• Print this page

• Home
• HD Set Up Guide

HD Set Up Guide

Viewing distance

The benefits of high definition only start to become visible at a certain viewing distance, if you are to close, or too far away you will not see the greater detail and vibrant colour. To ensure you are getting the full benefit of HD, the ideal viewing distance is approximately twice the diagonal length of your screen.

Viewing position

For many reasons, most homes in the British Isles have the main TV in the corner of the room. Mains power sockets tend to be set towards the corner by building electricians and aerial sockets are invariably alongside them. Traditionally television sets have always been very bulky and the corner has always been the most convenient place to set them so they can be seen from the rest of the room.

Unfortunately the corner of a living room is not the ideal placement for you to get the most out of high definition, particularly the audio. Whilst the HD picture content can be appreciated from a corner position, a home cinema system with surround sound works best from a square on set up.

For more information see the following guide:

Surround sound set up guide

Next, you need to consider how easy connecting and installing your sound system will be once it's out of the showroom and in your living room. Consider which cable inputs and outputs you need and the pieces of equipment you want to integrate.

Speaker positioning

Before you choose which speakers to buy, it's important to bear in mind that for an optimum audio output, you'll need to place them in particular positions around your room:

• Dolby 5.1: Front of room - left, centre and right; Back of room - left and right
• Dolby 6.1: Front of room - left, centre and right; Back of room - left, centre and right
• Dolby 7.1 or TrueHD: Front of room - left, right and centre; Side walls - left and right; Back of room - left and right

Gone are the days of large, bulky speakers. Modern speaker designs can be streamlined and stylish, and come in a whole range of shapes and sizes to fit into your living room. Stylistic preferences aside, it's important to match speakers to your surround sound system specification, to ensure they hold the capacity to transfer the output power of the amplifier into sound without distortion.

Wires and cables

HDMI cable

An HDMI cable is capable of carrying both high definition pictures and stereo sound simultaneously - rather than having to use different cables for each - and is the cable of choice to connect your HD ready TV, HD receiver and home cinema system together.

Digital optical audio connector

This fibre-optic connection transfers digital signals from devices such as DVD or CD players. It carries audio signals only, not picture.

Connection set up guide

Connecting your HD ready TV system with an HD box

Connecting your HD ready TV to a cable box

Connecting your HD ready TV to a Blu-ray Disc player