Warranties and service. Although issues don't happen very often, when they do come up, we believe it's paramount to resolve them immediately.
We've had a number of calls lately from clients who were unhappy with their current custom installation company. One company left the client without a working TV for 4 months! The TV had some warranty issues, and had been worked on several times over the intervening 4 month period, but still - 4 months is a long time for a new piece of electronics to not be working.
In contrast, we had a warranty issue with one of the systems we installed a few weeks ago. I personally called the manufacturer and arranged for the warranty repair. When the repair tech determined the TV could not be fixed, I handled the return directly. We swapped out the old TV for a new one as soon as the client could arrange time, and the swap-out process took less than an hour. Oh, and we also calibrated the new TV as part of the warranty service!
Even if you didn't buy your system from us, we'll be happy to work with you and the manufacturers of your equipment to ensure the fastest and easiest fixes and upgrades to your system. Let us do the worrying for you!
Our goal is to make your electronics experience as easy as possible. This cuts across all parts of our business, from our proposals, to installation and programming, to service and warranty.
Most of the equipment we sell and install works perfectly for many years. Occassionally, though, something goes wrong. Don't you deserve the best possible worry-free service available?
Thanks -
Rob
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Saturday, December 8, 2007
The Holiday Season is here!
Will you be entertaining a house full of people over the next month? Are you just itching to show off your electronics system?
Whether you have a full-blown home theater, whole-home audio system, home automation, or a simple A/V system in your living room or game room, you should test it out a few days before your guests arrive. That way, if there's something not quite right, you can fix it in time to show off for your guests.
Of course, if something isn't working right, and you're not sure what's wrong, please give us a call. We can often walk you through the issue over the phone. If we can't fix it over the phone, we may be able to diagnose the issue enough so that a single service call can fix the problem.
We're also available to give you a refresher on your system operation. If you just can't quite remember how to do all the tricks you know your system is capable of doing, give us a call, and we can help!
After all, you want to be sure your system is at its best when you're entertaining, so your guests can enjoy the comfort and convenience of your electronics system. There's nothing like a little "wow" factor to keep a party going!
Happy Holidays!
Rob
Whether you have a full-blown home theater, whole-home audio system, home automation, or a simple A/V system in your living room or game room, you should test it out a few days before your guests arrive. That way, if there's something not quite right, you can fix it in time to show off for your guests.
Of course, if something isn't working right, and you're not sure what's wrong, please give us a call. We can often walk you through the issue over the phone. If we can't fix it over the phone, we may be able to diagnose the issue enough so that a single service call can fix the problem.
We're also available to give you a refresher on your system operation. If you just can't quite remember how to do all the tricks you know your system is capable of doing, give us a call, and we can help!
After all, you want to be sure your system is at its best when you're entertaining, so your guests can enjoy the comfort and convenience of your electronics system. There's nothing like a little "wow" factor to keep a party going!
Happy Holidays!
Rob
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Keith Rose achieves HAA certification!
A couple of weeks ago, I reported that Keith received his ISF (Imaging Science Foundation) certification for video calibration. Now, I'm pleased to announce that Keith has also received his HAA (Home Acoustic Alliance) certification for audio calibration.
Our certifications, combined with our experience and professional tools allow us to help you get the very best out of your home theater system. While video calibration lets us get the most out of your display by setting the brightness, contrast, color balance, etc. exactly for your room and lighting conditions, audio calibration lets us set the bass and treble levels, find and fix any "hot spots" or "dead spots" in the listening areas, and ensure sound that's as clear and precise as your system can be.
Call Keith today at 847.471.4420 to schedule a full home theater calibration - you'll notice the difference immediately!
Thanks -
Rob
Our certifications, combined with our experience and professional tools allow us to help you get the very best out of your home theater system. While video calibration lets us get the most out of your display by setting the brightness, contrast, color balance, etc. exactly for your room and lighting conditions, audio calibration lets us set the bass and treble levels, find and fix any "hot spots" or "dead spots" in the listening areas, and ensure sound that's as clear and precise as your system can be.
