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  1. chris_everett

    What Got you into Home Theater?

    Way back in the early '80s (I was less than 10), my family was friends with a local dentist, who was well off. We went to his house for dinner once, where I saw not only a CD Player, but a home theater. Laserdisc, CRT projector, the works. It made a big impression on me, but I mostly forgot...
  2. chris_everett

    Help a noob out (HT advice req.)

    Big question marks: Time frame. If they want this in two weeks, the costs will skyrocket. Extent of soundproofing. Do they need this room completly soundproof? What are the spaces around it? What is the building construction like? Extent of Accoustical treatment. If using this as a...
  3. chris_everett

    Good Deeds Come Back To You OR No Good Deed Goes Unpunished?

    A few months ago, I helped out a friend of my wife's (then fiance) with some legal trouble with one of her kids. Took all of maybe 30 minutes on my part, (just calling some contacts of mine, and letting her know what her rights were) and I pretty much forgot about it. When we got married she...
  4. chris_everett

    Buidling Our 3rd Theater

    1. Drop ceilings won't help much with soundproofing, but they will help with accoustics. 2. Can you glue down some 2x4's and attach your seats to those? This also gives you a nice floating floor (it's what I did, and I like it) 3-5. The Russound system that mylan points out is the best...
  5. chris_everett

    Help a noob out (HT advice req.)

    Your post talks about seating and soundproofing. Do you also need accoustics? Decorating design? Honestly, the equipment is the least of your problems. Your client (clients? what exactly do you do?) Need to be introduced to the Money/Time/Quality triangle. They get to pick two of the three. To...
  6. chris_everett

    walls and software

    The basic physics principals are of course the same. The biggest difference is that in a stereo room, the listener is ideally in the "mid-field" hearing both direct and reflected sound, while in HT the listener is ideally in the "near-field" hearing much more direct, and less reflected, sound...
  7. chris_everett

    walls and software

    Keep in mind that much of the information on line and in print is geared toward stereo rooms. Multi-channel is a different beast, and requires a somewhat different approach. In general, you can't go wrong with absobtion, and the lower frequencies that you can absorb the better. In my HT, I...
  8. chris_everett

    walls and software

    What _exactly_ do you mean by "sound better"? Accoustics is a complicated mix of science and art. That being said, you can purchase absorbers that you can attach to your walls that can reduce reflections and enhance sound from compainies like http://www.auralex.com (If you don't like the foam...
  9. chris_everett

    Screen Format

    I would guess that 1/3 of my movies are 16x9, so I went with that aspect ratio. Also, the limiting factor of my screen size was width, so a taller screen gives me the most picture in the most movies. The small "white bars" at the bottom and top of my screen disappear when I'm watching something.
  10. chris_everett

    Sound deadening underlay

    You won't see any accoustical advantages, but you might see some soundproofing advantages. Soundproofing is a system, so without knowing how the rest of the room is designed, it's difficult to say what the effect would be (If on a first floor though, there's no point at all.)
  11. chris_everett

    Best Bang for the Buck

    You can purchase specialized doors that are designed to be soundproof, but they are _very_ expensive. A solid door is very effective, as long as it has a good seal and threashold.
  12. chris_everett

    Volume discrepancy issues?

    The material in your standard SD broadcast is very compressed. (Dynamic compression, not data compression) DVD's and the like arent. The real problem that you probably have is a lousy accoustical environment, which can make it very difficult to hear two people talking "normally" Most DVD players...
  13. chris_everett

    Audio synch problems on HDTV broadcasts

    Robert, Have you tried the analog audio outs to see if they are synced with the component video?
  14. chris_everett

    Dedicated theater room build; suggestions?

    There are three keys to soundproofing 1. Airtight 2. Dense wall partitions 3. Accoustic Separation Airtight is fairly obvious. If the room is not airtight, sound will escape. This is also the first step toward soundproofing. Dense wall partitions can be accomplished with mass-loaded...
  15. chris_everett

    Dedicated theater room build; suggestions?

    Looks very nice... Make sure that you consider accoustics and soundproofing in your design.
  16. chris_everett

    What are my options

    You need to post them to another site, and then post a link. You can use sites like www.flickr.com
  17. chris_everett

    What are my options

    David, can you post a picture?
  18. chris_everett

    jury duty

    The number of people who defraud the system to get out of jury duty greatly increases the burden on those who don't (It's disturbing how many people get out of it) In most jurisdictions, once you sit on a jury, they can't call you again for a couple of years. If you do get called again, they...
  19. chris_everett

    Suspended Speakers

    Do you have a high ceiling that you need to attach these too? Surround speakers don't need to be at ear level, as long as you have some distance between the listeners and the speakers. You could retract them, but I would use a linear actuater rather than trying to hack a garage door opener. I...
  20. chris_everett

    Help me

    I've not seen any serious use of fiber in any home installation. Given the termination costs, I don't see the point. Most systems are happy with CAT-5e.
  21. chris_everett

    Help me

    Thanks Don... I don't consider myself to have a very good understanding. I've just done enough research to get confused, mostly.... mylan, I guess it comes down to what you consider 'expensive' Lot's of people seem to want to do it with some old speakers, and an old reciever. I hadn't seen...
  22. chris_everett

    Help me

    Well.... Whole house audio is a populer topic as of late.... As I see it, you have three options. 1. Have someone do it for you with a system like crestron. Advantage: Easy, powerful. Disadvantage: Really, really expensive 2. Complete DIY with inexpensive components. Use common...
  23. chris_everett

    DVI/HDMI cable for Apple computer to my Sony t.v

    Jerome, the TV is a second monitor from the computers point of view, so the link Jeremy gave you should be relevant.
  24. chris_everett

    Audio synch problems on HDTV broadcasts

    Wild ass guess..... The audio and video might be synced on the HDMI cable, and the analog outs may also be synced, but the two aren't synced together. Do you have a composite video (or S-video or component) out that you can plug in to the TV and see if the sync's correct? Also try a digital...
  25. chris_everett

    Moving our Cats to Little Rock?

    Ryder will rent you a panel van for a long distance move..
  26. chris_everett

    Audio synch problems on HDTV broadcasts

    How is your system connected now? Is it HDMI to the TV, and audio (analog or digital?) to your reciever? Also, is the audio "early" or "late"? I would be inclined to call DirecTV...
  27. chris_everett

    Audio synch problems on HDTV broadcasts

    I've heard that some digital cable boxes have this problem. What is your source? OTA, cable, sat?
  28. chris_everett

    DVI/HDMI cable for Apple computer to my Sony t.v

    It might be treating the output as a second video port... As your getting a signal, I would guess that the cable is fine. I would go to an apple forum or apple.com and see if you can find an answer there.
  29. chris_everett

    Buying a house w/o 3 prong grounded recepticles. HELP!

    That _really_ depends on your jurisdiction. That's true in some places, but I would check with your city or county building department. Generally, if it will affect the legal description of the house, you need a permit. (i.e., adding square footage, or changing bedroom count) Many places have...
  30. chris_everett

    Paranoia

    Among defense experts, shotguns are generally considered the best home defense weapons money can buy. The wide pattern that reduces the need to precisely aim, combined with the pellets that won't go through a typical wall, (except at close range) makes them excellent for that task. And yes...
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