We’d like to share with you another media system upgrade done in Glen Ellen. Here, we have another simple upgrade with a small twist at the end. The customer wanted a more streamlined and elegant system than the previous one, shown below.
The first step was to clear out the old system and cut in holes for the new B&W in-wall speakers.
Once the speaker wires were fished through the walls, the in-wall speakers were installed along with the Sanus wall mount for the new TV.
A Samsung Ultra thin 1″ LED display was installed on the wall mount.
With the TV and wires in place, it was now time to configure all the components in a new cabinet. The components included a Velodyne subwoofer, a Mac Mini, a Comcast HD cable box, a Sonos Zone Player, an Integra receiver, and a Sony Blu-Ray player.
Here’s where the challenging part of the installation occurs. Now that the system has been upgraded and the cabinet is a bit larger, the symmetry of the hearth is thrown off center. We suggest to the client that modifying the hearth would re-balance the symmetry. The next day contractors modified the hearth to balance the wall.
After the hearth was successfully trimmed down we realigned the media system, painted the in-wall speakers, programmed the URC remote, and calibrated the audio and video. As you can see below, the new home theater’s visual impact is very minimalist considering how many components and features are available in this system.
Home Theater Upgrade in Phases Part 2
Fall 2010 HD Living – Available Now!
The Fall 2010 issue of HD Living magazine has been mailed out to select homeowners around the North Bay area. If you weren’t one of the lucky ones who received one in your mailbox, don’t worry! We have your online copy available right here.In addition to an updated profile all about SoundVision, some of the other topics inside this quarter’s issue of HD Living include:
- Lifestyle Control: Touch screen devices for home automation
- Home Networks: A complete guide to home networking
- The Everything Gadget: How the revolutionary iPad is reshaping home entertainment and control.
Plus much more. It’s all waiting for you in the Fall 2010 issue of HD Living Magazine!
Home Theater Upgrade in 6 Phases
Phase 1: The first order of business was to clear out the old TV, AV gear, and shelving to make way for a more streamlined AV cabinet.
Phase 2: The next step was to place the Polk speakers and subwoofer in the cabinet for a compact, but well balanced system. The cabinet also provides clean cable management for the speaker wire and cables.
Phase 3:Following the speakers placement, we placed the Wii game console, Denon turntable, Sony Blu-ray player and Comcast HD cable box in the cabinet for an easy connection to the receiver.
Phase 4: After all the cables were fished through the cabinet we wired them up to an Integra surround sound receiver.
Phase 5: The Samsung Plasma HDTV was then installed and the Wii motion sensor was mounted on top of the display.
Phase 6: The final step was to mount the acoustically transparent panel doors onto the cabinet for a clean finish. The Universal Remote was then reprogrammed for simple operation, then the audio system and TV were calibrated for optimal performance.
Final result is a cleanly designed, robust and reliable, easy to use media system that fits into the room’s décor.
What’s the Difference?
This week, we thought we’d switch it up here on the SoundVision ShowTimes blog and let one of our technicians do the talking. I sat down with our Lead Technician, Kenny Meligan to chat about some of his experiences with other companies in the industry in comparison with SoundVision. Kenny also offers up some advice on choosing the best custom electronics integrator for your next project. Kenny has been a Lead Technician and Control Systems Programmer for over 5 years and has worked with a number of different integrators.Kenny thanks for chatting with me. In your past experience with other companies how did a typical day begin?
At other companies my day would start by being briefed on the spot about the day’s job. The boss would always prepare the schedule at the last minute in hopes of just throwing bodies at projects. There was rarely a plan of action and never any scope of work, design meetings, or project checklists given in advance.
Sounds like a tough start. How did that affect the projects?
Well, once I figured out where I was going for the day I’d go into the warehouse to stage the equipment only to find that we didn’t have half of the parts needed. On a few occasions I remember informing the boss, and he said, “I forgot to order that. Tell the client that it’s backordered.” So, I would leave the shop with no information on the project, very little parts, and a lie to tell the client!Once I arrived at the site, I’d rummage through my set of inferior tools and prepare to start work. There wasn’t much in the way of documentation which resulted in way too much time on the phone with tech support or my project manager. That was just to get up to speed on the project and figure out how the system is supposed to work.
How was your experience with the other technicians and support staff?
I found that often times at most other companies my coworkers weren’t CEDIA certified and had little experience. So, that meant a bit of babysitting onsite. The kicker was that after a long frustrating day onsite I’d finally get back to the shop to find my boss drinking a beer and acting as if everything was great.
Techs ensure their vans are kept well organized.
How is it different here at SoundVision?
SoundVision always stresses process and preplanning. Our schedules are literally booked weeks in advance. Each project gets a project binder that we take onsite. The binders include everything from scope of work, project management checklists, to wiring schematics & floor plans. At SoundVision we always follow a carefully laid out set of tasks and milestones for each project. In terms of parts, we have a purchasing manager who orders all our parts and stages them for us each morning. Our vans are always fully stocked with the right tools for the job. Continue reading “What’s the Difference?” »
Why Apple TV is Just Too Darn Cool
OK, let’s face it: Apple TV probably isn’t the most popular product to have ever come out of that sometimes mysterious place at 1 Infinite Loop. However, Apple TV’s relative lack of popularity is confusing to us here at SoundVision, especially since it’s such a cool product. Now that our friends at Crestron have updated their line of home automation products with the ability to control Apple TV from an in-wall touchpanel or handheld remote, we’re recommending Apple TV to all our customers as a simple way to access your iTunes library and photos through your SoundVision system. And now that Apple just dropped the price on the 160 GB version by $100, purchasing an Apple TV has never been easier. Here’s just a few of the reasons why we’re so enamored with this product:It “just works.” – I’m sure you’ve heard those two little words in reference to Apple products in the past, but believe us when we tell you that it absolutely applies to this product. Using Apple’s Bonjour technology, Apple TV will automatically find an iTunes library on your local network and instantly make your digital music files available to listen to through your SoundVision media system. Select music by browsing through rich, detailed album art on your TV, or use a touchpanel or handheld remote. And if you’re an iTunes user on a Windows PC, there’s no need to worry–this also “just works” for you as well.Your family photos, in glorious HD. – When was the last time you lugged out a photo album? If you’re like us, it’s been a while. Our photos live digitally these days, whether its in an online photo gallery or on your computer’s hard drive. With Apple TV, we can set it up so it syncs with photo albums on your computer or stored on the Internet in a Flickr or MobileMe gallery.Rent movies or TV shows instantly. – Apple TV makes a trip to your local movie rental store a thing of the past. Renting or purchasing a movie through Apple TV is as easy as a few clicks of the remote, and at just $3.99 per rental, it’s a great deal. Most titles are also available in high definition.Access online content. – Apple TV frees online media like YouTube and podcasts from your computer and puts them front and center in your living room. Whether you want to catch up with your favorite podcast from anywhere in your house via a distributed audio system or watch the Evolution of Dance in your theater room, Apple TV in your SoundVision system can make it happen.Are you using your Apple TV in ways we haven’t mentioned here? If so, leave a comment and let us know about it!