Connected

ATP renovation

One of my favorite jobs with DC Home Systems is working in the fabrication area. We have a large area in our warehouse where we build and test systems. This typically means unboxing all the equipment for a job and assembling it into a working system that represents the final install. This often requires fabrication such as cutting a TV mount to fit the TV correctly, or assembling some scrap iron into a bracket to hold a speaker.

(AJ was unavailable for the photo shoot...)

This can also mean fabricating our work area. Today, project engineer Glen was mounting a TV to the wall for testing. The bummer was the fact that we had a counter in the way that always made it tough to temporarilly hang TV’s. We’ve talked before about cutting out the chunk that is in the way, but today I looked over at A.J., our new installer, and gave him the nod.  

For the next 20 minutes sawzalls roared and screwguns whined. We ended up with a 6′ chunk of counter to find a home for and easy access to the mounting point. In our daily worklife we often “deal” with annoyances and minor roadblocks that we have learned to work around. It’s like a scratch on the roof of your mouth you can’t stop messing with. Finally tackling an irritation gives great relief. It doesn’t change the world, but often comes with the fun of working with power tools.

3D in the comfort of your home

active shutter 3D glasses

3D is here, not only in theaters but available for in home enjoyment as well.  In the coming months you will see a sharp rise in the deployment of 3D technology to in consumers. 

The major TV manufacturers have all released High Definition 3D television in Plasma, LED and LCD models.  The pricing is comparable to similar 2D models. 

Don’t worry; you are not relegated to a life of watching your video display with silly glasses strapped to your face.  You can still watch your movies and favorite TV shows in 2D on these new displays.  But when you want to take on the full impact of 3D HDTV (I know, that’s a lot of acronyms…) you will need a 3D blu-ray player and a pair of those stylin’ shades.  The new disc players are backward compatible and will still play your old disc in 2D, but some of the 3D TV models will convert your 2D disc content to 3D with the push of a button. 

If your desire is to build or convert a dedicated home theater, there are beautiful new 3D projector lines in wide range of price points. 

Broadcasters are also quickly jumping on board and you will see quite an increase in the 3D content available on cable and satellite stations.  ESPN leads the charge with the broadcast of the World Cup opening game in 3D. The X-games and some baseball will continue through the summer and basketball is scheduled for the fall. 

Gamers are not being left behind (writes the parent of two boys, with a sigh).  Manufacturers will provide a great variety of gaming systems and content to capitalize on demand for 3D.  Your kids need never play outside again…

Outdoor Audio and Video

What an amazing Spring in New England!  We are enjoying every moment we can outside. Like many of you, we are grateful for the opportunity to increase our living area  through outside living space.   There are so many great products that bring all of the comforts of indoors to the outside.  How fabulous it is to have a products that really support out door living.  We love our chiminea for the chilly evenings, out door furniture with fabrics and finishes that with stand the elements, a sturdy grill, a new Kubb court and a simple outdoor audio system  that has encouraged a little dancing on the deck on more than one occasion. 

There are some great options today for outside audio and video.  The speakers are completely weather proof- we leave ours out all year.  The volume and source controls are also weather proof.  We are big fans of the handsome, high performance line from Bay Audio. There are a number of great sources for speakers that are shaped like rocks and hide nicely in your landscape.  Out door video has always presented a challenge, but we have been very pleased with the performance of Sunbrite TV. 

We vitamin D deficient New Englanders need to spend as much time as we can enjoying the great outdoors. Go dance on the deck-and don’t forget your sunscreen of course!

Why HDMI?

HDMI (High Definition Multi-Media Interface) is the newest method for hooking up your audio video systems. When properly implemented, you can get the best possible connectivity between your new Blu-Ray player and 1080P TV. It is also the cause of a great deal of confusion, misunderstanding and unfortunately, problems.

What is HDMI? It is a protocol for transporting pure digital audio/video signals between devices in a manner that optimizes quality and resolution while also keeping it copyright proof (thanks Hollywood).  

In the “old” analog days, you would hook up your equipment with RCA jacks. If the connection was good, you got a nice picture and sound. If the connection was bad, you would get a snowy picture or poor sound. Even if you messed it up completely, you might at least have something. 

In the digital age, it either works or it doesn’t:  No picture. No sound. No control. Nothing.  To complicate matters, there are a number of variables which can contribute to the HDMI failure, making the cause difficult to isolate.

So why HDMI? 

