Home Theater Hacks

Hack #17. Improve the Picture on Rear Projection TVs

Taking the protective reflective screen off a rear projection television increases black levels, reduces glare, and makes for a much-improved picture, especially during daylight hours.

We've all been there before: you've got the day off, and you decide to sit around the house and enjoy watching Saving Private Ryan in your home theater, without constraints on volume from your roommates, significant other, or spouse. Everything is great—until you realize you can't see Tom Hanks because sunlight from the rear window is glaring up your screen. What began as an enjoyable experience quickly becomes annoying, and you end up spending all day answering email and grumbling about your TV. Fortunately, the answer to this problem is simpler than you might imagine.

Rear projection televisions (RPTVs) have a protective screen placed between the actual screen elements of the television and the viewer. This protects your TV from pets, carpet dander, and the hands of two-year-olds. However, if you've got your theater in a well-controlled environment where there isn't much traffic (resulting in low carpet dander), and pets and children are either not allowed or watched fairly closely, the protective screen stops serving its purpose. In fact, it actually hurts the picture, allowing for light sources to cause glare and distortion. In these cases, removing the screen is a great idea.

First, you'll need to remove the speaker covers on the bottom of ...