10 Holiday Gifts for Tech Lovers
You won’t find a $78 Blu-ray player on this HTSA-approved electronics gift list.
CE pros don’t generally experience the holiday shopping bump that retailers do.
They can’t compete with Walmart and its $78 Blu-ray player deals. Nor should they try to, according to the Home Theater Specialists of America (HTSA).
The 59-member buying group wants CE pros to carve out their own holiday shopping niche and it has issued an electronics holiday shopping list for “the tech obsessed.”
You won’t find any $78 deals. Prices begin at $300 and go up very, very high, but at least they’re HTSA-approved.
Of course, the buying group’s list isn’t completely objective. Each product comes from an HTSA vendor partner. But, with 42 vendor partners, it’s a wide field. But we’ve narrowed it down to our 10 favorite.
Click here for 10 Holiday Gifts for Tech Lovers.
By Tom LeBlanc
http://www.cepro.com/article/10_holiday_gifts_for_tech_lovers/
Custom Installation Services, LLC – Home Entertainment Audio and Video services in North Carolina.
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13 Classic Rookie DIY Mistakes to Avoid
If you’re just getting started or planning your home theater and AV projects, here are some pointers from our custom electronics pros friends.
We asked custom electronics (CE) pros about the blunders they encounter when DIYers or inexperienced pros can’t get their systems to work.
Here are some of the rookie mistakes you should avoid:
Buying the least expensive gear and finding out it doesn’t have the features you need, like discrete control codes (on and off, for example) or enough inputs and outputs.
Hooking up equipment using substandard cables, connectors and adapters, leading to poor performance and, eventually, no performance.
Underutilizing gear that you already have. For example, connecting the DVD player using composite cable when it has component or HDMI outputs, and not setting the TV to the maximum resolution.
Never realizing you could be watching HD channels you’re paying for: “You mean Channel 4 is standard but 404 is HD?! I never knew!”
Compromising setups that you learn to live with, like having to leave a cabinet door open, or moving cables from one device to another.
Forgetting to install Ethernet jacks at the A/V locations.
Skimping on power protection.
Mounting video devices in poor locations: displays too high and projectors not centered correctly when there’s no lens shift available.
Failing to wire distributed audio speaker locations for stereo.
Forgetting to put power where it’s needed: racks, TVs, projectors, powered seats.
Trying to use “rules of thumb” for speaker locations in unusual rooms, such as those with missing walls or angled seating.
Wiring low-voltage cabling parallel with the electrical, often done in retrofit situations when the installer or DIYer simply uses the same holes used by the electrical wires.
Inadequate ventilation for equipment, resulting in burned-out gear (and calls to the manufacturer for their “faulty” products).
by EH Staff
http://www.electronichouse.com/article/13_classic_rookie_diy_mistakes_to_avoid
Custom Installation Services, LLC – Home Entertainment Audio and Video services in North Carolina.
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Tagged a/v locations, audio, audio advice, Best Buy, ce pros, Charlotte, cool house, equipment ventilation, ethernet jacks, freemans, h h gregg, HD channels, HDTV, home audio consultation and design, Home Automation, innovative systems, lens shift, low voltage cabling, lutron, Marantz, monster cable, mounting video, powered seats, s3-av, Samsung, Sony, sound systems, Speakercraft, surround sound, tributaries cable, whole house audio, wii, zobo
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It’s a Fan. No it’s an Audio System. Hey, it’s Both!
You can’t have an audio system without speakers, however, it’s the speakers that cause the most problems, especially with respect to interior design. Known for their wide selection of residential ceiling fans, Hunter has teamed up with Soundolier Integrated Wireless Technologies to create the Concert Breeze, a combination ceiling fan and powered audio system.
At first glance, the Concert Breeze looks like any common ceiling fan, yet hidden inside the fan’s light is a proprietary 2.4GHz wireless audio system. Without the hassle and expense of running wires, the Concert Breeze receives full range digital quality audio from any source, up to 300ft away. Simply connect a Soundolier Maestro wireless transmitter to any audio source – TV, mp3 player, etc. – through the speaker level or 3.5mm input jack and send stereo DSP audio to the Concert Breeze. Four selectable stereo signal channels virtually eliminate interference and one transmitter can send the signal to an unlimited number of receiver devices within the signal range.
According to Brendan Byrne, Senior Vice President of ceiling fans for Hunter, “The ceiling fan’s central location in the room naturally makes for a more premium sound since the speaker location can greatly affect the overall audio quality. With this design, the speaker is optimally located in the center of the room, so, the music literally showers over everyone equally.”
Paul Schleipfer, Marketing Manager for Soundolier explains the advantages further, “When distributing sound, audio coming from overhead has an all-encompassing effect that fills a room more naturally. It’s the reason airports, restaurants and other public buildings place speakers in the ceiling. However, with custom built speakers in the ceiling the challenge is incorporating them with lighting, electrical, and of course, ceiling fans. When a speaker is placed above the fan, it creates a strobing effect and destroys audio clarity. With the high quality speaker system and light housed beneath the fan in a single powered unit, the sound quality is preserved plus it blends in seamlessly with the environment and decor.”
The fan can be used in conjunction with a subwoofer and other audio components for a complete home audio experience. The unit comes with a credit card sized wireless remote that controls both the volume of the sound system and the brightness of the lamp. The Concert Breeze comes in two options: an indoor rated model available in brushed nickel with dark cherry blades and an indoor-outdoor model with bronze finish for covered porches or sunrooms. The Concert Breeze sells for $499 and is available at authorized Hunter and Soundolier dealers.
Courtesy of http://www.hometheaterdesignmag.com
CIS-NC.COM
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Tagged audio, audio fans, cable satellite, central vaccum, Custom Installation Services, HD video, Home audio & video news, home audio consultation and design, Home Automation, home electronics industry, Home Entertainment, home entertainment systems, lighting control, patio entertainment systems, phone & networking, Structured Wiring, surround sound, surround sound installation, whole house audio, wireless audio systems, wireless speakers, wireless surround sound
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