If you’re in the market for a soundbar, you’re no doubt comparing a lot of specs and trying to figure out not just what you want, but what you need. One specification in particular is a bit confusing: some soundbars offer “4K”, but that’s a …
What is HDMI EDID? Everything You Need to Know!
The HDMI format pulls off a neat trick of simplifying video transfer in your home theater. It’s such a reliable and simple standard, in which connecting devices usually “just works” without a hitch, that it’s easy to forget there are some interesting things going on …
How HDMI ARC Works with Soundbars
The different sound standards and getting the best quality audio can be complicated. One of the most basic things that you need to get right is whether or not you’re using HDMI ARC with your soundbar or not. But how does HDMI ARC even work …
Can You Use a Projector for Everyday TV Watching?
Projectors offer an unparalleled option of screen size at their price point, with many 100-inch screen projectors coming in at well under the price of a 55-inch or 65-inch television. But what about for content other than movies and prestige-TV shows? What about normal every-day …
What Is HDR (High Dynamic Range) and Is It Important?
There have been many advances in video quality in recent years, but High Dynamic Range (HDR) might be the most exciting. Where technologies like Ultra-HD can give you a more precise picture, and where resolution drives up the number of pixels used for an image, …
What Is an HDMI Audio Extractor?
If your home theater room doubles as a listening room, you may be in the market for an HDMI audio extractor. HDMI audio extractors are also useful to transmit audio from HDMI-only sources to analog-only audio receivers. A small piece of equipment, an HDMI audio …
HDMI Switches: What Are They and Are They Useful?
An HDMI switch allows you to feed multiple HDMI sources to a single output. It will allow you to select between the input channels and will likely come with a remote control. HDMI switches are a great way to enable older equipment with fewer HDMI …
Do Cables Go Bad Over Time?
Maybe the cable is dead? Unless you’ve done something specific to damage the cable, the answer is not likely. Most damage to cables happens due to repeated plugging and unplugging or poor manufacturing. Using quality cables and disturbing them as little as possible can go …
What is Bluetooth 5? (Everything You Need to Know)
From wireless Bluetooth headphones to the ever-growing and mutating “Internet of Things”, more and more of the data we’re collecting and using is coming from hardware that wouldn’t exist without a standard solution for short-range device-to-device communication. That’s why it’s interesting when these standards change, …
What Are HDMI ARC and eARC and How Do They Work?
HDMI has greatly reduced the number of cables necessary to set up your home theater system, and ARC and eARC are just one way it does that. The HDMI ARC or audio return channel and eARC (enhanced audio return channel) allows for audio signals to …