How do you connect more than one HDMI Cable to your tv if you only have one input for it?

I've got a PS3, Upconverting DVD Player, and an HD DVR all with HDMI, what can I do to get everything connected for best performance?


With that much high end equipment, there's a few options for you. 1 - you can purchase HDMI switching devices from your local electronics store for $100 +, which will give you 3 or more inputs and one output for the signal to the television. 2 - look into a surround sound receiver with HDMI switching - in your case because you want to use HDMI on all three devices is going to be expensive. Most receivers now have 2 HDMI inputs for under $1000. If you are looking for more, you're going to be in the $2000 + range. This will allow you to connect your devices through the receiver and have one HDMI cable go out to the Television. The other benefit to many of these is that you can run all of your components into the receiver and it will upconvert analog signals through HDMI. Say for instance you bought the Denon AVR 2307 ($800) it has upconversion. You could run your PS3 and DVD player with HDMI and your DVR with Component, then have the receiver upconvert the Component video to HDMI and you will have all of your signal coming through the TV with HDMI, and use the receiver as a switching device. 3- Use HDMI for the PS3, and Component for the DVD player and DVR. The picture quality of the DVR won't be that different from what you have now, but the upconverting DVD player will go back to progressive.The best possible outcome for you is to look into a receiver with HDMI switching - this will give you the most flexibility along with the best performance.I hope this helped.

What's up with these new High Def Disc Formats - Which is better?

That's the question that a lot of people are asking. Why are the new technologies so expensive?Well a typical DVD disc can only hold 4.7 GB of information, which is why there are so many movies that offer special editions utilizing a second disc - there's not enough information to keep the resolution of the movie, and high fidelity sound at their highest output, so a second disc is required. But you can hook a DVD to practically any television.

When it comes to Blu-Ray and HD DVD players they are similar in that they will both output a High Definition image from a disc, but differ in many other ways. Blu-Ray and HD DVD discs first off can hold up to 10 times more information that a typical DVD so now you can have tons of extras on a disc (commentaries, deleted scenes, games, behind the scenes, easter eggs, etc), while having up to 1080p lines of resolution and up to 8 channels of surround sound - a typical DVD can not do this.

Between the two formats you will hear many people picking one over the other, I personally prefer Blu-Ray because more movie studios are backing it, and the disc has more capacity (Blu-Ray up to 50GB, HD DVD up to 25/30 GB). There will be more Blu-Ray movies, and more Blu-Ray compatible players, as well as the Playstation 3 that offers Blu-Ray as well.The price is high at the moment because it is new, as was DVD. I paid $600 for my first DVD player, and now I could walk in and get the current generation unit for $120, and other brands for $40 - $70. Blu-Ray and HD DVD will drop, technology always does. First thing you should do is get an HDTV, then decide which of the High Definition Disc formats is right for you.

I hope this helped.

Surround Sound Help Please!?

My TV is a Sony KD-34XBR960, I have an XBOX 360 with HD DVD player. I'm looking to get a sound system, but don't want to blow anyone away. I just want great sound for games and movies.

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Depending on what you want to spend you have quite a few options. You've got a good TV and good source with the XBOX and HD DVD add on. Option #1 - Look at a component Home Theater System - Receiver, Surround Speaker Package, and Subwoofer. With this you'll be looking around $1000 and up. Keep an eye on the adds at Best Buy and they constantly advertise the Klipsch Quintet III surround System, with Sub and Receiver for $1000. You will be hard pressed to find a better deal. The Quintet surround package is the number one selling system in the entire country and has been rated very high by pretty much everyone.Option #2 - Home Theater in A Box (HTIB). This will save you a lot of money, and will give you a complete system for a great value. You can get a pretty good system starting at $400, and a very good HTIB for $700. Look into Yamaha, Denon, and Onkyo for HTIBs as they offer quite a few. These will come with a receiver, speakers, subwoofer, and a few even come with a DVD player that you could use in another room or as a CD player. Can get 5.1 to 7.1 surround sound out of these for movies and games.Option #3 - a 2.1 Speaker system. Samsung, LG, Philips, Denon and others offer 2.1 speaker systems. These will be a receiver, 2 speakers and subwoofer that will simulate surround sound using only 2 speakers and a subwoofer. These are great for small rooms, and sound great. I've got a Denon S101 in my bedroom, and use it for my PS2, DVDs, and Satellite. The cost on these however will be similar to an HTIB.I train home theater for a living, and educate consumers as wel as sales people on how to purchase and sell Home Theater.

