Everyone wants the movie theater experience at home, and the best way to achieve that is through controlled lighting. You may be tempted to watch movies in complete darkness, but unless you have a big-screen projector or are sitting at the minimum optimal viewing distance, this can cause eyestrain.
For bright plasmas and smaller, direct-view sets, the ideal setup is to place a dim light directly behind the TV and leave the rest of the room dark. Look for special "daylight" bulbs that glow at 6,500 degrees Kelvin. You also should prevent any light in the room from reflecting off the TV, as glare will hamper image fidelity. Watching at night is best, but if you watch during the day, thick curtains will really improve the picture.
Before you make any picture adjustments (color, saturation, tint, and so forth), always set the room lighting. For viewing in brighter environments, try the HDTV presets, such as Standard, Sports, or Vivid, and reserve the custom settings for when there is optimal lighting.
This information originally appeared in the HDTV 101 Online Class.
