Is dirty electricity in your home preventing you from fully enjoying the HD experience?

You may think your HD picture looks great, and you may think your surround sound is spectacular...???



Many may not know, but the AC 120 volt household electrical is creating unwanted (and unknown) interference in your HD entertainment system. More than just spike protection or surge protection, a line conditioner will trim and filter the 60Hz AC before it has a chance to shorten the life expectancy of your AV equipment. The electrical in your home is filled with "noise". This noise cascades itself into your audio and video equipment. When this happens, it is actually shortening the life of your devices. That is only half of it. By cleaning the AC current, you will also notice an increased AV experience. This added benifit will be more noticable on 1080p video and digital audio.



Marc
http://www.hometheaterintegrators.com/

Is your home theater future proof?

Is your home theater future proof?

Although technology is constantly advancing, there are certain things you can do to your low voltage infrastructure to stay ahead of the curve. Currently, 1080p is the highest screen resolution available. It is said and predicted, that within the next few years, 1440p will soon be the next full HD screen resolution. Even though 1440p display resolution is not currently available, some HDMI manufacturers do currently support the higher 1440p data transfer rates. Additionally, all newer devices are Internet capable. By connecting your devices via Cat5E or Cat6, you will save headache and time later by including these Ethernet wire connections now.





Marc
http://www.hometheaterintegrators.com/

Structured Wiring

By now you have read many of my posts regarding home theater setup, home theater control, and home theater optimizing.

The structured wiring topic is a conversation you'll need to have with your builder or installer before you finalize your home theater design. Structured wiring applies to the entire home, media rooms and home theaters being part of that. Having a robust structured wiring infrastructure will allow you to have more control over your media room and home theater or even more control within your home... Structured wiring is much more than multiple audio and video cables although those are included. Structured wiring is mainly a means of future proofing your home for updates not considered yet. Data lines, the type used for networking are used for carrying video from room to room, voice from room to room, or music streams including metadata from room to room. Structured wiring serves as the hub of your low voltage nervous system. With proper structured wiring design and installation you will have complete control over all audio sources, video sources, data, voice, CCTV, networking, printers, file sharing, and televisions. Imagine listening to your library of MP3 files in your bedroom through ceiling mounted speakers by using your remote control instead of dropping your iPod into a local dock. Imagine having one Blu-Ray player which can send HD video to every room in your home via Cat5e or Cat6 Ethernet wire. Imagine using a wall keypad to play your favorite artist or genre throughout your entire home during a party. Even control your AV receiver located in another room via an IR remote, not RF remote. The possibilities are endless!

For more exciting info on this topic please visit our web page below!!!

http://www.hometheaterintegrators.com/whole-distribution.php

Marc
http://www.hometheaterintegrators.com/

Complete control with your universal remote

What's the point of having a universal remote if you need to press more than one button to perform a task? Once someone decides to ditch their numerous remotes in favor of a single universal remote, the next logical step is to setup the macros which make the operation of the equipment easier and simpler. Sure, accessing all of your equipment from one hand held device is great, but that is only half of it! Implementing a macro allows integrators to offer turn-key solutions to their clients. How impressive is it when, upon pressing a single button on your universal remote, the system not only turns on but goes directly to your favorite radio station? Or how about this scenario, a house guest easily comprehends how to access your media server leaving you to entertain your guests (instead of fumbling through discrete commands to access your media files). Perhaps the biggest advantage of having a universal remote is the ability to relocate the equipment and electronic devices to another room or at least out of sight. With the latest RF technology, integrators are capable of keeping your AV equipment away from curious fingers which otherwise would change your preferences and preselected settings. Some high end model universal remotes allow two way communication with other household wi fi devices. Universal remotes can now allow users to view their security cameras right on the remote color screen. You don't need a monitor for your security cameras anymore, just watch the cameras from the 3.5 inch color remote screen. Some universal remotes are enabled with web browsing, some can turn on and off lights, most can adjust the thermostat too.

Marc
www.HomeTheaterIntegrators.com

Outside audio and multi-zone receivers

This is perhaps my favorite part of any installation. In years past we were forced to settle for a boom box or a stand alone system for listening to our music outdoors. A stand alone system will certainly give us quality sound outdoors, but is not as versatile as today's multi-zone receivers. If setup correctly a multi-zone receiver can access your computer's MP3 files eliminating the need to create "party discs" to play while entertaining. The sound quality for today's outdoor speakers has improved over the past few years as well. Many manufacturers now have weather resistant speakers which can successfully withstand the elements. Some are shaped like rocks but I prefer the more traditional look of a wall mounted speaker located under the eaves if possible.
Back to multi-zone receivers, if setup correctly, the user can watch / listen to a movie indoors while listening to FM radio or otherwise outdoors all using the same AV receiver. Each will have independent volume control too! Some multi-zone receivers support two room video.

