These simple tweaks will take just a little bit of time but will make a world of difference.
This week, we’re giving our home theater a little tune-up.
Here’s how to tweak your HDTV into giving you the best video possible.
That’saroundhow many inches you should sit away from the TVor that your TV should sit away from you.
You’ll definitely want to check that your TV is within the range ofone of these charts, though.
While you could do this manually, the best way to do it is with a DVD-based calibration tool.
For $2 you cangrab a pair of blue filter glassesthat will help you initiate the program even better.
If you’re a fan of theCriterion Collection, all their DVDs come with calibration tools as well.
(S&E’s is probably best for beginners.)
Check outour guide to calibrating your TVfor the full step-by-step instructions.
Many people recommend using a colorimiter to help calibrate your TV, too.
Sound
The other half of the home theater equation is sound.
If you have a 5.1 setup, place those speakers accordingly.
Setting up the subwoofer is beast unto its own.
Try a few different locations to see where it sounds best.
So, to set your subwoofer up, do the following:
First, set the crossover.
This is the frequency at which your subwoofer starts playing bass notes.
Next, adjust the gain.
Start playing a song, and turn the subwoofer down until you might’t hear the subwoofer anymore.
That’s all it takes.
One may sound better than the other depending on your room and gear.
(The above text is taken fromour guide to subwoofer volume.)
In most surround sound setups, each speaker has a setting: “small” or “large”.
Tweak the volume level of each channel until they all sound similar.
You’ll want to watch out for a few things as you do this.
ensure you don’t turn your rear speakers up too high.
Start with the basic recommendations and tweak to your liking.
