Home Theater Hacks

Hack #10. Your TV's First Steps

After the credit card has taken a hit, there are several tasks you need to take care of right away on a new television set. This will allow you to get the TV in the house and make sure it's working, and will guard against early burn-in.

The most difficult time in buying a new TV is the period between checking out at the register (or entering your credit card information online) and actually having the TV in your theater room. You'll be impatient, grumpy, and probably a real pain to be around; who likes to wait? The bad news is that this is exactly the time when you need to be careful and cautious, as many problems can occur in shipping and you're the only one who cares about catching them.

While the Delivery Van Is in the Drive

When the TV arrives on a big delivery truck, you should test the TV—say, in your garage—before you let the shippers leave. You might want to plug it in and connect it to a DVD player just to see if it turns on and if an image appears. If not, you have the option of refusing the shipment.

Some also recommend that you look through the vent holes behind the TV with a flashlight to check whether anything is out of place. If you want, you can remove the whole bottom back panel to closely inspect the innards. Many folks might not even know what to look for, but if you ensure that everything looks clean and in place, you've already prevented a lot of major problems.

Tip

Sometimes delivery men get cranky and impatient while you do ...