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!
Quite often we find ourselves working along side other professionals to create a client’s dream theater, as was the case with the two home theaters featured in the September issue of Indulge Magazine . The article focuses on the unique look and design of each theater and has brief interviews with the people involved in creating the theaters.
Designing a home theater is a collaborative effort between the home owner, the electronic systems contractor (Sound Ideas), the builder, the architect and the interior designer. The home owner has an idea of what they want their theater to look like and works with an interior designer to create the concept. Then the builders, architects and Sound Ideas are brought in to turn that dream into reality. We work with the architect and builder to make sure the design and constuction of the room provides the optimal speaker layout for great sound, and that the seating design allows for the biggest screen possible and the best viewing angles. We also work with the interior designers to come up with acoustical panels that fit the design of the room and provide the necessary sound absorption and reflection. All the electronic components are chosen with great care to provide the home owner with the best audio and video while maintaining the integrity of the original design. It is quite a thrill seeing the project go from an idea to the finished theater, and nothing beats the look on the client’s face the first time they sit in their new theater and watch a movie.
Over the years we have worked with many different builders, designers, and architects. We would like to say thank you to the ones involved in the two theaters featured in the article as well as all of the others we have worked with down through the years. Thank you all and here’s to many more years of making dreams come true.
The first step was to run cabling and power to all three TVs and then layout the bracket pattern.
Once all three TVs were hung and the speakers mounted, we installed the AV gear: a surround receiver, a Blu-ray DVD player and 3 Direct TV satellite boxes. We used a RTI T3V and a ZRP6 to control the system. With the T3V, the client can change the channel on any of the TVs and switch the audio to any of the TVs without any crosstalk or inteference.
The final result - command central for the ultimate sports fan!
On October 1st 2010, Denon turns 100. That is an amazing feat in the AV world. We have sold and installed Denon for decades because of the quality of their products and longevity of the company. Since they began in 1910, Denon has been a leader and an innovator with numerous patents and audio components. From turn tables, cartridges, professional cassette tape recorders, and the pressing of high quality LP records to CDs, DVD players, Surround Receivers, and Blu-ray players, Denon has continually been at the forefront of the industry.
AVR2311CI
One of Denon’s more recent innovations is the creation of the ‘CI’ (Custom Integration) products. Denon put in place a certification program for Authorized Dealers like Sound Ideas that sell, integrate and service these specialized products. It is an extensive and annual program that includes many hours of in person and on-line training, as well as constant updates about the products. Starting with the AVR2311, The CI line up from Denon adds some really cool features that we can use to fine tune the receiver for any room layout. Audyssey EQ Pro and Auto Room Correction allow for detailed audio calibration, and there are settings in the menu that allow for even furthur customization. The receiver also has IP connectivity to give you hundreds of internet radio stations and services such as Rhapsody. Add a Denon iPod dock and you get an onscreen menu to control iPod. With so many other brands putting out cookie cutter receiver designed for the masses, it is refreshing to see a company commit to providing a high level of customization at reasonable prices.
Check out the cool features at Denon’s website and stay tuned here for more reviews and updates.
With summer now in full force, we have been getting a lot of requests for work in the area of outdoor audio and video. More and more people are realizing the benefit of bringing technology to their outdoor living spaces. Manufacturers are catching on to this trend, so they have been releasing some cool products that really take outdoor entertainment to a new level.
Waterproof Remote
One such product is the RTI U2 universal waterproof remote (Picture on Left). If you have an outdoor sound system, you can use this remote in conjunction with one of their wireless RF base stations to control your whole sound system. You can literally use this remote in your pool. I remember the first time I installed one of these remotes I was so excited that it floated that after programming it I put it in the pool to see if it was true. I came back to test my experiment and saw the remote floating in the center of the pool, far from arms reach. After locating the net and fishing my remote out…It worked great and controlled the outdoor sound like a champ.
Outdoor Speakers
There are two main types of outdoor speakers, hanging or rock. Hanging speakers are mostly used on the side of your house or under eaves of your porch. These speakers are surprisingly robust and have great sound. Rock speakers are mostly used around pools and landscaped outdoor living areas. They look cool and sound good too. People are attracted to these speakers because they blend into their landscape and disappear. Both of these speaker types are usually installed with an all weather volume control that will let you control the volume of your sound without going inside to your equipment location.
