The Way To Extract Maximum Performance From A HDTV Setup

mitchbuchannon — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:49:34 +0000

Nowadays the bulky CRT TVs have almost become extinct and the LCD and Plasma TVs are in vogue. However, not may people know how to get the maximum performance out of their LCD HDTVs. While it is true that most of the present generation HDTVs are easy to setup and offer plug and play compatibility,some amount of tweaking is still required to get an immersive audio-visual experience.

Even if the HDTV set supports FullHD display, you will never get to see the colors as they should appear unless calibration is done. While calibration is not as easy as changing the brightness it is not excruciating either. It can be easily done with a DVD that has a movie featuring THX audio. THX certified Blu-Ray discs and DVDs contain calibration tools. One just needs to select the THX optimizer and abide by the instructions thereafter. It is imperative to set the room light to ideal viewing condition.

Before running the optimizer the sharpness needs to be reduced to normal and the color temperature should be set to 6500K. It is not difficult to navigate through the test patterns shown by the optimizer application. There are some high-end calibration setups in the market like DVE that can be purchased in both Blu Ray and DVD versions.

Apart from the calibration the HDTV owners also need to decide if they want to use the motion blur reduction technology or not. The blur reduction technology is referred by many names by various manufacturers. Sony calls it Motion Flow while LG calls it Tru Motion. However, all these techniques interpolate extra frames to eliminate motion blur. While some people prefer it, some others do not and say it makes the motion seem artificial. It is up to a HDTV owner to decide if he wants to enable this feature or not. A number of HDTVs use a technology called overscan that may incorporate artifacts and reduce HD resolution. Therefore, the users need to set the Zero-overscan mode active in their HDTVs.

The HDTV experience can never be complete without sound that matches the visuals. The aforesaid THX optimizer also contains audio calibration tools. The HDTVs have speakers but they can not match the performance of external speakers. If a person does not want wires spread out all over the room he can try a sound bar. It sits below the LCD TV on the wall and produces rich sound. Sound bars are not expensive either. The physical position of the speakers can play an important role in ideal sound reproduction. For example, in case of a 5.1 sound system, two speakers should be put at side at ear-level. Other two should be placed by the side of the screen. The center channel needs to be put below the screen. Generally sub-woofer is placed on the floor level.

For PC to HDTV connectivity it is best to use HDMI port. DVI is another good option but it only transfers the video signal and so using another audio cable becomes necessary. If the TV is in a position where direct connectivity is not possible, it would be a good idea to use a media player box.

Guide To HDMI

Tony Williams — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 23:07:04 +0000

There is so much incorrect information out on the web about HDMI cables and HDTV in general, it is great that there are great posts out there like this one that explains ‘How HDMI Works‘.

the post explains in terms we can understand what the real difference is between standard and high definition TV, the different type of HDMI signals and connections and the implications on cabling.

Essential reading if you want to get the most out of your HD setup.

One Tip A Day » HDMI

The Way To Extract Maximum Performance From A HDTV Setup

Guide To HDMI