» Category: Home Theater
April 24, 2013
It’s not quite the home of George Jetson, but we’re getting closer and closer every day.
Yes, it wasn’t that long ago when we actually had to get up to change the television channel or click the light switch on or off. How twentieth century caveman is that notion? Slowly but surely at first, progress was made. The next step was the remote control that was roughly the size of a loaf of bread, and “The Clapper” provided us all with supreme advertising amusement. As technology grew, we got to the point where we needed multiple remote controls to control many, many different devices. Soon, however as a result, remote controls began to overtake the American coffee table. The universal remote wasn’t much of a help because the interface just never proved quite user-friendly enough.
Alas, the modern age has taken over and the world of home automation is here to stay. Read More »
April 19, 2013
One of the most crucial components of modern home theater installations is the projector. Why? Well, apart from the fact that it will deliver the picture – the visual entertainment – that your eyes will be fixed on most of the time, the home entertainment projector represents an investment that must be very carefully made.
To help guide the purchase decisions of home theater owners, Projector Reviews recently released the 2013 Best Home Theater Projector report. Site editor Art Feierman said, “This year’s crop of home theater and home entertainment projectors raises the bar for quality. That’s true whether considering under $1000 projectors, those in the $2000-$3500 sweet spot, or the massively amazing $25,000 true 4K projector from Sony, which demonstrates what to expect in future, more affordable home theaters.”
Let’s check out some of the projectors that made the list. Meanwhile, if you need any help on installing projectors and video Read More »
March 20, 2013
Wireless speakers are a great addition to any home theater installation. It can deliver great sound without the price of having a snake pit of wires behind the TV or DVD rack.
Generally, though, when you’re talking about wireless speakers, you’re talking about speakers that work over Bluetooth. Which is pretty cool and all, since most entertainment and media devices that we have today – smartphones, tablets, iPods, gaming consoles, etc. – come equipped with Bluetooth connectivity anyway.
But you know what’s cooler? Wireless speakers that connect to our players and devices via Wi-Fi. Or via Apple AirPlay. That’s because Wi-Fi and AirPlay can carry much more information than Bluetooth – thus producing better, high-quality sound for your home audio system.
Recently, we here at Hooked Up Installs are seeing more and more Wi-Fi and AirPlay-enabled speakers installed in home theater systems. Let’s check out some of our favorites:
Bowers & Wilkins A7 AirPlay Read More »
February 4, 2013
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2013 – perhaps the world’s biggest technology-related trade event – was held last month in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. Thanks to the innovation of today’s leading manufacturers, we came across some awesome new TVs at the show. Here we provide a list of the new models that caught our eye.
Panasonic ZT60 Series
Panasonic unveiled an enhanced 2013 Smart VIERA Plasma HDTV lineup at this year’s CES. The series that drew our attention the most is the stylish VIERA ZT60 Plasma Series, which includes models in two sizes: 65 inches and 60 inches.
One of the most notable features of the Panasonic ZT60 is the new Studio Master Panel, designed to maximize the natural properties of glass and metal as well as improve 3D performance, while also eliminating dim and double images. Offering what Panasonic calls “Beyond the Reference” level of picture quality, the Read More »
January 3, 2013
Smart TV adoption and video content streaming are growing rapidly in the US – and it seems poised to continue that way.
According to a recent survey by video ad platform YuMe, more and more consumers are embracing connected TV viewing via Internet-enabled smart television sets. In fact, 8 percent of the survey respondents who did not already own a smart (connected) TV said that they were “very likely” to buy one in the next 6 months. This will push connected smart TV adoption to 20 percent of US homes in 2013, demonstrating that consumers are increasingly bullish on TV, Internet-related electronics, and home theater components and systems.
Said Mike Vorhaus, President of Magid Advisors at Frank N. Magid Associates (YuMe’s partner in the study): “Building on our significant existing insight into consumer behavior and preferences related to Connected TV and its environment, we’re seeing an unprecedented rate of adoption Read More »
October 11, 2012
Home theater projectors represent one of the traditional ways of bringing the cinema experience to your home. Space-saving, easy-to-install, and cost-effective, projectors also happen to have the ability to generate the largest possible picture for your home theater.
