PostPoints tip: Take your HDTV out of "torch mode"

The image settings that make a new high-definition TV look great in a store probably won't work as well in your home, with its dimmer lighting and more confined spaces. If your HDTV now seems less attractive in your living room than it did in the showroom, press its remote's "Menu" button and take a look at its image settings or "scene modes." Odds are, you'll see other options listed there that will perform better than the default--especially if the factory setting goes by a name like "vivid" or "brilliant." Videophiles have a different name for these too-bright, retail-friendly settings: "torch mode." Try your TV's other picture options to find one that won't wash out details and blur some of the finer points you presumably bought a high-definition set to enjoy. A less extreme picture setting should also help plasma HDTVs use a little less electricity.