By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 1990, The Syracuse Newspapers
Living color? Click.
Sharp and clear? Click.
Stereo sound on each side of the screen? Double click.
But life-size?
Gulp! Television is usually anything but. A 19-inch screen-the
size that most of us watch-is pretty small. Even a 27-inch or
31-inch screen is just a fraction of the size of real-life scenes
in broadcasts and on videotape.
This isn't a problem if TV is just another evening diversion.
But if we're serious about our fun and we want our video entertainment
to be as realistic as possible, we have to make it life-size.
And that, of course, means we'd have to spend more—usually, a
lot more than we'd ordinarily pay for a regular console TV. Since
the Cheapskate frowns on spending even a penny more than necessary
for anything, the idea of big-screen television seems to be one
of those goals that true skinflints could never reach.
But even the Cheapskate falls prey to the idea that art is long
and credit cards are fleeting. And so if you can afford just one
major home video purchase this time around, you should consider
a big-screen TV.
They come in screen sizes ranging from 35 inches to 120 inches—that's
10 feet, pardner—and cost anywhere from $2,000 to the level of
"if you have to ask, you can't afford it."
There are three basic types:
Direct-view TVs. These are just like regular TVs, except
that they're bigger. Because their picture tubes are extra beefy,
and because they need massive shielding, these sets are usually
very heavy. Picture sizes range between 30 inches and 40 inches.
Drawbacks: They're expensive, and their pictures aren't really
all that large.
Rear-projection TVs. These are what most people think of
when they refer to big-screen sets. Many brands are available,
and discounts can bring average prices down below $2,000.
Drawbacks: They're often not very bright if you sit off to the
side, and the picture from that angle can be ruined by ghost images
coming from the lens behind the screen.
Front-projection TVs. These give the best picture, all
other things being equal (which they usually aren't, unfortunately).
In principle, they work just like movie projectors, except for
the three separate, colored light beams that front-projection
sets usually have. Drawback: They take up a lot of space unless
you have a high ceiling and can hang the projector there (but
be warned that your viewing room could end up looking like a tavern).
When the first successful big-screen TVs were introduced in the
1970s, the only video playback device that could show off the
advanced picture quality of the new sets was a laser disc player.
That's right-laser video discs have been around for almost 20
years.
These days, a laser disc player is still the best way to feed
a proper video diet to your giant TV. Prices have been falling
while features have been rising, and you should be able to buy
one for $400 to $600. That's not in true Cheapskate territory,
but it's getting close. One caution: Make sure the laser-disc
player isn't an old model being sold out of outmoded warehouse
stock; many models from a few years back were not able to play
the digital sound tracks that are becoming standard on laser video
discs.
A little more expensive but still skirting the edge of cheapness
is the new breed of "combi" players, which will play audio compact
discs and laser video discs. The last one I tried was able to
play 3-inch, 5-inch, 8-inch, 10-inch and 12-inch discs-overkill,
perhaps, but a great conversation piece.
Big-as-life video is only part of a home theater. The rest comes
from good stereo sound, with your loudspeakers placed on each
side of the screen. The first two types of big-screen sets mentioned
above come with stereo speakers built in, but they're seldom any
good. The third type, front projection, almost always needs external
speakers for proper audio.
However, you shouldn't just hook up your own speakers directly
to the TV.
It won't have enough power to make them sound very loud. Instead,
find the left and right audio output jacks on your TV-nearly all
big-screen sets have them-and run cables from those jacks to your
stereo amplifier or receiver. You can use the "aux" input or
the "tuner" input of your stereo. (Or you can use a "tape"
input if you don't have a cassette deck hooked up to it.)
If your TV doesn't have audio outputs, you can use the ones on
the VCR instead. All VCRs that have stereo tuners also have left
and right audio output jacks.
That's all you need for a home theater. Add a popcorn machine-or
just toss some kernels in a brown paper bag and stick it in the
microwave-and you're all set. Who knows—you might even be able
to charge admission.
technofile:
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