Should you label your home-theater cables with masking tape and a pen, as I suggested earlier this week in a column about de-complicating your home-theater setup? Reader Paul Kelly says, “NOOOOOOO!!”

Paul is a “professional cable labeler” who most recently worked as an AV tech for the broadcast of the U.S. Figure Skating Championship at Xcel Center in St. Paul.

“Masking tape deteriorates over time,” he said. “It loses its ’stick,’ becomes brittle and falls off.  Also, the ink on it tends to fade.”

To clarify what I wrote: I label the cables as I take them off — so I can easily tell what goes where amid a tangle of wires — and then remove the tape when reconnecting. Really, I use whatever I can find from my cramped position on the floor behind the stereo cabinet. Actually, the last time I hooked up all of my speaker cables, which have a light coating, I just wrote right on the cables with a Sharpie and they were still perfectly labeled almost two years later when I looked at them recently.

Paul is much more serious and diligent about his cable labeling: “I generally use white paper tape (any art supply store) and a fine-point Sharpie. You can get high-tech and use different colors of paper tape, or use different colors of electrical tape wrapped around the cables without labels (but keep a cheat sheet in a zip-lock bag nearby). The really cool new cable labeling method is BLACK gaff (duct) tape with SILVER or GOLD Sharpie! You can almost see it in the dark.”

However you do it, permanent or temporary, the larger point is to label the cables, which Paul and I agree on. It’s amazing how many people just start yanking cables indiscriminately when setting up or reconfiguring their home theaters, which bogs things down later.

Home theaters can be a pain to set up and operate, as I wrote about today in a feature-length story, “Home theater antics.” I offered 10 tips to ease the burden, from getting a good universal remote control to taking advantage of your components’ built-in power outlets.

One more tip is to join an online forum where you can ask questions of fellow enthusiasts the next time you get stuck. The most comprehensive site is AVS Forum, but also try the Home Theater Forum. Heck, you don’t even have to join, even though registration is free. Chances are, especially at AVS, that someone else has already asked the same question and you can just do a search as a guest. Give it a try.

I took a look at consumer-electronics trends for the new year on Tuesday, with the help of Technology Evangelist guru Ben Higginbotham and CNET senior editor Dan Ackerman. If you missed it, check it out here. 

Because it’s been a few weeks since I wrote that column, here are some follow-up clarifications:

High-def only: I can’t stress enough that consumers shouldn’t spend too much time worrying about the federal mandate for a switch to digital-only (HDTV) broadcasts by February 2009. Ackerman and Higginbotham were adamant about this. Obviously, if you want to upgrade to HDTV, this year would be a good time to do so. But no one who doesn’t upgrade is going to lose his or her TV shows. If you get cable or satellite, your provider will still get you that signal you’re paying for in a way that you can watch it. And if you get a broadcast-only signal via an over-the-air antenna, the federal government will issue vouchers for you to buy a converter box for your non-HDTV set at minimal cost.

HD DVD vs. Blu-ray: Higginbotham and Ackerman agreed with each other that the war between the two high-def DVD formats will be resolved by wider spread universal players that will render the battle moot.  Neither put much stock in the buzz that Warner Home Video, the only studio still supporting both formats, might announce at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show that it will back only one format. It won’t matter in the end, they say. Still, WHV’s backing of one format over the other certainly could send shockwaves through the industry. But even if one format is weakened by such a move, it would still take a while for the other format to die out, if at all. That’s why my techno-friends think a hybrid player will win out in the end.

Laptop boom: One reader emailed to chide me for saying that laptop computers are “going to take off.” They already have, the reader said. I guess I should have added “like never before.” The scoop is that, while laptops have increased in sales while notebook computers have declined in recent years, 2008 is when industry observers expect laptops to be the dominant configuration for the first time. 

Finally, one reader emailed to say that some of the trends identified in my write-up are “pure speculation.” Well, duh. It was a prediction-oriented column — hence, the intro noting “techno trends we see for the coming year.” So, yes, it’s speculation, but it’s from people who do nothing but follow technology for a living. We’ll find out at the end of year how much of it ends up being fact.

Have you updated your new video-game system or high-def DVD player yet? As I wrote in a column on Christmas Day, the advanced technology used in the Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable, as well as in HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc players, requires continual firmware updates to keep up with the latest features and to address bugs and compatibility issues.

Now, you don’t have to update the firmware (the installed software that controls basic functions) on these devices. But you should. Think of it as a free way to get the latest advancements without having to buy new equipment.

There are several ways to perform a firmware update, which some manufacturers call a system update. Click on the name of your device below to learn more about how to do it and to download the latest version.

Xbox 360: The most recent update added parental-control features. Compatibility for various older Xbox games is added regularly. (Wikipedia tracks the evolution of the 360’s updates here.)

Wii: Nintendo’s updates often add nifty extras, such as the ability to send gift game downloads and adding the Photo Channel. (Wikipedia tracks the evolution of the Wii’s updates here.)

PlayStation 3: Sony has been adding some major muscle to its beefy video-game system with its updates, the latest making the PS3 compliant with Blu-ray’s Profile 1.1, which adds picture-in-picture capabilities with no additional hardware needed. (Wikipedia tracks the evolution of the PS3’s updates here.)

PlayStation Portable (PSP):  Sony also continually tinkers — in a good way! — with its handheld system, the latest update adding a streaming Internet radio player and the ability to play old PlayStation games in league with the PS3 via Remote Play. (Wikipedia tracks the evolution of the PSP’s updates here.)

HD DVD player: Check your player manufacturer’s website (look in the product support section) for the latest updates for your model. Toshiba is the most popular brand of HD DVD player and its updates can be found here.  

Blu-ray Disc player: The PS3 is the most popular Blu-ray player, so you’re covered above. Otherwise, check your player manufacturer’s website (look in the product support section) for the latest updates for your model.

Do you want to find out more about adding a projector to your home theater? Here’s your opportunity.

 (Image courtesy of Tierney Brothers.)

In a recent column advocating home-theater projectors, I noted that educating consumers was the biggest problem for the devices and that Minneapolis-based AV retailer Tierney Brothers planned to add question-and-answer sessions soon about them. Tierney’s Derek Burns e-mailed to let me know that the company has scheduled its first session, which is free and open to the public, on Nov. 15. Experts will discuss and demo not only home-theater projectors but also other HDTV displays, such as LCD, plasma and rear projection.

“There are no hitches, catches or obligations,” Derek says, “but we do ask that you please RSVP as seating is limited.”

Send your RSVP to paulatierney@tierneybros.com. Derek says this is just to ensure that there’s enough room for everyone. If too many people reply, he said Tierney will just schedule another session. 

But here’s the best part: Besides providing free food and beverages, Derek says Tierney will be holding a drawing among attendees for a free Panasonic projector. Cool.  

Here are the details:

What: Tierney Brothers Home Theater Question and Answer Session
When: Thursday, Nov. 15; 6-7:30 p.m. Â
Where: 3300 University Av. SE., Minneapolis