Optimal Audio and Video Reproduction at Home

Table of Contents
Preface Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Audio and Video Basics2.1 The Audio-Video System2.1.1 Multichannel Audio2.1.2 Audio and Video Equipment2.1.3 Factors that Influence Reproduction Quality2.2 Moving Images2.2.1 Luminance and Brightness2.2.2 Color2.3 Sound2.3.1 Frequency, Pitch, and Timbre2.3.2 Sound Pressure and Loudness2.3.3 Sound Propagation2.3.4 Room Acoustics Chapter 3 Optimal Reproduction3.1 Film and Video Production3.2 Image Quality3.2.1 Tonal Quality3.2.2 Detail3.2.3 Spatial Quality3.3 Sound Production3.3.1 Recording and Mixing3.3.2 Sound Reproduction3.4 Sound Quality3.4.1 Spectral Balance3.4.2 Clarity3.4.3 Dynamics3.4.4 Localization3.4.5 Immersion3.5 Listening Tests Chapter 4 Room Design4.1 The Need for Subwoofers4.2 Floor Plan4.2.1 Placement Options4.2.2 Position of the Video Display4.2.3 Positions of the Front Loudspeakers4.2.4 Positions of the Surround Loudspeakers4.2.5 Distance between Loudspeakers and Nearby Walls4.2.6 Positions of the Subwoofers4.3 Room Requirements4.3.1 Ambient Light4.3.2 Background Noise4.4 Installing a Front-Projection System Chapter 5 Digital Sources5.1 Video Coding5.1.1 Aspect Ratio5.1.2 Resolution5.1.3 Progressive and Interlaced Scanning5.1.4 Perceptual Coding5.2 Audio Coding5.2.1 Sampling Rate5.2.2 Bit Depth5.2.3 Direct Stream Digital (DSD)5.2.4 Lossless Audio Compression5.2.5 Perceptual Coding5.3 Digital Media5.3.1 Digital Television5.3.2 Internet Streaming5.3.3 Media Files5.3.4 Computer Audio5.3.5 Digital Audio Extraction5.3.6 Optical Discs5.4 Digital Connections5.4.1 HDMI5.4.2 S/PDIF5.4.3 USB Audio Chapter 6 Video Equipment6.1 Video Displays6.1.1 Performance6.1.2 Flat-Panel Displays6.1.3 Front Projectors6.1.4 Projection Screens6.2 Display Calibration6.2.1 White Point6.2.2 Black and White Level6.2.3 Luminance Output6.2.4 Color and Tint6.2.5 Grayscale Tracking6.2.6 Color Gamut6.3 Video Processing6.3.1 Scaling6.3.2 Sharpness6.3.3 Output Color Space6.3.4 Deinterlacing6.3.5 Motion Resolution6.3.6 Image Enhancement Chapter 7 Audio Equipment7.1 Loudspeakers7.1.1 Drivers7.1.2 Crossovers7.1.3 Enclosures7.1.4 Performance7.1.5 Front Loudspeakers7.1.6 Surround Loudspeakers7.1.7 Loudspeaker Stands7.2 Power Amplifiers7.2.1 Power Requirements7.2.2 Amplifier Types7.2.3 Performance7.3 Subwoofers7.3.1 Lowest Frequency7.3.2 Maximum Sound Level7.4 Cables for Analog Audio Signals7.4.1 Loudspeaker Cables7.4.2 Interconnects7.5 Audio Processing7.5.1 Surround Decoding and Processing7.5.2 Bass Management7.5.3 Delay Settings7.5.4 Level Settings7.5.5 Dynamic Range Control7.5.6 Room Correction and Equalization Chapter 8 Room Acoustics8.1 Reproducing Low Frequencies in Rooms8.1.1 Room Resonance Modes8.1.2 Bass Absorbers8.1.3 Subwoofer Calibration8.2 Reproducing High and Mid Frequencies in Rooms8.2.1 Controlling Early Reflections8.2.2 Porous Absorbers8.2.3 Diffusers Chapter 9 Summary9.1 Buying Equipment9.2 Designing the Room9.3 Placing Loudspeakers9.4 Installing Equipment9.5 Setting Up the System9.6 Playing Content Appendix A Test Tones and Patterns Appendix B Software Bibliography Index