Have you ever wondered how television sets are measured? The most common misconception is that it is measured from left to right or right to left of its length. Before you think it requires some complicated math formula, let me tell you that it doesn’t. In fact, measuring a TV screen is a fairly simple activity that will only take up a few minutes of your time. If you are interested in learning how a TV size is measured, here’s how to go about it.

Measuring Screen Size

1) Begin by getting a measuring tape and pick one corner of the screen as a starting point. 2) Make sure your tape is positioned exactly where your screen begins and not on the plastic frame or bezel. 3) Next, hold it in place as you take the tape measure and stretch it out diagonally to the corner opposite it. 4) Read the measurement and take note of this. Therefore when a manufacturer advertises a 48-inch screen it can be expected that it was measured from the top left corner to the bottom right or from the top right to the bottom left. It is standard practice for a lot of manufacturers to provide measurements based on screen size and rare to find one that will detail the full product dimensions. You may not initially realize it but there are some benefits to knowing how a TV size is measured, they are as follows:

• optimal viewing experience
• overall aesthetic appeal
• the correct aspect ratio of shows and films played on the TV

Measuring the Bezel and Stand

Obviously, measuring the TV screen diagonally only determines the size of the viewing area, it, however, does not provide you with information whether the set will fit in a given space. You need to take into account the height and width of the entire TV frame, stand, and bezel. Frames can easily add 1/2 to 3 inches in height or width of the set’s frame while the stand will add several more. 1) Place the measuring tape on the lower left-hand corner of the TV edge. Include the plastic frame in the measurement. 2) Stretch your tape towards the right-hand corner of the TV. Your tape should lie flat on the base of the television. 3) Note down the length from one corner to the other. 4) Now measure the height by starting at the bottom corner and extending the tape vertically to the other corner. You should now have the dimensions for the length and the height of your set. The main reason why measuring the overall dimensions of your television set is important because you want to ensure that the model and size you purchase will fit the space it is intended for. Not only should it physically fit its designated space, but it should also as well look in proportion with the entire room and its other contents. Knowing the size of the television set will give you ample information with regard to the amount of space it needs for placement. Sets that go on walls or open spaces will require enough room for the stand. While a TV that is meant to in an entertainment module will require at least 2-3 inches of space on either side. This means making room on the left, right, top, and bottom area of the TV unit. You want ample room to be able to safely move it in and out of the space if needed. On a final note, I find that it is important to hook up the TV to its designated wirings or to speaker systems. This will also give you a clear idea of how much additional room may be needed to accommodate these other accessories.

Have you ever cranked up your speaker volume to get the highest bass only to be met with subpar results? We’ve always appreciated nice, clear loud bass, especially when listening to music. Unfortunately, not all speakers are designed to produce high bass. Bass quality is not just about getting really loud output from your speakers and subwoofer setup. It is about feeling the beat of the music or experiencing the tremors as if you were in the movie you are watching. At first glance, speakers may appear to have limitations when it comes to producing the best audio, however, it does pay to know how to get more bass out of your subwoofer. Amazing bass output can be achieved but it can heavily depend on other factors such as the room’s size, shape, and content. Worry no more coz we’ve got you covered with these simple to do tricks that can help you make the most out of your subwoofers.

Volume Setup

How many times have we encountered that one person who always has their audio all the way up to the highest setting? Rather than getting the quality output, we are however met with blaring, loud garbling sounds. This is a prime example where less is more. How so? Turning the volume to optimal level results in defining sounds that are not audible. By tweaking some settings in your subs, you can get distinct bass audio without sacrificing its quality. Here are two things you can look into. 1) Subwoofers have a frequency by which it plays bass notes, this is called the crossover. With your speaker manual, find out the lowest frequency it can go, most speakers start to roll off at around 80Hz, this is where you then set your crossover. If for any reason you find it difficult to locate your speaker specs another easy way to set your crossover is to slowly turn it up until the noise of the subwoofer and speaker are the same. 2) Adjusting the volume or gain is the next important part. It is actually quite easy to set it up yet so many people do it incorrectly. To get the volume right, start by playing a song, turn down the subwoofer until you cannot hear it at all. Now turn up the gain until it begins to fill in where you took out the bass. And just like that, you’ve set up your volume correctly!

