Designing a Home Theater: Know the Details
Designing a home theater can be a very fun task for any home owner. But even though this can be a rewarding job, it can also be very trying at times. There are many factors that you need to take into consideration when you are designing a home theater so that you end up with a result that you are happy with.
The first thing that you will have to keep in mind when designing a home theater system is placement. From the start you will have to decide which room you want your home theater to be in. In addition to which room, you will also have to decide what part of the room is best suited for your system. Often times people have no troubles choosing a room to set up shop, but when it comes to the actual location of the system they are at a loss. When you are setting up your system, take into consideration the size of the room as well as the equipment you will be using. This will allow you to make a solid decision on where everything should be placed.
Besides the actual placement of your home theater system, you will also need to keep in mind that you are in a house. In other words, if your room is not big enough you should not put in a full size movie screen. This will only make your room overbearing, and you will end up with am unconventional setup. Make sure that you keep the size of the room in mind when you are buying your system.
Another thing to consider is the other functions the room might provide. Not everyone can dedicate a room just to the home theater and many find they have to put it in the living room or den. If your home theater room is also used for something else, you will have to take this into consideration when placing furniture and speakers. If you need to work around a desk in the den or the d
Choosing The Best Home Theater Furniture & Seating
Home theater furniture can actually be some of the hardest furniture that you will ever purchase. The reason is that the furniture that you get for your home theater system is not merely purchased for its aesthetic value. The type of furniture must cater to the room in which your home theater system will be housed. Moreover, the furniture must be designed in a way that is ergonomically correct for its arrangement and also the comfort of the viewers.
An example of this would be purchasing a love seat that is only comfortable while sitting in an upright position as you normally would sit. The problem with this is that most people while watching a movie are going to be hunched forward if the movie is worth watching. They may be reaching for popcorn or their drink and if the cushions in the love seat are so high that it is uncomfortable for them to lean forward, then the movie experience itself will be tainted because of this problem with the design of the furniture.
This is not a petty consideration. After all, you are paying thousands of dollars for your home theater system, so why not invest in to home theater furniture that she will actually enjoy, and that your visitors will actually be able to compliment you on when the movie is over.
Here are a few other things to consider. For instance, when considering purchasing home theater furniture, you should think long and hard before getting any kind of furniture unless it involves ergonomic seating. Ergonomic furniture is extremely important so that the viewers do not get any sort of back strain or side aches during viewing.
Think about this. Home theater seating can vary widely and depends on the experience you want and your budget. You can make do with folding chairs or that garage sale sofa, but the better your seating is the better your home theater experience will be.
One other thing to consider is that if you do not plan to use your home theater frequently you can choose home theater furniture that isn’t as comfortable or as durable or easy to clean, but keep in mind that this sort of seating may not be worth it in the long run.
One other thing to think about is how much use your home theater will see. If it will see frequent use, you will want home theater furniture that is ergonomic, as well as made of durable materials that are easy to clean.
If you want it to look like a regular movie theater in miniature, then you will most likely prefer home theater furniture that closely emulates that found in a regular theater. Alternately, if you wish to have more of a ‘honey’ look, you may wish to go with the best kind of seating that is more like traditional armchairs.
Finally, keep in mind the features you want in your home theater furniture. This will affect not only price, but ease of use, ergonomics and comfort, and ease of cleanup. Rocker and reclining seats will be more expensive, but more comfortable for all of your home theater furniture needs.
Michael Kohler is the web master of the Home Theater Guide located at http://www.home-theater-guide.com
A New Technology In Plasma Television: Making TV Viewing Better
Plasma screen televisions are only a few inches thick. This provides installation options that were not possible to do before. In addition to table-top stand mounting, you can hang your plasma television on a wall or from the ceiling, allowing you to enjoy home theater impact from a TV that doesn’t dominate floor space.
Conventional televisions by comparison take up far more space and are much more limited in placement flexibility. Current Plasma television models start at 3.25″ deep, and range in size from 37″, 42″, 50″, and now over 60″.
A plasma screen TV is sometimes called an “emissive” display because the panel is actually self-lighting. This TV display consists of two transparent glass panels with a thin layer of pixels sandwiched in between. Each pixel is composed of three gas-filled cells or sub-pixels, one each for red, green and blue.
