Home Theater Hacks

Home Theater Hacks

by Brett McLaughlin
Released November 2004
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9780596550622

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Book description

It might be the long lines at the theater, the $4.00 for a small bag of popcorn, or the cutting-edge technology that's now so readily available to the home market. Whatever the reason, the home theater market today is booming like the soundtrack to Star Wars! Want proof? A Google search for home theater reveals over three million results. Yikes!

It's simply undeniable: More and more people prefer watching their favorite movies, television shows, and videos from the comfort of their own sofas and couches. What's also undeniable is the inexperience of most people who choose to install or upgrade their home theaters.

Until now, the knowledge, technique, and experiences of those who've encountered similar conditions to yours could only be accessed through laborious web searches, stacks of magazines, and water cooler conversations. Home Theater Hacks from O'Reilly is the perfect remedy for this group.

A smart collection of insider tips and tricks, Home Theater Hacks covers home theater installation from start to finish, purchase to experience. Just imagine: no frustrating trial-and-error process and better yet, no expensive appointments with installation experts. Home Theater Hacks prevents both by imparting down-and-dirty technique not found anywhere else.

The book begins with a quick glossary of terms so you can speak the lingo when you go shopping, and then dives right into hush-hush, insider tricks. It's all covered where to find the right audio and video components, how to deal with speakers and wiring, understanding cable connectivity, mastering remote controls, how to fully grasp TiVo, and so much more. And to top it off, each of these insider tips is presented in a concise yet delightfully entertaining style. Bringing the Jurassic Park dinosaurs into your living room has never been so easy!

A seasoned veteran with numerous O'Reilly titles under his belt, author Brett McLaughlin leaves no stone unturned in helping you customize your home theater experience to your own personal environment.

