How To

Most people don't like watching TV in the dark. The problem is, flat-panel TVs tend to reflect light in the room. Even if you have a matte-screen LCD, light bouncing off the screen is going to diminish picture quality in one way or another.

This how-to guide has some obvious and some not-so-obvious tricks and tips to help you make sure that no matter what lighting you have in your room, you're still getting the best picture quality.

Lots of great choices for new AV gear this year, but it's also easy to get suckered into getting more than you need.

Check out these tips and tricks to save yourself some big money this holiday season.

Universal remotes come in all shapes and sizes, but our top pick for controlling your entire home theater with one gadget is the Logitech Harmony remote.

The Harmony remote's greatest standout feature is its easy setup process. Instead of punching in complicated codes and using the remote's on-screen display, the entire configuration process is done on a Web site.

To get started, you'll need:

• A list of all your home entertainment gear by model number
• An internet PC with IE, FF or a Mac with Safari (not Chrome)
• A USB cable
• A Harmony remote

Grab those items more

It's that time of year again...you know, where you get to stand in lines for the best deals on Black Friday. Instead of heading out the door 8 or more hours ahead of the sale unprepared, take a gander at this guide for tips to make the experience more pleasant.

Creating comfort

• Bring your own bottle--of water. Good alternatives for cooler climates are hot coffee or even soup in a Thermos.
• Snick-snacks. Whether they're healthy or not is up to you.
• Extra jacket and/or blanket. Additional layers for cold weather or something children and adults can

Missing the newest episode of your favorite TV show is the worst.

Sure, the latest episode of "Top Chef" is bound to rerun, but by the time it airs, the entire Interwebs has already torn it apart, revealing who was eliminated, which dishes looked delicious, and how hot (or not) Padma looked that day. (Let's be honest: she's never the latter.)

There's really nothing like catching the latest episode the first time it airs, and tweeting (or Facebook-posting) immediately after in excitement with the rest of America.

But with so many TV shows to keep track of, more

But as I mentioned in that article, not all online stores are created equal. There are many important factors to look out for when buying online that go far beyond price.

Buyer beware, as they say, as you'll see.

Watching a Netflix or YouTube video on a computer screen can feel a little crowded, especially in a huddle of friends.

To fix that problem, many televisions are now adding these services to the TV interface, creating what are now considered "smart TVs." Services like Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, and YouTube are readily available on those TVs for streaming media to the big screen.

But if you don't own a streaming-ready TV, you have dozens of options to emulate the experience. Popular devices like Roku, Boxee, and the Apple TV have cropped up, each offering a different way to get more

It happens to all digital-media hoarders: Eventually, your collection outgrows your software and management tools. If you're having a hard time tracking down files, or if your media player takes too long to load, you should consider changing your approach. Here are some tips and tools to make it easier to enjoy all that entertainment:

Tag files. This is essential for keeping track of any large collection. If you buy your tunes or videos from the iTunes store or most other large retail operations, your tags should be fine, but if you found them online or ripped them yourself, more

CNET Gotham is here and we've stocked the Openhouse Gallery in Nolita (in NYC) with your must-have gadgets, including ones that haven't even hit the shelves.

We've set up stations like the CNET living room (shown in the video), where items like a 60-inch Samsung TV, the Roku 2 XS, and a supercomfy couch come together to create the ultimate tech experience.

I got to play with the Roku 2 XS, which lets you wirelessly stream video and music content from the Internet to your TV, but soon learned that although the device is awesome, juggling yet more