A grid of tiny electrodes then applies an electric current to the individual cells, causing a gas (a mix of neon and xenon) in each cell to ionize. This ionized gas, or plasma, emits high-frequency UV rays, which stimulate the cells phosphors, and causes them to glow the desired color.
Here are some of the top brands that use plasma screen TV technology on their TV
Big Screen Technology Buying Guide
If you are a TV lover and have spent any time at all walking past the displays of big screen TV’s in your local stores, I can fully understand what happens — your remote control finger starts to twitch, your rear end starts to long for that comfortable spot in your favorite recliner, and you have a sudden urge to take your shoes off. At least that’s what happens to me. I admit it, I am a TV junkie. Not that I spend a lot of time in front of the TV but when I am there, I require quality, and the more quality in video and audio, the happier I am.
But with the technology available today to the consumer, the choices almost boggle the mind. And Joe Average doesn’t follow the technology closely enough to be able to understand which technology is best for his needs. In fact, Joe’s only gauge of quality is the unit’s price tag, which is probably about the LEAST reliable gauge of them all. So let’s take a quick look at the various technologies available for big screen TV so that you better understand what you are looking AT, as well as understanding what you are shopping FOR.
Regular tube TV: Yes, depending on your budget, this needs to be mentioned as a viable option, although unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past 50 years, there is little new that you need to know about it. It’s a TV, plain and simple. Tube TV’s are typically limited to about 36 inch pictures, with a couple top-end brands even getting to the 40 inch mark. The picture is good, and most of today’s upper-end sets also allow the viewing of HDTV on the same unit. My only word of caution here is that I cannot recommend a set that has a built-in VCR and/or DVD player. The built-in units are typically not high quality with limited functionality, and for the additional money you would pay for such a combo unit, you can get an external VCR or DVD player for far less money.
Now on to the big stuff. But first, since I already mentioned it, a word about HDTV. HDTV is great, providing an incredible picture quality, provided of course that you have the screen that can display that quality. With HDTV, without getting all techie about it, the digital signal contains much more information, and the picture is created in PROGRESSIVE mode rather than INTERLACED mode, meaning that the ENTIRE picture is refreshed with every scan instead of just every other line as is done with interlaced.
I would also recommend a unit with the wide aspect ratio, like 16:9 or sometimes 16:10. This is the ratio of width versus height of the display, and the wide aspect ratio is the one you see when you go to the movie theatre. You can still watch broadcasts on the wide aspect ratio that are designed for the old traditional 4:3 aspect ratio, but it is much harder to watch something designed for 16:9 on a 4:3 display.
Another word of warning: there are big screen units that cannot do HDTV but they can do EDTV. Be aware that these are not the same. In fact, with the next step (SDTV) right around the corner, I don’t see a long lifespan for EDTV. EDTV provides better quality than standard analog TV, but not as sharp and crisp as HDTV.
The different types of big screen TVs are discussed below.
Plasma TV
Advantages: long life (30,000 to 40,000 hours from brand names, significantly less with noname brands), very bright - up to 4-5 times a standard TV, viewing angle is huge - you can be 75-80 degrees off center and still see a clear picture, instant-on feature - there is virtually no warm-up time required, small footprint - since these units are very thin and could even be wall-mounted.
Disadvantages: possible burn-in or “image retention” if the same image is left displayed on the screen for an extended period of time (although when used as a TV this is probably not a concern), can be very pricey at the largest sizes possible (currently around a 50 inch display), very few have a tuner/amplifier built in so you will be required to get an external tuner, pixel failure - where a single pixel just remains white all the time although this is much more common on noname brands and may (check!) be covered under your warranty.
LCD TV
Advantages: Great brightness levels, also very thin and could be mounted on the wall, long life (about 40,000 hours on brand names, substantially less on noname brands), viewing angle is about 45 to 50 degrees from straight on.
Disadvantages: Ghosting - where there may be “artifacts” left on the display during a fast-action movie scene because the LCD cannot keep up with it that fast, viewing angle is not as good as plasma, very expensive technology today, not as good at reproducing accurate color as plasma.
DLP Rear Projection
Advantages: Low purchase cost although this is typically offset by higher operating costs. At the sizes above 42 inches, the DLP big screen is approximately the same price as plasma.