Looking to spend $3000, on a home theater, help with equipment please??

I'm looking at a Samsung 61", entry/mid level Onkyo receiver, and a basic Polk Audio Speaker package. Room is 200 sq ft, and I will be sitting 7 - 11 ft from my TV. Need help on products, and additional items I will need.

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It looks like you've got a good start, I'm concerned about the size of the TV for that room though - how far will you be sitting from the TV?You're on the right path with DLP and Samsung, but if you're going to be closer than 12 - 14 ft. then the 61" is going to be too large. If you're over 15 ft. then the 61" will be good, but anything under I'd look around a 50", not only will it be better for viewing distance, but it will be better for your eyes, and also will give you a better picture. As far as the receiver and speakers go, both are a good value, but for just a little more you can get quite a bit more out of a high perofmance HTIB. Take a look at the Denon DHT487. Its $699, and comes with a full speaker package equivalent to the Polk, a better receiver, and an upconverting DVD player with HDMI. It is a 7.1 receiver, but the speaker package is 5.1 (no big deal, you can add more on later if you want). Its available at Circuit City and Best Buy.Plan to spend a few hundred dollars on cables, power conditioners, mounts or stands for speakers, universal remote, etc.If you have questions feel free to email me through my profile, or check out my blog below. I do Home Theater training for a living and teach people how to purchase and connect their Home Theater Systems as well.

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If you are 7 - 11 ft. away, then the 61" is entirely too big. I would look at a 50" max. It will be a more comfortable view and also give you a better picture. Imagine how uncomfortable it is to sit too close at a movie theater - then take that and imagine that everyday at home. That's what you'll feel with that 61".A power conditioner is a surge protector with fitration in it that protects against interference from electrical components, power lines, other electronic appliances in the house etc. This will make the products perform better, and last longer.As far as the connections go, that will vary based on your Source (satellite, cable, hd or not), which receiver you go to, whether you're going to run the speaker wire in wall, mount the speakers or put them on stands, plus an antenna for AM/FM and HD reception. Once you make your decisions on the product this would be easier to decide.

Complicated HDMI connection question??

I have the LHT9654S HTS connected to a plasma via an HDMI connection. I have to leave the TV turned on to listen to a CD. LG support indicated that I don't need to have the TV turned on, but if I turn the TV off the song stops. They also indicated that an Ipod will not work with the unit because an Ipod requires software to run. Does anyone know why I have to keep my TV on and is it accurate that an Ipod will not operate on this system?

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HDMI has an additional feature built into it that allows for control, but most people are not familiar with it. HDMI transmits Digital Video, Digital Audio, Control, and Auto Formatting when compliant products are connected. Here's basically what it means. LG, Panasonic, Pioneer, and Samsung at this point are the main brands that support this. If you put a DVD/CD into a compliant player and have the HDMI connected to the TV then the control feature takes over - Meaning when you hit play on the DVD the TV is activated as well. There may be a menu option in your DVD player to Deactivate this, but I'm not 100% sure on being able to deactivate it.The HDMI cable is currently ahead of its time, but manufacturers haven't come up with a standard yet that all follow. I do training Nationally for Monster Cable and this has been a concern with some people. Some brands are doing one thing, and others do something else. With HDMI connected between your devices, you will more than likely have to have the TV on at all times when using a DVD or CD.Hope this helped.

What are NTSC, ATSC, and QUAM tuners?

Here's a breakdown and how you can use them.NTSC - This is your analog TV tuner that is built into every VCR and Television in America. Basically its purpose is to bring in ANALOG broadcasts. Will receive Cable or Antenna Broadcasts. It will be in every TV that you buy.ATSC - This is the Hight Definition Tuner that by this time next year is required to be in every new television 20" and larger. Its purpose is to receive OVER THE AIR (OTA) broadcasts from local channels via an Antenna, not cable. To utilize this you will need to connect an Antenna, whether a roof top or attic mount and depending on your situation even a table top antenna will work to receive the local HD broadcasts. So when you see the icon in the bottom of your screen now that says available in HD/5.1 this is where you would need an ATSC tuner with an Antenna to receive them that way (or through HD Cable, or Satellite in some cases).QAM - is a High Definition Cable tuner. Used to receive HD Cable broadcasts without a box, just connect your coax directly to the Television. You will need to pay for the programming from your cable provider. However, maybe 2% of the cable companies in the US have this as an option currently (they want you to rent their boxes instead).There's also Cable Card - which works with the QAM tuner to receive HD Cable without a Box. Basically you pay your cable company for the card (rent monthly like a box), but instead of having a box on top of your TV and wires to mess with, you put it into the back of your Television like a disc (similar to a PC slot on a laptop if you are familiar). This works like a box, and the QAM tuner on your TV does the tuning.It all comes down to your source. If you're going to do HD Satellite, then it really doesn't matter what connections your TV offers, because it will connect via Component Video or HDMI and will bypass the tuner inside the TV. For local HD Channels most are available in big cities through DirecTV HD and their new equipment, but if you don't want to mess with the upgrades, all you need is an Antenna for all your local broadcasts (through the ATSC tuner) and use standard DirecTV for everything else.If you're doing Cable, the same thing applies as listed with Satellite, unless you are going to use the Cable Card, then you must have a QAM tuner in your set, and Cable Card Capability.The most important thing to know is what your source is going to be, once you know this, then it will help in determining what is right for you.

