How do I improve the sound on my TV?

Modern TVs sound rubbish.
We're happy to be up-front about this & if asked, most TV manufacturers would probably agree. There simply is no space for a decent set of speakers inside today's TVs, they are too thin and have very little frame to accommodate them. To make matters worse it's our own fault. The buying public, have over the last few years, swayed towards the most compact frames & thinnest sets available. This is therefore the trend the manufacturers have followed, resulting in worse & worse sound quality.
Click here to find in out more detail why new TVs have poor sound.

Getting better sound for your viewing experience is a relatively easy upgrade & there are various ways you can achieve it. Some options will run into thousands of pounds while others could only be a tenner.

A SoundBar could be the ideal
 solution for your audio woes.

The most common options include:

• A full HiFi separates Home-Cinema system (5.1 or upwards)
• An all-in-one Home-Cinema system (5.1)
• An all-in-one Home-Cinema system (2.1)
• A SoundBar, 2.1 audio system or Pedestal
• Using existing HiFi equipment

The big question is which option suits your needs best?

HiFi separates Home-Cinema system (5.1 or upwards)

A HiFi separates Home-Cinema system is the premium solution for your TVs sound quality problem. Available from various different manufacturers and in a massive range of prices, these systems can provide stunning sound quality with huge amounts of volume, making them ideal for the larger listening area or for those wanting the best sound quality. Options available on this type of set up include up to & over 9.1 surround sound (nine speakers around the room plus one sub-woofer) with 200 watts of power per speaker.  As the items that make up these systems are made by HiFi manufacturers you also have the benefit of being able to play music at high quality too. This could mean that instead of having a Hifi & a Home-Cinema, you'd listen to everything through just the Home-Cinema.

This type of system does, however, have downsides, these being the level of complexity it will add to your system, the choices you need to make when buying it & the amount of room they generally take up.

For a full HiFi separates Home-Cinema system you'll need at least these 3 items.

A HiFi separates Home-Cinema consists of your choice of speakers, your choice of AV receiver/amplifier & normally your choice Blu-ray player (your existing Blu-ray or DVD will connect in if you want to continue using it). Because of these choices, this type of system has become less common in the average living room but still offers the best sound. A system like this will probably start from a minimum of £700 for reasonably good quality brands but can easily run in to thousands. Even from our range, which does not reach the very top end, we can supply just the receiver/amplifiers for over £2000. The flexibility in being able to mix-&-match different makes with each other is often very appealing because it allows you to get exactly what you want without compromise.

Another advantage of buying separates is that you are also able to change components as & when you want or need to. This means that if your Blu-ray stops working you can simply replace it & carry on using the rest of the system as normal. We have customers using the amplifier & speakers that were supplied over ten years ago with their brand new HD TV & Blu-ray player. The amp' may not be bang up-to-date but still provides great quality surround sound.

All-in-One Home-Cinema systems (5.1)

All-in-One Home-Cinema systems have been the most popular way for people to improve there sound quality for the last eight or nine years. Coming in at significantly lower prices than the HiFi separates & with less choice to make, they have found their way into many people living rooms. The reason they have been so popular is that they are easy to use, easy to setup and generally quite compact. They also have everything built-in to one unit. Blu-ray, DVD, CD, radio, iPod connections, amplifier & now Smart TV with music & video streaming services can all be included. This reduces the clutter, cabling & number of remote controls that seem to fill the modern living room.

All-in-One home cinema systems come with various speaker styles to match your needs & home decoration.

All-in-One 5.1 systems tend to come with a variety of different speaker sizes & although not with the same size of selection as HiFi separates, their should be an option suitable for your room.

• Option 1 uses five very small speakers (the size of soup tins or smaller), paired with a small-ish sub-woofer. This is great if you need to place the speakers in awkward places or need them to be as discreet as possible. These tend to be the lower end of the all-in-one systems & are great for the smaller living room. The sound will still be much better than your TV's but you won't be able to drive them as hard as the more expensive options.
• Option 2 generally offers more bass and more power allowing you to drive the system a little harder & really get into the explosions or car chases in your favorite action movie. This option will most likely also play your music back at a higher quality too. Because the speakers are slightly larger, positioning them may be slightly more tricky.
• Option 3 will normally be very similar in performance to option 2 but has a very different impact on the positioning of the speakers. These are designed to sit on the floor & are quite large speakers to find space for. If you struggle for floor space or have children or pets, you may find they get knocked over or damaged because of their placement.

Despite their popularity, All-in-One kits do have their downsides.

• Firstly, the sound quality tends to be fine for watching TV or films, but you are likely to find that music will feel a bit flat & like there's something missing that you can't quite put your finger on. If you're a fan of music, this might mean having to have a HiFi to play music on too.
• Secondly, you can't upgrade them. For example, a few years ago Blu-ray was launched giving people access to HD movies. If you had an All-in-One system you needed to replace it all to be able to watch these discs. A couple of years later 3D Blu-ray came out & people had to change again.
• Thirdly, but tied in to the above, faults are an issue. If the Blu-ray player stops working, you lose the whole kit while it's being repaired. If it can't be repaired you have to replace the whole thing.

