer watching their favorite movies, television shows, and videos from the comfort of their own sofas and couches. What's also undeniable is the inexperience of most people who choose to install or upgrade their home theaters.

Until now, the knowledge, technique, and experiences of those who've encountered similar conditions to yours could only be accessed through laborious web searches, stacks of magazines, and water cooler conversations. Home Theater Hacks from O'Reilly is the perfect remedy for this group.

A smart collection of insider tips and tricks, Home Theater Hacks covers home theater installation from start to finish, purchase to experience. Just imagine: no frustrating trial and error process and better yet, no expensive appointments with installation experts. Home Theater Hacks prevents both by imparting down-and-dirty technique not found anywhere else.

The book begins with a quick glossary of terms so you can speak the lingo when you go shopping, and then dives right into hush-hush, insider tricks. It's all covered where to find the right audio and video components, how to deal with speakers and wiring, understanding cable connectivity, mastering remote controls, how to fully grasp TiVo, and so much more. And to top it off, each of these insider tips is presented in a concise yet delightfully entertaining style. Bringing the Jurassic Park dinosaurs into your living room has never been so easy!

A seasoned veteran with numerous O'Reilly titles under his belt, author Brett McLaughlin leaves no stone unturned in helping you customize your home theater experience to your own personal environment.

 

Credits  
Preface  
Chapter 1. Buying Gear 
       1. Master Theater-Speak  
       2. Audition Before You Buy  
       3. Buy from Chain Stores with Skepticism  
       4. Buy in Person from Electronics Boutiques  
       5. Shop Intelligently at eBay  
       6. Find High-End Equipment Online  
       7. Buy Cabinets for Your Gear  
       8. Plan Your Room D嶰or  
Chapter 2. Video Components 
       9. Get the Right TV  
       10. Your TV's First Steps  
       11. Move Your TV Safely  
       12. Fix Panasonic's Picture Glitch  
       13. Figure Out Aspect Ratios  
       14. Avoid Cheap Projectors  
       15. DVHS on a Budget  
       16. Cover Black Bars with Letterbox Mattes  
       17. Improve the Picture on Rear Projection TVs  
       18. Paint Your Theater a Neutral Color  
       19. Backlight Your TV  
       20. Add Metal Plating to Support a Center Speaker  
       21. Squeeze Your TV into Your Basement  
Chapter 3. Audio Components 
       22. Get the Right Receiver  
       23. Watts Are Meaningless Without Context  
       24. Amplify the Front Soundstage  
       25. The Mythical Burn-In Period  
       26. Use Gain Offset to Regulate Volume  
       27. Use Dynamic Range Compression to Regulate Volume  
Chapter 4. High Definition 
       28. Ensure You Can Get HD Programming  
       29. Get the Right Type of HD Set  
       30. Add a Set Top Box  
       31. Properly Size Your HD Image  
       32. Get the Right Antenna  
       33. Erect an OTA Antenna  
       34. Don't Use Portable Signal Strength Meters  
       35. Resolve Problems After Buying an HDTV  
Chapter 5. Speakers and Wiring 
       36. Organize Your A/V Racks  
       37. Get the Right Speakers for the Job  
       38. Select the Perfect Rear and Side Speakers  
       39. Little Speakers Can Create Big Problems  
       40. Add Bass Shakers to Feel the Lows  
       41. Lower the Resonant Frequency of Aura Bass Shakers  
       42. Use Subwoofers as a Poor Man's Bass Shaker  
       43. Convert In-Wall Speakers to In-Ceiling Speakers  
       44. Banana Plugs Trump Bare Wires  
       45. Use the Same Speaker Wire Lengths (Not!)  
       46. Use Thicker Wiring for Longer Runs  
       47. Bi-Wiring and Bi-Amping Speakers  
Chapter 6. Subwoofers 
       48. Learn Sub Talk  
       49. Choose the Right Subwoofer  
       50. Match the Sub to Your Room  
       51. Hook Up Your Subwoofer Correctly  
       52. Optimize Subwoofer Placement  
       53. Use Multiple Subwoofers  
       54. Remove Subwoofer Hum  
Chapter 7. Connectivity 
       55. Cable Basics  
       56. Watch Out for Entertainment Centers  
       57. Don't Be Swindled into Buying Overly Expensive Cables  
       58. Use Your Receiver for Video Switching  
       59. Understand Component Video Switching  
Chapter 8. Calibration 
       60. Choose the Right Seating Distance  
       61. Get the Best Calibration Tools  
       62. Choose the Right Calibration DVD  
       63. Calibrate Speakers with a Sound Meter  
       64. Set the Receiver's Reference Level  
       65. Avoid Using THX Optimizer  
       66. Avoid Using Internal Test Tones  
       67. Set Your Speakers to "Small" in Your Receiver Setup  
       68. Hack Your TV's Service Menu  
       69. Clean the Optics on RPTVs  
       70. Reduce Focus Problems on RPTVs  
       71. Reduce Lens Flare on RPTVs  
       72. Focus Your Front Projector  
       73. Don't Mess with Odd Screws  
       74. Annual Home Theater Tune-Up  
Chapter 9. Do It Yourself 
       75. Build Your Own Speaker Stands  
       76. Add Rollers and a Stand to Your TV  
       77. Construct a Screen for Projection  
       78. Mask Your Screen  
       79. Construct Speaker Cables Using CAT 5  
       80. Home-Grow Your Power Cables  
       81. Build a 16-Bay UHF Antenna  
       82. Ground Your Outdoor Antenna  
       83. Build a Lens Hood for Your RPTV  
Chapter 10. Remote Controls 
       84. Add a Programmable Remote  
       85. Program Your Remote with ProntoEdit  
       86. Create Custom Graphics for Color Remotes  
       87. Learn IR Codes the Smart Way  
       88. Work around Proprietary Remote Systems  
       89. Disable NetCommand for Faster Response  
Chapter 11. HTPC 
       90. Choose the Right Display Resolution for Analog-Input HDTVs  
       91. Add Custom Resolutions with PowerStrip  
       92. Adjust the Overscan on Your HDTV Display  
       93. Play Video Games in Custom Resolutions on HDTVs  
Chapter 12. TiVo 
       94. Must-Skim TV  
       95. Navigation Shortcuts  
       96. The 30-Second Commercial Skip  
       97. Streaming Internet Audio Broadcasts to TiVo  
       98. Signing Up for the Home Media Option  
       99. Remotely Scheduling a Recording  
       100. Moving Shows Between TiVo Units  
Index