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Labels: HDTV, home theater, Home Theater Installation, plasma tv, Plasma TV Installation

So, you say you want High Definition Television? And you want to get the biggest screen and not spend a fortune to get it? Well, then your best bet would be to consider a Front Projection HDTV.

Everybody is craving the plasma or LCD screens, but you get get a high quality high def picture - on a very large screen - for a lot less. And the screen can be as big as you want it. Because a projector is sending the picture across your room and onto a screen, just like they do at the movie theater, you can go as big as you want to.

Your basically limited by the size of the room and the brightness of the picture. A picture that is being broadcast across a room needs to be brigther than a normal rear projection TV or plasma display. The farther back you go with your projector, the brighter the projector needs to be.

The system is composed of two separate pieces - the HDTV projector and the fabric screen to display the picture on. In most cases, the front projection system doesn't include the ability to show regular television - but you'll have inputs to hook up your cable or satellite TV connection. Front Projection systems are capable of the same new technologies as the rear projector units - CRT, LCD, DLP, and LCoS. Because of the brightness factor and to make sure you have proper distance, color, and calibration for your room, it's suggested you have a professional installer hook up your front projection system.

If you need to find a professional front projection HDTV installer, you can post your request with Construction Deal. We'll match you with a local company who can provide you with professional advice and install services. It's free to find a pro in your area!

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Labels: Front Projection TV, HDTV, Home Theater Installation

Everyone knows that they want a plasma TV installed in their home, but here's a little background on why you want Plasma TV:

The Advantages of Plasma Television

Picture Perfect - Plasma TVs have a higher resolution picture with no scan lines that you might find in your regular TV. The plasma screen can give you the full high definition picture in 1080i resolution. Scan lines are present when you watch a convential TV but your plasma display does not operate the same way. Similar to your computer monitor, the pixels within the screen light up in various color shades to that there is no "refreshing" of the screen.

Theater Wide Screens - Televisions normally give you a picture in a nearly square box, called a 4:3 aspect ratio. Whenever you go to the movies, the theater has a much wider screen, with a 16:9 aspect ratio. Since most films were shot in wide screen, if you have a plasma TV you'll be watching the film as it was shot with the full and complete picture on your screen. It won't be chopped off in what's called a Pan & Scan mode that cuts off the sides of the picture frame.

Color Me Beautiful - the plasma picture display has the ability to give you sharper, cleaner, and more brillant color, contrast, shades, and focus than any convential television. The image is created digitally and enhanced with high definition technology. The range of color is nearly limitless. The blacks in a plasma display are darker than nearly any other tv, including most rear and front projection HDTVs. Of course, the higher the quality of plasma screen you get, the better your results will be. Plasma does really well when the image on the film or TV show is very dark. It gives an excellent contrast between the darkest blacks and subtle changes to lighter gray tones.

Size Matters - the plasma TV is a flat screen with very little depth required in the case. Rear projection TVs are getting smaller but are still taking up much more room in home theaters. This enables the TV to be placed on the wall, inside TV lift furniture, or from the ceiling. The plasma display is usually only 3 to 5 inches thick so it will fit perfectly on your fireplace mantle. If you need to find a quality plasma TV installation pro, we've got you covered.

Sit Anywhere You Like - the flat screen of plasma allows viewing from nearly every position in the room. A regular TV, even front and rear projection HDTVs, gives picture and brightness distortion when viewed closer to the sides of the screen. Plasma also offers a smooth, even picture all the way across the screen and eliminates the bright spots of regular large screen TVs.

There are plenty of great reasons to go with a new plasma HDTV. Do your homework on what you need, the size of screen you need, and reviews of the sets options and picture quality. Then, it's just a matter of shopping around to find the best price. When doing research on quality, google a search for "plasma tv reviews" or "plasma hdtv reviews." When looking for best prices, do a search under "plasma tv price comparison" or "plasma tv best prices" - this should give you websites that compare current prices. If you've got the model of plasma tv already in mind, do the same thing - google, "Sony 42" plasma tv price comparison", etc.

Once you've got your perfect plasma TV, you might need some help installing it. Consider Construction Deal when looking for plasma installation - we've got a network of installers and you can post your request for free! This will save you from having to look someone up at random from your phone book.

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Labels: Home Technology Installers, Home Theater Installation, plasma tv, Plasma TV Installation

These days, there are many ways to connect your home computer to the Internet. There are advantages, disadvantages, and varying costs to these methods. We wanted to give you a primer on your computer connection choices. As new technology is introduced, you'll want to make sure you know the basics so that you can keep up with your options as well as the new products available to you.

Today, here are your options to get on the 'Net:

• Dial-up modem - Was considered the most common, and many are still connected this way, but prices have fallen on DSL and Cable connections, but the number is dropping rapidly. It has been around the longest of all the Internet connection technologies, but it is the slowest.
  

• Cost:
  
• Dial-up modems used to come free with most computers. They can be purchased for $10 to $15
• Dial-up subscriptions are $10 to $25 a month
  

• DSL Connections - A fast and inexpensive way to connect your computer. You can download files and open up sites/pages faster than dial-up. The connection is always there - there is no need to request or dial into a network. DSL modems can transmit around 10 Mbps.

• Cost:
• The equipment is usually free these days. You may be able to rent the equipment if the service provider does charge for it. Professional installation has a fee associated with it
• DSL subscription is normally $20 - 30 per month, sometimes up to $50 (if you're paying for more Mbps), and you may be able to get deals as low as $12 to $15 a month with year or longer contracts
  

• Cable Modems - Similar to DSL, cable modems are also faster broadband connections than dial-up and are always connected. The cable modems are slightly faster than DSL. It is also an affordable option for the home. Cable modems can transmit 30 Mbps. However, cable modems can slow down considerably if a lot of people in your neighborhood are online at the same time.