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Table of contents

  1. Home Theater Hacks
    1. SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with O’Reilly
    2. Copyright
    3. Credits
      1. About the Author
      2. Contributors
      3. Acknowledgments
    4. Preface
      1. Why Home Theater Hacks?
      2. How to Use This Book
      3. How This Book Is Organized
      4. Conventions
      5. Using Code Examples
      6. How to Contact Us
      7. Got a Hack?
      8. Disclaimer
    5. 1. Buying Gear
      1. 1.1. Hacks 1–8
      2. Hack #1. Master Theater-Speak
        1. 1.2.1. Televisions
        2. 1.2.2. DVD Players
        3. 1.2.3. VCRs
        4. 1.2.4. Satellite and Cable Receivers
        5. 1.2.5. Receivers
        6. 1.2.6. Separates
      3. Hack #2. Audition Before You Buy
        1. 1.3.1. Prepare Your Ears with AM Radio
        2. 1.3.2. Bring a Favorite DVD and Audio CD for Auditioning
        3. 1.3.3. Avoid Switch Boxes
        4. 1.3.4. Evaluate the Whole, Not the Parts
        5. 1.3.5. Always Look at the Manual
      4. Hack #3. Buy from Chain Stores with Skepticism
        1. 1.4.1. The Pitfalls of Chain Stores
        2. 1.4.2. Dress for the Best Service
        3. 1.4.3. A Limited Inventory
      5. Hack #4. Buy in Person from Electronics Boutiques
        1. 1.5.1. Understand the Pricing Model
        2. 1.5.2. Prepare First, Shop Second
        3. 1.5.3. Shop for the Complete Package
      6. Hack #5. Shop Intelligently at eBay
        1. 1.6.1. What Should I Get Online?
        2. 1.6.2. Avoid Scams
          1. 1.6.2.1. Insist on pictures
          2. 1.6.2.2. Pay attention to feedback
          3. 1.6.2.3. Email, email, email
      7. Hack #6. Find High-End Equipment Online
        1. 1.7.1. Be Careful of Auctions
        2. 1.7.2. Retail Prices Are Useless
        3. 1.7.3. Always Call Dealers
      8. Hack #7. Buy Cabinets for Your Gear
        1. 1.8.1. Starting Out "On the Cheap"
        2. 1.8.2. The Real Deal
        3. 1.8.3. Cable Management?
        4. 1.8.4. Avoid Glass Like the Plague
      9. Hack #8. Plan Your Room Décor
        1. 1.9.1. Paint and Carpet
        2. 1.9.2. Lighting
        3. 1.9.3. Posters
        4. 1.9.4. Seating
        5. 1.9.5. The Little Things
    6. 2. Video Components
      1. 2.1. Hacks 9–20
      2. Hack #9. Get the Right TV
        1. 2.2.1. Look for Dim Lighting
        2. 2.2.2. Consider the Source
        3. 2.2.3. Connectivity
        4. 2.2.4. Size Is Everything…
        5. 2.2.5. Which Brand?
      3. Hack #10. Your TV's First Steps
        1. 2.3.1. While the Delivery Van Is in the Drive
        2. 2.3.2. Prevent Early Burn-In
      4. Hack #11. Move Your TV Safely
      5. Hack #12. Fix Panasonic's Picture Glitch
        1. 2.5.1. Entering the Service Menu
        2. 2.5.2. Fixing the Picture
        3. 2.5.3. What Happened?
      6. Hack #13. Figure Out Aspect Ratios
        1. 2.6.1. From the Big Screen to the Small Screen
        2. 2.6.2. Prevalent Aspect Ratios
          1. 2.6.2.1. 1.33:1 (4:3)
          2. 2.6.2.2. 1.66:1
          3. 2.6.2.3. 1.78:1 (16:9)
          4. 2.6.2.4. 1.85:1
          5. 2.6.2.5. 2.35:1
        3. 2.6.3. What Does This Mean to Me?
      7. Hack #14. Avoid Cheap Projectors
        1. 2.7.1. The Players
          1. 2.7.1.1. Cathode-ray tube (CRT)
          2. 2.7.1.2. Liquid crystal display (LCD)
          3. 2.7.1.3. Digital light processing (DLP)
          4. 2.7.1.4. Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCOS)
        2. 2.7.2. Black Is Beautiful
        3. 2.7.3. High-End Projectors
      8. Hack #15. DVHS on a Budget
