TechMyAV

The conclusion to our Home Theater 101 Series You mulled over exactly where and how your home theater would all be placed in your room. You picked out the best projector or tv you could afford. The sound system consisted of running a lot of wires but, it's all hooked up and dialed in. You popped an extra buttery bowl of popcorn and settled into your favorite spot on the couch. Now what?, pop in that old worn out VHS tape of a late night B-movie horror recording? We hope not, the horror indeed. Let's work out on how to get the most out of your system. It's not really so much what you are going to watch, stream, or listen to, but how you go about doing that. What, is a matter of preference afterall, and we're not ones to judge....too much. HD (High Definition) Content In Act II of this series we touched a bit on how the resolution of a TV or Projector was not its end-all specification. In that same vein, all HD content is not the same either. Streaming a 4K movie from an ...

A continuation of our Home Theater 101 Series Previously, we covered the Room itself and looked into TVs and Projectors and are now ready to put the A in A/V. Some thoughts you might be hearing go through your mind are;  How do I make sound decisions when there are so many choices? Do I really need all those speakers? Which setup is right for me? How future-proof will all this be? Can I do it in stages or do I have to do it all at once?  Sound System Basics Sound is critical to a movie. Per George Lucas, "The sound and music are 50% of the entertainment in a movie". Despite this, most consumers spend $500-$2,000 on a tv and maybe, maybe $100-$200 on some kind of sound system, usually a cheap soundbar of some sort. To demonstrate how critical sound, both sound effects and the music are, watch some rough behind the scenes bonus material of your favorite films and ask yourself if you could sit through that for 2 hours and still get the same level of enjoyment from the movie. Eve...

 A continuation of our Home Theater 101 Series In our first installment, we covered the critical, yet perhaps not the most exciting aspect of the room and space where you'll be building your very own theater. In this part we'll treat those gander globs of yours to some sweet eye candy. So what's it gonna be?, a TV or a Projector? Both? Thinking back on your past visits to a large cinema theater, they of course had a massive screen and a projector system. Most large chain theaters have been upgrading their equipment to some serious kit. High resolutions that make use of the latest HD goodness that Hollywood has to offer. Visit their websites and you'll see that they make sure you know they have the best for you to view the latest flick. However, is it simply because it's the best way to show the same movie to lots of people at the same time? Or are there other benefits to this format? TVs are so popular, why even consider a projector? Time to dig a bit deeper. TVs vs...

Our multi-part series on the basics of creating your own special in-home A/V experience. Going to the theater to watch a movie is an experience. As well as it should be, it's not cheap these days. You know this and the theaters know this. Think about what goes into that experience. There's the movie itself, the reason you're not at home chillaxing to yet another episode of The Office. You saw the previews, the previous movie in a series, or your friends have all talked it up. You're excited and you do not want to be disappointed. The director and staff have labored over this piece of cinematic magic. The script was fine-tuned, the actors meticulously chosen, the camera work second to none, special effects sprinkled in liberal yet tasteful handfuls, and the sound arranged and composed to extract the maximum from every impact and emotion.  Theaters have tailored their business to create an environment that capitalizes on all this in the hopes that you keep coming back. Pa...