Guides
Every section we cover, with the explainers that go with it.
Calibration and troubleshooting
Model
- How do I calibrate a home theater? Factory reset the receiver, run room correction, then verify levels with an SPL meter. The subwoofer distance setting includes DSP latency and should not be overridden.
- How do I fix audio delay and lip sync? Disable the TV's motion smoothing first; it is the most common cause of audio delay. eARC includes mandatory lip-sync correction but requires both chipsets to support it.
- What crossover frequency should I use? Start at the THX 80Hz crossover and set all speakers to Small regardless of their size. Set the crossover 10-20Hz above the speaker's measured in-room -3dB point.
- Why does HDMI show no signal? Connect the source directly to the display first to isolate the receiver. HDMI fails at a digital cliff with no degradation before dropout, only sparkle or black screen.
- Why is dialogue hard to hear? Check that the center speaker is not inside a cabinet, the tweeter is at ear level, and the AVR center trim is correct. MTM speakers have off-axis nulls that bury dialogue.
Planning the room
Model
- How can I soundproof a home theater? Soundproof a home theater by distinguishing isolation from acoustic treatment, with structural work flagged before drywall installation.
- How do I control light in a media room? Control media room light by separating ambient, reflected, and task lighting to preserve projector ANSI contrast and perceived black level.
- How do I plan a home theater? A room-to-budget planning workflow for home theater: measure first, calculate room modes, then allocate budget where the room demands it.
- How should I arrange home theater seating? Arrange home theater seating for sightlines, ITU-R BS.775 speaker geometry, and aisle clearance, with riser calculations and bass null avoidance.
- What screen size should I choose? Choose screen size and viewing distance using SMPTE and THX field-of-view guidance, with practical limits from throw ratio and screen gain.
Receivers and connections
Model
- Do HDMI cables affect picture quality? HDMI cables pass a digital signal that either arrives intact or fails with sparkles, dropouts, or a black screen. A cable cannot improve sharpness, color, or contrast.
- How do I choose an AV receiver? Choose an AV receiver by channel count first, then room correction platform. Published power ratings drop 30-50% with all channels driven, and an HDMI 2.1 label does not guarantee specific features.
- How should I connect a streaming box, console and receiver? Connect sources to the AV receiver first unless a specific HDMI 2.1 feature exceeds the receiver's bandwidth. The chain defaults to the lowest common capability.
- What is HDMI 2.1 for home theater? An HDMI 2.1 port label is a certification, not a feature guarantee. FRL bandwidth, VRR, and ALLM are all optional—check the manufacturer's specific feature list.
- What is HDMI eARC? eARC carries lossless Dolby TrueHD/Atmos where ARC is limited to compressed surround. Both use the same HDMI connector but require different chipsets at both ends.
Speakers and surround sound
Model
- Do I need one subwoofer or two? Dual subwoofers solve seat-to-seat bass consistency by smoothing room modes, not by adding volume. One subwoofer cannot fix a null caused by destructive boundary interference.
- How do I choose a center speaker? A center speaker's job is dialogue clarity. Choose a 3-way or coaxial design to avoid off-axis lobing, place it at ear level, and timbre-match it to your left and right speakers.
- What do 5.1, 7.1 and 5.1.2 mean? The numbers decode into bed layer, LFE subwoofer and height channels. How 5.1, 7.1 and 5.1.2 map to Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Auro-3D speaker layouts.
- What is Dolby Atmos at home? Dolby Atmos adds object-based metadata to a Dolby TrueHD or DD+ carrier, letting a renderer scale height and surround effects to your specific speaker layout.
- Where should surround speakers go? ITU-R BS.775 defines the angles, Dolby Atmos adds the height layer. Standard placement, real-room compromises and why the center channel must aim at ears.
TVs, projectors and screens
Model
- OLED, Mini-LED or projector? OLED delivers pixel-level black, Mini-LED fights blooming with zone count, and projectors scale largest. How contrast, brightness and room light decide the winner.
- TV or projector for a home theater? Projectors dominate above 100 inches and in light-controlled rooms, while TVs win in mixed-use spaces. The measurable thresholds that decide the choice.
- What does HDR add to movies? HDR is three things: the format, the display's PQ curve capability and the content mastering. Why your projector's tone mapping matters more than the HDR logo.
- What is projector throw ratio? A projector with the wrong throw ratio is the most common and unfixable purchase error. The formula, placement examples and why lens shift beats keystone.
- What projector brightness do I need? Published projector lumens are measured in inaccurate modes. How to calculate the calibrated brightness your screen size, gain and room actually need.