Well a couple of reasons: 

1. Picture & Sound Quality: All new TV’s, Blu-Ray discs and cable boxes are capable of increasing resolution and clarity. This increase in resolution dictates more bandwidth and ultimately a different type of cable and hook-up method that can handle the signals.   
2. Compatibility between devices: Picture and sound resolutions are not standardized and come in varying formats…480i, 480P, 1080i, 1080P, 1080/24, 1080/60, and on and on… And unfortunately not every device is capable of each resolution. To get around this, the HDMI protocol includes a “handshaking” system where the devices talk to each other and match their best resolution capabilities. Here’s a typical conversation between Mr. Blu-Ray and Mr. 60” Plasma:

Mr. Blu-Ray Player: Hi Mr. 60” Plasma, Mr. Blu-Ray player here and I want to play this disc in 1080/24.  Is that cool with you?

Mr. 60” Plasma: Yeah hi Mr. Blu-Ray. No, I don’t like 1080/24. Only my bigger brother can do that. Can you send it to me in 1080i?

Mr. Blu-Ray: Ok I guess. Not as nice a picture, but here you go. Enjoy the show. 

1. Control: We all wish we had more control and HDMI is lucky enough to say that it does. Inside the communication link of HDMI is a provision for devices to talk to each other. For example, the simple act of turning on your Blu-Ray player could trigger your TV to automatically turn on and go the right input. Pretty cool. 
2. Copyright Protection. This is the biggie.  Hollywood is terrified of having perfect copies of their movies reproduced and subsequently sold by street merchants on sidewalks atop an old blanket. Not good for their image or profits. So, they imposed a system on HDMI to prevent unauthorized reproduction. Basically it requires the two devices to establish and maintain a dialogue the ENTIRE time picture and sound are being played. Specifically, the receiving device (the TV) requests to see a “key” from the sending device (a Blu-Ray player). If the key looks good, the show goes on. If not, the curtains come crashing down. This dialogue happens many times per second. Remember the conversation between Mr. Blu-Ray and Mr. 60” Plasma? Well, here is what their continued chatter looks like: 

Mr. 60” Plasma: Hi Mr. Blu-Ray, can I see your key please?

Mr. Blu-Ray: Sure thing dude, here it is.

Mr. 60” Plasma: Thanks, looks good.

Wait 100^th of a second

Mr. 60” Plasma: Hi Mr. Blu-Ray, can I see your key please?

Mr. Blu-Ray: Sure thing dude, here it is.

Mr. 60” Plasma: Thanks, looks good. 

Wait 100^th of a second 

Mr. 60” Plasma: Hi Mr. Blu-Ray, can I see your key please?

Mr. Blu-Ray: Sure thing dude, here it is.

Mr. 60” Plasma: Thanks, looks good. 

And so on and so on. Really boring guys huh? 

All of the above sound reasonable so why is there a problem? Let’s look at the pitfalls of each:

 Picture & Sound Quality: Frankly this is the best part of HDMI and rarely is there a problem with how good the audio and video can be using this medium. Score 10 for HDMI! 

1. Compatibility between devices: The whole idea of the two devices working together to give you the best resolution sounds great right? Most of the time it is. But the issues it can create are irritating. When you start up your system for example, you will have this black screen that says “no signal” even though you get sound.  And forget fast channel surfing: each time you change channels, Mr. Blu-Ray and Mr. 60” Plasma have to re-introduce themselves and negotiate a resolution. This means that you could get a blank screen for 3-5 seconds between each channel change. Score -3 for HDMI. 
2. Control: A little is good but too much is overbearing. Imagine keeping your cable box on to record a show while changing over to Blu-ray to watch a movie and the TV won’t let you? Or how about using the cable box to listen to one of the music channels on your stereo but you can’t because when you turn off the TV, the cable box shuts down. And there are many other little maddening scenarios which will leave you thinking that your system is possessed. Score -2 for HDMI. 
3. Copyright Protection: Remember I said this was the biggie? Well it is. If any one of the hundreds of boring conversations between Mr. Blu-ray and Mr. 60” Plasma TV gets interrupted, even just one, your screen goes blank. Nada. Zero. Nothing. And it could take 5-10 seconds for it to come back during which you will likely switch channels etc. trying to “make it work” which unfortunately makes it worse. Score -5 for HDMI. 

How do get around these issues?

1. Use great cables! HDMI cables will not only get you better picture and sound quality, they will help to make sure Mr. 60” Plasma and Mr. Blu-ray keep talking. Think of the cable as a marriage therapist.
2. Install the cable correctly: Any little crimp or extra pressure on a cable will cause a breakdown in communications. You know what that means.
3. Use compatible equipment: If you are insistent on building the system yourself use  devices from the same manufacturer.
4. Stabilize your power using a UPS: Any slight variations in power will impact the conversations between Mr. Plasma and Mr. Blu-Ray.  
5. Do NOT attempt to run HDMI long distances (beyond 18’), regardless of what the specs say. Unless you are lucky, it will not work right.