Call Keith today at 847.471.4420 to schedule a full home theater calibration - you'll notice the difference immediately!
Thanks -
Rob
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Keith Rose receives ISF certification
What's that? And why is it important?
The Imaging Science Foundation, or ISF, is an organization dedicated to excellence in video quality. In addition to his extensive experience in performing video calibrations, Keith attended an intense 2-day class and passed a grueling test in order to achieve certification.
The class focused on how TVs display images to the viewer, what goes into an excellent picture, how the picture is created, what film and TV directors do to get the look they want, and of course, how to adjust the TV to obtain the best possible picture for the viewer.
An ISF calibration will improve the quality of your video picture by ensuring the contrast, color balance, brightness, and clarity are as good as they can be on your video screen. A proper calibration will also extend the life of your display and reduce your energy costs.
If you're looking to get the most out of your video and audio system, you owe it to yourself to have an ISF-trained tech properly calibrate your video.
The test was difficult - a large number of candidates do not pass the test the first time. But now that Keith has passed the test, you can be assured that your video calibration will rank with the best in the business!
Congratulations, Keith!
Rob
The Imaging Science Foundation, or ISF, is an organization dedicated to excellence in video quality. In addition to his extensive experience in performing video calibrations, Keith attended an intense 2-day class and passed a grueling test in order to achieve certification.
The class focused on how TVs display images to the viewer, what goes into an excellent picture, how the picture is created, what film and TV directors do to get the look they want, and of course, how to adjust the TV to obtain the best possible picture for the viewer.
An ISF calibration will improve the quality of your video picture by ensuring the contrast, color balance, brightness, and clarity are as good as they can be on your video screen. A proper calibration will also extend the life of your display and reduce your energy costs.
If you're looking to get the most out of your video and audio system, you owe it to yourself to have an ISF-trained tech properly calibrate your video.
The test was difficult - a large number of candidates do not pass the test the first time. But now that Keith has passed the test, you can be assured that your video calibration will rank with the best in the business!
Congratulations, Keith!
Rob
Thursday, October 25, 2007
How big should my TV be?
Wow, what a great question! I hear it all the time from my clients, and while there are a number of "rules of thumb", ultimately the decision comes down to personal preference.
Still, I'll try to list out some of the things we try to take into consideration when consulting with our clients.
The first thing to consider are your room size. A larger screen will cost more, and a small room will get overpowered by a large TV (and a large room will dwarf a small TV!). Ideally, if you are sitting less than 8-9 feet away from your TV, you will be best served with a 42" or smaller TV. If you are 10-12 feet away, you're looking at up to 50", and greater than 12 feet you'll want a 56-63" or even larger screen. Of course other room considerations come into play as well. For example, the screen needs to balance with the rest of the furnishings, and it needs to physically fit in the space - if you're mounting a flat-panel over the fireplace, you may have limitations because of the ceiling, mantle, fireplace opening, and other built-in elements of the room.
This rule of thumb is tempered by your desire to be immersed in the video. If you really hate that, a smaller screen will let you feel "outside looking in." But if you really want to be immersed in the action, a larger screen size will fill in your peripheral vision with more movie, sports, or video game action, making you part of the action.
Of course, budget plays a role, but to a smaller extent. The reason I say this is because if your budget is smaller, but you still want a really big TV, you can use a rear-projection or front-projection system instead of a panel (LCD or Plasma) TV. Panels generally cost more than projection units at the larger sizes. There are also budget-minded flat panel TVs that do a pretty good job for less money than the name brands. I'd caution, though, against getting caught up in the "cheap panel TV" sales hype that you'll see this holiday season. You really do get what you pay for, and you don't want to be stuck with a picture that's even worse than your old TV!
As always, if you're still confused about all of the options out there, give us a call, and we'll be glad to give you a free consultation!
Thanks -
Rob
Still, I'll try to list out some of the things we try to take into consideration when consulting with our clients.
