How Home Theater and HDTV Work (How It Works) (Paperback)

by Michael Miller (Author), Michael Troller (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Home theater and HDTV are hot, but most consumers know little or nothing about these technologies. You no longer have to rely on sales people to direct you to underpowered and overpriced equipment that doesn't meet your needs and is quickly outdated. Take matters into your own hands with How HDTV and Home Theater Works. Armed with this book, you will not only understand what you want, but why you want it and how to hook it all up. This book covers topics and most likely interest and confuse you, including:

• Broadcast vs. cable vs. satellite television
• Standard defintion vs. high definition TV
• Surround sound
• DVD and TiVo recorders

With all of this great information, presented to you in a highly-visual, four-color format, How HDTV and Home Theater Work is the only home theater book that you'll need to not only show you how to hook up your system, but how to maximize its performance.

About the Author
Michael Miller has authored more than 50 best-selling books over the past 15 years, including Absolute Beginner's Guide to eBay and Absolute Beginner's Guide to Computer Basics, as well as The Complete Idiot's Guide to Home Theater Systems. Mr. Miller has established a reputation for clearly explaining technical topics to non-technical readers, and for offering useful real-world advice about complicated topics. More information can be found at the author's Web site, located at www.molehillgroup.com. He can be contacted via e-mail at [e-mail].

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Que (November 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789734451
• ISBN-13: 978-0789734457
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #911,756 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent for DIFFERENCES between cables and specs and technologies, March 25, 2008

By	Kim J. Goldsworthy "gebegb" (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I needed a book to tell me the DIFFERENCE between cables. - Optical? Digital? Coaxial? S-Video? Composite? Fiber optic? Analog? Shielded? Unshielded? Banana plug? Bare wire?
For that, this book is PERFECT. It worked out nicely for me, when I had to decide how I was to wire up a new stereo receiver with a DirecTV box and a DVD-VCR combo box. A couple of years later, it helped me decipher the difference between (a.) a universal remote; (b.) a learning remote.
I bought this book over others on the shelf at a BORDERS because (a.) the illustrations are in COLOR; (b.) the illustrations are on EVERY PAGE; (c.) the text only focuses on the "how" or "why" and not on the technical or engineering aspects.
I see that the other review before mine gave the book only one star because the book does not tell you how to buy a television set. That is TRUE. The book is not written to tell you which BRAND to buy. The book WILL give you enough info to decide between (a.) plasma; (b.) LCD; (c.) rear projection; (d.) front projection (e.) flat panel.
Likewise, the chapter on "aspect ratios" helped me understand how the new TVs distort their picture, to either CROP or STRETCH the picture, depending on how you set the aspect ratio.
For example: Do you know the difference between (a.) pan-and-scan? (b.) letterbox? The illustrations in the book lay it out clear as a bell.
For example: Do you what the Texas Instruments slogan, "It's the mirrors!" means, and how it relates to DLP? The book tells you.
This book is much better than depending on a dozen (a hundred?) individual PDF documents or manufacturer brochures to teach the DIFFERENCES between the technologies out there for audio and video!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars OK if you are going to buy a HDTV, September 4, 2007

By	Forrest T. Jefferson (FT WORTH, TEXAS USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is OK if you are going to buy a HDTV but useless if you are a technician and need an understanding on repairing a HDTV.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, December 16, 2008

By	S. McPherson (Plymouth, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a good comprehensive guide that explains the basics and the science in a way that the layman can understand.