One important consideration when planning a multi-room installation using one receiver is to carefully plan the operation of the equipment with a universal remote. Some universal remotes do not allow the user to select a "change location" option. By using a remote capable of recognizing different locations, the user can use one remote for two or more rooms (locations).

Check out my other blogs regarding multi-room video distribution.

Marc
www.HomeTheaterIntegrators.com

How many paychecks are invested in your home theater?

That is actually a rhetorical question... the point I am trying to make here is; you have probably spent a lot of hard earned money building the personal theater (or media room) of your dreams. I hope you are not relying on a $99 surge protector as your AV insurance policy! A power conditioner should have been the FIRST item listed on your equipment list, a power conditioner is your first defender of unwanted electrical spikes, over voltage, and noise filtering (yes this includes video noise). The power conditioner will prolong the life expectancy of your AV equipment, please also make sure your HDTV is making use of your power conditioner and not just the Blu-Ray player and surround receiver. Your hi-def TV will surely have a longer life but also have a better picture due to the noise filtering from the power conditioner, a feature surge protectors do not offer. If your AV installer has not recommended a true power conditioner, ask yourself why. Entry level power conditioner models are well within even the lowest media room budgets. For planning purposes, you should expect to pay around $400 for a decent power conditioner, based on a $6000 media room investment, the power conditioner is approximately 7% of your AV budget. Other models are available, even if your budget allows for a $250 power conditioner, do it! It is the wisest decision you will have made. Surge protectors (even high end models) will not prolong the life of the equipment and will not improve the picture quality like a power conditioner will do. The truth is, power fluctuations are the leading cause of AV equipment failures!

Marc
www.HomeTheaterIntegrators.com

Media Servers for Home Theaters

Being a proponent of media servers and technology in general, certain requirements and basic fundamentals should be understood before investing in this constantly evolving media vehicle. Aside from the obvious monetary choices, prices ranging from $900 for very basic entry level units, to $7,000 for mid-grade multi-function pieces, you will need to research your own expectations and requirements to ensure you are getting what you expect. To begin, digital media exists in several formats; there are too many audio formats to list here and too many video formats to investigate in one blog. But for starters, you will need to perform an inventory of your own collection to become familiar with what digital file formats you currently own so you don't exclude your favorite audio track or favorite music video after you buy your new media server. What I am saying is you may have some newer file formats which may not play on all entry level units.

Basically there are numerous digital file formats;
Previous audio formats include .wma and .wav while previous video formats include .mov and .mpg
Newer audio formats include .mp3 and .m4a while newer video formats include .m4v and .mp4

The concern here is; if you are like me and many other music enthusiasts, you probably have multiple formats, both older formats and newer formats. Not all entry level media servers will have the capability of playing both older and newer formats. Undoubtedly the high end units will cover all bases but if you are planning the purchase a mid-grade unit, care should be taken in deciding on a model which will play ALL of your media formats (old & new).


Please look for a more in-depth discussion from me in the future on "media servers myths and realities"

Marc
www.HomeTheaterIntegrators.com

Video source ethernet connectivity

How many of us have seen the Cat5e Ethernet (RJ45) plug on the back of their AV equipment? This includes televisions, Blu-Ray players, satellite receivers, and some AV receivers. How many of us have taken the time to connect our equipment to our home network? If you have not done this yet YOU ARE MISSING OUT on many added features available to you from your new high tech equipment! There are many uses including any of the following: downloading IP based movies, streaming content from your PC (NAS), web browsing, instant weather, BD Live, RSS feeds to your TV screen, etc... It is the simplest yet the most overlooked enhancement you can do for your home entertainment center. Sure, at first I did not hook up mine upon first seeing the availability, but I will never overlook this simple, value add connection again. It is added to all of our installations no matter how small the job.

Marc
www.HomeTheaterIntegrators.com

What could be better than Blu-Ray? (read on for the answer!)

I am currently not using a Blu-Ray player for my 1080p movie playback. Although I regularly enjoy renting 1080p movies and watching them on my home theater all the time.

