SECRETS Home Theater Q&A

When The Hobbit is released on Blu-ray next year, will it contain high frame rate (HFR) playback capability? And what display(s) will be able to show it at 48fps?
Brad Ruley
Tampa, FL

I have a pair of Bose 901 Series VI speakers, and I recently purchased an Anthem MRX 700 AV receiver. Are the speakers compatible with the receiver? The salespeople at the store said they are, but they've had many problems finding a receiver that is compatible with them. The problem seems to be the active equalizer box that comes with the speakers; it requires a tape-monitor connection, which most receivers don't have any more.
Vernon Hodgins
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Canada

I've been looking for a video of a calibrator going step by step through an entire calibration, but I haven't been able to find one online. There are snippets here and there, but nothing from start to finish. Do you know where I might find such a video?
Phil Fritts
Birmingham, AL

I recently purchased a 7.1 AV pre/pro for my home theater as an upgrade from my aging Marantz AVR. I am debating if I should pair this with a 7-channel amp for simplicity and lower cost or if I would get better performance pairing with 5 channel for the surrounds and a 2 channel amp for L/R.
- Ryan Francis
Harriman, UT

We are finally going to pull the trigger and get an LED/LCD flat panel. Bye-bye CRT! We're looking at getting a 60-incher, and our budget is about $1500. Do you have any recommendations? I'm also wondering if we should look for good deals in the holiday shopping season.
- Vanessa LaFleur
Hudson, WI

I have a Marantz DV6600 SACD/DVD player, and I updated my receiver to an Anthem MRX 500. How do I connect them to hear SACD content?
- George Clark
Eden, NSW
Australia

I have a 2-year-old Samsung plasma television. Watching a football game, movement has the tendency of looking jagged. Is there anyway to correct this? Also, is there a product I can use to adjust this TV? I'm sure the color, brightness, etc. could use some adjustments.
- Lawrence Armstrong
Spartanburg, SC

I'm looking at the new Pioneer SP-BS22-LR bookshelf speakers for a 5.1 setup. These speakers are rated from 55Hz to 20kHz using a 4-inch driver. Can a 4-inch driver really deliver that kind of low-frequency performance?
- Ganesh
New York, NY

I have a Velodyne CHT-10 subwoofer connected to my Denon receiver's pre-out. I love it very much except for one thing—it sometimes sounds boomy. Do you know what could cause that and whether or not there's a setting I could change to make it always sound crisp?
- George P.
Mississauga, Ontario
Canada

I intend to purchase a pair of floorstanding speakers for my future home theater. Which of the speakers listed below will work best with the Marantz SR6007 AV receiver?
- Mihai Giurgiu
Bacau, Romania

Can you explain the popular audio formats for home theater? I have a media-center PC with a sound card connected to a receiver. Depending on the content, my receiver indicates DTS, PCM, Dolby Digital, etc.
- Alex Ehrhardt
Carterville, IL

Do you recommend a "break-in" DVD for the first 100 hours on my LG PZ950? Also, can I lay it down to attach the stand?
- John Thorndike

My Sony DAV-DZ640K home theater in a box (HTIB) includes a receiver with HDMI Audio Return Channel on its HDMI output. Can this serve as an HDMI audio input? After all, HDMI ARC basically transfers audio from TV to the receiver.
- Srijan Saha

I've been thinking about a home-theater sound system for our living room. We have a 55-inch Toshiba LED-LCD TV wall-mounted in the center of built-in bookcases. However, the shelves are only about 12 inches deep! Do you have any ideas on what receivers I should consider? Also, I'm thinking about using GoldenEar speakers. How do I match receiver power with them?
- Jim Nolan

What is the best location for the surround speakers in a 7.1 home-theater setup? Should both sets of surround speakers be on the back wall? Or should there be two speakers on the sides of the room and two speakers in the rear?
- Jeff Olejnik