Cables, Installation and Furniture: All of the Other Stuff
— -- Everything You Need to Buy an HDTV Guide | Do I Need One? | Which Set's For Me? | Cost and Features | Where to Find HD Programming | All of the Other Stuff | The Ultimate HDTV Checklist | Slideshow: HDTV Sets | Slideshow: Cables and Inputs
You've shed blood, sweat and tears and now, you finally bought the HDTV you've always wanted. That's it, right?
Not exactly. Now comes the boring part -- cables, mounts and furniture.
Once you have your set and know what connections you need to get you HDTV set up to your cable or satellite box, DVD player, etc., you're going to need to get those precious cables.
Refer to ABCNEWS.com's Cables, Inputs and Outputs Slideshow to see what they look like. Don't get suckered into buying cheap cables that won't give you the picture you paid for and don't get ripped off by spending hundreds on gold tipped, ultra-durable cables you may not need.
If you've purchased a flat-panel that needs to be mounted but doesn't include a mount, you'll have to pick them up and you'll probably want to arrange through the retailer to have the set installed. It'll cost a few hundred dollars, but you just spent all this money on an HDTV and don't want to end up with a couple of big holes in your wall, an electrical short-circuit or a busted set.
If the retailer doesn't offer in-home installation, check online or in the phone book for a home theatre installer who can do the job properly.
For those who bought a rear projection or standing flat panel display, you're probably going to need a new entertainment system or space to place your set. There are a growing number of companies manufacturing home theatre furniture for widescreen TVs like yours, so you should have lots of choices.
For the front-projection owners, you've got choices. You can mount the projector on the ceiling, hide it in a piece of living room furniture or make it the centerpiece of the room.
Click on the links below to learn everything you need to about HDTVs and be sure to print out a copy of ABCNEWS.com's Ultimate HDTV Checklist to bring to the store with you.
ABCNEWS.com's Everything You Need to Buy an HDTV Guide
Plasma, LCD, Projection: Which HDTV is Right For Me?
Cost and Features: What Should I Look For?
Where Can I Watch High Definition Television?
Cables, Installation and Furniture: All of the Other Stuff
