Home Theater's Ugly Secrets 4,5,6 and 7
Secret #4: EVEN IF YOU GET A DEAL ON THE TV, THEY WILL HOSE
YOU ON THE STAND. MOST ARE WAY OVERPRICED!
What you should do about it:
Shop around. Find one that isn't the one that is designed to put
more money into the dealer's pants. Look off brand (not the same
manufacturer as the TV.)
This obviously assumes you are looking at a Hi-Def TV that goes
on a wall, or more likely, on a stand. Big CRT rear screen
projectors are all in one box.
You want something that brings the set to seated eye level.
Stand in front of a TV and move up and down and side to side.
The picture will change some. Try to approximate the angle
you'll sit and see how it looks to you.
Don't forget you can also shop at a furniture store.
Stands are usually overpriced.
Secret #5: IF YOU BUY A PLASMA OR OTHER "HANG ON THE WALL"
SET, YOU STILL HAVE WIRES THAT WILL DANGLE UNLESS YOU RUN THEM
IN THE WALL.
The ads all show the screen, but not the wire. At minimum you
have power and signal wires (cable or satellite). By the way,
these babies are heavy. It's not at all like hanging a picture.
What you should do about it:
Plan ahead.
Secret #6: IF YOU SEE A TV THAT SAYS "...READY" THAT MEANS
IT DOESN'T HAVE A TUNER. YOU NEED A TUNER. THEY WILL SELL YOU A
SEPARATE TUNER. YOU ARE BUYING A MONITOR.
Monitors don't have tuners. Since so many sets were being sold
in a way that may be politely called MISLEADING, somebody
changed the regulations - now it has to be disclosed. The
picture may not suck, but just know a monitor should be a lot
cheaper than a true complete TV.
What you should do about it:
Just know this. It can save you money and SHOULD.
Secret #7: SOME PLASMAS AND LCD DIRECT VIEWS LOOK LIKE HI-DEF
BUT AREN'T.
The PICTURES don't look like High Definition because they
aren't. The screens, when OFF, look the same. What they ARE are
wide screen EDTVs - Enhanced Definition - better than old analog
sets but not HIGH Definition.
What you should do about it:
IF YOU WANT HDTV, Pass.
These sets were put out into the market as bait. Often thousands
less than the original run of HDTVs, their pictures were better
than you had been used to, but can't stun you like true HDTV
can.
There. Now you know 4 more Ugly Home Theater secrets.
But, it isn't quite that simple. At
www.GreatHomeTheater.com there are more secrets revealed. I
promise you won't get neurotic or your hands dirty, and I won't
talk you out of what can be a tremendous and highly enjoyable
leap forward in home entertainment.