How to feng shui your bedroom

After numerous shifting the layout of my bedroom, i just couldnt get the "feel" right. Sleeping disorder is my worse nightmare and decided to get some feng shui help. For the past weeks, i've been reading from websites and did some research and hopefully this layout will be my last.

Peace, Harmony, Balance
Fortunately Feng Shui refers to your décor. The most important room in the house, the bedroom where you should be spending at least eight hours very night wrapped in the arms of sleep. Feng shui is a Chinese concept and is a way of creating balance and harmony, not just in the bedroom, but in the entire house and in your life. It's a method of balancing the yin (feminine) and yang (masculine) aspects of life.

Much thought should go into the décor of the bedroom, where peace and harmony is so important. Here are a few tips:

* Ideally, the bedroom should be as far away as possible from the front door, mirroring the practice of our prehistoric ancestors who did not sleep in the mouth of their cave.

* On entering your bedroom, note where the windows are located. Chi tends to travel between the door and any windows, so avoid positioning your bed in line with this ‘draught’ of chi.

* Position your bed so that you can see the door from where you sleep. This gives you a deep sense of inner security.

* If it is feasible, position your bed as far away from the door as possible.

* Avoid sleeping with your head close to a window as your chi will dissipate through the window and make you feel more tired on awakening.

* Work stations have no place in a bedroom. Avoid having things like desks and computers anywhere near the bed.

* If there's a bathroom in the bedroom, the door should be kept closed at night. This, again, adds to the feeling of safety and protection. Check your bathroom at night. Make sure all the taps are firmly turned off so there's no troublesome drip, drip to keep you awake, then close the door.

* To help you protect your own chi while you are asleep, to internalize it and recharge it, make sure you have a strong, stable headboard. Chi energy enters and exits the body through the feet, hands and the top of the skull, Having a solid ‘mountain’ behind you while you sleep is far more beneficial than a cold, blank wall or worse, the cutting chi of an ornate brass bedstead.

* If you sleep with another person, note the position of your bed relative to the wall that it is up against. Is it equidistant--in the middle of the wall? This is vital in a relationship as it gives both individuals who share the bed equality in the relationship. A shared bed crammed into the corner of a room, is giving more freedom of chi to the individual on the open side whereas the partner will literally and symbolically feel up against a wall.

* Make sure all bedside tables have rounded edges and not square to prevent cutting chi being focused towards the occupants. If two sleep in the bed, ensure matching beside tables on either side for added stability and protection in the relationship.

* Do you really need to have a telephone in the room? If you consider it a necessity, let acquaintances know you don't appreciate late night calls. Of course, this doesn't eliminate wrong numbers and crank calls.

* Ceiling beams above the bed are a Feng Shui nightmare. They can be a source of cutting chi and the beams carry a tremendous load, and this pressure is focused into the beams generating chi which continues downwards, placing direct pressure on you while you sleep.
^Some tips: Paint the beams; drape fabric over the beams; hang bamboo flutes 2-3 inches below the beam to soften the load (the flutes are hung at a 45 degree angle to the beam with the mouthpiece downwards).

* If you sleep with another, make sure your bed is symbolic of this relationship. Beds that are rickety or likely to fall part speak volumes about the state of the relationship.

* Given that the bedroom is a more yin environment, the lighting that you choose needs to reflect this. Soft lighting is ideal. Avoid having ceiling lamps right directly over your bed.

* Pastel colors encourage sleep - pale blue or green. Ivory, light pink or yellow. Bright colors, especially the fluorescents, are bursting with energy. These colors shout at you to get up and get going. Walls and carpets should relax you, not startle the eyeballs till the lids won't close. If your bedroom is a shouter, maybe it's time to repaint. Turn that rebel yell into a sweet lullaby.

* Avoid sleeping with your image visible in a mirror. the worst scenario of all is a mirror at the foot of your bed.

* Place something beautiful that inspires you where you first look in the morning.

* Pay attention to what is under your bed. Keep the space clear and get rid of any unwanted items there.

* Off With the Entertainent. Television sets don't belong in the bedroom. Neither do other forms of entertainment - DVD players. Hand held games. Keep the entertainment equipment in the family room, the living room, the rumpus room. Even the kitchen, if it pleases you. But never in the bedroom. If you really have to have the TV in the bedroom, when it's time to sleep, cover the screen. Do the same with the computer monitor. Covering the mirrors is also a good idea.

* Lights can be disturbing, whether it's the streetlight outside your window, headlights of passing traffic - or even the full moon shining on the bed. In feng shui, however, another reason for covering the windows is to give the sleeper more of a feeling of safety. Yet another reason for covering windows, as well as all reflective surfaces - mirrors, TV screens, computers - is to prevent someone from being startled by a stray reflection of movement - their own - in the glass.

