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    <title> househacker/tags/advice</title>

    <link>http://www.househacker.com/</link>

    <description> househacker/tags/advice  </description>

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  <title>ZDNet Offers Thorough Rundown on Numerous HDTV Options</title>

  <description><![CDATA[ As any casual TV shopper may know, venturing into your local electronics store's HDTV section can be a bit confusing, to say the least.  Unless you keep up with the ever changing technology and terminology of the industry, you risk making a mistake, or worse - wasting money, when the time comes to purchase your new set.  <br><br>

This article by George Ou should help sort things out.  He covers the advantages and disadvantages of:<br><br>

<strong>Projection:</strong> Pro: price.  Con: viewing angle.<br>
<strong>Plasma:</strong>Pro: resolution, colour, viewing angle.  Con: price.<br>
<strong>LCD:</strong>Pro: picture quality.  Con: expensive large size sets.<br><br>

George also advises, bluntly, against getting suckered into buying so-called high end cables: <br><br><em>
Consumers need to get the concept of "monster cables" out of their minds since they DO NOT apply to the digital world.  There is zero difference in quality between the cheapest $12 HDMI to DVI cable versus the $100 gold plated "monster cable". </em><br><br>

He also makes available some colour gradient graphics and explains how to use them in testing the colour quality of an HDTV. <br><br>
 This is a great piece for anyone in the market for a new HDTV, and it's especially useful for those of us that may be more than a little confused and/or overwhelmed by variations in HDTV technology.

<br><br>
Also see this previous <a href="http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Informative-CNET-Article-on-HDTV-Resolutions">post</a> on HDTV resolutions. ]]></description>

  <link>http://www.househacker.com/permanent/ZDNet-Offers-Thorough-Rundown-on-Numerous-HDTV-Options</link>

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  <title>Renovations that Kill Home Value</title>

  <description><![CDATA[ CNN Money has an interesting article on renovations that can actually decrease your home's value in the eyes of potential buyers.  Some renovations can improve your homes value and thus almost pay for themselves over time - kitchens, for example, tend to have a cost recovery rate of 90% or more.  Some improvements have a lower ROI, like basement remodelling which has a cost recovery rate of about 75%.  This article lists four home renovation/improvement ideas that may please an owner but scare off buyers.<br><br>

Link: <a href="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/moneymag_archive/2006/09/01/8384563/index.htm">CNN Money: 4 renovations that kill a home's value</a>

<br><br>Previously: <a href="http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Best-Bang-for-the-Buck-Home-Remodelling-Jobs">Best Bang for the Buck Home Remodelling Jobs</a>,
<a href="http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Best-Return-on-Investment-Home-Improvement-Tips"> Best Return on Investment Home Improvement Tips</a><br><br>]]></description>

  <link>http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Renovations-that-Kill-Home-Value</link>

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  <title>Detailed Article on Setting up your First Home Theatre</title>

  <description><![CDATA[ Alan Lofft of Axiom Audio has written this informative article on the do's and don'ts of setting up your first <a href="http://www.househacker.com/tags/home%20theatre">home theatre</a>.  Topics covered include cabling choices, speaker positioning, video tuning, connection types and a ton more.     Here's a television tip, from the article:<br><br><em>

Try this simple visual test to determine if you have your video image too bright or contrasty. Look at any white area on the screen during scenes from live TV or a movie. It could be the white shirt or blouse on an actor or TV host. Are you able to see detail within the white areas? If you can't, then you are likely running the brightness too high, which washes out fine detail in bright areas. So lower the brightness and/or contrast. There's a reason why control rooms for TV productions and telecasts are always dimly lit: it's because video images on the monitors look best in a dim or darker room and the greatest range of colors and tones can be displayed. </em><br><br>

Alan's <a href="http://www.audiolofftreport.com/index.html">website</a> is also packed full of home theatre information and worth checking out.  

]]></description>

  <link>http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Detailed-Article-on-Setting-up-your-First-Home-Theatre</link>

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  <title>Quick Home Repairs from Popular Mechanics</title>

  <description><![CDATA[ Popular Mechanics has a handy list of speedy repairs for around the house ranging from easily cleaning gutters (you could always try one of <a href="http://www.househacker.com/tags/gutter">these foam eavestrough fillers</a>, mind you), to giving your dishwasher a tuneup to silencing squeaky floors.  They've also offered a list of the regular maintenance tasks that every homeowner should follow. <br><br>]]></description>

  <link>http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Quick-Home-Repairs-from-Popular-Mechanics</link>

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  <title>Informative CNET Article on HDTV Resolutions</title>

  <description><![CDATA[ If you're in the market for an <a href="http://www.househacker.com/tags/television">HDTV</a>, check out CNET's response to reader questions regarding HDTV, and specifically 1080i vs 1080p, source importance, price/value, and some gotchas: <br><br><em>
Those of you thinking of running your PC through a 1080p set should be aware that you may not necessarily get to use all that extra resolution--even if you have the right high-end graphics card. For instance, the Sharp set we tested allows you to max out at only 1,280x1,024 resolution while the less-expensive Westinghouse LVM-37W1, along with Samsung's 1080p RPTVs and one series of high-end sets from Mitsubishi, accept true 1,920x1,080 resolution from a PC. </em><br>

]]></description>

  <link>http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Informative-CNET-Article-on-HDTV-Resolutions</link>

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