Disadvantages: high operational cost (the single bulb in the projector can cost upwards of $300 to replace), large footprint - you will need to allocate about 15-18 inches from the wall to accommodate the unit, not wall-mountable, poor viewing angle - not much more than 20-25 degrees from straight on, gradually decreasing bulb brightness over time which means your picture is not as sharp or bright.
Understanding the various display technologies available should help you, but keep in mind that this is not the whole story. Also know that as technology advances, prices will continue to fall and there may be more options in the future. There are many other factors to be considered which are discussed at my web sites below. But at least now you have a good feel for the type of technology that will work with both your desires and your budget.
Jon Arnold is an author and computer engineer who maintains various web sites to provide tips and information on a variety of topics. More info on this topic can be found at his Home Theatre Web Site site at http://jag-info-resources.com/home-theatre/
Home Theatre Seating
Are you surprised to see that this subject has a topic of its own? That is because after someone spends the big bucks to get a very nice home theatre system, the aspect of home theatre seating is usually last on their minds. But it should not be. Proper seating is critical to the ultimate enjoyment of your home theatre investment.
Make sure you don’t make this same mistake. Yes, you need to plan for the type of screen you want from the myriad of choices, where to place it, what kind of surround sound system to get for it, where to put the speakers, what options to get with the receiver and amplifer … but plan for the home theatre seating too. Unless you have a gym-sized room and plan to watch your big screen TV with the entire football team and cheerleading squad, you probably don’t want (or can afford) a few dozen Barco loungers in your viewing area. At the same time, you don’t want to use plastic folding chairs, since your viewing audience will likely not make it through the opening credits of the movie before they start to get uncomfortable.
First of all, consider the characteristics of the viewing angle of your system, which is based on the technology you have chosen. Rear projection systems, for example, typically have poor viewing from angles that are very far away from dead on, whereas this same viewing angle issue is not a problem with plasma or LCD screens. DLP screens have this problem somewhat, although not as markedly as rear projection systems. In fact, if you consider the home theatre seating arrangement that you desire to have, this may also influence your decision on what type of technology to use for your big screen, which is yet another reason to plan the seating at the same time you are doing the initial planning for everything else.
For the typical home theatre which probably needs to seat a family-sized group of maybe 4 to 6 people, a couple of loungers and a large sofa would be fine. Now I’m not talking about the big mamma loungers that are the size of a small Cadillac, but just a very comfortable easy chair for you to watch a movie from. Much of the decision about your home theatre seating is going to be based on the size of the room where your system is going to be installed, as well of course as your budget and particular needs.
If you really want to go that extra mile, you may want to equip your surround sound audio system with something called a “tactile transducer”, sometimes also known as a Bass Shaker. This can be attached to a couch or a lounger, and at those times in the movie when there is an earthquake or an explosion or something like that, your home theatre seating residents of the couch or lounger FEEL the action via the Bass Shaker. While some folks feel that this is going a bit too far into the Disney realm, it is neat technology that is available today and not necessarily a budget buster either. A word of caution however — if you implement this technology, it will grow on you and you will want to equip ALL the seats in your viewing area with them as time goes on!
As you shop for the perfect lounger or recliner, you will be further ahead going with quality rather than absolute lowest price. The frame should be a hard wood, not plastic or purely metal. Also note the SIZE of the piece you are considering, since the last thing you want to do as you are purchasing another seat for your home theatre seating arrangement is to have to take off your door frame to get it into the house! You would be surprised at how many people don’t consider this aspect of it and end up having to return the chair of their dreams back to the store.
