It is official!  A new study funded by Samsung and performed by researchers at the University of California-Berkeley discovered that viewing a 3D image can cause headache and eyestrain in some people.  If you are a glutton for punishment you can wade through the original paper here, or you can read about it here or here or here.

Yes, there are a few articles out there about this research.  Some of the writers actually read the paper while others merely read the article about the paper to write their article.  Most of them missed the point of the paper completely.

Long paper short – the focus of the study was not to discover that 3D causes headaches and eyestrain (which we already knew) but to figure out why it caused them.  We can now blame “vergence–accommodation conflicts” for the problem.  When we watch a 3D image on a screen our eyes do not resolve on a single focal point like in normal viewing but have at least two focal points  – the screen and the image that appears either behind or in front of the screen.  These two focal points are at different distances and therein lies the problem.  

They also discovered that  there is a relation bewteen the viewing distance from the screen and headaches, eye strain and dizziness.  If you are watching a 3D movie at a theater and get a headache or dizzy, move closer to the screen.  That will reduce the problem.

The hope is now that there is hard data on why some people get headaches and dizzy watching 3d content, film makers, theater designers and engineers will figure out a way to reduce or even solve that problem.

Since 1946 Klipsch has made some of the most innovative and unique speakers. The founder, Paul W. Klipsch wanted to reproduce the sound of a live orchestra in his living room. The result was the Klipschhorn and a speaker design philosophy that has contimued to this day. In addtion to being found in homes all over the world, Klipsch speakers can be found in your local movie theater, music studios, and production and editing rooms of major studios.

Happy Anniversary Klipsch!

Here is another custom rack we did. This type of rack is best for centralized AV systems that have a large amount of equipment. This particular rack from Middle Atlantic holds not only the home’s multi-zone audio video distribution system but also the AV gear for the theater room. The layout of the rack is designed well in advance of the installation. Every component is assigned a position in the rack that allows for ease of use and the best wire management. Air flow and cooling also play a large factor in determining the position of the component.

After the layout design is completed, the rack is ordered with custom face plates for each component to give the finished product a polished look. Before we take the rack to the jobsite, we assemble it in our shop, install the gear, and test the equipment and the system design to make sure everything is working.

A custom cabinet like this makes installation and servicing easier, looks great and makes the gear easier to access and use for the home owner.

It is not just Blu-ray DVD players that have internet content. The 2011 TV models are here and they are loaded with internet features from content streaming services like Pandora and Netflix to Apps like accuweather and APnews to an actual web browser.

Check out the features of LG’s new line up of Smart TVs.

And take a look at the Smart Hub from Samsung!

This stuff is so cool it will make you giddy. All the more reason to make sure you have a good IP and a powerful home network.

The internet is changing the home entertainment experience at lightning speed. There is not a home theater, lifestyle room or master bedroom system that we do not equip with internet access these days. The most popular internet enabled device is by far Blu-ray DVD players. Today’s Blu-ray players that connect to the internet offer a host of entertainment features including Netflix, Pandora Radio, Facebook, Youtube, and much much more. Blu-ray players are not the only players in the game. Other devices that thrive on the internet are game systems (Xbox360, Wii, PS3), Camera DVR, Satellite/Cable Boxes and newcomers like GoogleTV, AppleTV and SmartTV. With all of these devices craving bandwidth, it is imperative that you consider the state of your network, internet service provider and bandwidth speed. Not preparing for these new devices could mean waiting for movies to download, poor quality or even worse…no connection at all.

Step 1: Go to www.speedtest.net and check you bandwidth speed. Begin the test and compare the results. If your speed is greater that 3 mbps then you have an acceptable bandwith speed. Acceptable, not great. Ideally you want 5 mbps minimum, if you can get 10 mbps or better then your golden!

Step 2: If your bandwidth is low, contact your service provider (att, charter, verizon, etc.) and request line tests and options for upgrading your speed.

Step 3: Check your physical network equipment such as your modem and router to make sure that the location where your internet enabled device will goes has either a hardwire connection or a solid wireless signal. This step is a little tricky, but it needs to be included. I always perfer a hardwire connection, but sometimes that is not possible. If do not have a network signal at your desired location, then there are several devices that can help bring a network connection to that location. Below are a few pictures of such devices.

If this seems like a lot of work, don’t worry! We do this for a living. We can come out to your house and do a network evaluation for you. With just a little prep work, you can be ready to bring in some really cool internet enabled devices that will take your home entertainment experience to a whole new level.

In installations where the electronic gear is centrally located in the house, it is vital to have a good rack to organize the equipment and manage the wire.  Here is one with 7 DSS receivers, an Escient media management system with 3 400 disc DVD/CD jukeboxes, AM/FM/XM tuner, and an ipod.  All of these sources are being distributed to the theater room, game room, living room, master bed, master bath, patio and pool.  In addition to those components there is a B&K multi/zone Audio Video distribution system, power management, and an RTI control system. 

All this gear requires a lot of space and a lot of wire and cable.  A cabinet, built ins or shelves in a closet would not be sufficient.  A custom rack like this one from Middle Atlantic is required.  The gear can be properly organized and as for the wire and the cable – well, see for yourself.

The upfront investment in a rack system pays off in the end when it come time to service the equipment or replace a component.  Everything is clearly labelled, wire is easy to disconnect, gear is easy to remove, and re-installtion is a snap.

Having a rack to hold all of your AV gear in a centralized location is a wonderful thing – if done correctly.  Here is a before and after picture of an AV rack on a recent job.  The before picture reflects 6 years of additions and changes of gear.  We came in, re-vamped the whole system,  re-wired the rack and the after picture is the result.

This retrofit installation was rather unique.  The room was large, open, and awkward making the TV placement difficult.  After a couple of designs involving a large custom cabinet to the right of the fireplace to house the TV, it was finally decided that the best place for the TV was over the mantle above the fireplace.   The cabinet idea was kept but redesigned to become bookshelves with cabinets underneath to hold the AV gear.  The builder removed stones creating a pathway for power and AV cabling.  Once the cabling was in place the custom bookshelfcabinet was installed.  The TV was mounted with a tilt mount bracket to provide a better viewing angle.  A receiver, Blu-ray player, DSS receiver and Klipsch subwoofer were installed inside the cabinet.

The client wanted better sound than the TV provided so along with the subwoofer a pair of KEF 6000 ACE speakers were mounted to either side of a 55″ LED TV.  This provided big sound to match a big picture.  An RTI universal remote controls this system and the house wide audio system.  No matter how difficult the installation there is always a solution.

Just how do those incredible installers magically run wire from one end of the house to the other?

I’ll never tell!