Five Tips For Getting The Best From The Television And Surround Sound Set-up

You would like to watch the big games from the comfort of your home with pretty much as good a picture and sound set-up as achievable

. Now is the time to purchase a brand new 3D TV and surround sound system. Even if you can't afford it, and for that matter even if you can, there are a few things it is possible to do to ensure you will obtain the utmost performance out of any Television & surround sound system.

1. Postioning your Television

Your TV is probably sat where it is because that is where the closest aerial socket is. A television of some sort has probably been sat there since late '60's. So, you are probably watching Television where you are because some bloke decided that's where he wanted it 50 years ago. And that is not neccessarily the greatest position for it. The most effective position is one where youre most comfortable watching it - probably at eye level when seated, and where the lighting conditions are optimal. For instance, you don't want direct sunlight or even reflected sunlight on your screen. In the day time it will affect your viewing. Now, during the old days when your TV was the dimensions of a small car, it was a smart idea to place it in the corner. But now a flat screen can be positioned almost anywhere. So, if this means moving the aerial point or power socket then get the proverbial 'man' in, to have a look at it.

2. Your TV picture.

Most Televisions are set up by default with everything boosted to appear brighter plus much more colourful. This is because if you go to look in the shop for that new Television it will look like it is giving a better picture than one next to it. We're drawn to bright vivid colours. However, this isnt neccessarily the greatest and most realistic setting. Obviously, professional calibration is going to take equipment and cash. But you can make some adjustments yourself to increase your viewing enjoyment.

a) Adjust the brightness and contrast to make the blacks blacker as well as the whites whiter.

b) Adjust the colour. Unless youre watching Katie Price and Alex Reid, not everyone on tv is orange.

c) Adjust the picture sharpness. Make the image as clear and crisp as possible. You'll know if you've gone too far because borders and double edges will start to show round the images. Should you need to tweak it some more, then I recommend purchasing Digital Video Essentials on DVD or Blu Ray. It is a step by step guide to calibrate your LCD or plasma picture settings. Probably for that uber geek, but it is possible to pick the DVD up for around 12.

3. Cables

The price of cable for AV setups is a joke. A good HDMI cable can cost 100. Crazy talk. But do they work? Well, I am sorry to inform you, yes they do. An outstanding cable can dramatically increase the performace of your Television and audio system. I wish it was not true but I actually performed this experiment myself last week. I had an old scart lead connecting my TV and DVD player. I knew that it wasn't all that good, but I could just about live with it ( I'm a little short sighted anyway). But, finding myself inside a well know electronics retailer store, I thought I'd buy a fancy cable and see how much the picture improved.

Don't beleive the hype I thought. I'll take the lead back at those prices if I do not get a healthy result. However, after plugging it in, it had been like someone had switched the lights on. An amazing, crisp, bright picture appeared before me. Damn I thought - that has cost me!

A tip though. I do have an extremely nice 1080p Full HD LCD. There won't be any point spending numerous pounds on high quality cables if you have an inexpensive, rubbish TV you purchased from ASDA for next to nothing with 2 cut price DVDs. It's not a magic wand.

4. Sound

Now we turn to sound. If you haven't got a surround sound system, you're not going to get that rich, deep, sound and the atmosphere of the stadium. So, you really should consider purchasing one. And I'm afraid yes, you usually get what you pay for. But even a 150 system will be better than your TV. And if space is an issue have a look at purchasing all-in-one speaker bars. They provide surround sound from a single box by bouncing the sound off the walls.

With traditional surround sound, the position of your speakers is key. You'll get the best sound by placing the centre speaker directly above or below your TV. Left and right speakers should go either side of the TV. The rear left and right speakers should go either side of the sofa at ear height. If you're not allowed to leave them there (like me, the wife won't have it), just make sure you can move them when the big match starts. You can put your subwoofer anywhere you like, as it provides bass frequencies that are non-directional.

5. High Definition - are you really watching it?

Just because you've an HD ready or Full HD TV doesn't mean that you're automatically going to be watching TV in high definition. You'll need to add a high-definition source such as Freeview HD, Sky HD, Virgin V+ or Freesat. And that means you will want to either upgrade your package. Or in the case of Freeview, by an HD decoder. Remember only certain channels are broadcast in HD and you'll need to be tuned in to watch them.

That should about cover it. Follow this advice and watch the world cup at high quality in the comfort of your own home. While you might not get the atmosphere of the pub, at least you can guarantee a seat..

by: Bryon Penird

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