The first thing to consider are your room size. A larger screen will cost more, and a small room will get overpowered by a large TV (and a large room will dwarf a small TV!). Ideally, if you are sitting less than 8-9 feet away from your TV, you will be best served with a 42" or smaller TV. If you are 10-12 feet away, you're looking at up to 50", and greater than 12 feet you'll want a 56-63" or even larger screen. Of course other room considerations come into play as well. For example, the screen needs to balance with the rest of the furnishings, and it needs to physically fit in the space - if you're mounting a flat-panel over the fireplace, you may have limitations because of the ceiling, mantle, fireplace opening, and other built-in elements of the room.
This rule of thumb is tempered by your desire to be immersed in the video. If you really hate that, a smaller screen will let you feel "outside looking in." But if you really want to be immersed in the action, a larger screen size will fill in your peripheral vision with more movie, sports, or video game action, making you part of the action.
Of course, budget plays a role, but to a smaller extent. The reason I say this is because if your budget is smaller, but you still want a really big TV, you can use a rear-projection or front-projection system instead of a panel (LCD or Plasma) TV. Panels generally cost more than projection units at the larger sizes. There are also budget-minded flat panel TVs that do a pretty good job for less money than the name brands. I'd caution, though, against getting caught up in the "cheap panel TV" sales hype that you'll see this holiday season. You really do get what you pay for, and you don't want to be stuck with a picture that's even worse than your old TV!
As always, if you're still confused about all of the options out there, give us a call, and we'll be glad to give you a free consultation!
Thanks -
Rob
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Which TV?
"What TV should I buy?" or "What's the real difference in all of these TV types?"
Those are the questions I get asked most often. There is an answer, but it's probably different for each person. Let's start with the second question - what are the differences in the TV types.
Note that there are actually 5 different TV technologies in use today.
Just a few years ago, the only type of TV you could get was a CRT-based set, also known as a "tube TV". Nice picture, easy to use, and everyone had one (or two, or three...). They were pretty reliable, but very heavy, especially in the larger sizes, and they took up a very large chunk of your room. Many people bought expensive furniture to house these TVs - partly people wanted to hide some of the size and aesthetics of these large electronic boxes. You can still get them, and they are pretty cheap compared to the newer types of TVs. But they're still very huge for a relatively small picture size, and they are still very, very heavy.
Recognizing the desire for larger TV sizes, especially for watching movies and sports, manufacturers started coming out with Rear-projection TVs and Front-projectors. Initially, these were both CRT-based also, but since they projected on a separate screen, the actual size and weight didn't go up as much for the larger sizes. Still very heavy, though. Good front projectors were coffee-table sized, and sat in the middle of your room! Smaller ceiling-mounted projectors were available, but they were also very heavy - you wanted to be certain the projector was mounted securely! Rear projectors had flat screens, and were typically up to 50 inches or so. Compared to the 30-37" screen sizes of the largest CRTs, that was pretty good.
Then came the flat panels. You probably first saw flat panels in computers - my first one was on a laptop. The technology was developed initially to make the computer portable! Then came flat panels for desktop computers - taking up a lot less desk space was well worth the extra money you spent on an LCD display for your computer.
Over the last few years, two types of flat panels have emerged for home entertainment use. When I talk about flat panels here, I'm talking about a screen that's flat, and is only about 3-6 inches deep, regardless of the screen size. These panels fit very well in almost any room and can be mounted on a wall to save even more space.
LCDs, similar to the LCDs used for computer screens, are generally higher resolution (they have more pixels, so they can show more detail), and they tend to be somewhat smaller than their Plasma cousins. But still, 40" LCDs are common today - not bad compared to the largest CRTs of just a few years ago!
Plasmas are also flat panels. Because of the technology and manufacturing process, plasma TVs are more cost effective in the larger sizes. Typical sizes run up to over 60", with the very largest available plasmas coming in at 103"! Originally, plasmas had a lower resolution for the same screen size (720p), but recent plasma entries are up to 1080p, the same as LCDs.
