April 26, 2010 at 11:35 pm · Filed under Movies Parlor, Multimedia, Music Hall
The first thing you need to recognize is where to put the speakers. Whether you have five, six or seven speakers, one of them is almost definitely the “center channel” and it should go either directly above or directly below the television. This is not irrational, if your television is higher than eye level, put the center channel speaker immediately below it. If the television is a bit low or on the floor then the center channel speaker should definately go above it.
The idea is to have the television in a position where viewers won’t have to strain their necks, and have the speaker in a position where it appears (to the viewer) that the sound is coming straight from the television itself. You want to give the illusion that when you see someone speaking, the sound is coming from their mouth and not some little black box elsewhere in the room.
Next, the front-left and front-right speakers. They should stay about one-third of the way from the television to the nearest wall, and equally distant on the other side. If your wall is abnormally near or distant then as a guideline the speakers should be between two and five feet away from the edge of the television for most rooms. They should also be raised to ear level, if at all possible on speaker stands or mounted to the wall or ceiling. For all speakers, including the center channel, if ear level is not an option then angling the speakers towards ear-level in the central seat of your sofa or corner seat is the next best option.
If you have a total of five speakers, then the final two can go (at ear level) immediately to the side the viewers (2 to 5 feet away) or slightly behind or ahead of the viewers and angled towards them. If six speakers, the final speak goes directly behind (or possibly above and behind) the central seat in your theater. If seven speakers, alter that last instruction just a bit: Instead of mirroring the center channel you will mirror the front-left and front-right speakers a bit, and your “surround” speakers (speakers 4 and 5) can go a bit more forward.
The rest is simple too: Each speaker has a positive and negative wire, definitely make sure you don’t cross them at the speaker or when connecting them to the amplifier. If you have problems concealing the wires you can buy a plastic molding which goes around your baseboard or wherever and will both hide the wires and keep them out of the way.
April 30, 2008 at 2:47 am · Filed under Movies Parlor
Nominated for 12 Golden Globes and 61 Emmys, including 4 for Outstanding Drama Series, The X-Files is one of the world’s most popular science-fiction drama shows. Premiering in the Fall of 1993 on the Fox Network, home of popular programs such as The Simpsons (1989) and King Of The Hill (1997), The X-Files created an entire fictional world of conspiracies and secret organizations, building a legion of fanatic followers as devoted to the series as Trekkies are to Star Trek. Creator Cris Carter, a former writer for numerous TV shows in the late-80s/early-90s - The Nanny (1993) is one example - brings together the finest aspects of suspense-laden spy novels and alien science fiction. The result is one of the top sci-fi franchises ever produced, spawning its own line of merchandise and even a full length feature film - The X-Files: Fight The Future (1998). With nine successful seasons to its credit, The X-Files is one of the longest-running sci-fi series in television history…
The X-Files follows the exploits of four FBI agents assigned to investigate a series of unsolved and mysterious cases known only as “The X-Files”. FBI special agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny), Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), John Doggett (Robert Patrick), and Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish) are the primary agents investigating these unusual cases which could never be solved by conventional investigatory methods. But Mulder and Scully in particular play prominent roles in the series. The partnership and friendship the two develop during the course of the series sets the tone for their investigations into the paranormal with Scully, a medical doctor, playing the skeptic to Mulder’s deeply held beliefs in widespread government conspiracies and alien abductions. Through the course of the series, The X-Files covers a wide-range of frightening and mysterious subjects from killer insects and secret world government organizations to the colonization of Earth by parasitic aliens. In so doing, it adds its own unique brand of humor and an original blend of creativity that fans of the genre will certainly appreciate…
The X-Files (Season 3) DVD features a number of suspense riddled episodes including the season premiere “The Blessing Way” in which Mulder remains missing from last season’s finale and Scully must track him down with her job on the line and while the cigarette-smoking-man pursues the stolen X-Files. When a group of Navajo Indians discover Mulder’s body in a cave, they must summon the forces of the spirit world in order to breathe life back into his empty shell of a body… Other notable episodes from Season 3 include “Nisei” in which Scully and Mulder’s investigation of a videotaped alien autopsy leads them to the doorstep of a World War II-era series of experiments by Japanese scientists, and “Pusher” in which Mulder matches psychic wits with a dying serial killer who harbors a unique power to practice mind control on his victims…
Below is a list of episodes included on The X-Files (Season 3) DVD:
Episode 50 (The Blessing Way) Air Date: 09-22-1995
Episode 51 (Paper Clip) Air Date: 09-29-1995
Episode 52 (D.P.O.) Air Date: 10-06-1995
Episode 53 (Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose) Air Date: 10-13-1995
Episode 54 (The List) Air Date: 10-20-1995
Episode 55 (2 Shy) Air Date: 11-03-1995
Episode 56 (The Walk) Air Date: 11-10-1995
Episode 57 (Oubliette) Air Date: 11-17-1995
Episode 58 (Nisei) Air Date: 11-24-1995
Episode 59 (731) Air Date: 12-01-1995
Episode 60 (Revelations) Air Date: 12-15-1995
Episode 61 (War of the Coprophages) Air Date: 01-05-1996
Episode 62 (Syzygy) Air Date: 01-26-1996
Episode 63 (Grotesque) Air Date: 02-02-1996
Episode 64 (Piper Maru) Air Date: 02-09-1996
Episode 65 (Apocrypha) Air Date: 02-16-1996
Episode 66 (Pusher) Air Date: 02-23-1996
Episode 67 (Teso Dos Bichos) Air Date: 03-08-1996
Episode 68 (Hell Money) Air Date: 03-29-1996
Episode 69 (Jose Chung’s From Outer Space) Air Date: 04-12-1996
Episode 70 (Avatar) Air Date: 04-26-1996
Episode 71 (Quagmire) Air Date: 05-03-1996
Episode 72 (Wetwired) Air Date: 05-10-1996
Episode 73 (Talitha Cumi) Air Date: 05-17-1996
About the Author
Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of The X-Files (Season 3) DVD.