As the price on these systems is significantly lower than HiFi separates many people accept that they might need to change them more often to keep them up-to-date.

Apart from the speakers, All-in-One Home Cinema systems take up very little space under your TV.

An all-in-one Home-Cinema system (2.1)

An all-in-one Home-Cinema system (2.1) works along exactly the same principles as it 5.1 sibling. The big difference here is that they are aimed at people that don't have room for 5.1 or people that simply don't want speakers all around the room. As desire for anyone purchasing this type of machine seems to be to minimise clutter, these systems generally have only the small-mid sized speakers. Quite often we see the speakers being placed next to the main unit on the stand under the TV. This wont give you the best stereo effect but will boost the sound quality significantly.

A 2.1 Home-Cinema system fantastic for the smaller room or to keep clutter to a minimum.

A SoundBar, 2.1 audio system or Pedestal

A SoundBar or 2.1 audio system is a very simple way to get better sound quality from your TV. These items are purely an audio booster. They don't play DVD or Blu-ray, don't have an iPod dock or radio, in fact they have nothing built-in at all. They plug directly in to your TV and let the sound (for whatever is being displayed on the screen) come through their speakers, giving you a much more impressive sound.

A SoundBar  is a horizontal speaker that sits either in-front of your TV on the TV stand or hangs on the wall underneath your TV. They come in a couple of different sizes to compliment the variety of different TV screen sizes that are available.

A 2.1 system is just 2 small speakers & a sub-woofer connected to the TV in the same way as a SoundBar. 

Some SoundBars are multi-purpose and will split in the middle to form a 2.1 system. This give you a bit more flexibility in positioning your speakers in the room.

The picture on the right shows a Panasonic SCHTB550 in both SoundBar & 2.1 layouts.

A Pedestal design is something relatively new to market & sits directly underneath your TV, on top of your TV stand. The only one we have seen so far is the Bose Solo. This type of design is probably the most compact of all the options.

With the Bose Solo there is no sub-woofer, which means even less cabling, nor do you have to find space to put speakers. Instead the Solo sits in the same footprint as your TV & raises it by approximately 70mm (3") but for most people this should create no problem at all.

The sound quality is big jump compared your TV but bay not be as heavy on the bass when compared to a 2.1 or SoundBar system.

Using existing HiFi equipment

This is possibly the quickest and easiest way to improve your TVs sound & is something I've been doing at home for years. Most decent TVs have had audio outputs hidden away somewhere on the rear or side panels. Historically they have been red & white RCA (phono) connectors and have "Audio out", "Line out" or an audio out symbol, most HiFi's have corresponding "Aux in", "Audio in" or "Line in" sockets of the same design. If you connect these together using a stereo RCA (phono) cable you can use you HiFi to handle the sound from your TV. Ideally you should have a speaker either side of your TV, but many people are happy just to have better sound, regardless of the speaker positions.

The stereo RCA (Phono) connections and the cable that plugs into (left) and the newer Digital Optical Audio output socket & associated cable that is found on most new TVs (right)

Some newer TVs may no longer have the RCA (Phono) connections. If this is the case, the chances are your TV will have a Digital Optical Audio output instead. This does the same job, but with a higher quality digital signal capable of transferring stereo & 5.1 surround sound. Your HiFi would also need to have a Digital Audio input for this type of connection.

Come in & see us!

Hopefully this blog will have given you ideas or encouragement to improve your TVs sound. If it has & you would like our help to get you up & running, please give us a call on 01793 537971 or visit us in-store where we are more than happy to answer your questions and demonstrate the various option for you.

To see our range of SoundBars, Home-Cinemas & 2.1 systems, please visit our website

www.HickmansOldTown.com or come & visit us in store.

You can also keep up to date with our offers & promotions through www.facebook.com/HickmansOldTownLtd

or @HickmansOldTown on twitter.

What is Smart TV?

One of the biggest developments in home entertainment, over the last couple of years, has been the appearance of Smart TV. Previously these have been called Connected TV or Internet TV but now, latching onto the latest buzz words, they seem to have settled on Smart TV. It's something that will feature on 80% of this year's Panasonic TV range, but what exactly is it?

Put simply, Smart TV transforms your TV from being something to watch Eastenders on, into something that can itself provide the entertainment.

How do you get Smart TV?

To be able to use Smart TV, the first thing you have to do is connect it to your broadband. You can do this with either a LAN cable, or if your TV has Wi-Fi you can use this instead.
Once connected to your broadband, your TV can if you want, also link to your PC. To do this you'll need to make sure the PC is set-up to run as a media server. Newer PCs tend to have this software built-in but you can download & install third-party software from companies like Twonky.

A common misconception is that you have to connect it to your PC. You don't!  The vast majority of things that these TVs can do have nothing to do with your PC at all, but we'll come back to this later on.

What can Smart TV do?

Once your TV is talking to your broadband, you'll be able to access a wealth of online entertainment. Commonly this will come from well known brands such as Facebook, twitter, YouTube or BBC iPlayer.
These are accessed via apps on your TV screen & bring you information that historically you could only get via your PC, SmartPhone or tablet. This means that from the comfort of your sofa, on a large screen, you can catch up with friends via your social networks or watch catch up TV.