What makes Blu-Ray and HD DVD so much better, and do I need an HDTV for it?

That's the question that a lot of people are asking. Why are the new technologies so expensive?Well a typical DVD disc can only hold 4.7 GB of information, which is why there are so many movies that offer special editions utilizing a second disc - there's not enough information to keep the resolution of the movie, and high fidelity sound at their highest output, so a second disc is required. But you can hook a DVD to practically any television.When it comes to Blu-Ray and HD DVD players they are similar in that they will both output a High Definition image from a disc, but differ in many other ways. Blu-Ray and HD DVD discs first off can hold up to 10 times more information that a typical DVD so now you can have tons of extras on a disc (commentaries, deleted scenes, games, behind the scenes, easter eggs, etc), while having up to 1080p lines of resolution and up to 8 channels of surround sound - a typical DVD can not do this.Between the two formats you will hear many people picking one over the other, I personally prefer Blu-Ray because more movie studios are backing it, and the disc has more capacity (Blu-Ray up to 50GB, HD DVD up to 25/30 GB). There will be more Blu-Ray movies, and more Blu-Ray compatible players, as well as the Playstation 3 that offers Blu-Ray as well.The price is high at the moment because it is new, as was DVD. I paid $600 for my first DVD player, and now I could walk in and get the current generation unit for $120, and other brands for $40 - $70. Blu-Ray and HD DVD will drop, technology always does. First thing you should do is get an HDTV, then decide which of the High Definition Disc formats is right for you.

I hope this helped.

What is the best Surround Receiver for around $1000?

If you want the best bet, and highest reviewed product of the year take a look at the Denon AVR 2807. Its MSRP is $1100, but you can catch it for under $1000 any given day of the week. It was awarded best of show for audio at CES this year, also CNET gave it their audio receiver of the year award.Its a 7.1 receiver, with HDMI connectivity and passthrough (meaning if you connect an HDMI device it is compliant with HDCP and will pass the signal through - not all brands do this), has tons of inputs for any device that you may throw at it, and has a feature called Audyssey EQ which allows you to make every seat in the room a great position for surround. You will not find a bad review on the product and if you go into any store that sells it they will 9 times out of 10 recommend it over any other product in the price range. I own one, as do many of my friends and its hard to beat.
Plus if you listen to a lot of 2 channel music it has a feature called Pure Direct, which cuts off everything inside the receiver except for the amplifiers for the left and right channels and gives you amazing 2 channel sound.If you don't use the full 7.1 and only use the 5.1, you can reassign the power from the additional two channels to go to speakers elsewhere in the house, or to send more power to another set of speakers in the system through bi-amping (if your speakers have two speaker terminals on them and can handle 200 watts, then you can give them 200 watts).
Also has an 8 Channel input for when the HD DVD and Blu-Ray sound formats really take off as well.I hope this helped.
Check out http://usa.denon.com/ and right there on the front page you will see the 2807 and its awards.

What does it mean when someone tells me my projector needs to be calibrated?

When referring to a projector it can be either basic settings that can be adjusted in the menu, or if the picture is poor or out of focus and you can't fix it from the standard menu, then someone needs to get into the "service menu" of the device to reset the system or make some internal menu based repairs. Best Buy just started offering a service for $300 where a highly trained "Elite Service Specialist" will come out to your home and calibrate your Projector or Television, along with help you calibrate your sound system as well. Its a great service and a good buy. If you have a Best Buy near you with a Magnolia Home Theater inside it go ask them about it, it will be worth it.

They should even have a few sets in the store that have been calibrated through the service menu - you will see a big difference.

