What Do I Need To Hook Up HDTV? - Find The Complete Steps Here

What Do I Need To Hook Up HDTV? - Find The Complete Steps Here
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Introduction

Hooking up your HDTV can seem like a daunting task if you are uninitiated. However, the opposite couldn’t be more true – hooking up your HDTV will give you some work, but it’s not as complicated as Best Buy or Fry’s will make it out to seem. With a little elbow grease and some money, the job can be done in a matter of an hour or so.

Items You Will Need

The HDTV – it’s the one you saved up for and are now finally looking at buying. It goes without saying that the TV needs some (read 2+) inputs for HDMI, as well as several other inputs for your older tech that uses composite or component cables.

The Cables – Aside from the cables you already have, if you’re also buying new equipment, you’ll want to invest in some solid HDMI cables. You can find them online at prices that you would never get in a store. However, if time is an issue – try to make it to a Fry’s store rather than a Best Buy; they’ll have better deals.

The Equipment – Your equipment that you already have should be compatible with your TV (barring any strange or odd connectors). Your equipment might have HDMI slots already in them – if this is the case, check them to make your cable buying a whole lot easier.

Power Strips – You need a surge protector; buy one that has more than 5 connections for power.

Putting it All Together

  1. Take your HDTV out of its boxy prison and let it breathe in your living room. You need to determine where you’re going to put the TV.
  1. Now that you’ve figured out where it’s going to go, figure out where you want your equipment to go. Remember, cables are not that lengthy, so they need to be relatively close to the TV.

  2. Now that both the TV and the equipment’s location has been secured, it’s time to start organizing everything so that you don’t have a bunch of cables sticking out of your brand new TV.

  3. Consolidate cables. If you are going to hook up the equipment via HDMI, remove every cable from the device except the HDMI cable and the power cable. If you’re going to retain your current cable setup, just unplug from your current TV and install into the new one.

  4. Start by plugging in your TV into the power strip you bought earlier. Then, systematically add the power cords to all your other electronics.

  5. With everything powered on, look at the back of your TV and start plugging everything in

  1. Once you have everything powered and plugged in, place everything in their final locations, including the TV and any and all equipment you’re trying to hook up to it

  2. Now comes the hardest part, which is calibrating the TV. You need to have some sharp eyes, and a lot of patience. Go through the menus and look for color balance and adjust everything from brightness to the input names.

And there you have it – your HDTV is hooked up. What are you waiting for? Boot up Killzone 2 on the PS3 I’m assuming you probably bought along with it and marvel at the graphics. Or, boot up the Watchmen BDVD and look on in awe as the visual splendor washes over you.