Rickstrange Home Improvement

Archive for the ‘Furniture’ Category

It is so true that by the time you pick out a television and you get the surround sound and everything else that you need for that awesome home theater, the last thing that you want to do is worry about hooking it all together. If you have the choice, let somebody else do it for you, but most people will just do it themselves.

Of course, you can have such a complicated and high tech home entertainment system that you need help to hook it all up, but for most individuals, they can take care of it on their own. That is not to say that the stuff that you buy at the store or on the internet isn’t complicated, but the manufacturers have gotten better at making these things much more user friendly and much easier to connect. In the old days, maybe 10 or 15 years ago, you almost needed a PHD in order to hook up a surround sound system. Read the rest of this entry »

There are many types of audio cable in use today, one of which, the 6.3mm ¼ inch jack, dates back to the 19th century with its use in early telephone exchanges of the day. By far the two most common non-digital audio connections used are the 3.5mm jack and the RCA Phono connector. The 3.5mm jack is used by portable audio devices whilst the RCA Phono is used on larger systems such as hifi’s and home cinema systems. The connectors are available in both male and female forms. The male would be a plug on a cable with the female being a chassis mounted socket on the audio device. Read the rest of this entry »

There have been plenty of advancements in home entertainment technology in recent years with things like full high definition televisions improving the quality of images. Most of these recent advancements have been taken in with open arms and found themselves easily selling to the mass markets except for one which has divided opinions for different reasons – 3D Technology.

3D technology has been put on televisions by big name manufacturers like Sony, Panasonic, LG and Samsung since March 2010 in the hope that since the introduction of 3D films at the cinema, they would sell like hot cakes for people looking to get the same 3D experience in their home for watching 3D films, Sky 3D or playing 3D games. This hasn’t been the case, research by Deloitte back in August 2010 found that only 2 percent of UK consumers were planning on purchasing a 3D TV for the next 12 months onwards from that. Deloitte’s research proved to be fairly accurate too as 3D televisions still haven’t managed to fly off the shelves as quick as some manufacturers may have hoped for. Read the rest of this entry »

New technology is great, if you can use it. Sometimes things are so new and nobody is quite ready for it and it falls out of the public eye for a little while. Before the current MP3 format, different companies tried it back in the mid nineties, but the public wasn’t ready to take the new technology and run with it. First of all, people were still used to having a hard copy of their music, downloading it just seemed weird.

So because the technology seemed strange and they couldn’t see the value in it, the technology hung out a little longer than it should have before exploding in popularity. When Apple introduced the first iPod and people began to see the positives and benefits of having a digital format, they began to think of actually purchasing it in that format. But they needed a user friendly way to get started and iPod did that for them. It is the same with 3D technology for your home television. Read the rest of this entry »

Many people now want to watch a movie at home using a basic projector. As a viewer, this enables you to enjoy the convenience of watching a movie of you choice on a large screen while the fact that it is a rental ensures that you don’t spend too much on purchase or maintenance. A home theater projector needs to be easy to set up, be able to read DVDs as well as other input such as from computers, and provide a good audio and video experience. If you are a frequent player of video games, a LCD projector that has a port for plugging in video game console input is a definite must have. A projector that permits a user to connect the audio to a better sound system to enhance viewing pleasure too will be appreciated by those who want a great movie viewing experience. Read the rest of this entry »

Having the correct cables to do the job might seem simple enough and might seem and easy thing to remember, but with so many kinds and brands and styles, it can get confusing for the average electronics owner. The thing to remember is that if you are going for a high definition entertainment system, then you have to use the cables designed for high definition.

This will start with the HDMI cable. There have been many kinds of cables over the years, each promising the best picture and sound, but with HD, HDMI is the only one that delivers. Your old S-Video cables and component cables won’t do you much good with that HD television and Blu-ray player. There are two basic kinds of HDMI cables, a normal cable and a high speed cable. The High speed cable is for televisions with resolutions of 1080p. Read the rest of this entry »

You may have overheard your mates’ conversations during the backyard BBQ last weekend of how they improve the TV sound in their home theatre systems. However, you may have been confused because it seemed they were using the terms ‘amplifier’ and ‘receiver’ interchangeably. And since then, you couldn’t stop thinking of what the differences between amplifier and receiver are and which one will be best for you.

The differences between an Amplifier and Receiver….

Amplifier is a box designed to receive, intensify the power of and then transmit the audio signal to the connected loudspeakers. An amplifier does not have an interface (i.e. buttons or knobs) to select or change inputs, outputs, volume, etc; therefore you will need to purchase a pre-amplifier (or referred as pre-amp) separately to enable you to do that. Read the rest of this entry »

There was a time when a radio manufacturer’s primary concern is the design of the product’s exterior because what is inside was basically the same for all radios. When touchscreen radio was introduced however, competition got tougher. To music lovers, more fun and excitement were ushered in by the touch system.

In the past, the most added feature a radio would have was an alarm clock. It was very rare that new station would come in and reception was pretty much the same and does not change for a very long period. With technology so different today, what a radio features matter a lot as tastes have become more and more discriminating. Read the rest of this entry »

Got old videotapes containing your precious family memories with no way to watch them? You may have some small ones, bigger ones, fat ones and tall ones – also known as mini-DVs, 8mm/Hi-8s, VHS-Cs and VHS tapes.

Well, the purpose of this article is to give you some tips and advice, or at least explain the different options you have to transfer your videotapes from the original magnetic tape format, which is degrading a little more every day, and preserve those magical moments onto a DVD or digital file. I will try to not get “too technical” and explain the choices in the simplest, layman’s terms.

If you have no interest in doing-it-yourself, then skip to the last section for recommendations on where/how to get your videotapes to DVD transferred. Read the rest of this entry »

Looking at that plasma television, or LCD or DLP television mounted on the wall, what is it missing? Of course you have HDTV connected in some way or another through cable or satellite, but what about the sound? Do you have the surround sound system that makes the entire set-up pop? What good is a great picture if the sound isn’t at the same quality level?

What do you enjoy about going to the movies besides stepping in sticky stuff as you make your way down the aisle and into your seat? The previews are always a great part of the experience, but the rude kids in the back aren’t, so what is missing? Of course it is the big, booming sound that makes you feel like you are in the movie. When there is an explosion on the screen, you expect to feel it. When a rocket blasts off and pushes its way through the atmosphere and into the silence of space, you want to be along for the ride and hearing what is going on is half of the experience. Read the rest of this entry »