Outdoor Video
Putting a flat panel TV outdoors can get a bit tricky. The biggest hurdle is trying to prolong the life of a sensitive piece of equipment in the harsh environment of the Texas outdoors. Often we will install a TV in a loggia, patio or pool house that provides some shelter for the weather. Even if the TV is protected from direct rain fall, it is still in an uncontrolled environment and that can significantly shorten its life. Here are a couple of options to protect and increase the life of your TV. The first is to get an all weather TV that is designed to be used outdoors. Pantel and Sunbright have LCD TVs that are great for any outdoor situation, covered or exposed. Their specially designed TVs are temperature controlled and ventilated. They are also protected from dust, insects and spider webs, which are very damaging to electronics.
If your are looking for a less expensive option then try pairing an inexpensive flat panel TV with a protective cover. The covers are designed to provide some protection from dust, insects and moisture when the TV is not in use. Sound Ideas offer these covers in a variety of colors and sizes to fit any TV.
Hopefully this post helps stir your mind about the options that are available for outdoor entertainment. There are a ton of things out there to choose from, and I just wanted to get you thinking and give you some basic things that we have done in the recent past. No matter what you choose to do, the important thing is to get out there with friends and family and enjoy the outdoors!
Have you ever watched a commercial and thought “they must think I am an idiot.” That happens to me every time I see an ad about electronics – TVs in particular. There are some pretty ridiculous ones out there. (Exactly how can I tell that your brand of TV has a sharper picture and better color when I am watching the commercial on my different brand of TV? Holy Carp! That TV has a 7 million to 1 contrast ratio with supra in-plane pixel switching and a 690 Hz motion refresh rate.) This has been going on for a lot longer than we care to realize. Here is the commercial for the very first flat panel TV from Phillips.
In their eagerness to sell you something, advertisers tend towards three approaches. 1. They over simplify the product to highlight a single feature. 2. They exaggerate or make overboard claims about what the product can do for you. 3. They include too much information about the product. Most of it being technical jargon that means nothing to the average consumer.
In the case of the Phillips TV commercial, they chose number 1. “The TV is flat like a picture. It can hang on the wall like a picture. So let’s show some cool young hipsters hanging it on a wall like a picture, and then enjoy watching a flat TV hanging on a wall like a picture! Cool! Totally Awesome!”
I see the commercial and think there is no power on the wall for the TV. There is no cabling for the TV. There are no video sources in the room for the TV. Where is the mounting bracket for the TV? That window is going to cause some wicked glare off that TV.
The coolness of the TV being flat is lost on me because the commercial does not depict the TV in a realistic way. Am I expected to believe that I can take the TV, hang on the wall and start watching TV? Really? C’mon! Advertise the TV in a real world application and then I might say “Awesome!”
Here is the before shot. This is a common problem. Notice the large CRT TV that has it’s own base that goes down to the floor. If you wanted to put a flat panel in its place, it would be impossible to find a base that would match.
Above is the after picture. We created a bottom piece that would match the existing cabinet and we mounted the flat panel to a floating false wall. Everything matched very nicely even though the existing cabinet was a manufactured cabinet with a weird stain. In the end the cabinet modification we did was seamless and looked like it had always been like that.
Over the past year I have worked with many clients to modify their cabinets. The story is usually the same and it goes something like this. “Ten years ago we had this beautiful cabinet custom made for this specific big screen tube television. Now we want to update to a new flat panel HDTV, but our cabinet was not made for a flat panel. What can we do?” Sometimes the solution to the problem is simple and other times it is not. The above picture is an example of a simple problem. So let’s walk through the solution.
Before any installation takes place we need to come to the job site and take measurements so that we can find what fits just right. Sometimes we will even borrow an existing cabinet door to match paint or stain color. All the preliminary work is done and now it’s the day of installation. First we need to get that beast of a tv out of it’s hole. Next we put up a “false backing” that will match the existing cabinet. Third, we run the necessary cables and set the mount in position. At this point we also install custom trim work, caulk and do touch up painting. We really have an attention to detail at this stage.
The fourth step is to prep the flat panel for the bracket. During this step we align the position so that the gap around the flat panel is even all around the edges. Next, we hook up all cables to flat panel and mount it to the bracket. It is important during this step to work with “kid gloves” because the new HDMI cables are very sensitive to bends and it is easy to scratch or damage the surrounding cabinets while mounting a flat panel. We want everything to look beautiful, so we take great caution mounting any tv. Finally, we train the client on their new set up and answer any questions they might have. We really work had to make this whole process as painless as possible. The goal is to do the modification in such a way that it looks like it has always been apart of the cabinet.
Now that you have a general idea of the process I will be posting some before and after images from future cabinet modifications. If you have more questions, or you would like me to come to your house to look at your cabinet, just email David and I will get back to you asap.
