A/V Hell
Posted By Russ Emerson on November 1, 2012 at 1:45 pm
It’s only taken me approximately forever, but I have finally achieved Nerdvana: my home theater and peripherals are all working the way I want.
The components:
TV
A/V receiver + speakers (5.1)
Blu-Ray player
DVD changer
DVD player
X-Box
PC (as a file server for videos & mp3s)
And, of course, enough cables to set up a phone exchange.
Yeah, I have two DVD players – the changer is in the entertainment center, the single player resides next to my desk for quick/easy access. Remember, I don’t walk well. I bend over to DVD-changer-level rather less well….
… Which made cabling the entire system a true joy, since I had to spend a couple of hours crawling around on the floor. Getting up off the floor is for someone with virtually no leg strength, quite a challenge.
Apart from trying to suss out the myriad connection issues (e.g., which cable plugs in where, multiplied by about fiftynine thousand or so) there was also the issue of remote controls. The last thing I need is to expend brain cells on is remembering which inputs are needed on the TV and receiver for each activity. The A/V receiver has at least ten possible inputs to choose from — HDMI, component video, audio, etc. It is, frankly, quite baffling.
What has saved my sanity is the programmable remote I bought: the Logitech Harmony One. Expensive, yes — and worth every penny.
There’s no real point to this post, other than to suggest that, unless you really want to get into the nuts and bolts of home theater setup, a lot of time and effort might be saved by hiring a pro to handle the difficult bits.
and i remember when you were just a boy with books….