5 Ideas For Getting The Best Through Your Television And Surround Sound Set-Up

You want to view the large games in the comfort of your home with pretty much as good a picture and sound set-up as achievable. Now is the time to purchase a brand new 3D TV and surround sound system. Even if you cannot afford it, and for that matter even if you can, there are a few things you can do to make sure that you get the best performance out of any TV & surround sound system.

1. Postioning your Television

Your Television is probably sat where it is because that's where the nearest aerial socket is. A TV of some sort has probably been sat there since the late '60's. So, you're probably watching Television where you are because some bloke decided that is where he wanted it 50 years ago. Which is not neccessarily the best place for it. The most effective position is one where you are most comfortable watching it - probably at eye level when seated, and where the lighting conditions are optimal. For example, you won't want direct sunlight or even reflected sunlight on your screen. In the day time it will affect your viewing. Now, in the old days when your TV was the size of a small car, it had been a smart idea to sit it in the corner. But now a flat screen can be positioned almost any place. So, if this means moving the aerial point or power socket then get the proverbial 'man' in, to have a look at it.

2. Your Television picture.

Most Televisions are set up by default with everything boosted to look brighter and much more colourful. That's because when you go to look in the shop for that new TV it will look like it's giving a better picture than the one next to it. We're drawn to bright vivid colours. However, this isn't neccessarily the greatest and most realistic setting. Obviously, professional calibration is going to cost equipment and cash. But it is possible to make some adjustments yourself to increase your viewing enjoyment.

a) Adjust the brightness and contrast to make the blacks blacker as well as the whites whiter.

b) Adjust the colour. Unless you're watching Katie Price and Alex Reid, not everyone on television is orange.

c) Adjust the picture sharpness. Make the image as clear and crisp as possible. You'll know when you've gone too far because borders and double edges will start to show round the images. Should you want to tweak it some more, then I would suggest purchasing Digital Video Essentials on DVD or Blu Ray. It is mostly a step by step guide to calibrate your LCD or plasma picture settings. Probably for that uber geek, but you can pick the DVD up for around £12.

3. Cables

The cost of cable for AV setups is a joke. A great HDMI cable can cost £100. Crazy talk. But do they work? Well, I am sorry to inform you, yes they do. A decent cable can dramatically increase the performace of your TV and audio system. I wish it was not true but I actually performed this experiment myself last week. I had a vintage scart lead connecting my TV and DVD player. I knew that it was not all that good, but I could just about live with it ( I'm a little short sighted anyway). But, finding myself inside a well know electronics retailer store, I thought I'd buy a fancy cable and see how much the image improved.

Don't beleive the hype I thought. I will take the lead back at those prices if I do not get a healthy result. However, after plugging it in, it had been like someone had switched the lights on. An incredible, crisp, bright picture appeared before me. Damn I thought - that has cost me!

A tip though. I have an exceptionally nice 1080p Full HD LCD. There won't be any point spending hundreds of pounds on top quality cables if you have a cheap, rubbish Television you purchased from ASDA for next to nothing with 2 cut price DVDs. It isn't a magic wand.

4. Sound

Now we turn to sound. If you haven't got a surround sound system, you're not going to get that rich, deep, sound and the atmosphere of the stadium. So, you really should consider purchasing one. And I'm afraid yes, you usually get what you pay for. But even a £150 system will be better than your TV. And if space is an issue have a look at purchasing all-in-one speaker bars. They provide surround sound from a single box by bouncing the sound off the walls.

With traditional surround sound, the position of your speakers is key. You'll get the best sound by placing the centre speaker directly above or below your TV. Left and right speakers should go either side of the TV. The rear left and right speakers should go either side of the sofa at ear height. If you're not allowed to leave them there (like me, the wife won't have it), just make sure you can move them when the big match starts. You can put your subwoofer anywhere you like, as it provides bass frequencies that are non-directional.

5. High Definition - are you really watching it?

Just because you've an HD ready or Full HD TV doesn't mean that you're automatically going to be watching TV in high definition. You'll need to add a high-definition source such as Freeview HD, Sky HD, Virgin V+ or Freesat. And that means you will require to either upgrade your package. Or in the case of Freeview, by an HD decoder. Remember only certain channels are broadcast in HD and you'll will require to be tuned in to watch them.

That should about cover it. Follow this advice and watch the world cup at high quality in the comfort of your own home. While you might not get the atmosphere of the pub, at least you can guarantee a seat..

This doesn't cover everyting involved when you are creating your own site, but hopefully I have given you an insight in to what is involved. There are plenty of ebooks and such stuff that you can find on the internet. I always go to a company called computer repair london. They don't just repair computers, they also provide IT support as well and they are always helpfull if you get stuck on anything.