Choosing Your Flat Screen TV

When it comes to buying a new TV, there are a lot of options out there. By a lot, I mean thousands of options. With that said there is no reason to be timid when it comes to your research. To be honest it's better to be aggressive. Search every review, every site, the news paper, newegg, toms hardware, and any other tool you can get your hands on. Let's see if we can pinpoint some key things to look for when buying that new TV.
Let's talk about what you want to use your TV for. That seams to be the most simple thing to decide in your research. If you're a gamer, you want a high refresh rate. Now I'm not talking about a Wii gamer here. I'm talking about fast moving games like FPS style games. Same goes if your into fast, action packed movies. Now if you're buying something for a quest or play room, then refresh rate and response time may not matter to you. Plasma is where you want to be for higher refresh rates as far as current technology goes. Everything else works pretty good for all other types of TV usages.
Size is everything when it comes to a new TV. If all else fails, I always say go bigger. Understand though that when you go big, you absolutely want to stay away from cheap manufacturers. A lot of the times a cheap manufacturer will slack on pixel quality and it really stands out in the picture quality on a big television. Either way, I would never recommend buying a flat screen TV from a low quality manufacturer. Going with brands you know is always a safe bet.
Now that that's out of the way, let's talk a bit about weight. The weight of your TV will determine the wall mount you need. Be sure and view as many TV wall mount reviews as you can to ensure you're not making a big mistake. There is nothing worse then buying a mount and TV, only to find the mounting brackets aren't made for your TV model or can't hold your weight.
Positioning is something to keep in mind as well. If your planning on mounting the TV in a corner, then a bigger TV might be deceptive and not actually fit in the corner correctly. Again this is where aggressive research can help you make the right decisions.

Common Challenges When Installing Speakers Outdoors

Getting and setting up the right speakers for outdoors can be quite difficult since there are many parameters to take into consideration. I will give some tips to help you avoid some of the pitfalls and help you get the perfect model.
Outdoor speakers come in all shapes and sizes and thus it is often overwhelming to make an informed decision. When you are looking for outdoor speakers then there are several important things to look at, some of which may not be so obvious.
The speaker itself should be water resistant or waterproof to withstand the elements. Typical outdoor speakers have a plastic enclosure to withstand rain. Also, a UV resistant coating paint will maintain the color of the speaker even when exposed to the sun. If the speaker has metal elements such as the front cover or a metal mount then these should either be made of non-corrosive materials or specially treated materials which won't rust. Another factor to consider is the speaker wattage.
Outdoor venues will require higher speaker wattage than indoor venues due to the fact that sound inside a room will be contained within that room and be reflected by walls thus making the speaker appear fairly loud. Outdoors the sound will freely dissipate in all directions and therefore make it harder to achieve the same loudness. Also, there is usually more noise outdoors from car traffic and wind noise which may drown out the speaker. Thus a speaker with only a few watts of power does not offer enough wattage for outdoors but may very well be suited for indoors.
Running long speaker cables is also a big challenge since there typically is no pre-wiring in place outdoors. Digging up trenches to hide speaker cable may also cause damage to your flower beds and cross through obstacles like retaining walls. Therefore one option to consider are wireless outdoor speakers. Wireless speakers remove the need for running speaker cables and thus are easy to set up outdoors. This type of speakers will require a transmitter unit which is connected to your music source, such as your CD player, iPod or computer and send the audio via a wireless connection to your speakers. Usually the transmitter will be inside your house. Therefore make sure that the transmitter offers enough range to safely bridge the distance to your speakers. Wireless speaker manufacturers typically specify a maximum operating range. Be careful though as this range is typically given for ideal circumstances. In the real world the actual range of the speakers will be less. How much less depends on the setup. For example if the wireless signal has to pass through walls to get outside then the range will shrink because walls will weaken the signal. Wooden type walls are usually less of a problem than steel-reinforced concrete walls. The fewer walls between the transmitter and speakers the further the signal can travel.
Further, make sure that the wireless signal is robust against interference. There may be wireless LANs and other cordless gadgets in the area which can shut down your speaker unless the wireless transmission has a mechanism to cope with such interference. Modern transmitters offer adaptive frequency hopping to avoid crowded channels and forward error correction to cope with lost data packets. Also, pick speakers where the transmitter has all of the necessary audio connections to easily interface with your audio equipment. Some common audio interfaces include iPod cradles, line-level audio inputs to connect with a CD or MP3 player and also speaker inputs to connect to your home theater receiver.