Jon Arnold is an author and computer engineer who maintains various web sites on a variety of topics. More info on this topic can be found at his Home Theatre web site at http://jag-info-resources.com/home-theatre/
HBOs Lucky Louie Is Comedic Gold
HBO is trying something that they’ve never attempted before. While most of the serials on HBO involve dark, gritty storylines, such as those found in the mafia hit The Sopranos or the life-on-the-inside prison drama Oz, they’ve decided to take a step in another direction. Lucky Louie recently premiered on the station, and it’s HBO’s attempt at landing the sitcom crowd. Starring Louis CK, a semi-famous stand up comic as the man of the house, the show also features Pamela Adlon playing his wife and 5 year old Kelly Gould playing his daughter. The chemistry of the cast is excellent, with fresh and savvy dialogue that you’d expect from a Hollywood comedy writing team. Lucky Louie follows the life of a standard American family, but with some notable HBO exceptions. Gone are all the standards of decency that you would come to expect from a show that revolves around a family. The dialogue is straight-from-the-gut, and it will leave you holding your own belly from laughter. Touching on topics ranging from child rearing to sex after marriage, the show consistently provides punch-lines that will leave you in stitches. While the show has had quite the powerful start, there’s only been two episodes aired thus far.
The pilot episode of Lucky Louie showed that although it’s a sitcom, they won’t be pulling any punches. Amongst other taboos that are smashed throughout the episode, Louis’ nasty habit of masturbating in the closet comes to light and, when asked by his daughter why things are the way they are, he simply replies with “Because God is dead and we are alone.” That’s the kind of comedy you can expect from this show - an almost altogether too-honest look inside of the quirks of the average American family. It’s a breath of fresh air to see a true-to-life sitcom that offers no apologies, and no subject is taboo. It’s also filmed in front of a live studio audience, which provides welcome refreshment from the canned laughter you can find on most TV shows. If you’re looking for your standard, stereotypically portrayed TV family, look elsewhere. If you’re part of a fed-up middle class working family with a good sense of humor, however, this show may be right up your alley. Lucky Louie is rated X for its strong language and simulated sex, and can be seen on HBO with new episodes every Sunday night at 10:30 PM.
Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles for http://moviestelevisionandmore.com/ - In addition, Jonathon also writes articles for http://learntobecloser.com/ and http://1stconsumerinfo.com/
The Force Killed Star Trek
For the first time in decades, there is no Star Trek tv show. There’s talk of an upcoming movie, but that’s still speculative. There are constant rumors as to what brought it down, but one theory growing in popularity is that the big-budget, mega-blockbuster “force” of the recent Star Wars films didn’t do Trekkies any favors.
After disappearing from theaters and TV in 1983, Star Wars began challenging Paramount’s greatest franchise with “Episode One The Phantom Menace.”
At the time, it seems to many fans that the return Star Wars in 1999 couldn’t have come at a worse time for Trekkies because it looked like it could use a boost in its Dilithium Crystals. The most recent entry in the Trek film series (Nemesis) bombed, putting the film franchise on ice.
Meanwhile, with The Next Generation, DSP and Voyager languished in syndicated repeats after wrapping with seven seasons done. Enterprise only lasted four season before it faded out. Now, the television and motion picture future of the franchise remains shrouded in rumors and pessimistic predictions.
At least part of this overall unsettling state of Federation affairs arrived thanks to The Force. If Jim Cameron is King of the World, George Lucas is Emperor of the Universe. The Phantom Menace opened to greatest hype and highest opening day box office numbers in history (grossing almost $42 million in its first two days and more than $61.8 million in its opening weekend). This critic-proof movie became more of a pop culture event than a simple Hollywood premiere. Attack of th Clones and Revenge of the Sith consistently made more than its predecessor making Star Wars into one of the most popular and powerful franchises in movie history. That kind of box office cred can easily pull attention away from Star Trek.
Perhaps there really is no box office equivalence between Star Trek grosses and Star Wars takes. Star Wars is off the chart, while Star Trek is good, but never mammoth. Still Star Wars flourishes while Star-Trek fell off the table.
If you add up the Star Wars franchise earnings at the ticket window, the six films pulled in more than $3 billion, more than the nine Trek films combined.
Star Trek also doesn’t cash in as well overseas, while Star Wars imports. No Trekkie films show up on the 150 highest international grossing films of all-time. While the first three Star Wars films all made the Top 20, with a combined $1.78 billion take.
It would seem that the Federation might have to take a back seat to such galactic buzz. Or, worse, Star-Trek might finally be ready to pack up the phasers and tricorders and resign its commission as Star Wars rules the media universe.
However, the industry professionals I spoke to offered a much more optimistic look at Star-Trek’s immediate future and long-term fate.
