Flat Or Round HDMI Cable For Your Home Theater?

Just when you thought it was safe to go out and buy an HDMI cable, you now have to consider a new and interesting concept; flat HDMI cable. What in the world were the manufacturers thinking when they came up with that idea? I thought all cables are supposed to be round.

Flat Or Round HDMI Cable For Your Home Theater?

Flat Or Round HDMI Cable For Your Home Theater?

---

Flat Or Round HDMI Cable For Your Home Theater?

Flat Or Round HDMI Cable For Your Home Theater?

There are a few advanTAGes to using flat HDMI, but in my opinion, these advanTAGes have nothing to do with the quality of video. I have used both flat and round HDMI cables in many installations and compared them side-by-side. I have never seen a difference in picture quality. I have asked other installers that I work with to also compare the flat against the round and they agree with my comparison. Visually we cannot see any difference in picture quality between the two cables.

Of course the hard-corehome theater buffs will disagree with me and say that a flat HDMI cable will give you better video quality. There is a theory that states a round HDMI cable has internal wires that are wrapped around each other, where the flat one separates each internal wire across the width of the cable. This is supposed to eliminate the "crosstalk" (interference) that you may experience in the round cable. The flat HDMI may eliminate this "crosstalk", but visually, it sure doesn't make much difference in picture quality.

The biggest advantage to using a flat HDMI cable is convenience. It is easier to work with and I use it when my installations don't afford me a lot of room to move around.

Here are a few advantages to using a flat HDMI cable:

It bends easier. A roundHDMI cable is thicker and cannot bend as easily as a flat one. This makes it easier to install into/along walls. It's easier to tuck behind a hanging Hdtv. A round HDMI cannot be wrapped up as tight as a flat one can, and will tend to bulge from behind the television. You can hide it behind a baseboard better. It lays flat against the wall and this lets you put the baseboard back flush without gaps. Running it under carpet is easier. Just make sure you don't put it in under the carpet in a high traffic area. This is something that the installers are doing these days since the cable with not causes a bump in your carpet. It can be painted easier than a round one can. This is a huge advantage if you decide to run your HDMI flat along the top of your baseboards and paint it to blend intothe wall.

So the flat HDMI cable will function just as well as the round one will (maybe even better if you believe in the "crosstalk" theory), and as long as it is certified by the HDMI committee, you should consider buying the flat HDMI cable because of convenience, not video quality.

Flat Or Round HDMI Cable For Your Home Theater?

How to Make Movie Theater Butter Popcorn

Eating popcorn is an American pastime that can soothe the soul. Sometimes time alone with your bag of popcorn and a favorite movie can bring back childhood memories. Part of the reason Theatre popcorn is so good is because of the ambiance of the theater, the bag or carton is placed in it, the oil they use to pop it with and the taste of real butter. Getting the buttery flavor to match the movie type popcorn is a matter of using coconut oil, butter that has its water separated from the popcorn and thorough mixing of the butter into the corn.

How to Make Movie Theater Butter Popcorn

How to Make Movie Theater Butter Popcorn

---

How to Make Movie Theater Butter Popcorn

How to Make Movie Theater Butter Popcorn

Keep your Wet and your Popcorn Kernels Dry

To clarify that stateMent, your popcorn has moisture in it that is why it has an explosive "pop" to it.  Keep your kernels secure and tightly coveredto prevent the moisture from escaping-and keep it out of the refrigerator. When the popcorn pops in a pot it has some moisture left, so wait for a few minutes to let the popcorn evaporated the moisture that is contained within the pot.

Remove the water from the Butter

This should help keep the popcorn from becoming soggy and may help increase the butter flavor.  An easy way to separate water from butter is to put the butter in a pot and then cool it off in the refrigerator. Although more effective in large quantities you will get a little bit of water released from a small stick of butter through evaporation. Large quantities of butter (i.e. four one-pound blocks) will separate in the refrigerator and fall to the bottom. Just pour it out when buttersolidifies. For eight tablespoons of butter you should get about two tablespoons left after PMC.

Remember, theaters may use a fake flavor substitute for a cheaper way of creating that buttery flavor.

Use white kernel popcorn for a better hulless pop.

For the purist you could order coconut oil to pop your kernels, since theaters are known to use this oil. The Internet should reveal many sources for a search of "coconut oil"

Taking these simple steps will bring you closer to the theater type popcorn that you enjoy. Although the atmosphere of going out to the movies cant be replicated these simple procedures should bring you closer to the real thing.

How to Make Movie Theater Butter Popcorn