How to Decide which Accessories are Best For Your Hi-Def TV

By Lee Smith

You have the perfect high-def TV for your space, and now you need the perfect accessories for your new home theater experience. Guess what: the best news is that it probably won't cost you as much as you were expecting to have a truly high-quality home theatre system, if you do it right the first time.Whether you have a plasma TV, an LCD TV, or a DLP TV, you need to start with great connectors. Keep the lengths between your television and your cable and other direct video peripherals short, and you won't have to buy the super-high-quality cabling that costs a fortune. HDMI and DVI cabling is expensive, but if you don't stretch your cables across the room you don't need them or their gold-tipped ends. Use standard video cable first to see if the quality is good - but use new cables so you are sure you don't have shorts or other problems in the wiring.

If you're setting up your high-def TV in a dedicated room, you want the whole surround-sound experience. Bose has a commanding lead in terms of quality, so go there if you can afford one. If not, try to get a surround-sound system made by the same manufacturers that made your television to ensure good compatibility. But the acoustics in your viewing room can be just as important as your equipment. Try to cover walls with carpet or drapes, which absorb rather than reflect sound, and use a textured ceiling instead of a flat one. Carpet on the floor of course, is a must. And don't try to keep your room empty. Furniture absorbs sound as well, which can ensure you don't have a problem with echoes.

With video peripherals, match every single specification before buying. Get your television first, but check out Blu-ray systems first to ensure good compatibility with your set. Try to buy from a store where knowledgeable electronics clerks can give you good, albeit geeky, advice. You'd be surprised with how wrong you can go by getting mismatched equipment, so take your time with this. Also, get your universal remote from a company with a good reputation; some of the off-brands don't have the capability to control surprisingly common devices, or the most modern sets.

If you're not sure you can install your flat-screen on the wall yourself, don't dither about. Get a professional to do it for you, and make sure he guarantees his work. You don't want to install the television only to have it crash to the ground and break only a few weeks later!

Once you have all your electronics in place, acquire furniture. Here are various amazing home theater seating systems to be had that are as comfy and fitted to you as an egg crate, and largely of them give all the absolute necessities, like drink holders, built-in vibration for your video game realism enhancement, and nooks to put your universal remote and other gadgets. Obtain good storeroom cabinets as well, if possible that shut so that your disks and other media are out of site.

Finally, the ultimate touch for any perfect residential home theatre: A popcorn machine and refrigerator designed for drinks. If you fix it right, you can last for days in your theatre, only emerging for mandatory bathroom breaks. If you're ready to do it, make it perfect. - 29967

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