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!

Not many things can be as frustrating as sitting down to movie night with the family or watching the big game with friends only to discover your system is not working. Over the years of helping clients with their systems, I see the same problems come up again and again. Here are the top five most common problems encountered and some tips to fix them.

1. Problem: “I can see a picture but do not hear anything” or “I can hear the game but can’t see it.”

Solution: Your TV or Surround Receiver is on the wrong input. Check the source input on your TV and your surround receiver. The inputs need to be on the same source. If you have sound and no picture then slowly cycle through the inputs on your TV until the picture appears. If you have a picture but no audio, do the same with your surround receiver.

2. Problem: “My satellite receiver is stuck on one channel.”

Solution: Your satellite receiver is frozen and needs to be reset.
Some Sat boxes have a reset button on the front. If yours does not, unplug it from the wall outlet for about a minute then plug it back in. This can be applied to any device even your DVD player or surround receiver. If a source is not working properly, always unplug it first and reset it.

3. Problem: “My surround speakers are not working.”

Solution: You are watching a program that does not have surround sound or your receiver is not in the proper surround format. Not everything you watch will have a surround sound mix. DVDs heavy on dialogue and low on action will not have a lot of sound coming out of the rear speakers. The same is true of analog TV channels. HDTV broadcasts will usually tell you if the audio is in Dolby Digital 5.1.

If you still think there is a problem, listen to an action DVD that you know has a lot of surround effects or play a CD in 5 channel stereo. The best way to check all your speakers is to use the Test Tone feature built into your receiver, but only do this if you are comfortable with using the receiver’s menu system. Also listen for crackling, a hum, or any kind of distortion as this could indicate interference or a damaged speaker.

4. Problem: “My universal remote won’t work my system.”

Solution: The batteries are dead or the IR emitters have fallen off the front of the components. Always check the batteries first. If you have a rechargeable remote, check the charge. Remember even rechargeable batteries can go bad. If you have an IR or RF system, check the IR emitters attached to the front of your components. If they have fallen off, your remote cannot talk to the component.

5. Problem: “I think the projection lamp in my TV is out.”

Solution: Check the indicator light on the front of the TV or the top of the projector. Most rear projection TVs like Mitsubishi and front projectors have a lamp indicator LED that will flash when the lamp is burned out. Even if your TV or projector is working you should check the hours on the lamp. If the lamp is at or over 1000 hours then it is time to get a new one. Most projection lamps are estimated to last 1000 – 2000 hours, but only have a warranty of 6 months. The actual life of a lamp can vary depending on its environment, how often it is used, the pictures it displays, and the brightness settings of the projector. I strongly recommend that if your lamp is at 1000 hours or over 6 months old, you should get a new lamp and use the old one as an emergency back up.