LCD, LED, Plasma and Why Do I Care?

By far, this is biggest question we get. Unfortunately, there is no right or wrong answer as each of the technologies offers differences that benefit certain applications. Plasma still provides the best picture assuming you do not have high ambient light or reflectivity. In contrast, LCD is great for those high ambient light rooms.  And “new” LED technology is simply a twist on LCD that enables TV’s to become ridiculously thin.

Inspiring Creative Thinking

Why is it so expensive to install a TV?

On any given Sunday there will be a flyer showing the latest sale prices on a TV. This past weekend I saw a 42” plasma on sale from Best Circuit for $475. Wow. Just five years ago a 42” plasma was nearly $5,000!

Now it would seem that the installation shouldn’t be much more right? I mean after all, it’s just a TV.

No, not really. Even a “simple” installation requires thought, planning and good supporting products. 

Let’s start with the TV. The one on sale is probably not all that great. It is there to catch your attention from a price perspective.  Even if you don’t hire a professional for installation, get the better TV. It will be worth it.

Next there are the cables, mounts and surge protectors.  Get good ones. It makes no sense to have a cheap mount that won’t secure the TV or cheap cables that can’t carry the HDMI signal properly. And surge protection, you bet. One nearby lightning strike can destroy your investment.

Then there other important items like having a small cavity behind the TV to store wiring, a great remote control to simplify your system, a conduit for future wire runs, and connectivity for Ethernet.

The advances in technology provide us with an incredible viewing experience, but the days of opening a box, placing the set on a coffee table and adjusting the bunny ears are long gone.

The Widescreen Conundrum

The Future of TV

The capabilities of audio and video source gear have exploded in just the past year.  Someone with a sweet home A/V system used to have a VCR, DVD player, cable or satellite receiver (or both), Tivo, reel-to-reel, CD changer, cassette player, and phonograph.  This took up a lot of space, had a mess of wires, and required extreme dexterity to operate all the remotes, or one really well programmed universal remote.

 Today, the consumer can get a Blu-Ray player with Netflix, VUDU, YouTube, Pandora, weather information, and access to local computer files.  TV’s are available with similar capabilities.  The ability to stream music and movies over the web is making source gear less necessary.

 However, video quality is still a bit of an issue.  Services that stream video in real time typically can’t give you the high quality picture of cable or Satellite.  Services such as Amazon.com and VUDU allow you to download movies for purchase or rental in higher resolutions.

 It won’t be long before you will be able to satisfy all of your audio and video desires by simply purchasing a TV, connecting it to the internet, and using the TV remote to watch TV, download and stream movies, and listen to music.

 This likelihood leaves me wondering how this will affect the movie and music industry, video gaming capabilities, power consumption (no more cable and satellite boxes hogging power when you aren’t using them).

 How do you think the landscape will change?  What issues might this cause or solve?  Let us know!

Revisiting The Bat Cave Theater

The Bat Cave home theater has been featured in trade and shelter magazines, contests, blogs and reviews over the years, most notably, the trade source  CEPro.   Their website is currently featuring “Spot Light on Home Theater” and the Bat Cave Theater appears once again as a ‘Favorite Themed Home Theater’.  First of all, we offer many, many thanks to CEPro and writer, Arlen Schweiger for recognizing this very special project.   Next, we thought you would enjoy learning about the recent upgrades which updated the theater to 2010 audio video standards. 

The legacy 3 gun sony CRT  projector andFaroudja line quadrupler have been replaced with a state of the art 3 chip Digital Light Processing projector by Sim2. Check out that sexy Italian beast!   The projector is now mounted with a Chief  ceiling mount system.  B&K Reference Audio Processor and Amplifier were upgraded to  7 channel digital amplification and THX Ultra2 Plus Preamp/processor by Integra. 

 We used  Audyssey MultEQ Pro Calibration to achieve perfect sound in this decidedly challenging space.  Viewers can now enjoy the latest video format with the addition of a Sony  Blu-Ray player complete  with new HDMI topology using SnapAV B7  series cables.

And lastly, we reprogrammed the Crestron control systems to incorporate these upgrades and make the system easier than ever to operate.  With the touch of a button, the movie is cued up, the lights dim, the screen drops, the curtain rises,the volume adjusts and the drama begins, better than ever!

Oh-and by the way-we changed our name from DC Audio Video to DC Home Systems!