Copyright;Credits; About the Author; Contributors; Acknowledgments;Preface; Why Home Theater Hacks?; How to Use This Book; How This Book Is Organized; Conventions; Using Code Examples; How to Contact Us; Got a Hack?; Disclaimer;Chapter 1: Buying Gear; 1.1 Hacks 1-8; 1 Master Theater-Speak; 2 Audition Before You Buy; 3 Buy from Chain Stores with Skepticism; 4 Buy in Person from Electronics Boutiques; 5 Shop Intelligently at eBay; 6 Find High-End Equipment Online; 7 Buy Cabinets for Your Gear; 8 Plan Your Room Décor;Chapter 2: Video Components; 2.1 Hacks 9-20; 9 Get the Right TV; 10 Your TV''s First Steps; 11 Move Your TV Safely; 12 Fix Panasonic''s Picture Glitch; 13 Figure Out Aspect Ratios; 14 Avoid Cheap Projectors; 15 DVHS on a Budget; 16 Cover Black Bars with Letterbox Mattes; 17 Improve the Picture on Rear Projection TVs; 18 Paint Your Theater a Neutral Color; 19 Backlight Your TV; 20 Add Metal Plating to Support a Center Speaker; 21 Squeeze Your TV into Your Basement;Chapter 3: Audio Components; 3.1 Hacks 22-27; 22 Get the Right Receiver; 23 Watts Are Meaningless Without Context; 24 Amplify the Front Soundstage; 25 The Mythical Burn-In Period; 26 Use Gain Offset to Regulate Volume; 27 Use Dynamic Range Compression to Regulate Volume;Chapter 4: High Definition; 4.1 Hacks 28-35; 28 Ensure You Can Get HD Programming; 29 Get the Right Type of HD Set; 30 Add a Set Top Box; 31 Properly Size Your HD Image; 32 Get the Right Antenna; 33 Erect an OTA Antenna; 34 Don''t Use Portable Signal Strength Meters; 35 Resolve Problems After Buying an HDTV;Chapter 5: Speakers and Wiring; 5.1 Hacks 36-47; 36 Organize Your A/V Racks; 37 Get the Right Speakers for the Job; 38 Select the Perfect Rear and Side Speakers; 39 Little Speakers Can Create Big Problems; 40 Add Bass Shakers to Feel the Lows; 41 Lower the Resonant Frequency of Aura Bass Shakers; 42 Use Subwoofers as a Poor Man''s Bass Shaker; 43 Convert In-Wall Speakers to In-Ceiling Speakers; 44 Banana Plugs Trump Bare Wires; 45 Use the Same Speaker Wire Lengths (Not!); 46 Use Thicker Wiring for Longer Runs; 47 Bi-Wiring and Bi-Amping Speakers;Chapter 6: Subwoofers; 6.1 Hacks 48-54; 48 Learn Sub Talk; 49 Choose the Right Subwoofer; 50 Match the Sub to Your Room; 51 Hook Up Your Subwoofer Correctly; 52 Optimize Subwoofer Placement; 53 Use Multiple Subwoofers; 54 Remove Subwoofer Hum;Chapter 7: Connectivity; 7.1 Hacks 55-59; 55 Cable Basics; 56 Watch Out for Entertainment Centers; 57 Don''t Be Swindled into Buying Overly Expensive Cables; 58 Use Your Receiver for Video Switching; 59 Understand Component Video Switching;Chapter 8: Calibration; 8.

1 Hacks 60-74; 60 Choose the Right Seating Distance; 61 Get the Best Calibration Tools; 62 Choose the Right Calibration DVD; 63 Calibrate Speakers with a Sound Meter; 64 Set the Receiver''s Reference Level; 65 Avoid Using THX Optimizer; 66 Avoid Using Internal Test Tones; 67 Set Your Speakers to "Small" in Your Receiver Setup; 68 Hack Your TV''s Service Menu; 69 Clean the Optics on RPTVs; 70 Reduce Focus Problems on RPTVs; 71 Reduce Lens Flare on RPTVs; 72 Focus Your Front Projector; 73 Don''t Mess with Odd Screws; 74 Annual Home Theater Tune-Up;Chapter 9: Do It Yourself; 9.1 Hacks 75-83; 75 Build Your Own Speaker Stands; 76 Add Rollers and a Stand to Your TV; 77 Construct a Screen for Projection; 78 Mask Your Screen; 79 Construct Speaker Cables Using CAT 5; 80 Home-Grow Your Power Cables; 81 Build a 16-Bay UHF Antenna; 82 Ground Your Outdoor Antenna; 83 Build a Lens Hood for Your RPTV;Chapter 10: Remote Controls; 10.1 Hacks 84-89; 84 Add a Programmable Remote; 85 Program Your Remote with ProntoEdit; 86 Create Custom Graphics for Color Remotes; 87 Learn IR Codes the Smart Way; 88 Work around Proprietary Remote Systems; 89 Disable NetCommand for Faster Response;Chapter 11: HTPC; 11.1 Hacks 90-93; 90 Choose the Right Display Resolution for Analog-Input HDTVs; 91 Add Custom Resolutions with PowerStrip; 92 Adjust the Overscan on Your HDTV Display; 93 Play Video Games in Custom Resolutions on HDTVs;Chapter 12: TiVo; 12.1 Hacks 94-100; 94 Must-Skim TV; 95 Navigation Shortcuts; 96 The 30-Second Commercial Skip; 97 Streaming Internet Audio Broadcasts to TiVo; 98 Signing Up for the Home Media Option; 99 Remotely Scheduling a Recording; 100 Moving Shows Between TiVo Units;Colophon;.