Hi-tech-tv.com: Television technology news & answers

Question: Can anyone give me some insight on the good and bad of mounting a plasma/LCD over a fireplace? My sister just purchased her first home, its a nice little town home but the family room is small so the base case scenario is mounting the TV over the fireplace….we have not yet purchased the unit so if there is a benefit to LCD over plasma or the other way around, that arrangement can be made. So yeah, if anyone has done this, or has any research on the topic, let me know if its ok to have the TV mounted with the fireplace on, how high above it it could/should be, etc. Thank in advance for all your help.

Answer 1: It can definitely be done. I think the issue is the heat. Use a thermometer to make sure where the TV will go never gets above 90 degrees F or the Plasma TV works harder to cool itself, thus shortening the overall lifespan. That’s only if the TV is on and only if it’s on for longer than a few minutes.

Answer 2: They did it on “This Old House” once.. they built a nice cabinet above the fireplace so the unit would be hidden when not used. it was really nice

Answer 3: I built a new mantle to put my LCD on. We only use our fireplace once in a while, so heat isn’t an issue.

Answer 4: I did it last year. Have a 60″ Pioneer Plasma, 145 lbs, mounted in the recessed area of the fireplace. Installed the mounting bracket into the studs behind the surface area. The bracket has an adjustable tilt so viewing is directly into the room. Mine is set for about 15 degrees down. Closest chair is 7 feet from the screen and the sofa is 10 to 12 feet away. .
The fireplace is gas so heat is not an issue in the Plasma area. Plasma does put off a fair amount of heat but not enough to be concerned with. Those CSI city views are absoutely breathtaking in HD.

Answer 5: You’re not supposed to put it over a live fire place as soot will be your enemy, but a gas one you can, as long as you determine heat isn’t an issue.

I just recently puchased a Samsund 1080 46″ LCD. I have seen a lot of good posts on HDTV’s. The question I have is, what is the best way to setup the picture ie contrast, sharpness, brightness, and tint. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Answer #1: I have Samsung 40″ LCD 1080p. I haven’t felt the need to adjust. Usually the manufactured pre-settings are perfect. But not alwats. Typically the manufacturer settings are geared towards in-store demos and may or may not be appropriate for your viewing area.

Answer #2: I use the Sound & Vision Home Theater Set-Up DVD.

Answer #3: Factory setting are rarely corect for your house. Buy a Spyder and redo the covergence on the set. Anyone who thinks their picture is perfect hasn’t had the convergence done. It’s worth every penny. Perhaps calibration is a better choice of words.

Answer #4: Convergence on an LCD set? Was his rear projection or direct display? Won’t be any convergence issues if it’s direct display. I’ll second buying something like Avia for setting the contrast and brightness to your room and liking. But convergence is way overkill for a home theater setup. If you were a photoshop guy who needed color correction so that his prints came out right, I could see it - but spending that when a $30 DVD can do just about the same is a waste of money (and likely time, since you’re going to need a PC in the same room, and software setup.)

You can buy Avia at Amazon where the used marketplace has them available for $20. It’s not a must-have, but if you want to optimize the set it’s a far better purchase than some of the accessory crap (Monster cables) that some people pay for.

Question: Can anyone recommend a good quality home theater in a box for around $500-700? My idea is to get a system I could expand/upgrade. I’m leaning toward Dennon and HK based strictly on brand loyalty from years ago. Do these companies still put out a good product? I haven’t actually heard the HK speakers yet, are they basically JBL’s? How about Yamaha systems?
Alternatively, I was thinking of going with separate components and using an old pair of DCM’s as my L&R speakers. The one salesman I talked to said that would not be a good idea because if the center speaker didn’t acoustically “match” the L&R, it would sound like crap. Is there some truth to this, or was he just trying to sell me a pair of speakers.

I also have to battle the wife because she thinks the DCM’s are ugly and too “80’s,” but that’s another story…

Answer 1: I went with Yamaha. I liked it better than comparable Denon or Onkyo systems (both of which were about $200.00 more). It does not have HDMI in/out so you will need co/ax cables. I love the sound, it has outstanding power and if I need more, which I do not, I could add a powered sub (it comes with a passive sub).

Great system, great price: Yamaha 720W 5.1-Ch. XM-Ready Home Theater Speaker System Model: YHT-370

Answer 2: I went with HK AVR 245 and infinity TSS 1100 speakers. The system is awesome! The 12 inch Sub woofer makes the thing pop.

Answer 3: Onkyo Home Theater System (HT-S790S) - ONK HTS790S
• 7.1-channel sound
• 8-piece speaker system
• iPod dock-compatible
• XM-radio ready
• Onkyo’s WRAT technology
• HDTV-capable

Under $500 at Circuit City!