| Secret 8: YOU MAY NOT SEE A PICTURE AT ITS | | | | CLEAR on what the warranty covers or |
| BEST.What you should do about it:Depends on how | | | | doesn't.Mosquito noise.Not buzzing. It's a swirling that |
| deeply you want to crawl into this.Warning!This is | | | | looks like tiny bugs flying around. You'll see it - if you |
| technical but I'll simplify. Each piece of electronics - a | | | | do - in saturated colors.Screen Door Effect. |
| display device (Hi-Def, digital television) has its own | | | | It looks like looking through a screen door into your |
| way of showing the picture, involving a fixed number | | | | picture. (Especially - to my eye - on Plasma sets.) It's |
| of pixels (picture pieces). This isn't the same for all | | | | because of how the set is built (you are actually |
| sets. It isn't the necessarily same for DVD players, | | | | seeing the holes or spaces between picture |
| converters, or whatever else you plug in to see a | | | | elements). Manufacturers are aware of this and doing |
| picture. So somewhere the data is converted. ALL | | | | all they can to fix or mitigate it.Blocking.The picture |
| CONVERSION SCHEMES ARE NOT EQUAL. THERE | | | | breaks up into little (or bigger!) blocks. This is horrible |
| MAY BE LOSSES of resolution, or clarity. There may | | | | to see unless you love modern art. It'll be seen in |
| be what they call artifacts. | | | | moving pictures of detail. This is the worst |
| And here's a thrill: The TV stations don't have to use | | | | sin.Rainbows.Certain people see a rainbow effect in |
| all their new digital bandwidth to broadcast in full | | | | certain DLP (Digital Light Projector) sets. You might |
| high-definition. For example, rather than being limited | | | | notice it if you look slightly away from the screen. |
| to providing one analog programming channel, a | | | | It's caused by the way the DLPs work. Some are |
| broadcaster will be able to provide a super sharp | | | | better at this than others. There's no pot of gold at |
| "high definition" (HDTV) program or multiple "standard | | | | the end, either.Pixel failure.Since there are so many |
| definition" DTV programs simultaneously. Providing | | | | elements (pixels) to a picture, one or more can fail. |
| several program streams on one broadcast channel is | | | | THE WARRANTY MIGHT STATE that a certain |
| called "multicasting." The number of programs a | | | | number of failures is okay with them and may even |
| station can send on one digital channel depends on | | | | be expected. IF you saw it you'd only notice it up |
| the level of picture detail, also known as "resolution," | | | | close (see section on where to sit in relation to |
| desired in each programming stream. DTV can | | | | screen - you shouldn't BE that close. One or more |
| provide interactive video and data services that are | | | | might also stay lit permanently. That'll be more |
| not possible with "analog" technology. They may use | | | | obvious, a tiny, tiny red in a black scene, for example. |
| some of it for something else that makes them | | | | There may be millions of these dots on your screen, |
| more money. They - or the satellite channels - can, in | | | | to give you a sense of scale. This isn't the end of |
| effect, send a degraded picture alongside another | | | | the world.Secret #10: SPEAKERS NEVER SOUND THE |
| new channel of degraded picture. There's nothing you | | | | WAY THEY DO IN THE STORE. What you should do |
| can do about this. Nice.Secret #9: | | | | about it:Just know it. There's little you can do. (But in |
| ARTIFACTS.Important background on nasty | | | | the audio section of I'll tell you all about how to get |
| artifacts:Warning:Like a pimple on a teen, after they | | | | the best out of your sound.)Why? It has to do with |
| see it, that's ALL they see. If you want to live in | | | | the acoustics of the room in which you listen. Each |
| denial, skip ahead to Number 10. And these aren't | | | | room makes the same speakers sound differently. |
| REALLY secrets, because you can see them, but | | | | Sometimes better, sometimes worse. You could buy |
| you might not notice right away.What you should do | | | | a subwoofer and bring it home and HEAR NO BASS |
| about it:Decide which you can live with and which you | | | | where you sit. But this will be covered in the audio |
| can't. It will drive you crazy if you let it. Or spend a | | | | section. Along with what you can do about it.There. |
| fortune to get the latest technology that might have | | | | Now you know 3 more Ugly Home Theater secrets. |
| it fixed. Or just ignore it. Life isn't perfect. Be VERY | | | | |