Do Wireless Loudspeakers Work Well Outdoors?

I will offer some advise on purchasing outdoor speakers and also investigate wireless speakers as an option.
There are many outdoor speaker models on the market. Each model has its pros and cons. Outdoor applications by nature pose several problems for speakers.
The first thing to look at is the speaker enclosure. Typically speakers are made of MDF material. MDF material cannot withstand rain and thus you'll need to find speakers with an alternate material, such as plastic. Outdoor speakers are often going to be exposed to sunlight. If the speaker faces direct sunlight then you may want to ensure the speaker won't discolor over time. One protection against sunlight is UV resistive paint which a few models have. There are also other factors to consider when picking your speaker. Obviously looks and sound quality are important. However, also check out speaker wattage.
While indoor speakers with low to medium wattage work pretty well, you will want to pick a model with moderate to high speaker wattage for use outdoors as the sound is going to dissipate freely and thus the speaker will not as easily achieve the required loudness. Also, noise from cars and wind noise require a higher wattage.
If you want to avoid running long speaker cable you may want to investigate wireless outdoor speakers as an alternative to regular speakers. Wireless speakers come with a transmitter that connects to your source and are fairly easy to set up. Due to the distance between the transmitter unit and your speakers, make sure the model you pick offers enough range. The maximum range which many wireless speaker manufacturers will show is only valid for ideal circumstances. In practice the actual range will be far less depending on your circumstances. Walls and other obstacles will reduce the range as the wireless signal gets weaker each time it has to pass through a door.
Since there may be a lot of other wireless devices in the area, ensure that the model you pick is fairly robust against such radio interference. Some methods for avoiding interference are adaptive frequency hopping and error correction. Adaptive frequency hopping will scan all frequency channels and avoid channels occupied by other devices. Error correction is able to repair data which was lost or damaged during the transmission. Finally, you will want to pick a transmitter which offers all of the audio inputs that you will require in other to easily connect to your home audio system or your iPod, such as audio line inputs or amplified speaker inputs

The Next Generation Of "Smart" Devices

We have loads of smart devices that help keep us connected and help in keeping us entertained, and now, to go along with our smart phones, we have smart televisions. You probably didn't think that they could get any smarter, nevertheless they have. Not only have they gotten better in terms of the way the picture looks and sounds, but in what they are able to do.
I'm aware television sets are for viewing and these do that just fine, the truth is, with a 3D version, the picture and sound are dissimilar to anything you might be accustomed to. However they could do more and it starts off with being able to connect to the internet wirelessly. So if you have wireless internet, which most people do, you merely connect the television and all of a sudden, you have full usage of anything that you would want from the web, including social media and streaming movies and television shows.
So what you get is one device that has a huge screen to undertake everything that we've been accomplishing anyway. Only it's not necessary to connect all of the other components up to the device. So if you want to post something on Facebook or examine some Tweets, you can do that without leaving your couch. Then if the mood strikes, you'll be able to stream a new episode of that AMC drama that you love so much. The point is that you could finally utilize one device to do all of the things that you'd commonly use several devices to do.
So you won't need to sit with the laptop on the coffee table or your smart phone in your hands the whole night. You can pop back and forth between watching TV and keeping up your social networking and if you need to get some movie reviews for that movie you're thinking about streaming, you can do that too.
You will no longer have to rotate through devices to get the things accomplished that you like to do. One device, an amazing television hangs on the wall, with a Tv bracket and you control everything from the comfort of your favorite chair. The television is the hard part, settling on what you want and what you need, the rest is easy. Just hook up a killer surround sound system and find some Cheap hdmi cables, or s-video cable, and you will be ready to hang out on the couch all weekend, and never lose touch with what you love to do.

