Most of today’s televisions are performing just fine in a well lit room, but darker is better. Install curtains in shades that are dark in color or mini blinds to cover up large windows or sliding glass doors. This is most important for video projector systems.

Don’t forget your neighbors! If you like to crank your system up during some cool car chasing scenes, make sure your room is soundproof or as close to it as possible. You don’t want your neighbors banging on your door. Speaker placement is critical and sometimes takes hours to find the perfect place for the desired sound.

Do your comparisons, visit as many retailers as you can, bring your own “Test DVD” or “Blu-Ray” with you to hear what the speakers in the showroom sound like before you buy them. See a friend or professional who has a system already in place, discuss limits or improvements and placements.

Do your homework. Read reviews online on any components /system that you are considering for your Home Theater System. You will be surprised! Some of the ‘best’ selling speakers may not be the best in performance.

Many Home Theater owners are doing it! You placed the speakers, plugged everything in and nothing sounds right. The black isn’t black enough and the colors are not popping, shades are wrong…Take your time to calibrate sound and video with professional calibration disks such as Avia or DVD HD Basics. Position your subwoofer carefully and find the “sweet-spot” for it. You’ll be amazed how much better everything sounds and looks.

Many televisions look great “out of the box” but many improvements and tweaks can be applied to create a stunning picture.

There is a range of “All in One” available, from $20 – $2000 that will control anything from the televisions to receivers, DVR’s and even your window blinds. Look for models from Logitech (our choice) and URC. Make sure these remotes are future-proof and upgradable.

Of course, we all want a BIG screen! But what if the room isn’t big enough?
Here is a rule of thumb of viewing distances for some of the most common screens used in Home Theaters and we are using 1080P (1920×1080) Resolution as our guide:

42” Screen = 5 Feet.
50” Screen = 7 Feet
60” Screen = 8 Feet
70” Screen = 9 Feet
103” Screen = 13 Feet

As technology evolves and more devices and gadgets are to be connected to your Big Screen (IPod, Xbox, PS3, etc) you’ll need a receiver with tons of HDMI connectors.

How about 3D? Is your receiver ready for 3D or will you have to feed the 3D signal directly to the (3D ready) TV and feed additional cables to the (outdated) receiver to get the Sound?

Spend the extra dollars and get a surround sound receiver with enough connectors to expand your (future) needs.

The most common mistake is that people are buying these high priced cables at electronic stores, believing that the Signal transported will be better. These cables are transporting a digital signal and it really doesn’t matter if the cable cost a couple of hundred dollars or just twenty. It will either connect and perform or it will not. Simple. Spend your money elsewhere.

We have seen it before – behind the $4000 TV resides a $10 power strip which will do absolutely nothing to protect your TV in case of a true power-surge. It will simply fail and hand over a 1200V surge to the TV. Most budget surge protectors aren’t capable of taking a real hit and none of them offer insurance for your connected components. A quality surge protector may cost a bit more, but they will do an effective job of protecting your investment against unforeseen electrical issue.

A good Power conditioner or Battery Backup Device (UPS) will protect your TV and you’ll stay in good terms with your wife during the final episode of “Dancing with the Stars.”