How-tos

Lights, Camera, Action, from the comfort of your living room – Dolby’s Home Entertainment Hacks


We are all missing going out to watch our favorite movies in the cinemas while munching away on popcorn. But that does not mean we cannot bring cinemalike, experience at home. Dolby brings forth just the right hacks and tricks, so you can create that cinematic experience in your living rooms with just a few easy steps!

  1. Lights, Camera and Can’t See the Action

For those moments when you really want to check out and tune into what you’re watching, pay attention to the brightness level in the room as this can negatively impact your viewing experience.

Lighting Tips + Tricks:

  • If you want to get really immersed in your favorite show, you’ll want to make your room as dark as possible. Try to use curtains to dim natural lights and switch off all your lamps.
  • Don’t put your TV next to a window.
  • Make sure all your gadgets – WIFI router, smart speaker, etc. – are not inadvertently reflecting unwanted light onto your screen.
    • Do check to see if these light sources are within your field of vision, and if so turn them off because they can get distracting.
  1. Customize your inputs and streaming profiles

Whether you are rushing to get on a conference call or are in the middle of making dinner, simplify how your kid or parent are able to access their entertainment by customizing your input sources – especially if you have multiple devices plugged into your TV – and streaming profiles.

Input Tips + Tricks:

  • Most TVs allow consumers to name individual inputs, for example – “Rachel’s Xbox,” “Cable TV,” or “Blu-ray player”
  • Another easy tip, especially if you have multiple people in the house using your streaming account, is to create multiple account profiles customized according to who or what people want to watch – like “Cartoons,” “For Grandma,” “Parents” etc – allowing them to tune-in and everyone else to remain focused on other important things.
  1. Distance Matters

For all your virtual calls with friends and family or when bingeing your favorite show, the distance from your TV to your couch makes a big difference in your viewing experience. If your TV is too far away, your picture quality can suffer and things won’t look as crisp. It’s all about the details, so unlike at the movie theatre, close = good

Images will start to lose detail if the distance between your couch and TV is greater than three picture heights**. You’ll want this distance even closer if you are watching movies or TV shows in 4K.

**picture height is the distance between the top and bottom of your screen.

  1. How to Get Great Sound AND Not Torture Everyone Else While at Home

With many families juggling work and school meetings with screen time, the placement of your TV or audio system will have a significant impact on the quality of your audio experiences – and family sanity.

Sound Tips + Tricks:

  • Make sure your TV is placed on or above a surface like a table to ensure you’re sending audio throughout the room.
    • Most new TVs have speakers placed behind the panel and are pointed downward. If you don’t have a surface directly under to help reflect sound, the audio quality will get buried.
  • If your room is too reflective, consider putting down a rug or hanging up a piece of art on your walls. This will help absorb sound.
  • If you have a sound bar, make sure that it is mounted or placed on the edge of your TV table instead of sitting flush with the wall – this way, the audio is reflecting outward into the room vs bouncing against your TV.
  • Unsure where to place a subwoofer? Subs are omnidirectional, meaning they reverberate sounds all throughout a room. So, you can put it anywhere – but don’t place it against a wall or near an object that will rattle (your significant other and neighbors thank you in advance). 
  1. TV Setting Life

Just like you rarely use the same filter on each social media post, you might not want to use the same TV settings based on what you’re watching. So, as you switch from your favourite film to sports classics, you can customize your TV settings for a better viewing experience.

TV Setting Tips + Tricks (most TV’s include these common settings):

  • Cinema or Movie Mode – for people looking for a purer picture
  • Vivid Mode – ramps up the saturation and brightness but at the same time can make the picture lose detail
  • Sport Mode – optimizes live sports and other forms of live entertainment
  • Standard Mode – this mode finds a balance between all the modes above

And for the gamers, many TV’s include a “Gaming Mode”. This actually turns off certain features inside your TV, to speed up its internal processing, which can reduce potential latency – for an extra edge.

#protip: Watch each mode for at least 15-30 minutes to give yourself some time to adjust before making a decision.

So, make the most of the lockdown and enjoy a cinematic experience in the comfort of your home and do remember stay home, stay safe!



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