For all your electronic desires Selby acoustic offers the best products at the best prices. Take a look at them on the web today and start shopping your way to the most amazing home entertainment system

Good Entertainment Needn't Be Pricey

It doesn't take a lot of cash to make your home entertainment experience good. It takes some, but not as much as used to. That is because the technology has gotten a lot less pricey and the quality is better. An HDTV isn't as expensive as it was just a couple of years ago, and the prices have weakened for the components that you need as well.
Needless to say, if you want to be a show off, you could purchase some really expensive components and the newest and highest tech television on the market. But if you just want to enjoy movies and television in the privacy of your own home and do it in a way that is enjoyable and comparable to the movie theater experience, it doesn't have to be expensive. You can get a reasonably priced television, but that is not all that you will require.
Most people already have this part of the set-up anyway. But you do need a couple of components and a surround sound system. The components are going to most likely be a game console, something that you can play games on and watch movies with as well. If you can get two things out of one component, then that is better than having to buy them separately. That is why the PlayStation 3 is such a good deal. Not only can you play games, you can watch DVD's and Blu-rays as well.
This signifies that you are not limited to just one or the other, your options are open. Of course, if you are not a Sony fan boy, you can always decide on something else and get a couple of components. Then you will need the surround sound system that will pull everything together. If you have a excellent television and are watching a great movie, then why skimp out when it comes to the sound? Not having the sound to back up the picture is like going for a run using Crocs.
Sure they are comfortable, but you are not going to get where you want to as quickly and efficiently. But again, like the consoles and like the televisions, you can get a reasonably priced surround sound system that gives you good quality sound and is easy on your wallet. You don't have to spend a thousand dollars to get good sound and to enjoy the movie that you are watching. The trick is to do a little homework and some comparison shopping.

Smart Home Systems - A College Degree For Your Home

So you've just built a new home and you're ready to drop the veil of secrecy and show it off. Unfortunately, you weren't planning on it being tonight and, as luck would have it, you're not alone in the car as you head towards home. You begin to imagine having your guests wait outside while you go in and turn on the lights, music and AC to make sure it gives the perfect impressions when they enter. Then you remember that you have a smart home and dig out your iPhone while you're driving.
A push of the button and everything is set. The shades are raised, the lights are all turned on to your favorite setting in all the different rooms, the music is playing your favorite tunes, the AC is cooling down the interior and the landscape and house are illuminated worthy of a magazine cover. Suddenly your anxiety turns to pride as you pull in the driveway.
This scenario could play out in many different ways. Like waiting at the airport wondering if you set your alarm, or lying in bed at night wondering if you shut off all the lights downstairs, etc. For those who like having more order and control in their daily lives while being environmentally conscious, conveniences like a smart home make a lot of sense.
What was once only a techno-fantasy has made its way to the mainstream homeowner. But a smart home system is no small feat of engineering. It's a very sophisticated, highly computerized home automation system. In order to customize a home to connect to the system, each component must be directly connected to the main interface. This includes outlets, phone, cable, sound system, security system, air conditioner/heating systems, window shades, landscape lighting, ceiling fans, etc. While it's possible to remodel a home to accommodate the system, it can be a costly venture. For this reason, some companies now offer infrared remotes for some household items but they have limited flexibility. For most customers, it makes more sense to install a smart home system while a home is under construction so the wiring can be done before the walls are finished.
There are many different types of systems on the market that will achieve similar effects. My favorite system is the Lutron HomeWorks system which is available at different option levels. They also offer an advanced HomeWorks QS system adding energy control and efficiency to your home with things like sensor controls to turn lights on and off at doorways, power grid monitoring, and more. It's another option for decreasing your carbon footprint, saving money and supporting a "green" home concept.
Controls are easy to use and as with most systems, it can be accessed by your iPhone or iPad from anywhere outside of the home. There are also hard-wired wall mount controls for use upon entry or while in the home. Each setting can be completely customized to your taste for different daytime or evening themes.
Smart Home system pricing is coming down with every passing year. The iPhone and iPad have reduced the need for costly controls and have brought smart home systems within everyone's reach. Consumers have been accustomed to using electronics in every phase of their life and now that flows through to the management of their homes. We can expect these types of systems to become an industry standard in luxury homes.
So if you feel your house is a bit of a dimwit and a little dimly lit, maybe it's time to opt for a little education in the form of the addition of a smart home system. Just keep your wits about you when you do your homework. A top of the line luxury system could easily set you back the cost of a small college degree.