        1. 2.8.1. A History Lesson
        2. 2.8.2. Enter the Hackers
        3. 2.8.3. Modding the VCR
        4. 2.8.4. A DVHS Application
      9. Hack #16. Cover Black Bars with Letterbox Mattes
        1. 2.9.1. Widescreen TVs, Take Notice
        2. 2.9.2. Creating the Matte
        3. 2.9.3. Attaching the Matte
      10. Hack #17. Improve the Picture on Rear Projection TVs
      11. Hack #18. Paint Your Theater a Neutral Color
        1. 2.11.1. The Munsell Neutral Value Scale
        2. 2.11.2. The Munsell Book of Color
        3. 2.11.3. Putting It Together
      12. Hack #19. Backlight Your TV
        1. 2.12.1. Some Nice Side Effects
        2. 2.12.2. My Light Is Too Bright!
      13. Hack #20. Add Metal Plating to Support a Center Speaker
      14. Hack #21. Squeeze Your TV into Your Basement
        1. 2.14.1. Remove the Speaker Grill
        2. 2.14.2. Wiggle the Grill Off
        3. 2.14.3. Remove Vented Rear Cover
        4. 2.14.4. Remove the Screen
        5. 2.14.5. Detach Wiring from the Screen Assembly
        6. 2.14.6. Remove the TV's Top Housing
        7. 2.14.7. Move It!
        8. 2.14.8. Reassemble
    7. 3. Audio Components
      1. 3.1. Hacks 22–27
      2. Hack #22. Get the Right Receiver
        1. 3.2.1. Choosing a Brand
        2. 3.2.2. Spending Some Money
      3. Hack #23. Watts Are Meaningless Without Context
        1. 3.3.1. Getting a Handle on SPL
        2. 3.3.2. Relating Wattage to SPL
        3. 3.3.3. Factoring in Distance
      4. Hack #24. Amplify the Front Soundstage
        1. 3.4.1. Connecting the Amplifiers
        2. 3.4.2. Where's the On/Off Switch?
        3. 3.4.3. But That's a Lot of Equipment
        4. 3.4.4. Experiencing the Difference
      5. Hack #25. The Mythical Burn-In Period
        1. 3.5.1. Warm Your Components Up, Don't Burn Them In
        2. 3.5.2. Cable Burn-In Is a Waste of Time
      6. Hack #26. Use Gain Offset to Regulate Volume
        1. 3.6.1. Understanding Dynamic Range
        2. 3.6.2. Dynamics Between Playback Formats
        3. 3.6.3. Gain Offset
          1. 3.6.3.1. Sample procedure: Lexicon MC-12.
          2. 3.6.3.2. Sample procedure: Pioneer Elite VSX-49TXi.
      7. Hack #27. Use Dynamic Range Compression to Regulate Volume
    8. 4. High Definition
      1. 4.1. Hacks 28–35
      2. Hack #28. Ensure You Can Get HD Programming
        1. 4.2.1. The Telecommunications Act of 1996
        2. 4.2.2. Should I Buy an HDTV?
          1. 4.2.2.1. Can I afford an HDTV?
          2. 4.2.2.2. How much programming is available?
        3. 4.2.3. Terrestrial Broadcasts
          1. 4.2.3.1. Cable TV.
          2. 4.2.3.2. DirecTV.
          3. 4.2.3.3. DISH Network.
          4. 4.2.3.4. VOOM.
          5. 4.2.3.5. CBS national stations.
          6. 4.2.3.6. C-band 4DTV.
      3. Hack #29. Get the Right Type of HD Set
        1. 4.3.1. Display Technologies
          1. 4.3.1.1. CRTs.
          2. 4.3.1.2. Plasma.
          3. 4.3.1.3. DLP.
          4. 4.3.1.4. LCD.
          5. 4.3.1.5. LCOS and D-ILA.
        2. 4.3.2. Set Types
          1. 4.3.2.1. Direct view.
          2. 4.3.2.2. Rear projection.
          3. 4.3.2.3. Front projection.
        3. 4.3.3. Set Configurations
        4. 4.3.4. Burn-in
        5. 4.3.5. The Rainbow Effect
      4. Hack #30. Add a Set Top Box
        1. 4.4.1. STB Video Output Options
          1. 4.4.1.1. More on DVI.
          2. 4.4.1.2. Avoiding (most) risk.
        2. 4.4.2. STB Audio Output Options
      5. Hack #31. Properly Size Your HD Image
      6. Hack #32. Get the Right Antenna
        1. 4.6.1. Antenna Basics
          1. 4.6.1.1. The TV channels.