The time has come for everyone to stop thinking of blu-ray as the ultimate in hi-def video.

Really!!!

Have you ever stopped your BD-java blu-ray player and tried to resume the movie at the same point where you stopped? What's up with that, why doesn't the resume function work? I think you would have better luck winning the lottery than you would successfully resuming your stopped blu-ray at the same point where you originally halted playback. The explanation for this failure comes from Don Eklund at Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE). He writes, "the reason the resume feature does not work in BD-java Blu-Ray players is because the player gives control to the java program to navigate the content. As such, the player cannot execute its own operation (like resume) without causing problems in running the java program."

Well that's real smart. Perhaps I'll try bookmarking instead to resume playback, except then I'll first have to run through the previews, FBI warning, and other stuff before I will arrive at the menu where I can select that feature (there goes that idea).

OK, this blog is not about the short comings of blu-ray players, it is about ditching your circular, shinny HD disks and start streaming. Why should you do that? So you can say you are on the technologically advanced bandwagon? Is this just another format war? No, because blu-ray is just a "stop gap" measure anyway, it is just a band aide. I can assure you blu-ray is the last disk format we will ever see.

What could be better than renting or buying 1080p movies from the comfort of your sofa? What could be better than choosing from approximately 13,000 SD and HD combined available movie titles? What could be better than not having to return the movie when you are done? What could be better than keeping the rented movie for 30 days before you decide to begin watching it? What could be better than not having to organize and store hundreds of plastic movie cases. Sorry, you get the idea.

So what the heck am I talking about? I am talking about Vudu. http://www.vudu.com/
Vudu offers two basic types of 1080p movie players, the VBX100 and the VBX1000. From here after we will only be discussing the VBX1000 which has a 1TB hard drive for movie storage. This is the only 1080p movie player I have personally used in the past 3 months. The 1TB hard drive allows consumers to save their purchased movies to the hard drive where the purchased movies can be stored indefinitely. One advantage here is that users can travel with their vudu movie player and take up to 50 titles with them on the hard drive (yes, you can buy HD movies too). Users can also enjoy YouTube, Flickr, Pandora, and Picasa from their vudu labs tab on the movie player user interface.

The UI allows users to search for movies by title, actor, and director, etc....
So are all of the latest movies available? Yes, in fact, the day Twilight was released on DVD and blu-ray, Twilight was also available for rent or purchase on Vudu!!!

The retail price for the VBX1000 is $499 and comes with an RF remote and an HDMI cable. This is quite a deal when compared to similar priced blu-ray players which do not include a mass storage device.

One cool feature on the RF remote is the intuitive scroll wheel. During movie playback, users can scroll back to a point in the movie which they wanted to watch again. This also allows to user to navigate the UI without the need to look at the remote for the select button etc...

They offer an IR remote sensor for use with mainstream "all-in-one" remote controls. Additionally they is also a wireless kit, in case you have not figured it out, the vudu box does need to be connected to your broadband cable modem or router. the wireless kit is a matched pair consisting of one transmitter and one receiver. No configuration is needed, it is really plug and play for the wireless kit. Whether you go with the wireless kit or not, 4.0 Mbps is the required bandwidth to enjoy instant HD movies.

More info on the VBX1000 can be found here:
http://hometheater.vudu.com/products_VBX1000.html

Marc
www.HomeTheaterIntegrators.com

Consumer demand vs. Salesman push

Jerry Del Colliano of HomeTheaterReview.com wrote a great article about how AV brands look to dealers to "push" their products over creating new consumer demand. A link to the full article is below.

Here is a direct quote from his article: "Many companies looking for an easy way out of marketing their products to consumers think that salespeople control every element of what a consumer buys and can therefore push the company's products or brands, as opposed to the company itself presenting consumers with a compelling reason for purchasing their products and thus driving them to the retailer"

I couldn't agree with Jerry more! Most consumers want AV equipment which sounds great and looks good at a reasonable price. They perhaps also "expect" the salesperson is going to recommend something which the average consumer will recognize.

