In November 2003 I saw Master and Commander: Far Side of the World.  It was a really good movie.  The cinematography was stunning but what really drew me in was the sound.  The sound mix was so incredible that at times I lost all sense of the theater and found myself inside the movie.  Richard King won numerous awards including an Oscar for his sound editing.   I remember thinking this movie would be great for showing off Home Theater Systems.  I was right.   The DVD quickly became one of my reference demos.

The first 15 minutes of the movie is the best sequence.  It has an incredibly wide range of audio: the soft sounds of the ocean; the creaks, cracks, and pops of a wooden ship; soft and loud conversations; and an explosive cannon battle.  This movie will give your system a workout and really show off  the dynamic range of your speakers.  Here are some of the highlights:

Chapter 2 at 2:35 – This is one of the best scenes for surround sound.   We board the HMS Surprise just before dawn, and as we travel through the belly of the ship, we hear creaking, groaning and popping all around.  We move past the sailors snoring in their hammocks, and above us we hear the men moving on the deck in preparation for the changing of the watch.  The sounds of early morning on the ship are all around us, and it feels as if we are really on board the Surprise.   

Chapter 3 at 6:20 – The officer of watch sounds the alarm and the crew beats to quarters.  This is a major transition from a soft scene with no action to the controlled chaos of the crew preparing for battle.  As the action moves left to right and behind the sounds swirl around us.

Chapter 4 at 8:54 - Captain Jack Aubrey sees flashes of light within the fog bank and yells for his crew to get down.  A fraction of a second later we hear the muffled thump of cannons being fired and then the cannon balls crash across the deck of the Surprise sending schrapnel and splinters flying.   This is another sudden transition from a calm scene filled with dialogue to loud explosions and shouting.  We are taken all over the ship from the deck to the where the cannons are being prepped down to the ship’s surgeon’s quarters.  The audio places us right in the heart of the battle. 

Chapter 4 at 11:45 – As Aubrey is rushing back onto the deck a cannon ball explodes nearby momentarily stunning him.  The audio becomes muffled as if we are hearing through his ears.  When he recovers himself and surges back to to his feet, the audio snaps back into crisp focus, and we are back in the action with Captain Jack.

Chapter 5 at 13:13 – With the ship rudderless and the sails in tatters, Aubrey decides to make a run for the fog bank.  The long boats are lowered and the crew struggles to pull the Surprise toward the fog.  The sounds of the battle recede, and the musical score swells creating a real test for all of your speakers. 

Chapter 5 at 14:46 – They make it into the fog bank, and the sounds from the pursuing ship fade away.  The fog envelopes the ship, and the audio becomes muted.  The music dies down; conversation and sounds become  muffled.  It is as if the fog shrouds not only our eyes but also our ears.

If you really want to show off your system or just see what it can do, I highly recommend the first 15 minutes of this movie.

Not many things can be as frustrating as sitting down to movie night with the family or watching the big game with friends only to discover your system is not working. Over the years of helping clients with their systems, I see the same problems come up again and again. Here are the top five most common problems encountered and some tips to fix them.

1. Problem: “I can see a picture but do not hear anything” or “I can hear the game but can’t see it.”

Solution: Your TV or Surround Receiver is on the wrong input. Check the source input on your TV and your surround receiver. The inputs need to be on the same source. If you have sound and no picture then slowly cycle through the inputs on your TV until the picture appears. If you have a picture but no audio, do the same with your surround receiver.

2. Problem: “My satellite receiver is stuck on one channel.”

Solution: Your satellite receiver is frozen and needs to be reset.
Some Sat boxes have a reset button on the front. If yours does not, unplug it from the wall outlet for about a minute then plug it back in. This can be applied to any device even your DVD player or surround receiver. If a source is not working properly, always unplug it first and reset it.

3. Problem: “My surround speakers are not working.”

Solution: You are watching a program that does not have surround sound or your receiver is not in the proper surround format. Not everything you watch will have a surround sound mix. DVDs heavy on dialogue and low on action will not have a lot of sound coming out of the rear speakers. The same is true of analog TV channels. HDTV broadcasts will usually tell you if the audio is in Dolby Digital 5.1.

If you still think there is a problem, listen to an action DVD that you know has a lot of surround effects or play a CD in 5 channel stereo. The best way to check all your speakers is to use the Test Tone feature built into your receiver, but only do this if you are comfortable with using the receiver’s menu system. Also listen for crackling, a hum, or any kind of distortion as this could indicate interference or a damaged speaker.

4. Problem: “My universal remote won’t work my system.”

Solution: The batteries are dead or the IR emitters have fallen off the front of the components. Always check the batteries first. If you have a rechargeable remote, check the charge. Remember even rechargeable batteries can go bad. If you have an IR or RF system, check the IR emitters attached to the front of your components. If they have fallen off, your remote cannot talk to the component.

5. Problem: “I think the projection lamp in my TV is out.”

Solution: Check the indicator light on the front of the TV or the top of the projector. Most rear projection TVs like Mitsubishi and front projectors have a lamp indicator LED that will flash when the lamp is burned out. Even if your TV or projector is working you should check the hours on the lamp. If the lamp is at or over 1000 hours then it is time to get a new one. Most projection lamps are estimated to last 1000 – 2000 hours, but only have a warranty of 6 months. The actual life of a lamp can vary depending on its environment, how often it is used, the pictures it displays, and the brightness settings of the projector. I strongly recommend that if your lamp is at 1000 hours or over 6 months old, you should get a new lamp and use the old one as an emergency back up.