Video Games Review

Five Ideas For Getting The Best Out Of The TV And Surround Sound Set-Up

You would like to watch the large games from the comfort of your home with pretty much as good a picture and sound set-up as achievable. Now is the time to buy a brand new 3D TV and surround sound system. Even if you can’t afford it, and for that matter even if you can, there are actually a couple of things you can do to ensure that you get the best performance from any Television & surround sound system.

1. Postioning your Television

Your TV is probably sat where it is because that is where the nearest aerial socket is. A television of some sort has probably been sat there since the late ’60’s. So, you are probably watching TV where you are because some bloke decided that is where he wanted it 50 years ago. Which is not neccessarily the best place for it. The most effective position is one where you are most comfortable watching it – probably at eye level when seated, and where the lighting conditions are optimal. For example, you do not want direct sunlight or even reflected sunlight on your screen. During the day time it will affect your viewing. Now, during the old days when your TV was the scale of a small car, it had been a sensible idea to sit it in the corner. But now a flat screen may be positioned almost anywhere. So, if this means moving the aerial point or power socket then get the proverbial ‘man’ in, to take a look at it.

2. Your Television picture.

Most Televisions are set up by default with everything boosted to appear brighter and more colourful. This will be because when you go to look in your shop for a new TV it’s going to seem like it is giving a better picture than the one next to it. We are drawn to bright vivid colours. However, this isn’t neccessarily the greatest and most realistic setting. Obviously, professional calibration is going to cost equipment and money. But you can make some adjustments yourself to increase your viewing pleasure.

a) Adjust the brightness and contrast in making the blacks blacker and the whites whiter.

b) Adjust the colour. Unless you are watching Katie Price and Alex Reid, not everyone in the media is orange.

c) Adjust the image sharpness. Make the image as clear and crisp as possible. You’ll know when you’ve gone too far because borders and double edges will start to show round the images. Should you prefer to tweak it some more, then I recommend purchasing Digital Video Essentials on DVD or Blu Ray. It is a step-by-step guide to calibrate your LCD or plasma picture settings. Probably for the uber geek, but it is possible to pick the DVD up for around £12.

3. Cables

The purchase price of cable for AV setups is a joke. A good HDMI cable can cost £100. Crazy talk. But do they work? Well, I’m sorry to let you know, yes they do. A decent cable can dramatically increase the performace of the Television and audio system. I wish it wasn’t true but I actually performed this experiment myself last week. I had a vintage scart lead connecting my TV and DVD player. I knew that it wasn’t all that good, but I could just about live with it ( I am a bit short sighted anyway). But, finding myself inside a well know electronics retailer store, I thought I would buy a fancy cable and see just how much the picture improved.

Do not beleive the hype I thought. I will take the lead back at those prices if I don’t get a good result. However, after plugging it in, it was like someone had switched the lights on. A fantastic, crisp, bright picture appeared before me. Damn I thought – that has cost me!

A tip though. I do have an exceptionally nice 1080p Full HD LCD. There will not be any point spending hundreds of pounds on high quality cables if you have a cheap, rubbish TV you bought from ASDA for next to nothing with 2 cut price DVDs. It’s not a magic wand.

4. Sound

Now we turn to sound. If you haven’t got a surround sound system, you’re not going to get that rich, deep, sound and the atmosphere of the stadium. So, you really should consider purchasing one. And I’m afraid yes, you usually get what you pay for. But even a £150 system will be better than your TV. And if space is an issue have a look at purchasing all-in-one speaker bars. They provide surround sound from a single box by bouncing the sound off the walls.

With traditional surround sound, the position of your speakers is key. You’ll get the best sound by placing the centre speaker directly above or below your TV. Left and right speakers should go either side of the TV. The rear left and right speakers should go either side of the sofa at ear height. If you’re not allowed to leave them there (like me, the wife won’t have it), just make sure you can move them when the big match starts. You can put your subwoofer anywhere you like, as it provides bass frequencies that are non-directional.

5. High Definition – are you really watching it?

Just because you’ve an HD ready or Full HD TV doesn’t mean that you’re automatically going to be watching TV in high definition. You’ll will want to add a high-definition source such as Freeview HD, Sky HD, Virgin V+ or Freesat. And that means you will want to either upgrade your package. Or in the case of Freeview, by an HD decoder. Remember only certain channels are broadcast in HD and you’ll will need to be tuned in to watch them.

That should about cover it. Follow this advice and watch the world cup at high quality in the comfort of your own home. While you might not get the atmosphere of the pub, at least you can guarantee a seat..

This doesn’t cover everyting involved when you are creating your own web site, but hopefully I have given you an insight in to what is involved. There are plenty of ebooks and such stuff that you can find on the internet. I always go to a company called computer repair london. They don’t just repair computers, they also provide IT support as well and they are always helpfull if you get stuck on anything.

About the Author

I have been heavily involved in the property business for over twenty years. My work ranges from gardening, electrics and diy. Gasically I can turn my hand to pretty much anything.

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