HowStuffWorks Newsletter
Home audio and video setups are as individual as the people who own them. At its most basic, a home theater includes a TV, some speakers and an audio/video source. Find out about the newest home theater components, and how they work together to give you a superior entertainment experience.
Topics to Explore:
Are you ready to break free from Netflix? We'll tell you exactly how.
By Jeremy Glass
Some videos you love to hate. And hate on. The dubious winner of the "most-disliked" title has been in the top spot for three years and counting.
By Alia Hoyt
You've taken your new TV out of the box and set it up, but the picture quality doesn't look as good as it did in the store. What's the best and easiest way to fix that?
Advertisement
Between the greenish images and the audio glitches, hardly anyone looks or sounds good on video chat. But there are some simple techniques to make you seem more like the star you are.
That grayish background on your TV may not be because of your infrequent screen-cleaning. There's a problem called the dirty screen effect that sometimes appears, thanks to the inner workings of your TV.
Yes, that's a thing. And the videos are spectacular.
Many of us assumed the VHS video cassette player was already a thing of the past. Now it’s officially being laid to rest.
By Chris Opfer
Advertisement
Set-top boxes are a good bridge between the Internet and your TV and the newest player in the game is Amazon Fire TV. So, is this device good for you, or just good for Amazon?
By Dave Roos
Chromecast is a tiny TV dongle that promises to bring you streaming media controlled via your mobile device. Can it compete with the rest of the streaming media market?
DVD players are exceptionally precise pieces of equipment. See how DVD players work, including information on DVD drives, outputs and more.
By Gayle A. Alleman
So you're having a rager and thought playing movies on the side of the house would be awesome. You're going to need an LCD projector.
By Robert Lamb
Advertisement
With hundreds of millions of subscribers, Facebook commands an enormous audience. The company could prove to be a fantastic venue for online video. Could Facebook be the next big TV channel?
If you're building the perfect outdoor retreat, you may want to add high-fidelity sound -- but regular speakers won't hold up to adverse conditions. How do weatherproof speakers resist the elements?
By Jenny Munn
Don't throw out those scratched and non-functioning CDs, repair them. Learn more about how to repair scratches on a cd.
A voice coil is an electromagnet. Learn how a voice coil works on a speaker in this article.
Advertisement
A speaker system uses either an active or passive crossover in order to divide the signal into different frequencies. Learn about the difference between active and passive speaker crossovers in this article.
A speaker tweeter is the driver that produces high-frequency sounds in a stereo system. Learn how speaker tweeters work in this article.
When it comes to TV transmissions, 1080i means that there are 1,080 lines on the screen and they're interlaced (displayed alternatively). Learn about what 1080i means from this article.
When dealing with high-definition TV, 1080p means that there are 1,080 lines on the screen, and they're displayed progressively, not alternatively. Learn what 1080p means from this article.
Advertisement
New digital imaging technologies for flat screen TVs have advantages and limitations. Learn about the difference between a LCD TV and a DLP TV in this article.
Some HDTV signals display certain types of broadcasts better than others. Learn about the difference between 780i and 1080i HDTV in this article.
The 1080p has the highest HDTV resolution available. Learn about the difference between 780p and 1080p HDTV in this article.
Plasma screens seem to be better than LCDs when you’re considering very large screens. Learn about the difference between LCD TV and plasma TV from this article.
Advertisement
Blu-ray discs are becoming more and more popular. Learn about Blu-ray TV in this article.
You're trying to figure out how to understand a sound equalizer. This article will teach you how to understand a sound equalizer.