I hope this helped.

Can an SDTV work with HDTV Broadcasts?

Absolutely. SDTVs were specifically created to receive HDTV broadcasts, but what they do is reduce the resolution for 480i which is basically what a standard DVD movie produces. (Done so that anyone can afford a digital television). You have a tuner built into the TV that receives HD broadcasts, but downconverts them to "analog" so that it can be displayed on the SDTV. Another thing a lot of people aren't familiar with is that you can get HD Satellite or Cable boxes and connect them to any TV through a composite video cable (yellow). Say you had an HD in one room and an older analog set in another, or an SDTV in another room you can have an HD Satellite box in the main room, and have the same box in the other room, but just connect a coaxial or composite cable to the TV and still watch the HD channels, just not in HD resolution.

How do I get better sound out of my XBOX 360 through my DVD built in sound system without an Optical Input?

When it comes to Home Theater systems with DVD players built into them, this tends to be the number one complaint. Although you don't have an optical input on the unit, you do have the analog audio inputs (Right , White ) which you can connect the XBOX 360 to. It will not produce the 5.1 surround sound that the system is capable of, but it should have a surround mode for gaming, or general purpose that will make the gaming experience more complete. If you want to enhance the sound even more check out upgrading the Audio/Video cables to Monster Game Cables from Monster Cable, they will maximize your picture and sound to its best capabilities. Also if you want more of the surround experience use the Level settings on the system to raise the level of the Surround Speakers so that there is more active sound from behind you. If it really gets down to you wanting the optical input, you can switch out the receiver, and more than likely keep the existing speakers, or switch out the speakers as well since you have the wires run through the wall. But if you do that you will either end up using the XBOX360 as your DVD player, or purchase a DVD player as well. There are some really good HTIBs out there now for under $500, one in particular from Sony, comes with an up-converting DVD player, and HDMI connectivity on the receiver for future use as well.

I'm looking to get a 5.1 receiver, but my source isn't digital, what can I do for the best sound?

If you're looking at a new receiver, all you need to do is make sure that the unit offers Dolby Pro Logic II (or IIx if its a 7.1 receiver), or DTS Neo surround capabilities. These features are specifically for listening to non digital sources and recreate a 5.1 - 7.1 experience for VHS, Cable, Satellite, whatever you connect to it. If the source is in Dolby Pro-Logic then the sound will be very good in Pro-Logic II mode. If its just a stereo signal it will still sound pretty good and give you more of an experience than a standard Dolby Pro Logic receiver, because more signal is sent to the rear speakers.

I Hope this helps.

I've got an HDTV, but don't know how to get HD Broadcasts.

If you have an HD Built in TV you need a High Def signal either from Cable, Satellite or Antenna. If you have cable, but don't have an HD Cable box you can contact your cable company and they will come out with a new box for you and your monthly fee will go up $10 or so. For Satellite you will need to upgrade your box to HD if it is not, and possibly your Satellite Dish (contact your provider). My personal favorite way of doing it is through an antenna. The reason for this is that depending on where you live you will be able to receive all the local broadcasts for free. Some of the cable companies offer local high definition channels, but not all of the channels are available through all providers, and with Satellite they haven't launched full coverage of local channels. If you live in/near a major city you can be guaranteed to have 5 - 15 HD channels available to you via an Antenna. To find out what's available go to http://www.antennaweb.org/ and follow the directions on finding the right antenna for you. This site will help you to find the right antenna for HD - its for outdoor or attic mounted antennas. If you don't want to mess with an outdoor or attic mounted antenna, take a look at the Terk TV5 amplified antenna, available at Best Buy and Circuit City for about $50. Its constantly rated as the number one antenna for HD use (non attic/roof mount). I hope this helped.

How can I improve my cable signal on my HD Ready TV?

If your TV is an HD Capable set and your cable is not HD that is the problem. We have a lot of people complain about Digital Cable on HD Sets because the "Digital Cable" name is pretty much a joke. The signal is not truly digital because it is going through THREE digital to analog conversions before it reaches your Television. If you're watching through Channel 3 that's a big problem too, but if you're using Composite, or S-Video this will help a little. The biggest problem with Cable and HD capable TVs is the Progressive Scan Line Doubler built into all TVs, they take an incoming signal and basically fill in the missing information, but because Digital Cable goes through the Digital To Analog Conversion so many times the signal is poor when it gets there, so the poor signal is doubled in a sense. If you're paying $50 now for Cable, I'd look into DirecTV because it doesn't go through the same conversions, it comes into your box Digital and out Digital based on how you connect it to your TV. And for $63 you can get 200 channels in digital and another 20 or so in HD.This is one of the points that we've been having to do a lot of training on over the last two years for our retailer trainings, we've heard this complaint alot. Digital cable is very pixelated, so when it goes through the line doubler in the TV it becomes twice as bad.

