How to Make Your HDTV Look Better

Calibrate

Fine-tuning your high definition TV can make a big difference especially if you adjust it for the kind of programming you watch and the setting. You’ll need to have a decent quality DVD player hooked up to your TV otherwise you may have to bring in someone with their own test gear.

Cheap and Easy Calibration

George Lucas has seen to it that THX certified DVDs provide a set of calibration tools under the setup menu. If you don’t already own a THX DVD like “Star Wars,” try Netflix or your local library for one of the DVDs listed on this web site. The THX Optimizer will guide you through a set of test patterns so you can adjust contrast, brightness, color/tint, aspect ratio, and sharpness. In case you mess up, most TVs have a default setting you can use to restore the factory settings.

Purchase a Calibration DVD

For around $25 you can invest in a calibration DVD that may include a set of filters you look through or hold up against the screen to help set color levels. Joe Kane’s Digital Video Essentials (DVE) is one, and Monster/ISF HDTV Calibration Wizard is another. Tutorials on the discs explain how to perform the tests and what the tests mean.

Call a Professional or Buy Their Gear

If you can afford about $300 to have a specialist from someplace like Geek Squad come to your house, you’ll get someone trained to use professional equipment like this colorimeter which suctions onto the front of your TV and provides feedback for adjusting the settings. You can always purchase the gear they use like this SpyderTV analyzer which starts at around $100.

Better Sound System

Studies have shown that viewers think the picture looks better when the audio sounds better. Most high definition TVs have outputs for added speakers. The first thing you should consider adding is a subwoofer that will boost the bass. A good subwoofer will cost around $100. For the full immersive effect of surround sound you’ll need to purchase a set of speakers and place them around the room. A 5.1 speaker set which includes a subwoofer, could run you a few hundred dollars for a decent set. Another option is a speaker bar that sits under the front of your TV and “projects” simulated surround sound.

Mount Your TV

Mounting your big flat panel TV may require more skill and tools than you have on hand but a TV mounted on an articulated arm against a wall of your room can not only make the TV look more attractive it can even improve the viewing experience since articulating arms can extend from the wall and be tilted to optimize the viewing angle. They can also make it easier to access ports when you want to change connections on the back of the set. Installers typically warn against mounting a TV too high in order to avoid stiff necks from “star gazing.” For more info on TV mounts click here.

Use the Best Inputs                  

Most TVs offer a wide assortments of inputs including composite video with audio (yellow, red, white RCA connectors) which provides the lowest quality signals, S-Video connectors (round black connectors) which is a little better, component (3 video RCA and 2 audio connectors), and HDMI (small rectangular connector). The highest quality connection comes from HDMI followed closely by component. You usually don’t need the super expensive cables but good quality cables provide the best video and audio.

Buy a Receiver
You can get a decent receiver for under $500, or even $200, but high quality ones can cost thousands of dollars. A receiver tunes in video, decodes and amplifies audio and distributes the signals and often does a better job of it than your TV. Many receivers will include a DVD player and up-convert standard definition video to high definition. Check out Retrevo’s new receiver catalog for the best deals and info.

 Get an Upconverting DVD Player

If your DVD doesn’t upconvert standard definition signals to high definition signals, you should consider buying a new DVD player. Up-converting DVD players can cost well under $100. Better yet, consider upgrading to a Blu-ray player that will also upconvert older DVDs. Some of the new Blu-ray players are being sold for under $300.

Paint Your Room Dark

One of the easiest ways to improve the image on your TV is to reduce glare. You can reduce glare from windows with a good set of curtains or consider painting the TV room a darker color to reduce reflections.