I feel like a few times a week I am posed with a question I do not know the answer to off the top of my head related to home A/V. So, I’ll write them down and either ask one of my more experienced co-workers or I’ll research it myself. I also come across questions of people inquiring about what specific products are better. Below I am going to address many of those questions in an FAQ-style post.
If you ever have any questions, you can always shoot us an email and we’ll answer the best we can. I may even add it to a future post like this.
Is there a minimum and maximum amount of speakers one can have for surround sound?
The answer depends on the quality and what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for the full home theater experience in a small room, you would want 3-4 high-quality speakers. If you’re in a little bit of a larger room, you would want 5. And if you’re in a much larger room, you’d want 7. Too many or too few speakers can affect the sound quality. Who says? SCIENCE. Well actually, people who have been installing speakers for years say. Also, the people who created the speakers. We have a wide range of speakers we would love to show you. Reach out to us and we can find a setup that works for you.
How do I know if my TV can use surround sound?
The simplest answer is probably “check your TV manual.” Unfortunately, not all TVs are encoded for surround sound. You can also Google your TV model and it should come up. If you’re really interested in surround sound and have a TV that’s ruining that for you, give us a ring. We sell TVs and can get you one with everything you would want.
I currently have my 55" TV mounted. Can I use the same mount for my new 70" TV?
Maybe. It’s a bunch of maybes. Some 70″ TVs are lighter than others. It’s always best to check the weight of your new TV and the weight limit of your old mount. Fortunately, these are very easily searched topics. A piece of advice, if your TV weighs 82lbs and the weight limit is 80lbs, don’t use it. Your TV will fall and/or your mount will break. If not when you hang it, eventually. Save yourself the heartache.
What if I don't want to spend thousands on a projector system?
Then don’t. If you’re looking for a high-quality home theater system, then you need to spend thousands. However, we know not everyone can afford top-of-the-line equipment. You can find projectors on Amazon for $100 with a decent picture. Those are normally portable, very small, and light. They can get the job done if you’re just looking for an occasional viewing (movie night with friends or family, showing the big game one night, etc.). Whether you do or don’t spend thousands on a projector, projector screens are worth every penny.
What's the difference between OLED and QLED TV?
You can read about TV terms here. However, the gist: OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode – every pixel has its own LED light that produces its own light so it doesn’t need a backlight. OLED can get as dark as it needs to go without issue. QLED stands for Quantum dot Light Emitting Diode – it’s just like most other LED TVs except there are tiny quantum dots that give extra brightness and color. However, going dark when it’s supposed to doesn’t always translate well. Sometimes the color next to the black will bleed making the black less so.
Difference between 4K and 8K (and 16K)?
They’re resolutions that are better than high definition. Standard HD’s resolution is typically 1920×1080 pixels. 4K is usually 3840×2160 pixels. 8K is 7680×4320 pixels. 16K is 15360×8640 pixels. 4K is the main resolution these days on TVs 50″ and above. Small TVs cannot always handle the number of pixels, so the standard HD is enough. Anything greater than 4K at this stage of technology is not worth it. 8K and above are only good for huge TVs.
These are some of the common questions I’ve been asked lately. If you have a question you’d like to contribute to a future FAQ blog, shoot us an email. Thanks for reading.