Who better to ask about all of Star Trek’s tomorrows than the Franchise boss and Gene Roddenberry’s heir to the throne, Rick Berman. From his offices on the Paramount lot, Berman said there was a lot of interplay between them and Star Wars that reaches beyond just this similar names.
“There’s a great swapping of influences that these two univierses had on one another,” Berman explained. “The success of Star Trek in syndication in the 70s made Star Wars viable in 1977. While Star Wars success led to the first Star Trek film in 1979.”
Berman added, “George Lucas has said that Star Trek was an influence on him.”
Over the years, the two franchises developed differently. According to Berman:
“We tend to do a lot more character driven material with Star Trek. We can build those character through hundreds of television episodes as opposed to over a course of a few films.”
He immediately dismissed any idea that the revived popularity of Star Wars was a threat to Kirk, Picard and company.
“Positioning Star Trek and Star Wars as competitors is inaccurate,” he said. They’re not at each other’s throats. They compliment each other and remain interdependent. Star Wars feeds a general boom in overall interest in all things sci-fi.
Jordan Williams is your TV show insider giving you the inside scoop on todays hottest shows. You can find more articles and news about TV shows from eWeb TV World at http://www.ewebtvworld.com
Custom Home Theaters - Should I Even Consider A Custom Home Theatre?
Having a custom home theater of our very own is an absolute thrill, while being able to say, “It’s exactly as I wanted it - and I put it together myself!” If planning the installation of a home theater is in the making, considering the custom designed options that are available, is definitely something that should be looked into.
There are several systems on the market and many of them will provide us with a wide range of possibilities to put together for our personalized theater system, fitting the specific needs and desires that we want. Many of the leading manufacturers of home theaters, such as Sony, Bose, and Panasonic, will offer the home theater options that can be customized.
Design our own home theater- don’t spend more than what we need to; get the theater system that is perfect for our specific room and desires, not one that only has half of what we want; and don’t spend twice as much money to buy it.
Surround sound goes clear back to Walt Disney in the 1940s, when he incorporated his surround sound technology to “hold the audience” in both visual and audio sensations. The value of having such a customized product is that we can select this same type of quality, the features that will fit us the best, and how we will be able to get the products that we need rather than those that we have to buy with an already complete system.
It makes sense to consider a custom-designed product but before we do, let us evaluate where it will be located. The best thing is to have someone who knows what they are doing come in and evaluate, somebody knowledgeable in the field to access where we are thinking of placing it. Notes need to be taken of good and bad points, in addition to have options suggested for the system’s maximum benefit and ease of use.
Some things the professional may bring up are about the size of the room where the theater system will be located at, and where the audience will sit in relation to the theater screen. Also, he may evaluate the acoustical properties of the room and any surrounding light issues that could affect the type of video display system to be used.
And what about the speakers? What would be the most effective - in wall or stand-alone? Once all of these questions are answered, it needs to be decided whether the components will be located, and checking the room ventilitation for both the components and the viewers.
A solid investment into our home is something open to many positive options. We may find that the home theater system that is already out there is just right for our needs with very little planning but we may also find that the one that is out there is far too big for our home theater needs. Going with a custom designed product puts us in the position to select the very best product for our needs within our budget.
Check out http://www.hometheaterreviews.net/ for more articles on home theater systems.
Jewelry and the Stars: A Glittering Night at the 2006 Academy Awards
The walk by celebrities down the red carpet at the annual Academy Awards is probably just as anticipated by television viewers all over the world as the presentation of the awards themselves. The ladies are the stars of the show, and there’s just something enthralling about seeing them decked out in all their finery for the event. The gowns and the jewelry they’re wearing all reinforce that they are stars, a step above us ordinary mortals.
There have been many examples of female celebrities who have been photographed wearing pieces of jewelry that are simply stunning at the Oscars throughout the years. Madonna, for instance, was wearing $20 million worth of diamonds at her neck, ears, and wrists at the 1991 Oscars. At this year’s event, the jewelry worn by the stars were no less eye-catching, and they included just about every design imaginable in just about every hue of the rainbow.
