How Stuff Works
3 Ways to Improve HDMI
Although the initial entrance of HDMI into the CE market had problems, it’s always had great potential.Unfortunately, potential-as my high school track coach often pointed out to me-can be the ugliest word in the English language.
Much of the initial hesitancy of using HDMI in installations was due to HDCP-compatibility issues between players and TVs. After [...]
Is 7.1 Audio System Right Chioice For You?
In the beginning, there was stereo. Two speakers for two ears. (Well, before that, there was mono but let’s not go there). In the 70s, theaters added a few more channels of sound to make the movie-going experience more exciting This started an “arms-war” between the theaters and homes that goes on to this day [...]
LCD TV Calibration - How To Calibrate Your TV
Factory settings on TVs are almost always tweaked to maximum brightness and contrast and are enabled with image “edge enhancement” features as well. Manufacturers do this so that the TV picture will “pop” on the retail store floor compared to other models. However, this is not how the director of the programming you are viewing [...]
Understanding IPTV
The future of just about everything is tied up with the Internet, and nothing is more tied up than television. This means IPTV, the delivery of television content over the Internet for viewing on a TV. There’s confusion over exactly what IPTV is and what it will be like when it becomes universal. Let me [...]
Buying Guide: HDTVs Up Close
The HDTV plunge—everyone and their mother has either taken it already or is seriously tempted to do so. A brand new high-def set, however, is no small purchase. Which TV is right for you? A bright LCD set? A plasma with lusciously rich black levels? A supersize rear-projection model? Before you part ways with a [...]
Should You Trust the Pros or Your Own Ears?
Are you an audio Objectivist or Subjectivist? Many of us here probably have stories of the days when we were hi-fi ‘Subjectivists’. There were days when I bought into the whole perfect sound philosophy. Several friends and I used to share our ideas and we tried everything to squeeze a little more performance from the [...]
HDTV Basics Explained
You have heard about the wonders of HDTV, but maybe you are confused by all the new terms and statistics. In this article we cut through the complexity of HDTV and give you a simple introduction. First, we take a quick look at analog TV technology. Then we will explain what HDTV is, why it [...]
Improve your TV’s performance
So you’ve got your brand new flatscreen LCD or plasma TV home from the shop: you excitedly remove it from its packaging, and start revelling in its delivery of the characters and colours of a favourite DVD movie. But are you getting the best out of your new set? Unless you’ve taken a few simple [...]
HDMI switch boxes
Lack of sockets on TVs is a common problem. For several years the best picture quality was via component video or RGB Scart but you'd often find only one compatible TV input for each, if at all. Manufacturers gradually increased the number of RGB-ready Scarts to two, three or even four, which was fine for [...]
