Comments on: Zen and the Art of Home Theater Systems http://freerangelibrarian.com/2006/12/25/zen-and-the-art-of-home-theater-systems/ K.G. Schneider's blog on librarianship, writing, and everything else Sun, 20 May 2012 03:37:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: kgs http://freerangelibrarian.com/2006/12/25/zen-and-the-art-of-home-theater-systems/comment-page-1/#comment-3115 kgs Thu, 28 Dec 2006 20:00:17 +0000 http://www.freerangelibrarian.com/2006/12/25/zen-and-the-art-of-home-theater-systems/#comment-3115 The STB has two tuners, btw, though one HDMI. So I'm thinking of using the component cables for that part of the equation. I really think there's some business to be had in HTS consulting :-) Dinah, I'd love to do your setup! The STB has two tuners, btw, though one HDMI. So I’m thinking of using the component cables for that part of the equation.

I really think there’s some business to be had in HTS consulting :-)

Dinah, I’d love to do your setup!

]]> By: highermath http://freerangelibrarian.com/2006/12/25/zen-and-the-art-of-home-theater-systems/comment-page-1/#comment-3114 highermath Thu, 28 Dec 2006 17:16:08 +0000 http://www.freerangelibrarian.com/2006/12/25/zen-and-the-art-of-home-theater-systems/#comment-3114 It is great if the second tuner in the TV can handle the Comcast signal directly. If not, I believe that there are dual tuner STB/DVRs for cable. They are all the rage in the satellite world. This would be great if you want another layer of control complexity, as the ones that I have seen have one HD and one standard tuner, so you have to switch between them using the STB. This leads me to wonder if I shouldn't consider a new career in remote control programming...<br /> You are correct about the meaning of pass-through. Decoding and recoding the HDMI signal is expensive, and may require some licensing and certification, since full decoding opens the specter of piracy. It is great if the second tuner in the TV can handle the Comcast signal directly. If not, I believe that there are dual tuner STB/DVRs for cable. They are all the rage in the satellite world. This would be great if you want another layer of control complexity, as the ones that I have seen have one HD and one standard tuner, so you have to switch between them using the STB. This leads me to wonder if I shouldn’t consider a new career in remote control programming…
You are correct about the meaning of pass-through. Decoding and recoding the HDMI signal is expensive, and may require some licensing and certification, since full decoding opens the specter of piracy.

]]> By: highermath http://freerangelibrarian.com/2006/12/25/zen-and-the-art-of-home-theater-systems/comment-page-1/#comment-3113 highermath Thu, 28 Dec 2006 17:15:11 +0000 http://www.freerangelibrarian.com/2006/12/25/zen-and-the-art-of-home-theater-systems/#comment-3113 It is great if the second tuner in the TV can handle the Comcast signal directly. If not, I believe that there are dual tuner STB/DVRs for cable. They are all the rage in the satellite world. This would be great if you want another layer of control complexity, as the ones that I have seen have one HD and one standard tuner, so you have to switch between them using the STB. This leads me to wonder if I shouldn't consider a new career in remote control programming...<br /> You are correct about the meaning of pass-through. Decoding and recoding the HDMI signal is expensive, and may require some licensing and certification, since full decoding opens the specter of piracy. It is great if the second tuner in the TV can handle the Comcast signal directly. If not, I believe that there are dual tuner STB/DVRs for cable. They are all the rage in the satellite world. This would be great if you want another layer of control complexity, as the ones that I have seen have one HD and one standard tuner, so you have to switch between them using the STB. This leads me to wonder if I shouldn’t consider a new career in remote control programming…
You are correct about the meaning of pass-through. Decoding and recoding the HDMI signal is expensive, and may require some licensing and certification, since full decoding opens the specter of piracy.

]]> By: Dinah Phillips http://freerangelibrarian.com/2006/12/25/zen-and-the-art-of-home-theater-systems/comment-page-1/#comment-3112 Dinah Phillips Wed, 27 Dec 2006 22:21:53 +0000 http://www.freerangelibrarian.com/2006/12/25/zen-and-the-art-of-home-theater-systems/#comment-3112 OK. You and highermath have convinced me. I will NEVER attempt to set up my own home theater system. Instead, I will fly Karen out to my house and pay her handsomely and ply her with California wines and goodies to do it for me. And we'll bring Sandy in as well to bless the whole contraption! OK. You and highermath have convinced me.

I will NEVER attempt to set up my own home theater system.

Instead, I will fly Karen out to my house and pay her handsomely and ply her with California wines and goodies to do it for me. And we’ll bring Sandy in as well to bless the whole contraption!

