Guides for real rooms

Setup Guides

Home Theater Setup Guide

How to choose the room, size the screen, place seats and speakers, run cable, and calibrate, in the order that avoids do-overs.

14 min read

Audio

Speaker Placement Guide: 2.0 to 7.1.4

Exact angles, heights, and distances for every surround layout, straight from Dolby and ITU guidance, plus how to compromise when your room forces it.

9 min read

Audio

Subwoofer Placement: Where to Put One or Two Subs

Corner loading, the subwoofer crawl, dual-sub strategies, crossover and phase settings, and how to avoid nulls at your seat.

9 min read

Audio

Dolby Atmos Setup: What You Need to Know

How Atmos works, which speaker layouts deliver it, in-ceiling vs. up-firing modules, receiver requirements, and realistic expectations.

9 min read

Acoustics

How to Treat a Room for Better Sound

First reflections, bass traps, absorption vs. diffusion, how much treatment you need, and what to skip.

9 min read

Video & Displays

Projector vs. TV: Which Is Right for You?

Brightness, contrast, size per dollar, installation, gaming, and a decision framework for every kind of room.

9 min read

Video & Displays

TV Size and Viewing Distance Explained

The viewing angle standards behind every TV size chart, why 4K changed the math, and a distance-to-size table you can trust.

8 min read

Buying Guides

How to Choose an AV Receiver

Channels, honest power ratings, HDMI 2.1 features, room correction, pre-outs, and what to buy for your room size.

9 min read

Buying Guides

HDMI Cables Explained

HDMI 2.0 vs 2.1, certified cable tiers, length limits, active optical cables, eARC, and how to fix handshake problems.

8 min read

Buying Guides

How to Budget for a Home Theater

Percentage-based allocation, what to prioritize at every tier, where cheaping out hurts, and the costs everyone forgets.

9 min read