          2. 4.6.1.2. Decibels.
          3. 4.6.1.3. Noise.
          4. 4.6.1.4. Signal amplifiers and preamplifiers.
          5. 4.6.1.5. Receiver noise.
          6. 4.6.1.6. Transmission cable.
          7. 4.6.1.7. Receiver overload.
        2. 4.6.2. Types of Antennas
          1. 4.6.2.1. The dipole antenna.
          2. 4.6.2.2. Stacked dipoles.
          3. 4.6.2.3. Reflector antennas.
          4. 4.6.2.4. Log-periodic dipole arrays (LPDAs).
          5. 4.6.2.5. Yagi antennas.
          6. 4.6.2.6. Comparing antenna types.
          7. 4.6.2.7. Radiation patterns.
        3. 4.6.3. Commercial Antenna Types
          1. 4.6.3.1. UHF antennas.
          2. 4.6.3.2. VHF antennas.
      7. Hack #33. Erect an OTA Antenna
        1. 4.7.1. Proceed at Your Own Risk
        2. 4.7.2. Choosing a Mounting Site
          1. 4.7.2.1. Diffraction.
          2. 4.7.2.2. Trees.
          3. 4.7.2.3. Is a higher antenna always better?
          4. 4.7.2.4. Adding to the confusion.
          5. 4.7.2.5. Attic antennas.
      8. Hack #34. Don't Use Portable Signal Strength Meters
      9. Hack #35. Resolve Problems After Buying an HDTV
        1. 4.9.1. Bridging Component Video and VGA Connectors
        2. 4.9.2. Understanding Subchannels
        3. 4.9.3. Why Can't I Get My Local DTV Station?
        4. 4.9.4. Picture Quality
        5. 4.9.5. Determining Display Resolution
        6. 4.9.6. Waiting on Local Networks to Broadcast in HD
        7. 4.9.7. Grabbing HD Local Channels Through Satellite Providers
        8. 4.9.8. Getting Rid of Artifacts
        9. 4.9.9. The Problem with SD Programming
    9. 5. Speakers and Wiring
      1. 5.1. Hacks 36–47
      2. Hack #36. Organize Your A/V Racks
        1. 5.2.1. Component Placement
        2. 5.2.2. Label Your Components
        3. 5.2.3. Use Banana Plugs for Connectors
        4. 5.2.4. Use Velcro for Cable Management
      3. Hack #37. Get the Right Speakers for the Job
        1. 5.3.1. Understand Speaker Crossovers
          1. 5.3.1.1. Crossover basics
          2. 5.3.1.2. Digging into the technical details
        2. 5.3.2. Choose the Speakers with the Best Music Playback
        3. 5.3.3. Five Mini-Speakers Trump Two Towers
        4. 5.3.4. The Importance of Brand Matching
      4. Hack #38. Select the Perfect Rear and Side Speakers
        1. 5.4.1. Monopole Speakers
        2. 5.4.2. Dipole Speakers
        3. 5.4.3. Bipole Speakers
      5. Hack #39. Little Speakers Can Create Big Problems
      6. Hack #40. Add Bass Shakers to Feel the Lows
        1. 5.6.1. What Is a Bass Shaker?
        2. 5.6.2. Buying a Shaker
        3. 5.6.3. Sample Installation: Aura Systems
        4. 5.6.4. Filtering
      7. Hack #41. Lower the Resonant Frequency of Aura Bass Shakers
        1. 5.7.1. Going Further
      8. Hack #42. Use Subwoofers as a Poor Man's Bass Shaker
      9. Hack #43. Convert In-Wall Speakers to In-Ceiling Speakers
      10. Hack #44. Banana Plugs Trump Bare Wires
      11. Hack #45. Use the Same Speaker Wire Lengths (Not!)
      12. Hack #46. Use Thicker Wiring for Longer Runs
      13. Hack #47. Bi-Wiring and Bi-Amping Speakers
        1. 5.13.1. Active Bi-Amping
        2. 5.13.2. Passive Bi-Amping
        3. 5.13.3. Bi-Wiring
    10. 6. Subwoofers
      1. 6.1. Hacks 48–54
      2. Hack #48. Learn Sub Talk
        1. 6.2.1. Subwoofer Parts
        2. 6.2.2. Subwoofer Connections
        3. 6.2.3. Miscellany
      3. Hack #49. Choose the Right Subwoofer
        1. 6.3.1. Displacement
        2. 6.3.2. Power
        3. 6.3.3. Subwoofer Alignments
          1. 6.3.3.1. Sealed.
