01 Sep About Legacy Home Theater Systems
You were the first on the block with a home theater system, but now your neighbors have newer, better home entertainment rigs. Cheer up – you can significantly enhance the performance of your existing home theater set up with system upgrades. In my last blog I talked about ways to enhance the system’s sound, and to improve the acoustics in your home theater room. Here are a couple of additional ways we advise our clients at PAC-NJ, northern New Jersey’s source for home theater design and installation, on how to soup up the performance of a legacy home theater:
Upgrade your image: One simple way to ensure that you are really watching a true HD image on your home theater screen, be it flat panel display or projection system, is to upgrade the generic hdmi cables that either came with your system components or that your TV service provider included with your cable box or Fios receiver. The aftermarket audio video cables that are readily available today represent a significant upgrade. These HD TV cables will pass the speed and bandwidth that your HD display requires, so you can enjoy a true 1080P image.
Another surefire way to get the most out of your HD TV is having a professional calibration performed by a trained audio video technician. This process requires video test equipment, and 1 to 2 hours of an experienced and well-trained technician’s time. The results will be quite easy to appreciate. Home theater video displays that have not been properly calibrated will typically only deliver about 70% of their obtainable performance level. And as a side benefit, the calibrated HD TV will last up to twice as long as one that was never properly calibrated.
And finally, if your original home theater budget didn’t include money for a first rate, custom-programmed, universal remote control, now is the time to treat yourself to the joy of a single remote that you won’t need to aim. Yes, it’s time to clear your coffee table of the four or five remotes that your system now requires. Picture the beauty of pushing one button on one remote and the lights dim, the curtains open, and your home theater system comes alive! It’s high tech Shangri-La!