» Category: Ask the Expert
April 6, 2011
Setting up your home entertainment system is a pretty momentous task. There’s even a possibility that you might get caught up in the shopping and the installation and the maintenance of your system’s components that you give little thought to other equally important homeowner-related things.
Things like home theater seating. Yes, that. Of course, when it comes to home theater systems, where you sit is just as important as what you watch and where you watch it on. So, before you get sidetracked, we bring you this guide to home theater seating, with the list of things to consider while shopping for seats.
Take note of aesthetics. Your home theater room may have been set up with a specific theme (like the ones you see here), so it only makes sense to take the cue from that theme when shopping for home theater seats. Decide early on how you’re going Read More »
March 31, 2011
There are more than a few homeowners who prefer to install their new flat-screen TVs by hanging it on their walls, using mounts. (And sure, you’ve certainly seen a fair share of TV manufacturers’ commercials showing just that.)
That’s because wall-mounting TVs is a great way of freeing up space for the rest of your home entertainment system. Let’s face it: not all of us live in a palace. Sometimes we need to maximize every inch of precious real estate in our homes. Hence: TVs mounted on walls. (But not above fireplaces, for the love of God!)
If you’re thinking of doing the same thing, you might want to consider having home theater professionals install the new TV on your wall. It’s one such case in which we counsel against DIY (do-it-yourself). Here are only some of the reasons why:
Because your TV is actually pretty heavy machinery. Your new plasma may be Read More »
March 25, 2011
One of the things we do here at Hooked Up Installs is set up custom lighting controls for your home. It’s one of the best ways to create unique lighting scenes and atmospheres for different areas of the house. Think of it as a system that allows you, the homeowner, to manage all your light fixtures, lamps, outdoor lights, natural lighting conditions, even thermostats and small appliances – with one click of a button.
Why add custom lighting controls to your home? Let us look at some of the most compelling benefits of having a lighting control solution.
Convenience: Lighting control systems give you the ability to do so many things with lighting – like shut a lamp off from a remote location, or adjust shades to reduce the glare – that can be achieved with one-button control. That certainly saves plenty of time and effort! No more going around Read More »
February 25, 2011
Perfecting the audio and video of your home theater takes a lot of testing and calibrating. The work does not stop at simply purchasing the best brands or products available and hiring installation professionals to set up the various components of your home theater system. There is more to it than that, and you may have to spend a few hours testing to see if your subwoofers are properly augmenting your bass, or if your picture enables the kind of cinematic-quality entertainment experience that you’ve paid money to enjoy at home.
That’s why you’ll notice that your home theater components will have come with calibration CDs for either audio or video. While one can usually count on these to get the job done, sometimes a homeowner will prefer to test his or her home entertainment system with an actual movie – in which case, we bring you a list Read More »
February 15, 2011
Home automation sounds amazing and incredibly convenient, but don’t think that all home automation vendors or brands out there provide ready compatibility with all the appliances and devices that you have at home. Don’t assume that setting everything up will be as easy as 1, 2, 3. Actually, only a few provide that kind of hassle-free compatibility, and before you know it, the idea of connecting your home components in one system will have become a lot more stressful – and costly – than you originally thought.
One of the brands that we use here at Hooked Up Installs is Home Logic, a company that provides intelligent home control solutions for your comfort, convenience, and peace of mind. These solutions cover a variety of systems with the kind of ease and ‘logic’ that we would recommend to all kinds of homeowners.
With turn-key software that requires no custom programming and Read More »
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