          2. 6.3.3.2. Ported.
          3. 6.3.3.3. Bandpass alignments.
          4. 6.3.3.4. Basshorn.
          5. 6.3.3.5. Infinite baffle.
          6. 6.3.3.6. Dipole.
        4. 6.3.4. Hoffman's Iron Law
      4. Hack #50. Match the Sub to Your Room
        1. 6.4.1. Room Size Doesn't Limit Subwoofer Extension
        2. 6.4.2. Subwoofer Orientation Doesn't Matter
        3. 6.4.3. Analyzing Room Effect
        4. 6.4.4. Going Shopping
      5. Hack #51. Hook Up Your Subwoofer Correctly
        1. 6.5.1. Set Speakers to Small
        2. 6.5.2. Setting the Crossover Frequency
        3. 6.5.3. Connecting the Subwoofer to the Receiver
        4. 6.5.4. Defeating the Plate Amplifier's Crossover
        5. 6.5.5. All That Other Junk
      6. Hack #52. Optimize Subwoofer Placement
        1. 6.6.1. Basic Principles
        2. 6.6.2. The "Six-Pack" Method
      7. Hack #53. Use Multiple Subwoofers
      8. Hack #54. Remove Subwoofer Hum
        1. 6.8.1. Hum Created by Coaxial Cable
        2. 6.8.2. Ground Loop Hum
    11. 7. Connectivity
      1. 7.1. Hacks 55–59
      2. Hack #55. Cable Basics
        1. 7.2.1. RCA-Analog Audio
        2. 7.2.2. RCA-Digital Audio
        3. 7.2.3. RCA-Composite Video
        4. 7.2.4. S-Video
        5. 7.2.5. RCA-Component Video
        6. 7.2.6. BNC
        7. 7.2.7. Optical
        8. 7.2.8. XLR
        9. 7.2.9. F-Connector
      3. Hack #56. Watch Out for Entertainment Centers
        1. 7.3.1. Problem #1: Overheated Equipment
        2. 7.3.2. Problem #2: Impossible Wiring Access
        3. 7.3.3. Problem #3: Unusable Remote Controls
        4. 7.3.4. Problem #4: Bad Sound from the Speakers
        5. 7.3.5. Problem #5: Bad Stereo Separation
        6. 7.3.6. Problem #6: Inflexible or Unmovable (or Both!)
        7. 7.3.7. Problem #7: Inconveniently Low Access
        8. 7.3.8. Problem #8: Speaker Blockage
        9. 7.3.9. Conclusion
      4. Hack #57. Don't Be Swindled into Buying Overly Expensive Cables
        1. 7.4.1. About Wires and Electricity
          1. 7.4.1.1. Water pressure=electrical voltage.
          2. 7.4.1.2. Water flow=electrical current.
          3. 7.4.1.3. Water's sudden change in direction=electrical frequency/signal
          4. 7.4.1.4. Pipes/corrosion resistance=wires and cables/corrosion resistance
          5. 7.4.1.5. Pipe/watertightness=cables/shielding
          6. 7.4.1.6. About electrical signals
        2. 7.4.2. The Truth About "Wiring Upsell"
        3. 7.4.3. Wiring Recommendations
          1. 7.4.3.1. Speaker wires.
          2. 7.4.3.2. Audio "line-level" signal cables.
          3. 7.4.3.3. Video signal cables
          4. 7.4.3.4. Antenna/broadcast cable connections
      5. Hack #58. Use Your Receiver for Video Switching
      6. Hack #59. Understand Component Video Switching
    12. 8. Calibration
      1. 8.1. Hacks 60–74
      2. Hack #60. Choose the Right Seating Distance
      3. Hack #61. Get the Best Calibration Tools
        1. 8.3.1. Types of Calibration
        2. 8.3.2. Tools of Calibration
      4. Hack #62. Choose the Right Calibration DVD
        1. 8.4.1. More than a Tool
        2. 8.4.2. Digital Video Essentials
          1. 8.4.2.1. DVE pros.
          2. 8.4.2.2. DVE cons.
        3. 8.4.3. Avia
          1. 8.4.3.1. Avia pros.
          2. 8.4.3.2. Avia cons.
        4. 8.4.4. Sound & Vision Home Theater Tune-Up
          1. 8.4.4.1. S&V pros.
          2. 8.4.4.2. S&V cons.
      5. Hack #63. Calibrate Speakers with a Sound Meter
        1. 8.5.1. Positioning the SPL Meter
        2. 8.5.2. Testing the First Speaker
        3. 8.5.3. Testing the Remaining Speakers