]]> By: kgs http://freerangelibrarian.com/2006/12/25/zen-and-the-art-of-home-theater-systems/comment-page-1/#comment-3111 kgs Wed, 27 Dec 2006 15:53:49 +0000 http://www.freerangelibrarian.com/2006/12/25/zen-and-the-art-of-home-theater-systems/#comment-3111 O.k., I'm starting to grasp a fundamental fact: in an HTS configuration, the TV functions as a *display* device, and the *sound* is carried separately from the cable setbox or DVD player through the receiver and out through the speakers (in a "real" HTS, the sound would be decoded from the HDMI, but in a pass-through receiver it is simply carried directly from the setbox/DVD/CD player with whatever functionality the initial device provides). That may seem obvious, but I'm just really beginning to understand the flow here. highermath, do I have that right? In which case, as you note, I could go directly from the STB to the TV, though having just one small black cable to the back of our TV seems good, too. I'm also mulling through a STB-TV component setup to take advantage of the STB's separate tuner (for the Samsung's PIP functionality). O.k., I’m starting to grasp a fundamental fact: in an HTS configuration, the TV functions as a *display* device, and the *sound* is carried separately from the cable setbox or DVD player through the receiver and out through the speakers (in a “real” HTS, the sound would be decoded from the HDMI, but in a pass-through receiver it is simply carried directly from the setbox/DVD/CD player with whatever functionality the initial device provides). That may seem obvious, but I’m just really beginning to understand the flow here. highermath, do I have that right? In which case, as you note, I could go directly from the STB to the TV, though having just one small black cable to the back of our TV seems good, too. I’m also mulling through a STB-TV component setup to take advantage of the STB’s separate tuner (for the Samsung’s PIP functionality).

]]> By: kgs http://freerangelibrarian.com/2006/12/25/zen-and-the-art-of-home-theater-systems/comment-page-1/#comment-3110 kgs Wed, 27 Dec 2006 01:46:14 +0000 http://www.freerangelibrarian.com/2006/12/25/zen-and-the-art-of-home-theater-systems/#comment-3110 Ok, that explains the conversation I had at Radio Shack! The guy stopped and said, "but HDMI carries an audio signal." I was stumped to explain myself, though when I said it's a pass-through receiver, he nodded and said he understood. I also do not have separate audio from the RTS to the TV, and yet the receiver carries sound just fine from the setbox. I guess I'll just throw a lot of cables at my system and see what works..! For those wondering about a system without audio passthrough, in fairness to my HTS, at the time I bought it I paid $250 (it's higher now), which is as far as I wanted to go at this point. :-) Anything else I really liked was a whole lot more. So adding a few inexpensive cables (bought on Amazon or using Radio Shack's line) seems fine. The Radio Shack guy agreed that 16 gauge is fine for most runs. I've realized the most confusing part of this is the "flow." I can't figure out the "in and out" of some parts of this. E.g. #2, HTS to TV. Why again am I getting sound from the receiver when the TV is muted if it's not carrying audio? Ok, that explains the conversation I had at Radio Shack! The guy stopped and said, “but HDMI carries an audio signal.” I was stumped to explain myself, though when I said it’s a pass-through receiver, he nodded and said he understood. I also do not have separate audio from the RTS to the TV, and yet the receiver carries sound just fine from the setbox. I guess I’ll just throw a lot of cables at my system and see what works..!

For those wondering about a system without audio passthrough, in fairness to my HTS, at the time I bought it I paid $250 (it’s higher now), which is as far as I wanted to go at this point. :-) Anything else I really liked was a whole lot more. So adding a few inexpensive cables (bought on Amazon or using Radio Shack’s line) seems fine.

The Radio Shack guy agreed that 16 gauge is fine for most runs. I’ve realized the most confusing part of this is the “flow.” I can’t figure out the “in and out” of some parts of this. E.g. #2, HTS to TV. Why again am I getting sound from the receiver when the TV is muted if it’s not carrying audio?

]]> By: highermath http://freerangelibrarian.com/2006/12/25/zen-and-the-art-of-home-theater-systems/comment-page-1/#comment-3109 highermath Tue, 26 Dec 2006 18:21:27 +0000 http://www.freerangelibrarian.com/2006/12/25/zen-and-the-art-of-home-theater-systems/#comment-3109 The lack of audio passthrough is a noted feature of your HTS, so you are going to have to run a separate audio feed. These systems attempt to do everything, so audio issue notwithstanding, deciding whether to run your STB HDMI through them is really more a style choice than a technical one. I am aware that speaker cable is a highly charged issue of personal belief. IMHO, there are two important factors with speaker wire: Resistance, which is why 22 gauge isn't so good for anything over about two feet; and Surface area, which is why you want stranded wire. Personally, I don't think that the physics bear out the value of having extremely fine braided wire that costs $20/foot, but let your ears be the judge. Bottom line is that the 16 gauge is okay, if you don't want to invest in 12 gauge, and what you put in your crawlspace is dependent on what your crawlspace is like. You definitely don't want to use UF (weatherproof Romex for electrical use), but, if it is nasty in your crawlspace, you might want to consider running the 12 gauge wire through plastic conduit or tubing. Wiremold is handy for this, but expensive. The lack of audio passthrough is a noted feature of your HTS, so you are going to have to run a separate audio feed. These systems attempt to do everything, so audio issue notwithstanding, deciding whether to run your STB HDMI through them is really more a style choice than a technical one.

I am aware that speaker cable is a highly charged issue of personal belief. IMHO, there are two important factors with speaker wire: Resistance, which is why 22 gauge isn’t so good for anything over about two feet; and Surface area, which is why you want stranded wire. Personally, I don’t think that the physics bear out the value of having extremely fine braided wire that costs $20/foot, but let your ears be the judge. Bottom line is that the 16 gauge is okay, if you don’t want to invest in 12 gauge, and what you put in your crawlspace is dependent on what your crawlspace is like. You definitely don’t want to use UF (weatherproof Romex for electrical use), but, if it is nasty in your crawlspace, you might want to consider running the 12 gauge wire through plastic conduit or tubing. Wiremold is handy for this, but expensive.

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