Acoustic Panels - Listen to the Sound You Want to

No matter where you are, unwanted noise can always make way into your quiet space. You can now control the movement of sound and only listen to sound you want to. There are numerous tools available these days that help you accomplish this and acoustic panels are one of them.
These panels can be customized to a room specifications and hung from ceilings or walls. Panels can vary in thickness but almost all perform the same function, i.e. absorb sound. A four-inch panel will show a performance comparable to a two-inch thick panel when used in a room with high frequency sounds.
Most of the latest panels used for sound absorption come in a variety of exciting colors. You can now choose a color that complements the aesthetic appeal of your room. Color is not very significant in determining the performance of a panel but can instantly enhance the presentation of the room where it is used.
As these panels are intended for absorbing sound, they have a special fabric on the surface. Whenever sound waves make way into your room, they bounce on hard surface such as walls and create noise. If you want to enjoy a quiet space, you need to avoid distractions from traffic sounds and loud conversations. This is where these panels come in handy.
Some of the latest panels also come in a variety of unique designs that not only make your room look good but sound great as well. You can position the panels at suitable places in your room, which will prevent the sound waves from bouncing off the walls. You will need fewer panels to achieve the desired result if you place them properly.
The fabric found on the surface of the panel absorbs sound, which helps you eliminate noise in a great looking room. With help of these panels, you can actually control the movement of sound in your room. Most importantly, you only get to hear the sound you want as annoying echoes and unwanted noise will no longer ruin your hearing experience.
If you want to know where you can use these helpful panels, there is a wide range of options for you to choose from. You can use these products in rooms used for teleconference, video conference, music recording, and radio broadcast. You can also place these panels in an auditorium and or the place you keep your home theater system

Reasons Why Your Home Theatre Paint Is Important

When choosing to set up a theatre room, it is important to pay attention to all the dynamics of the room and how they will affect your theatre. One place where most people do not consider as much is the home theatre paint that they will use.
The kind of color that you use is very important. It is not only useful to match with the rest of the items in the room but has a lot of other uses. This is why it is crucial to consider the correct home theatre paint that you will use in your theater room.
The right home theatre paint color has a very important role to play in your theater. Perhaps the most important of all is that of your picture quality.
Having a good color will allow the images and colors on your screen to appear more vivid and pop out, while the wrong colors will make your screen give out an ambient color which will in turn interfere with the quality or your visual aspect while in the middle of a movie.
Some people would choose to have their screen painted on the wall. For such, it is important to use simple colors like specific shades of grey, so depending on the type of projector used you will not have a problem seeing the images on your wall. The home theatre paint that you select must help you produce clear pictures.
The color that is painted around the screen is also important. The darker the room looks the better. Other than using items like drapes and dark-colored furniture, you could also use the color on your walls to make sure you get a very good picture from your projector or electronic screen.
For the best visual effects that are pleasing to you and look good in the room you do not necessarily have to use black on your walls. You can use a deep color like a dark burgundy which will still bring out bright pictures and give you a good color for you home theatre paint.
Brighter colors will affect your room negatively and can at some points affect the picture quality of the movie that you are watching especially when you are using a projector.
It is also important to try and avoid paint that is glossy or even those that have just a little glossiness to them. They may appear to look good on your wall but the glossy home theatre paint will only make light from your video be reflected.

Onkyo Home Theatre Receivers

The Onkyo home theatre receiver is still one of the best in the world. Onkyo has made a name in today's market by providing people with the best when it comes to making ideal receivers.
A receiver, such as the Onkyo home theatre receiver, is a very important gadget to have especially when it is the heart of your home theatre system. It has several advantages that will ensure that you get the best acoustics from your theatre room and that you simply enjoy each of your experiences while watching or listening to videos and music from your theater at home.
The Onkyo home theatre receiver is very reliable and as a customer you can be assured of the service that you will get from it.
Its features
First of all, the Onkyo home theatre receiver comes with the latest iteration that is in HDMI version format of 1.4. It contains three of these HDMI inputs which allow you to connect to Blu - ray players and the game console. Because of the third HDMI input you will also be able to connect to a cable or satellite box.
In addition to that, this HDMI will also allow you to have access to other modern applications and gadgets like the Apple TV or the Roku LT. It is also set up to have MHL compatibility so that you can get a connection from your receiver to a Smartphone or a streaming stick.
The Onkyo home theatre receiver is also trendy and gives you the chance to get the full experience from your high definition Blu-Ray Movies with HD sound decoding with Dolby TrueHD as well as DTS-HD Master Audio. Both of these formats are important because unlike some receivers that have one, you will be able to get bit sounds that are more powerful and resemble those in a master track studio.
The receiver also has a universal port to allow other connections and gives you many options when it comes to gaming audio modes or even for iPhone and iPod compatibility. Some also have network availability which is possible via Ethernet ports. This gives you the chance to access and listen to internet radio and also connect and control your receiver via your iPhone.
As if that is not enough, the Onkyo home theatre receiver comes with the ability to work with a 5.1 or 7.1 balance channel set that connects the speakers. This means that it can connect to five speakers and one sub-woofer.