* Not only where you place the bed but everything about it is important when you use feng shui. What's above it, threatening to fall on you and crush you? A heavy light fixture? A ceiling fan? What's below it, sending up old memories or worries? Move the heavy weight from above your head. Clean out the space underneath the bed. Then relax into a good night's sleep.

* Clutter doesn't encourage you to sleep. Clean up the clothing on the floor. Pick up those books and toys. Make your bedroom safe and restful. Don't let clutter collect and invade your sleep.

It's all about keeping surroundings harmonious, Feng shui creates good chi energy and chi energy is life force.
Think peace. Think harmony, Think sleep.

What is HDMI?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is an all-digital audio/video interface capable of transmitting uncompressed streams. HDMI is compatible with High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) Digital Rights Management technology. HDMI provides an interface between any compatible digital audio/video source, such as a set-top box, a DVD player, a PC, a video game console, or an AV receiver and a compatible digital audio and/or video monitor, such as a digital television (DTV). In 2006, HDMI began to appear as a feature on prosumer HDTV camcorders and even high-end digital still cameras. It is a modern replacement for older analog standards such as RF - coaxial cable, composite video, S-Video, SCART, component video and VGA, and the consumer electronics replacement for older digital standards such as DVI (DVI-D & DVI-I). In the computer world, HDMI is already found on many peripherals and a few newer video cards, with adoption rapidly increasing.

HDMI supports any TV or PC video format, including standard, enhanced, or high-definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio on a single cable. It is independent of the various DTV standards such as ATSC, and DVB (-T,-S,-C), as these are encapsulations of the MPEG movie data streams, which are passed off to a decoder, and output as uncompressed video data on HDMI. HDMI encodes the video data into TMDS for transmission digitally over HDMI.

Devices are manufactured to adhere to various versions of the specification, where each version is given a number, such as 1.0 or 1.3. Each concurrent version of the specification uses the same cables, but increases the throughput and/or capabilities of what can be transmitted over the cable. For example, previously, the maximum pixel clock rate of the interface was 165 MHz, sufficient for supporting 1080p at 60 Hz or WUXGA (1920x1200), but HDMI 1.3 increased that to 340 MHz, providing support for WQXGA (2560x1600) and beyond across a single digital link. See the Versions section for details.

HDMI also includes support for 8-channel uncompressed digital audio at 192 kHz sample rate with 24 bits/sample as well as any compressed stream such as Dolby Digital, or DTS. HDMI supports up to 8 channels of one-bit audio, such as that used on Super Audio CDs at rates up to 4x that used by SuperAudio CD. With version 1.3, HDMI now also supports lossless compressed streams such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.

HDMI is backward-compatible with the single-link Digital Visual Interface carrying digital video (DVI-D or DVI-I, but not DVI-A) used on modern computer monitors and graphics cards. This means that a DVI-D source can drive an HDMI monitor, or vice versa, by means of a suitable adapter or cable, but the audio and remote control features of HDMI will not be available. Additionally, without support for High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) on the display, the signal source may prevent the end user from viewing or recording certain restricted content.

In the USA, on digital TVs with built-in digital (ATSC) tuners, HDCP-support is a standard feature on all but the cheapest digital TVs (which lack HDMI altogether.) Among the PC-display industry, where computer displays rarely contain built-in tuners, HDCP support is absent from many models. For example, the first LCD-monitors with HDMI connectors did not support HDCP, and few compact-LCD monitors (17" or smaller) support HDCP.

The HDMI Founders include consumer electronics manufacturers Hitachi, Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic/National/Quasar), Philips, Sony, Thomson (RCA), Toshiba, and Silicon Image. Digital Content Protection, LLC (a subsidiary of Intel) is providing HDCP for HDMI. In addition, HDMI has the support of major motion picture producers Fox, Universal, Warner Bros., and Disney, and system operators DirecTV and EchoStar (Dish Network) as well as CableLabs and Samsung.


Specifications
HDMI defines the protocol and electrical specifications for the signaling, as well as the pin-out, electrical and mechanical requirements of the cable and connectors.

Connectors
The HDMI Specification has expanded to include three connectors, each intended for different markets. The standard Type A HDMI connector has 19 pins, with bandwidth to support all SDTV, EDTV and HDTV modes and more. The plug outside dimensions are 13.9 mm wide by 4.45 mm high. Type A is electrically compatible with single-link DVI-D. A higher resolution version called Type B is defined in HDMI 1.0. Type B has 29 pins (21.2 mm wide), allowing it to carry an expanded video channel for use with very high-resolution future displays, such as WQSXGA (3200x2048). Type B is electrically compatible with dual-link DVI-D, but is not in general use.

The Type C mini-connector is intended for portable devices. It is smaller than Type A (10.42 mm by 2.42 mm) but has the same 19-pin configuration.

Cable
Each channel in HDMI can be purposed to carry audio, video, multimedia, or device-controlling signals, or a combination of these signals. Adaptor cables - from Type A to Type C - are available.