Location

As a rule of thumb, subwoofers placed close to the wall or in corners will result to higher bass but not necessarily one with the finest caliber. Take, for example, subwoofers that come with home theater kits. Often diminutive in size, if these are the speakers you have, it would be highly beneficial to position them at wall corners. Referred to by audiophiles as “boundary reinforcement” this specific placement produces decent bass thanks to the sound bouncing off of those wall junctions. Compared to the smaller subwoofers, the models with large drivers come to compete with equally powerful amps. It is for this reason that unlike the smaller ones, these types do not need walls for support. As a matter of fact, an eight to twelve-inch distance from walls makes a world of difference. Placing your subwoofer in the center of your loudspeaker system helps decrease phase cancellation and timing delays. Many enthusiasts who have spent hours setting up their entertainment room prefer to follow the rule of thirds. To do this, simply measure a third of the way from a wall where your system is situated. Mathematically, this method increases the odds of your sitting area as the most desirable bass spot. Try out these easy tricks and experience for yourself how quick and simple it is to get the best audio output from your speakers. No additional equipment needed and not special training. All it takes is a bit of patience.

Multitester or multimeters are electronic devices that are used to measure numerous key components of an electrical circuit. A standard item in a professional electrician’s tool kit as well as a hobbyist’s arsenal, the multimeter can easily be purchased from electronic stores. According to my research, a multimeter can measure currents, voltage, and resistance. It is also very useful in determining whether there is a problem with your amplifier. Here is a list of the common problems to look out for

• Amplifier output is distorted
• Amplifier does not switch on
• Amplifier switches on but has zero output
• Amplifier switches on and off on its own
• Amplifier goes on safety or protection mode

Personally, I have found it initially the idea of using a multimeter to test my amplifier output as a complicated task. Curiosity however got the best of me, eventually I did some reading up and have found that armed with the proper tools and some patience, learning how to test amplifier output with multimeter is in fact a simple enough activity. Things you need

• Multimeter
• Amplifier
• Some patience

The speaker setup I have is fairly straightforward, if you happen to be one of those people who have at least eight speakers then it is best to be armed with a lot of patience. The whole task although doable is time-consuming since it likely needed for you to test each unit to find any faults. Keep in mind that if the main component lights up and works, the issue may very well be correlated with the external amps. Now let’s start!

Step 1: Configuring the Multimeter

Start by configuring the multimeter. As a noob I was a little worried, I would have trouble with this. I was pretty relieved by how easy it was to do. The COM as it is labeled is the common socket, this is where the black probe must go into. The socket labeled A or amperage is where the red probe hooks into. Sometimes there are two varying sockets for amperage, one is for his amperage while the other one is a bit more sensitive. As a rule of thumb, users can try out the highest rating socket first. With the central dial on the device, turn to amperage setting that corresponds with the socket. If for example the circuit is estimated at 5 amps, instead of selecting 1 amp, go for the 10 amp setting. A setting that is too low can actually overload a multimeter.

Step 2: Amplifier Test

Because each manufacturer will design their amp a little differently from the others, checking the manual is a must. There should be a diagram for wiring that tells users which wires are used for testing along with the characteristics you should expect from a functioning amp. There are amplifiers with several plugs, if for some reason the diagram does not specifically state which is the main one,  for the most part it is standard to have the main amp is labeled 12V+.

Step 3: Multimeter Reading

Using a series configuration, place the multimeter leads into the circuit. The idea is to have an electricity flow that is redirected in order to obtain an accurate multimeter reading. The currents should move towards the red lead and then exit through the black one. Note the amperage amount that is displayed on our multimeter. It is always best to put the selected current range into consideration when looking at the reading number. This means, that the number “10,00” may show only 0.01 amps on one setting while indicating a 10 amps reading on another if the multimeter is set to a higher milliamps radius.