Are You Looking for Soundproofing Advice?

Turning your noisy room into a relaxing spot is a greater challenge than what you may have imagined. You would think of getting a permanent solution to keep away the sickening noise from pumping in your ears. Now when you have looked through a number of options, you will surely be impressed by the sound absorption panels that are available to make your life easier.
Just relax and count the number of times you had to step out of your home to make a polite request to your neighbors to turn down the volume on their theater system. This, however, does not include the sound of busy traffic, which also contributes a fair bit in making your home a nosier place. So is there any option other than banging the doors of your dream home?
Well, adding sound absorption panels will not only make you happy but it is also going to please everyone living with you. If you were planning for a home improvement, it is the best time you also get hold of these useful panels. You will not only reduce the amount of noise entering your room but these decorative panels will also enhance the aesthetic appeal of your walls.
Adding panels for sound absorption will also add the much needed marketing element if you like to sell your home in the future. You can find these panels in a variety of attractive colors and patterns. You can also use them as an inexpensive way to renovate your home and make it noise free at the same time. Enjoying peaceful sleep every night had not been this easy. What do you think?
Almost all panels that are used to keep away the sound waves can be mounted directly on walls or ceilings of the room you desire. This is of great help especially if you don't have a large amount of space. Using these panels ensures that you only get to hear the sound you really want to. You can screw the panels to your existing walls and notice a serious reduction in the amount of noise entering your room.
You need to pay particular attention to the distribution of these panels in a room as it influences the overall efficiency of your product. If you use the product correctly, it can become the easiest, fastest and one of the most efficient ways to make your home more comfortable.

What Does 7.1 and 5.1 Surround Sound Actually Mean?

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 5.1 AND 7.1 SURROUND SOUND
The most common surround-sound home theater systems contain 5.1 surround digital receivers from such manufacturers like Sony, Yamaha and Denon. Dolby Laboratories actually invented surround sound back in the 1980's and manufacturers have to pay a licensing agreement to Dolby if they want to embed 5.1 or 7.1 Dolby Digital sound into their own receivers.
The reason for the different number sequences is based on how many speakers it takes to reach the full surround mode of each sound system. For instance, you can get full 5.1 surround from your receiver as long as you have one subwoofer, one center speaker, two side speakers and two rear-channel speakers. The 'one' in this sequence is alluding to the subwoofer. But if you want true 7.1 surround, you must also include two more rear speakers directly behind the listener, such as the speakers you would find in a professional movie theater.
A TRUE MOVIE EXPERIENCE REQUIRES 7.1 DIGITAL SURROUND SOUND
Most Blu-ray and non-Blu-ray DVD movies are being encoded with 71 DTS-HD Master Audio these days, along with the usual 5.1 Dolby surround sound mode. This means that in order to experience the most realistic true movie theater audio signatures while watching a movie like 'Avatar', for instance, you really need to upgrade your 5.1 surround receiver fairly soon.
If you do own a 7.1 digital receiver that can decode and play a Blu-ray movie with DTS-HD Master Audio but the movies you own aren't equipped with that specific sound mode, don't worry. Your 7.1 digital receiver will still do a great job of perfectly balancing the typical 5.1 surround sound into all of your seven speakers contained with your home theater system.
5.1 SOUND CONVERTED OVER TO 7.1 SOUND WITH YOUR RECEIVER
When you do watch a 5.1 digitally encoded DVD movie on your current 7.1 digital receiver, your component will actually convert the 5.1 sound to all of seven of your speakers through something called 'duplicated sound processing.' This fancy term just means that your extra rear center channel speaker will duplicate the exact sounds emanating from your other two rear channel speakers, thereby creating a real professional movie theater experience.
To sum up, as long as your home theater receiver includes a variety of either 5.1 surround modes such as Pro Logic or Theater Surround, and your 7.1 digital receiver includes DTS-HD Master Audio, your home theater listening experience will be second to none

