Sleepy Gamer

You just got yourself a 50″ HDTV and you’re thinking, man … isn’t life grand?  You never felt so good watching Miss Congeniality on your crisp 1080p display until… you raise the volume.  As good as the picture looks, most tvs have really crappy speakers.  It is time, my friend, to look into getting a home theater system.

Surround Sound Basics
Surround sound can be a very confusing purchase.  Just looking at the specifications can be a daunting task.  Here’s a quick glossary guide that explains some typical terms that you’ll need to know when buying a home theater system.

Receiver – Unit that decodes and amplifies the sound coming out of your speakers.
Satellite Speakers – These are the speakers that are connected to your receiver.  There are actually 3 types of speaker drivers: tweeters, mid-range, and subwoofer.
Tweeter – Produces the high frequency sounds.    Think how Mickey Mouse sounds like.
Subwoofer – Produces low frequency sounds.  Think Barry White.
Mid-Range – Produces all the sounds in between the tweeter and subwoofer.
Surround Channels – This refers to the number of speakers your surround sound system is capable of.  So a 5.1 system supports 5 satellite speakers with an additional subwoofer.  The .1 refers to the subwoofer.
Watts – Refers to the measurement of power that the receiver is capable to produce.  More watts usually equates to a louder sound system.
Ohms – Measures the resistance in the flow of electricity.  The more ohms, the more resistance it will cause.  You want this number to be low.

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Based on Michael J’s request, I’ve decided to write this 101 on video cables. You’re probably thinking, wtf, why do I want to read about cables? Well, let’s all blame Mr. Michael J for that. =) Hopefully this will help clear up some of your long dying questions about cables.

Composite
Composite cables are denoted by the yellow, white, and red connectors, also known as RCA cables. Practically every device that plugs into your TV are compatible with them. The yellow connector outputs video while the white and red carries audio. These cables often come bundled with your DVD player or game console and they very affordable. However, these are the worst cables that you can buy. You can’t really notice the low quality visuals from SD televisions, but the quality is much diminished when viewed from HD displays. With composite cables, your television can only view 480i resolution.

S-Video
S-Video is the next step up from the crappy composite cables. In addition to the yellow, white, and red cables, there’s a fourth pin connector that provides substantial video enhancement. This fourth connector allows higher video bandwidth and carries 2 separate signals for color and luminance. This provides greater video quality when compared to the composite cables. You should see a noticeable increased in sharpness when using S-Video. Although S-Video is a step up from composite, you’re still only limited to 480i resolution. A lot of the older DVD players support S-Video, but this cable is definitely being phased out. Only buy this cable if you do not have a HD display.
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So you’ve bought yourself a PS3 or XBox 360.  But you have it hooked up to that old 19″ Sony Trinitron television that was handed down from your brother’s girlfriend.  The yellow, white, and red cables are plugged into your tv and you say to yourself, “What’s the big deal?  The graphics look just as good as my PS2.”  Hate to break it to you, but it’s time for a new television.  Here are some general tips and guidelines that you should look into when buying a tv.

Plasma or LCD

Any of these television types would be fine for gaming.  They provide excellent picture quality, and both of which are pretty affordable now.  There are lots of misconceptions that plasmas don’t last as long as LCDs, or that burn-in is a rampant problem with the plasmas.  It’s true that first generation plasmas were plagued with these problems, but the latest plasmas have implemented ways to get around that issue.  Current plasmas and LCD televisions are rated with a lifespan of about 60,000 hours, and a lot of plasmas have built in screen savers that help prevent burn-ins that may occur.  So you’ll be fine going either way.

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