TMDS channel
The Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) channel:
Carries video, audio, and auxiliary data via one of three modes called the Video Data Period, the Data Island Period, and the Control Period. During the Video Data Period, the pixels of an active video line are transmitted. During the Data Island period (which occurs during the horizontal and vertical blanking intervals), audio and auxiliary data are transmitted within a series of packets. The Control Period occurs between Video and Data Island periods.

Signaling method: Formerly according to DVI 1.0 spec. Single-link (Type A HDMI) or dual-link (Type B HDMI). Video pixel rate: 25 MHz to 340 MHz (Type A, as of 1.3) or to 680 MHz (Type B). Video formats with rates below 25 MHz (e.g. 13.5 MHz for 480i/NTSC) transmitted using a pixel-repetition scheme. From 24 to 48 bits per pixel can be transferred, regardless of rate. Supports 1080p at rates up to 120 Hz and WQSXGA [4].
Pixel encodings: RGB 4:4:4, YCbCr 4:4:4 (8-16 bits per component); YCbCr 4:2:2 (12 bits per component)
Audio sample rates: 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz, 192 kHz.
Audio channels: up to 8.
Audio streams: any IEC61937-compliant stream, including high bitrate (lossless) streams (Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio).


Consumer Electronics Control channel
The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) channel is optional to implement, but wiring is mandatory. The channel:
Uses the industry standard AV Link protocol
Used for remote control functions.
One-wire bidirectional serial bus.
Defined in HDMI Specification 1.0, updated in HDMI 1.2a, and again in 1.3a (Added timer and audio commands).

This feature is used in two ways:
- To allow the user to command and control multiple CEC-enabled boxes with one remote control, and
- To allow individual CEC-enabled boxes to command and control each other, without user intervention.
An example of the latter is to allow the DVD player, when the drawer closes with a disk, to command the TV and the intervening A/V Receiver (all with CEC) to power-up, select the appropriate HDMI ports, and auto-negotiate the proper video mode and audio mode. No remote control command is needed. Similarly, this *type* of equipment can be programmed to return to sleep mode when the movie ends, perhaps by checking the real-time clock. For example, if it is later than 11:00pm, and the user does not specifically command the systems with the remote control, then the systems all turn off at the command from the DVD player.


Content protection
According to High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) Specification 1.2.
Beginning with HDMI CTS 1.3a, any system which implements HDCP must do so in a fully-compliant manner. HDCP compliance is itself part of the requirements for HDMI compliance. The Hdmi repeater bit controls the authentication and distribution from a single source to multiple displays.


Cable length
The HDMI specification does not define a maximum cable length. As with all cables, signal attenuation becomes too high at a certain length. Instead, HDMI specifies a minimum performance standard. Any cable meeting that specification is compliant. Different construction quality and materials will enable cables of different lengths. In addition, higher performance requirements must be met to support video formats with higher resolutions and/or frame rates than the standard HDTV formats.

The signal attenuation and intersymbol interference caused by the cables can be compensated by using Adaptive Equalization.

HDMI 1.3 defined two categories of cables: Category 1 (standard or HDTV) and Category 2 (high-speed or greater than HDTV) to reduce the confusion about which cables support which video formats. Using 28 AWG, a cable of about 5 metres (~16 ft) can be manufactured easily and inexpensively to Category 1 specifications. Higher-quality construction (24 AWG, tighter construction tolerances, etc.) can reach lengths of 12 to 15 metres (~39 to 49 ft). In addition, active cables (fiber optic or dual Cat-5 cables instead of standard copper) can be used to extend HDMI to 100 metres or more. Some companies also offer amplifiers, equalizers and repeaters that can string several standard (non-active) HDMI cables together.


HDMI and high-definition optical media players
Both introduced in 2006, Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD offer new high-fidelity audio features that require HDMI for best results. Dolby Digital Plus (DD+), Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio use bitrates exceeding TOSLINK's capacity. HDMI 1.3 can transport DD+, TrueHD, and DTS-HD bitstreams in compressed form. This capability would allow a preprocessor or audio/video receiver with the necessary decoder to decode the data itself, but has limited usefulness for HD-DVD and BluRay.
HD-DVD and BluRay permit "interactive audio", where the disc-content tells the player to mix multiple audio sources together, before final output. Consequently, most players will handle audio-decoding internally, and simply output LPCM audio all the time. Multichannel LPCM can be transported over an HDMI 1.1 (or higher) connection. As long as the audio/video receiver (or preprocessor) support multi-channel LPCM audio over HDMI, and support HDCP, the audio reproduction is equal in resolution to HDMI 1.3.

Many low-end audio receivers do not support audio over HDMI, and are sometimes labeled "HDMI passthrough" devices. In the future, it is likely that most devices claiming HDMI 1.1 as a feature will support at least 5.1 LPCM over HDMI.