The Home Theater System Setup Era

When the home theatre was first introduced to the market, it cost an arm and a leg, but as time went by home theater system setups have become more affordable and many people have them installed in their homes. Fewer people are making the long trip to the movie theater to watch their favorite movies; they are instead bringing the movie theatre experience to their homes and watching on their own home theater system setup. The movie theaters are facing the same problem the dinosaurs faced years ago. Though there are still people who love the classics and have made a decision not to follow the change in the movie world, the number decreases with the increase of new technology. The Home theater system setup captures the movie theater experience in the comfort of your own home, and having one has become more of a need than a luxury.
Installing a home theater system setup does not necessarily have to be an expensive affair, one can connect their TV to a DVD player and then to an AV Receiver to get the experience of a surround system. A home theater is usually what you want to make it to look like hence an individual's creativity is left to be wild while combining, upgrading, buying and merging whichever equipment they want in order to come up with something they are comfortable with.
There are some things you need to watch out for when looking forward to install a home theater system setup in your house, room, or office.
- Get the right size of the screen. Contrary to many people's beliefs when it comes to buying a TV, that 'bigger is always better', getting the right size of the screen that will fit in your room is imperative or one might be forced to have to watch their TV from another room because of congestion.
- Read the manuals before setting off to connect the equipment. Though they might seem easy and obvious, one miscalculation can leave you with the opposite of what you expected.
- When buying a home theater system setup, brand or price are probably good guides to help in deciding the product of your choice. This may lead to buying something you did not want.
- The kind of cables you buy for your equipment is very important. You want to buy a quality cable that will protect your equipment from any interference.
With the change in technology, better equipment for your setup are continually being made. The 3D is one of the technologies that have rocked the world.

How to Figure Correct HDTV Viewing Distances

With the huge leaps and bounds that TV manufacturers have made when it comes to delivering ultra-high definition images into the home theater market, you can actually place these newer HDTV units much closer to your living room couch than ever before. Still, most consumers new to home theater need to have some type of formula for figuring out exactly where to position that huge 60-inch HDTV after they have spent their hard-earned money on purchasing the component.
So let's say your new HDTV is at least 52-inches in width and you want to create a home theater experience in your smaller living room area of your home. A good rule of thumb would be to position the unit away from any light glares emanating from the closest window, first of all. Light glares shining onto a very bright LED TV screen won't have that much of an impact on your movie-watching experience during the daylight hours, but if an outdoor light is coming through your window at night, that glare will cause a big image problem when watching movies after darkness falls.
KEEP YOUR HDTV AWAY FROM ALL LIGHT SOURCES
Even if you have an LCD or plasma screen, it is still advisable to position your TV away from all light sources and to make sure that your TV's speakers are unobstructed by hard surfaces like counter tops or doorway arch areas. As most HDTV units have crisp and bright images, these newer units can be positioned about nine feet or so away from your home theater seats.
That rule of thumb is good for the 52-inch LED, LCD or plasma TV unit you just purchased, along with any set that is at least 46-inches wide as well. When you start going under 46-inches, you can position those units about seven to eight feet away from you or your visitors with no problems at all. Again, if you do not want to experience headaches or eye fatigue when watching a 3D movie or huge sporting event that features blurry football players, you might want to position your new TV another foot away from your viewing area.
PERSONAL TASTES IN MOVIES AND SHOWS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED
All viewing and listening preferences are up to the viewer's own personal tastes, so you should always evaluate the types of shows and movies you will be watching on a regular basis in order to figure out the perfect viewing distances for your new HDTV unit.