Smart TVs can also provide some more practical features such as Skype. By attaching a USB Skype camera, you're able to make videos calls to anyone in the world (free of charge via your broadband connection) that also has Skype. This gives you two big advantages over using a PC.

• Firstly, you can make calls in a more comfortable environment than most studies or home offices allow.
• Secondly (& perhaps more usefully), your friends and family can see you're on-line whenever you're watching TV. This saves them having to phone you first and ask you to turn the PC on.

Some of Panasonic's new generation of Smart TVs allow you to watch TV and use Skype at the same time. This is a great feature if you want to watch the TV & discuss it with your friends simultaneously. 
You can also use Facebook or twitter while watching TV, allowing you to read all the latest tweets or status updates about the show you are watching. This is particularly useful as more TV shows are encouraging viewers to take part in the show through these social networking sites.
There's also a host of other apps that are available on Smart TVs. You'll find that some of these  are already listed in your Smart TV menu. If not, you'll be able to add them via the app store which on Panasonic TVs is called Viera Connect Market. Some of these apps will be free of charge, whilst others will have to be purchased & will vary in price.

You'll find apps that allow you to stream movies direct to your TV, link to a treadmill to help your fitness routine, let you watch your favourite bands in concert or catch up with world news and sport. You can even play games directly on your Smart TV using additional controllers. 

Browse the internet on a Smart TV?

Over that last couple of years, various manufacturers have had apps which let you browse the internet on your Smart TV. This year, on some sets, Panasonic joins them with a full internet browser. Some browsers let you do almost everything that a normal PC or tablet device does, including streaming videos that use Flash, reading your e-mails or using a catch-up TV service.

To help make using your Smart TV easier to use Panasonic have developed a completely new remote control. Coming with their higher end sets, the touch pad remote control lets you scroll through web pages or navigate the menus quickly & easily. You can also connect a USB keyboard to your Smart TV allowing you to type in web addresses or login details with less hassle than a normal remote. Alternatively, you can now control your Panasonic Smart TV with your SmartPhone or tablet device.

What else does a Smart TV do?

New features are being added to Smart TVs all the time. These apps basically act as doorways to internet based services.

If a new service is created the TV simply uses the app to access it. Because the services are not stored on the TV, there are fewer restrictions on what can & can't done with them.

Panasonic recently opened up their system for outside developers to create apps to work on their TVs. One of the more interesting services is from RED Karaoke whose app lets you access & sing along to over 45,000 songs. These songs are played through your TV and you have the words displayed ready for you ready to embarrass yourself in front of friends!

As well as the continuous development of Viera Connect Market, Panasonic is also changing the way we interact with our TV. The 2012 Panasonic range now has two-way communication with your SmartPhone or tablet. This exciting development means that with some TVs you can send websites you're visiting, YouTube videos you're watching or photos on your handheld device directly to the TV screen, making sharing media with the family incredibly easy and enjoyable.

In reverse, you can also send whatever you're watching on TV to some handheld devices. This means you no longer have to miss the crucial moment in the big game or the end of the murder mystery you've been waiting to see if you have to leave the room.

Connecting a PC with Smart TV?

As mentioned earlier, your PC does not necessarily need to be connected to your Smart TV, but there are advantages in doing so. Your PC probably has a lot media stored on it, some of which you've probably forgotten about. This could be home videos, photos, your music collection or downloaded movies.
By connecting your PC to your Smart TV you can liberate this media and see, watch or listen to it in your living room. This is ideal for playing your photos as a slide show when you have a family get-together or to fill the night with music for a party.

One thing that needs to be stressed is that your Smart TV is not a PC. A lot of people assume that once connected they can use all the software and programs on their PC on the TV screen and control it with their TV remote. This is not the case. If you do need to see your PC on the large screen you can do this by simply connecting it to either a HDMI socket or VGA connection. In this situation the TV screen simply becomes your PC monitor.

And Finally

Most 32"+ sets have Smart TV built in, but if you don't want to use them, you don't have too!

Smart TV is not really something to be concerned or worried about. 

Smart TV is not complicated ,you can't press the wrong button and break the TV or the internet!

If you get really stuck you just press the exit button or switch the TV off and start again.
It's something to play with and not to be feared!

We hope this blog has helped you understand a little more about Smart TVs but if you have any queries that you need answering before you buy a new set from us, please feel free to pop in or give us a call.

To see our range of Smart TVs, please visit our website

www.HickmansOldTown.com or come & visit us in store.

You can also keep up to date with our offers & promotions through www.facebook.com/HickmansOldTownLtd

or @HickmansOldTown on twitter.

At Hickmans we provide straight forward advice and information both in store and over the phone. We can demonstrate and advise on all aspects of Smart TV as well as Home Cinema, Blu-Ray, DVD & Hi-Fi. We also now supply domestic appliances from most well know manufacturers. We normally deliver & install most items over £300 free of charge in the local area. We have a dedicated service and repair department and can repair most brands of home entertainment equipment. We are also an authorised Panasonic service centre.