Best Actress nominee Keira Knightley was wearing a vintage Bulgari chandelier necklace of diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, whose colors were reminiscent of a peacock’s feathers. Jennifer Lopez was wearing dangling earrings and a necklace of gold and diamonds by Fred Leighton, who also designed Dolly Parton’s earrings and brooch. Charlize Theron’s tawny earrings were supplied by Chopard; so were Hilary Swank’s diamond earrings, bracelet and ring. Diamonds were also the favored stones of actresses like Jennifer Aniston, who sported a cleavage-enhancing necklace. Other female celebrities who were seen wearing diamond jewelry were Best Supporting Actress winner Rachel Weisz, Queen Latifah, Felicity Huffman and Jessica Alba.
Diamonds were also the bling of choice for the men of the evening. Diamond studs adorned the earlobes of the likes of Ludacris and Will Smith. But members of the hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia took the obsession with diamonds a little further — they were wearing everything from diamond bracelets to diamond watches to diamond earrings, and according to some accounts, they even had diamonds on their teeth.
Many of these stars don’t own the millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry that they were wearing. Giants in the jewelry industry, such as Harry Winston, Michael Katz, and Kwiat, have been lending their masterpieces for celebrities to wear every year at the Oscars. This gives them great exposure, which translates into a sharp increase in sales — especially for designers whose jewels are worn by an award winner. While the red carpet can symbolize glamour for Oscar viewers around the world, for the designers, the red carpet represents the probability of greater profits both at home and in other countries.
The jewelry worn by celebrities during the Academy Awards adds a greater dimension of glamour to the event. Whether the designs are discreet or ostentatious doesn’t really matter. What matters is that with millions of viewers all over the globe, celebrities should look like they have the right to walk down the red carpet. And with the help of the jewelry they’re wearing, they do. The stars shine ever more brightly once a year during the Oscars.
Sam Serio is a Marketer and writer. For more on jewelry and gemstones,we invite you to visit http://www.morninglightjewelry.com to get your FREE copy of “How To Buy Jewelry And Gemstones Without Being Ripped Off.” Informative articles, comparison shopping, rare book excerpts, & link directory.
Online TV Offers Unique Features And Big Savings
Tired of paying for broadband television and computer access, too? Want to still catch your favorite programs, but you’d rather do it on your terms? If so, why not watch TV online and save a little money?
It might seem a little unusual, but more and more people are taking their television watching to their computers. The reasons for this are many. When the advantages are considered, it’s no wonder many prefer to watch TV online over other more traditional measures.
The reasons why many watch online rather than investing in cable, DVR recording services and so on include:
* Money savings. Many web sites offer streaming video of regular television programs, movies and more for limited costs. There’s no need to pay for broadband twice in this instance. The computer serves the purpose for both.
* Not owning a decent television. Let’s face it, not everyone can afford a great television and a great computer, too. For those who opt for the PC, it can easily be made to double.
* Freedom of viewing choice. Web sites that offer television programming over the Internet also offer shows from a variety of sources. Want to see the morning news from Russia and then catch a program that’s on in England? You can probably do that depending on the service picked up.
* Ability to record and burn onto DVD for future watching. Many computers are already equipped with DVD burners. Why store bulky VHS tapes of your favorite shows if you can stream onto your computer and record instantly on DVD? It doesn’t make sense to do otherwise.
* Programming on demand. With the number of different options available out there, you can pretty much name a show or movie, find the right site and watch it instantly. There’s no reason to wait for something that’s already recorded to play on a regular subscription service.
* Fast editing abilities. Depending on the streaming service you use and the computer equipment involved, shows can quickly be edited for later viewing. This means commercials from regular television can be taken off or even scenes deemed not appropriate for small children can be cut right on your computer before you burn to DVD.
* Multitasking. This is perhaps the favorite of the college student or office worker with a sneaky set up. But for those who are adept at using computers, work can be ongoing while a small screen plays a favorite show, movie or even music video.
While big screen television set-ups are fantastic, the options available for watching on regular television are pretty limited. This is even the case with many cable systems. Why pay for digital cable and high-speed access both when your computer can double as a great television or at least a recorder for your favorite shows? Just record them, burn them on DVD and pop them into a player to watch on the big screen.
Watching TV online is pretty easy to get started with, too, and it can become quite addictive. Depending on the computer equipment involved and the speed of access to the Internet, the program viewing quality can be improved over regular TV as well.
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