Man Cave: The Ultimate Setup

What is the ultimate Man Cave setup? How can you achieve the ultimate setup?
The whole Man Cave design revolves around the TV, specifically the large flat screen TV. What I want to do is describe the best TV setup for watching all your favorite sporting events. What I am about to describe has been knocking around my head for years. The other day I discovered the best format or setup for what I call "The Ultimate Man Cave Setup."
The Ultimate Man Cave Setup
If I came to you with this design 10 years ago you would have thought I was crazy. The main part of the design would have been cost prohibitive for most men or families.
The design is built around one of my favorite local sports bar setups. The best sports bars have either 5 or 6 big screen TV or projectors displaying games on large screens around the bar. A bar setup was never possible for a Man Cave in the past because large projection screen TVs simply took up too much space and cost over $2,000 a piece.
Today a sports bar type design is possible for any man with good size basement. Allow me to give you the design I saw at my local sports bar, which you can easily duplicate.
The sports bar had five 60" flat screen TVs lined up along the wall on a built in ledge. The ledge had enough space to hold the TVs, but still looked like it was part of the wall.
Smaller Sports Bar
Now I realize we cannot put up 5 flat screens in our Man Cave because there is not enough space. However, three flat screen TVs would fit very nicely on a 20 foot long wall in your basement. Imagine for a minute watching three NFL games at once. All your buddies are over at your place since you have the ultimate setup.
This ultimate Man Cave setup is sort of like when you were a kid growing up and going over to your friend's house who had all the cool toys. Today it is not the "cool toys," but the cool TV setup that will bring all your friends over.
We are in the peak of March Madness as I am writing this article. Having the capability to watch three games at once is priceless. Having to flip back and forth to other games is frustrating. How many times have you had to choose between two really close games at once?
Which one do you choose?
With the "Ultimate Man Cave" setup you can watch both of the games at the same time.
The Cost the Ultimate Man Cave
Here is the best part of this setup. The cost is dramatically lower than 10 year ago. Today, thanks to Walmart, Best Buy, Target and Amazon competing against each other we can buy a 40" to 50" flat screen for around $300 to $1,200 a piece. The price you pay depends on the name brand you purchase and the size of the screen. Depending on the size of your basement or room you probably can use three 40" flat screen TVs.
Here is one design tip you must follow: You must buy three TVs that are the exact same model and size. Buying three different models is not wise since they may not have the same clarity or color

Samsung E8000 3D Plasma TV Series and ES8000 3D LED TV Series

Samsung has made a lasting impression at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas by bringing forward their latest line of HDTV models for 2012.

The company has showcased a new OLED TV model that captured most of the attention in the second day with its high performance and sheet-of-glass display. The OLED technology is most likely the next in line to be used for high-end HDTVs, although it will need a few years before it is affordable to everyone.
Samsung has used its OLED model in order to showcase their 2012 line of 3D-enabled plasma TVs and 3D-enabled LED TVs to be released sometime in the Spring.

Samsung E8000 3D Plasma TV Series

The Samsung E8000 is the new 3D plasma TV series coming in three new models, ranging from 51 to 64 inches in screen size. These three new models all feature Smart TV capabilities, aside from being 3D-capable displays.
What first captures your attention when looking at these new Samsung Plasma TV models is a giant screen and wonderful design, featuring a 1.5-inch thick ultra-slim bezel. The narrow bezel comes in titan black metal color and crystal like border and a clean finish.

You won't be disappointed in the least when you take a look at the features either. Samsung's Real Black Pro technology is what helps this display produce a higher contrast, deeper blacks and a wonderful color palette in both 2D and 3D.

The three E8000 models are the PN51E8000, the PN59E8000 and the PN64E8000 all featuring Smart TV capabilities. All of them are able to connect to your home network via WiFi and enable any user to access the most popular Internet Streaming Services such as Netflix, VUDU or Pandora and make good use of Samsung's dedicated apps enabling features such as gesture and voice control.

Also worth mentioning is the 2D-to-3D upconversion feature which will enable you to watch your old movie collection in 3D. Samsung hasn't released any information about pricing or availability for its E8000 series but they are expected to hit the market sometime in April.

Samsung ES8000 3D LED TV Series

If you're looking for an affordable option for a 3D-enabled display in 2012, you'd better take a look at Samsung's ES8000 series of LED HDTVs.

The new LED TV series showcased by Samsung at the CES in Las Vegas come in a wonderful slim design, but what will direct most costumers toward them in 2012 is Samsung's Evolution Kit.

The Samsung Evolution Kit will allow users to upgrade their LED TV next year by replacing the chip on-board rather than replacing the whole TV set. If you're a Samsung fan and want to keep up with the latest technology coming out every year this one is the easiest way to do it.

The Samsung ES8000 series will be available in four new models: the 46ES8000, the 60ES8000, the 65ES8000 and the 70ES8000.

All of these come with a 1080p Full HD panel, 3D support and the popular 2D-to-3D upconversion feature. There's a whole slew of new features packed with these new display that will enhance image quality and provide a highest contrast ratio and darker blacks.

You will basically get everything that's available with the company's Plasma TV models in 2012 for an affordable price. The Smart TV capabilities present with the ES8000 models enable multitasking as well as gesture control and voice control with the aid of the built-in webcam.

You'll still be able to connect to Internet Streaming services and enjoy online content or browse the Internet and make use of Samsung's Smart TV apps.

The new Samsung ES8000 LED TV models will become available sometime in April and if you were planning an TV upgrade in 2012, both the E8000 and the ES8000 series from Samsung are worth your attention.