If you’re in the market for a home theater projector, you may be interested in finding out about today’s latest and best products. Which ones meet your demand for 3D at home? Should you choose an LED, LCD, or DLP home cinema projector? What kind of proprietary digital projection technologies are being implemented these days? If these are some of the questions you’ve been asking yourself, good news: we here at Hooked Up Installs have come up with this list of great new projectors for your home theater.
Mitsubishi HC7900DW
Mitsubishi Electric Visual Solutions America, Inc. recently introduced the Mitsubishi HC7900DW DLP projector, which is designed to deliver refined 3D screening straight to your home. Read More »
September 12, 2012
There may be times when you feel a bit awkward about seeing your newly installed, attention-drawing HDTV dominate your elegantly designed room. Sure, televisions look so much better today than they did decades ago – but the big screen in your kitchen, your living room, or your home theater room is still (likely) a framed black rectangle that can look completely out of place when it’s not on, that can seem to consume more space than it really does, that can thus prick any homeowner’s design sensibilities.
Worry not. Blending your HDTV into your home environment doesn’t have to hurt your – or anyone else’s – eyes and aesthetics. Check out these options for concealing – instead of revealing – your home screen.
Vutec ArtScreen R-Series
Vutec’s ArtScreen R-Series features a high-technology motorized flat-screen masking system designed to transform your flat panel installation into a work of art. At the touch of a Read More »
August 30, 2012
Here comes 4K resolution TVs. And they’re about to make a big, noisy splash, too – at least judging by the way manufacturer Sony sees it.
At the ongoing IFC conference in Berlin, Sony announced its plans to launch at the end of 2012 the massive 84-inch XBR 4K LED TV, which not only features a staggering resolution of 3840 x 2160, but also represents the company’s largest screen to date – and first-ever 4KTV.
Arriving in Sony stores and select retail locations in the US later this year, the new XBR 4KTV has 8 million individual pixels, 4 times the resolution of Full HD, a wide viewing angle of 60 degrees, and a new XCA8-4K chip that’s designed to upscale HD (or lower resolution) images by analyzing and refining images from all sources.
The TV also features 3D capability, a rich set of Smart TV, video-on-demand, and wireless connectivity features, SimulView™ gaming Read More »
August 2, 2012
One of the most popular lifestyle and living blogs right now is Apartment Therapy, founded in 2004 by brothers Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan and Oliver Ryan. The blog features all kinds of guides, tips, mood boards, and photos involving apartments (from décor and interior design to home furnishings, tech gear, green living, and home theater installations), and has since come to embody its tagline: “Saving the world, one room at a time.”
We recently paid Apartment Therapy a visit and checked out some of the beautiful home theater designs and ideas featured in the blog. Here’s what we found:
(All images from: Apartment Therapy)
Home Theater Gets A Splash of Color
What did author Chris Perez need to transform this uninspired black and white home theater into a bright, lively, and colorful home entertainment space? Well – just a bit of vinyl electrical tape and some self-adhesive lime green vinyl sheets. He pasted these instead of Read More »
July 21, 2012
Sonos, one of today’s leaders in multi-room wireless audio systems, recently introduced SUB, a subwoofer designed to work with all amplified Sonos components, including: CONNECT:AMP, PLAY:5, and PLAY:3.
The striking, modern-looking SUB is now available in a high-gloss black lacquer finish that should fit elegantly with the rest of your home theater setup and home audio system. (A black matte version will also be introduced in September.)
Sonos SUB Features
Built for seamless integration with your Sonos System, the subwoofer is packed with great features, including: two force-canceling speakers for powerful, clear, zero-vibration all-digital sound; a pair of Class-D digital amplifiers; and wireless one-button setup. Weighing 36 pounds, with dimensions of 15.8 x 6.2 x 15 in. and bass frequencies that are non-directional, the SUB can be installed virtually anywhere in your home, either standing up or lying down, and still produce high-quality, room-filling sound.
The SUB also gives users access to Read More »