• Cost:
• The cable modem runs around $50 to $100, depending on the ISP. There may be a rental option
• The cable subscriptions are $40 to $75 per month
  

• Satellite or Wi-Fi - If you do not have cable modems or DSL connections, you can have satellite broadband installed. You're already likely to have a satellite service in place for your cable TV subscription if you're in a remote area, so added broadband service is easy. Others may use satellite broadband because they already use it for television use and want to condense their bill. Some areas in some cities have a free wi-fi service and it can be purchased in time allotments at airports and other business areas.
  

• Cost:
  
• Professional installation is normally required. The equipment can be rented as part of the subscription, but many charge from $100 to $600 to buy it and it can be more if it is not part of a one or two year commitment
• Subscriptions for satellite service run $40 to $60 a month
• For wifi, equipment varies - you usually need a wifi card to allow your computer to receive local signals. Receivers and attennas can range from $75 to $1000. Subscriptions are more, around $100 a month
  

• T1 Connections - A standard among middle to large-sized businesses, a T1 line is the most expensive. The line is the fastest connection of all the others and it is dedicated to only you and not other subscribers. But the cost prevents it from being a realistic residential application.
  

• Cost:
  
• You must purchase a T1 line from the provider as well as a loop charge to use this line with the Internet. The line costs $300 to $1100 a month. The loop charge is $200 to $300 a month.
  

If you're looking for a professional installation company to install any Internet connection, you can use Construction Deal. Our service matches you up with local Internet installation pros. And it's free to post your job. You'll also receive multiple bids which means you can get the best price for the installation or repair job.

Labels: DSL, Home Technology Installers, Internet Connection, T1

Occasionally, we're able to do a little research for our blog readers. There are so many great products in so many different formats, that it's hard to keep track of what is available and what they offer. There are plasma TVs, LCDs, DLP formats, rear projection, front projection, and so many more.

If you're in the market for a rear project TV, we feel that, for the money, we can highly recommend the Sony KDS-R60XBR2 60" SXRD 1080p XBR Rear Projection HDTV. This is the 60" model of Sony's flagship model. If you are in the market, make sure the TV has the XBR2 designation - the previous model is the XBR1. There is also a 70" model for this particular brand but felt it might be a bit much. Viewing this particular TV at about 6 to 8 feet back is pretty much all you need.

You can read up on the extensive Sony's characteristics on the Amazon link above. But, in our review, we also wanted to share some of the drawbacks of this model so that you had something to help in your overall HDTV purchasing decision: the TV is rather heavy - hanging it on the wall might not be a possibility. Also, Sony put side speakers on the unit and they are not removable, making it a wider TV than the picture, so it will take up more space. Also, Sony removed the memory card slot on this model (the XBR1 had it) for uploading pictures and videos. However, you can connect a PC to the unit and still view pictures that way.

Overall, at a prices of around $3000, this is a great deal for an HDTV that is adaptable for future technology and still provides one of the best pictures you can get from a rear projection TV.

Whatever HDTV you decide on for your Home Theater system, you can count on Construction Deal to help you find an installation expert! Post your request for free and we'll match you with local A/V installers to help you get the most out of your purchase!

(Construction Deal, Inc. does not receive anything for any endorsements on this blog. Construction Deal, Inc. has no opinion on the review, it is the sole opinion of the author.)

Everyone has been joining the plasma TV craze and updating to the latest technology as the prices continue to drop down to Earth. The biggest problem that many homeowners have is they can purchase the new TV monitor on their own, but don't know how to install it on their own.

Do you need professional installation? The short answer - no. It depends on many factors. If you buy a TV stand, it's simply a matter of lining up the holes on the TV and placing it on the stand. If you've got reasonable carpentry skills, you may be able to wall mount your TV on your own. This will mean that you have the ability to find the wall studs and attach the wall mount with the appropriate hardware for your studs (whether they are made of wood or metal.)

Where most people need the help of a professional is when they are mounting their new plasma television and need extras or attributes that most people cannot handle themselves.

If you don't want to have your power cord hanging down the wall from your TV, you may need to hire a local electrician to install an outlet behind your monitor. It is not advisable and is, more than likely, against electrical codes for you to run the power cord through the wall and down to an outlet closer to the floor. You may also try to have the electrician make the outlet recessed so that you have plenty of room for the cord and plug to fit. Try to find a surge protector that be placed on a single power cord plug - if you cannot find protection at that outlet, it would be a good idea to have a whole house surge protector installed at your main electrical box.

If you're looking for a movable or adjustable plasma display, it would be a good idea to have an installer put in an articulating arm for your monitor - it allows you to pull the TV out and turn it in various directions to be able to view it from different parts of the room or house.

If you're looking to hide most of your cables and wire, hiring a home theater installer would be a good idea. They know how to run cables and have the right tools to make sure the fewest amount of holes need to be made in your walls and ceilings. They can help make sure you use the right cables for your system and make sure you have the correct lengths of cables and wires for ultimate performance.

If you're installing your plasma TV over the fireplace, many do not have the ability to install directly to the fireplace stone or brickwork around the area. A professional installer can help get the monitor up on your fireplace and can make sure it stays there. You're spending a lot of money for a plasma display and you want to make sure nothing happens to it.

To find a quality A/V installer or home theater professional, you can use Construction Deal -- all you need to do is post your request on our website and it will go out to our network of experts in your area. For a small investment in your system, you'll be rewarded with years of quality plasma TV viewing. And it's a free service to find an installer in your area.

If you only go with the installers where you bought your TV, you won't have any other bids to choose from. This means you could end up paying more for the installation. Save time and money and choose Construction Deal!

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Labels: home theater, plasma tv, tv installation