How do I mount my new 46" Flat Panel Television?

If you want the easiest mount to use check out the Vantage Point U42 or U50 at Best Buy for $150 - $200. Its pretty much ready to go out of the box, all you need to do is decide if you want it flat, or to have a tilt. Then find the studs in the wall, level off the back of the mount and then hang the TV to the mount, then lock it in place. By far and away the highest rated mount on the market for ease of use, safety, weight limit, and reviews from sites. I personally hung my Panasonic 50" plasma which is heavier than your set in under 15 minutes, and I'm not a big guy. The only help I needed was picking it up. There's another popular brand out there called Sanus which is based out of Japan, so when you look at their mounts you will see strange shaped slots for the screws that are to go to your studs, that's because in Japan studs are 2x3 not 2x4, so there have been many reports of those mounts not holding up over time, plus you can literally lift the TVs right off the mounts because the screws they send you to lock the TV to the mount aren't long enough. If you want to see for yourself, go into any best buy that has the new mount display in their home theater department and lift up on the bottom corner of the display (plexiglass hanging on display) and you will literally take it right off.

How do I get my Digital Cable sound to my Bose 3-2-1, or HTIB?

This question was posted on an answers site:
How do I get the sound from my Digital Cable box to my Bose 3-2-1 system (also applicable for most any stereo)?

My Response:
There are a couple of different ways to do this, but the easiest is this:
For watching cable - on the back of your digital cable box you will have an audio output (red/white - left/right). Basically all you do there is connect that output to the input on your GS system and when you are watching anything on the cable box, the sound will then come through the GS.Your TV may have an audio output as well, if it does, then all you do is connect an audio cable from the TV audio output to the GS input and from there anything going through the TV would come out through the GS. I'm not a big fan of doing this though because if you watch your TV through Channel 3, it converts sounds to mono, even if you have a stereo TV. The best bet is to just run audio out of your sources like your cable box, VCR, etc. directly into the GS. Hope this helps.

The picture from my DVD Player is PINK! How do I fix this?

This question was posted on an answers site:
The picture from my DVD Player is PINK! How do I fix this?

My Response:
Couple of things to check:
1. If using component video, then somewhere in the mix it is very possible to have switched one of the connections by mistake, this happens a lot. Check to make sure that the plugs are where they are supposed to be, and that may fix it.2. If the cables aren't the problem then it could be the output on the DVD player is not set to match your TV - if you have a progressive scan DVD player, and your TV is not an HDTV, you may need to deactivate the progressive scan.3. Could be a bad cable. This happens as well, more so with S-Video than any other, but S-Video would probably show up in black and white.Check the cables, then check the DVD player video settings to make sure that they match your television.

What is Philips Ambilight and why would I want it?

This question was posted on an Answer site:
What is this Philips Ambilight gimmick and why would I want it?

My Response:
The Abilight is a nice feature to have for people who wear glasses or contacts especially because the purpose of Ambilight is to make TV viewing less stressful on the eyes, that's exactly why when you go to a movie theater they have the small sconces on the walls that produce just a little bit of diffused light, because watching TV in total darkness is bad for the eyes. So Philips saw this and put it inside their sets, most people think its a joke, but its a nice feature to have, especially for anything with a lot of moving action like sports, specifically racing. It also makes the picture look bigger too. I personally like it and think that is has made watching movies and sports more enjoyable.

What is a QAM Tuner and do I need it?

This question was posted on an answer site:
What is a QAM cable tuner and do I need it in my HDTV?

My Response:
A QAM tuner is basically your HD Cable Tuner, similar to that of a cable card, but if you are going to be using an antenna for reception of your local channels, or satellite then you will not be using the QAM tuner. You're not paying for it in the sets anymore, its pretty much a requirement now to be in there, but the funny thing about the QAM tuner is that most cable companies won't broadcast in a way to allow them to be used, you've got to go through their box or cable card. Cable card and QAM tuners are nice options to have down the road, as the regulations on cable are lifted, if you happen to select a TV with those features then you'll be ok, and you're not paying extra for them like you would have 2 years ago. Hope this helps.