As a consumer you may go to your local specialty AV store and are seeking to part with $1200 for a pair of speakers, after all, there is comfort in spending $1200 for a recognizable brand of speakers. Not saying here that a recognizable brand is providing you more bang for your buck. I'm just saying that consumers are more willing to part with their cash if they are comfortable with their purchase. Now an educated salesperson will certainly provide and explain to the consumer why brand xyz is a better and valid investment over what the buyer was originally interested in.... and the salesperson will pitch the logic behind their personal recommendation. Yes, it is up to the salesperson to meet and deliver the individual needs of each consumer, and to provide equipment that meets or exceeds the consumers criteria. But all things being equal (and that is the important part), the final sale will almost certainly lean towards the brand recognition. I am not opposed to pushing a set of SpeakerCraft speakers, I love them, they are very robust in design, sound great and I have never had a complaint. Now try selling them to an average consumer that has never heard of SpeakerCraft. I spec them into almost every proposal because they are a proven source of quality, affordable custom speakers. I take the time to explain their history, market share, and warranty info. Now open any Home Theater magazine, or go to any Home Theater website or domain, you rarely see any mention of SpeakerCraft either online or in print. This creates somewhat of a "burden" on the salesperson, who does think the brands they carry are market proven, quality tested and un-matched in value, this is why they offer them. The salesperson must now (usually in minutes) pitch a marketing campaign equal to the marketing campaign the consumer has been listening to or seeing in magazines for years on competing products.

Good job Jerry, you were right on!
Jerry's full article can be found here


Marc
http://www.hometheaterintegrators.com/

March 2009 Consumer Reports - Best TV's

So the new Consumer Reports is now on the newsstands. Here is a brief listing of the top televisions in each category from Consumer Reports March 2009. The full story offers advice for the movie lover, budget buyer, sports fan, and techie. The 7 page article proves to be a good resource for those who may not be tech savvy and those who have seen and used many models first hand. It is not too technical but still offers sound advice from people who do know this stuff.

Plasma review:
58"and larger range
#1 Samsung PN58A550 ($3,200 list)
#2 Pioneer PDP-6020FD ($5,500 list)
50" range
#1 Samsung PN50A550 ($1,600 list)
#2 Pioneer Elite PRO-111FD ($5,000 list)

LCD review:
52" and larger range
#1 Samsung LN52A650 ($2,200 list)
#2 Samsung LN52A750 ($2,600 list)
46" range
#1 Samsung LN46A850 ($2,240 list)
#2 Samsung LN46A550 ($1,500 list)
40" range
#1 Samsung LN40A630 ($1,400 list)
#2 Sony Bravia KDL-40XBR7 ($2,700 list)


Informative video offering a basic understanding can be found on the CR website by following the link below: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/march-2009/electronics-computers/tvs/overview/tvs-ov.htm



Marc
http://www.hometheaterintegrators.com/

AV receiver froze (locked) up

This is a new one for me, went on a service call earlier and arrived to find the client's new Yamaha RX-V563 receiver was just completly locked up. I have owned Denon, Yamaha, and Onkyo receivers, all in the $600 - $1000 price range and have never had one freeze up to the point where it would not respond to pressing any of the front panel buttons.

Can this happen from overheating?

BTW, once I un-plugged it and waited about 10 minutes before plugging it back in, it was fine....

Marc
www.HomeTheaterIntegrators.com

HDMI signal loss after 40 ft - true or false?

Everyone has heard the HDMI disclaimer; if your HDMI cable run is longer than 40 ft, you will need a booster to avoid signal loss. If this is entirely true, then why do manufactures even make lengths over 40 ft?

I have not personally seen any data supporting this or disputing this, but I will say I do in fact avoid using HDMI in any length beyond the 40 ft mark.

I am just curious if any one has actually seen any data supporting the 40 ft rule?


Marc
www.HomeTheaterIntegrators.com

AV receiver metadata

I just purchased a new Onkyo TX-SR806 AV receiver. I love the features. However, I was a little disappointed with it not offering to display artist and song title across the front display. My two year old car displays the artist and song title, but not my new $900 receiver. I'm guessing my car radio did not cost $900.

Displaying the artist and song info is actually know as RT (radio text) which is a subcategory of RDS (radio data system). From what I have read in the instruction manual, this technology was developed in the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). It can also be used to categorize the FM station genre. Although not real important to me to have this on the new AV receiver, it seems like a nice feature which was left behind.


Marc
www.HomeTheaterIntegrators.com

Home Theater in-wall speakers, the winner is......

First blog, I am interested in discussing which in-wall flush mount speakers perform / sound the best to you?

Being an audiophile, I may never install these for my own system, but I realize the in-wall design has a place for those not driven to seek high performance.

For those who have used them, what manufacturer did you like? What manufacturer didn't you like?


Marc
www.HomeTheaterIntegrators.com