      6. Hack #64. Set the Receiver's Reference Level
        1. 8.6.1. It's About Output
        2. 8.6.2. A Moot Point
      7. Hack #65. Avoid Using THX Optimizer
      8. Hack #66. Avoid Using Internal Test Tones
      9. Hack #67. Set Your Speakers to "Small" in Your Receiver Setup
      10. Hack #68. Hack Your TV's Service Menu
        1. 8.10.1. Hitachi
          1. 8.10.1.1. The hard way.
          2. 8.10.1.2. The easy way.
        2. 8.10.2. Mitsubishi
        3. 8.10.3. Panasonic
          1. 8.10.3.1. Terminology.
          2. 8.10.3.2. Entering Serviceman Mode.
          3. 8.10.3.3. Accessing and modifying the service adjustments.
        4. 8.10.4. Sony
          1. 8.10.4.1. NTSC sets.
          2. 8.10.4.2. PAL sets.
        5. 8.10.5. Toshiba
          1. 8.10.5.1. Service Menu.
          2. 8.10.5.2. Designer Menu
          3. 8.10.5.3. Navigation
      11. Hack #69. Clean the Optics on RPTVs
        1. 8.11.1. What Is Dust?
        2. 8.11.2. The Effect of the Mirror
        3. 8.11.3. Regular Maintenance Required
        4. 8.11.4. Cleaning the Optics and Mirror
        5. 8.11.5. Watch Out For…
      12. Hack #70. Reduce Focus Problems on RPTVs
      13. Hack #71. Reduce Lens Flare on RPTVs
        1. 8.13.1. Preparations
        2. 8.13.2. Working on the Lenses
        3. 8.13.3. Conclusion and Results
      14. Hack #72. Focus Your Front Projector
        1. 8.14.1. Mechanical Gun Aim
        2. 8.14.2. Rough Optical Focus
        3. 8.14.3. Electron Beam Astigmation
          1. 8.14.3.1. Ovalness adjustments
          2. 8.14.3.2. Centering adjustments
          3. 8.14.3.3. Triangularity adjustments.
        4. 8.14.4. Phosphor Grain Optical Focus Technique
        5. 8.14.5. Focusing Lens Cap
        6. 8.14.6. Final Beam and Optical Focus
      15. Hack #73. Don't Mess with Odd Screws
        1. 8.15.1. What's the Big Deal?
        2. 8.15.2. Going in Through the Front of a Pioneer Elite TV
      16. Hack #74. Annual Home Theater Tune-Up
    13. 9. Do It Yourself
      1. 9.1. Hacks 75–83
      2. Hack #75. Build Your Own Speaker Stands
        1. 9.2.1. Basic Bookshelf Speaker Stands
        2. 9.2.2. Sturdier Stands for Heavier Speakers
        3. 9.2.3. Costs Involved
      3. Hack #76. Add Rollers and a Stand to Your TV
        1. 9.3.1. Required Materials
        2. 9.3.2. Construction
      4. Hack #77. Construct a Screen for Projection
        1. 9.4.1. Frame It and Stretch It
      5. Hack #78. Mask Your Screen
        1. 9.5.1. Constant Area Viewing
          1. 9.5.1.1. Constant width.
          2. 9.5.1.2. Constant height.
          3. 9.5.1.3. Constant area.
        2. 9.5.2. Constructing the Masking
      6. Hack #79. Construct Speaker Cables Using CAT 5
        1. 9.6.1. Materials
        2. 9.6.2. Construction
        3. 9.6.3. Some Notes on the Design
      7. Hack #80. Home-Grow Your Power Cables
        1. 9.7.1. What You'll Need
        2. 9.7.2. For Grounded Digital Components
        3. 9.7.3. For Grounded Analog Components and Amplifiers
          1. 9.7.3.1. Additional parts.
          2. 9.7.3.2. Additional notes.
        4. 9.7.4. For Ungrounded Components
        5. 9.7.5. Some General Notes on Design
      8. Hack #81. Build a 16-Bay UHF Antenna
        1. 9.8.1. Gang Up
        2. 9.8.2. Mount Types
          1. 9.8.2.1. Side-by-side mounting.
          2. 9.8.2.2. One-over-the-other mounting.
        3. 9.8.3. Mounting the Antennas
        4. 9.8.4. Connecting the Antennas Together
        5. 9.8.5. Possible Problems
      9. Hack #82. Ground Your Outdoor Antenna
        1. 9.9.1. Types of Grounding
        2. 9.9.2. Grounding the Antenna
        3. 9.9.3. Risks of Damage
      10. Hack #83. Build a Lens Hood for Your RPTV
        1. 9.10.1. Taking the Last Part First
        2. 9.10.2. Mocking Up
        3. 9.10.3. Actual Construction
    14. 10. Remote Controls
      1. 10.1. Hacks 84–89
      2. Hack #84. Add a Programmable Remote
      3. Hack #85. Program Your Remote with ProntoEdit
        1. 10.3.1. Updating Your Firmware
      4. Hack #86. Create Custom Graphics for Color Remotes
        1. 10.4.1. Choose Colors That Work
        2. 10.4.2. Smooth Out Images with Antialiasing
        3. 10.4.3. Think Big, Finish Small
        4. 10.4.4. Convert to the Right Colors
        5. 10.4.5. Dithering Is a Must
        6. 10.4.6. Tweak, Hack, Play
      5. Hack #87. Learn IR Codes the Smart Way
        1. 10.5.1. Press or Hold?
        2. 10.5.2. Proper Spacing
        3. 10.5.3. Replace the Batteries
        4. 10.5.4. Lights Out!
        5. 10.5.5. Software or Hardware?
        6. 10.5.6. Right Side Up
        7. 10.5.7. Two-Way Confusion
        8. 10.5.8. IR Reflections
        9. 10.5.9. Duck Blind
        10. 10.5.10. The Flutter Effect
        11. 10.5.11. Flyboy
        12. 10.5.12. Out of Memory?
      6. Hack #88. Work around Proprietary Remote Systems
        1. 10.6.1. Sony VisionTouch
        2. 10.6.2. High-Frequency IR Systems
        3. 10.6.3. Pace Cable Boxes
        4. 10.6.4. Parity Bits
        5. 10.6.5. RF Satellites
          1. 10.6.5.1. Tricking Sony DSS receivers.
        6. 10.6.6. Other RF Equipment
        7. 10.6.7. X10 Automation
      7. Hack #89. Disable NetCommand for Faster Response
    15. 11. HTPC
      1. 11.1. Hacks 90–93
      2. Hack #90. Choose the Right Display Resolution for Analog-Input HDTVs
        1. 11.2.1. Interlaced Versus Progressive Display Formats
      3. Hack #91. Add Custom Resolutions with PowerStrip
        1. 11.3.1. Getting PowerStrip
        2. 11.3.2. Adding Custom Resolutions
        3. 11.3.3. Tweak PowerStrip on an HDTV Set
          1. 11.3.3.1. The computer image is too tall for the HDTV set.
          2. 11.3.3.2. The computer image doesn't appear or is badly distorted.
          3. 11.3.3.3. The computer image is flickering.
          4. 11.3.3.4. The Windows taskbar is 100% chopped off at the bottom of the screen.
          5. 11.3.3.5. The computer image is not centered.
      4. Hack #92. Adjust the Overscan on Your HDTV Display
        1. 11.4.1. Adjusting Horizontal Overscan/Underscan
        2. 11.4.2. Adjusting Vertical Overscan/Underscan
      5. Hack #93. Play Video Games in Custom Resolutions on HDTVs
        1. 11.5.1. Force the Games to Run at 60 Hz
        2. 11.5.2. Underscan Problems
        3. 11.5.3. Fill the Whole Screen
    16. 12. TiVo
      1. 12.1. Hacks 94–100
      2. Hack #94. Must-Skim TV
        1. 12.2.1. Sliding Straight to the Instant Replay
        2. 12.2.2. The 10-FF40-10 Solution
        3. 12.2.3. Speed Reading
      3. Hack #95. Navigation Shortcuts
      4. Hack #96. The 30-Second Commercial Skip
      5. Hack #97. Streaming Internet Audio Broadcasts to TiVo
        1. 12.5.1. The Code
        2. 12.5.2. Running the Hack
      6. Hack #98. Signing Up for the Home Media Option
      7. Hack #99. Remotely Scheduling a Recording
      8. Hack #100. Moving Shows Between TiVo Units
    17. Index
    18. Colophon
    19. SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with O’Reilly

Product information

  • Title: Home Theater Hacks
  • Author(s): Brett McLaughlin
  • Release date: November 2004
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9780596550622