Note that plasma TVs have a glass viewing area, and so are more subject to glare than LCDs, which have a plastic viewing area. Recent plasmas have an anti-glare coating which helps somewhat. On the other hand, plasmas can generate deeper blacks and richer color depth, and have a wider viewing angle than LCDs. Ultimately, which panel is best depends on your viewing habits and room conditions.
Rear-projection TVs no longer use a CRT to generate the picture - they use either a small LCD panel or a mirror panel called a DLP. Either way, the picture generation unit is much lighter than a CRT, and the entire unit can be made thinner and lighter. Current rear projection TVs are as little as 11" thick, compared to up to 2" for an older CRT-based unit (and compared to 3-5" for a panel TV). Rear-projection TVs are less expensive than either LCD or Plasma TVs for the same size, but can't produce the same black levels and color richness. They also have a relatively narrow viewing angle - if you look at them from a 45 degree angle or greater, the picture will be noticeably darker.
Front projectors these days can either sit on a table top or be mounted to the ceiling. You still need a screen, and the prices of both screens and projectors range from pretty inexpensive to wildly expensive, depending on the features and resolution you want. You have the ability to customize your screen size and resolution for your own room and viewing pleasure, and you can get as big as you like. Front projectors typically work best in a room where the light can be well controlled. But you can get a really, really big screen, so if you want a true theater experience, this may be your best bet!
Still not sure what's right for you? Give us a call here at Inspired Electronics, Inc., and we'll be glad to provide a free in-home consultation to help you decide what's best for you!
- Rob
Those are the questions I get asked most often. There is an answer, but it's probably different for each person. Let's start with the second question - what are the differences in the TV types.
Note that there are actually 5 different TV technologies in use today.
Just a few years ago, the only type of TV you could get was a CRT-based set, also known as a "tube TV". Nice picture, easy to use, and everyone had one (or two, or three...). They were pretty reliable, but very heavy, especially in the larger sizes, and they took up a very large chunk of your room. Many people bought expensive furniture to house these TVs - partly people wanted to hide some of the size and aesthetics of these large electronic boxes. You can still get them, and they are pretty cheap compared to the newer types of TVs. But they're still very huge for a relatively small picture size, and they are still very, very heavy.
Recognizing the desire for larger TV sizes, especially for watching movies and sports, manufacturers started coming out with Rear-projection TVs and Front-projectors. Initially, these were both CRT-based also, but since they projected on a separate screen, the actual size and weight didn't go up as much for the larger sizes. Still very heavy, though. Good front projectors were coffee-table sized, and sat in the middle of your room! Smaller ceiling-mounted projectors were available, but they were also very heavy - you wanted to be certain the projector was mounted securely! Rear projectors had flat screens, and were typically up to 50 inches or so. Compared to the 30-37" screen sizes of the largest CRTs, that was pretty good.
Then came the flat panels. You probably first saw flat panels in computers - my first one was on a laptop. The technology was developed initially to make the computer portable! Then came flat panels for desktop computers - taking up a lot less desk space was well worth the extra money you spent on an LCD display for your computer.
Over the last few years, two types of flat panels have emerged for home entertainment use. When I talk about flat panels here, I'm talking about a screen that's flat, and is only about 3-6 inches deep, regardless of the screen size. These panels fit very well in almost any room and can be mounted on a wall to save even more space.
LCDs, similar to the LCDs used for computer screens, are generally higher resolution (they have more pixels, so they can show more detail), and they tend to be somewhat smaller than their Plasma cousins. But still, 40" LCDs are common today - not bad compared to the largest CRTs of just a few years ago!
Plasmas are also flat panels. Because of the technology and manufacturing process, plasma TVs are more cost effective in the larger sizes. Typical sizes run up to over 60", with the very largest available plasmas coming in at 103"! Originally, plasmas had a lower resolution for the same screen size (720p), but recent plasma entries are up to 1080p, the same as LCDs.
Note that plasma TVs have a glass viewing area, and so are more subject to glare than LCDs, which have a plastic viewing area. Recent plasmas have an anti-glare coating which helps somewhat. On the other hand, plasmas can generate deeper blacks and richer color depth, and have a wider viewing angle than LCDs. Ultimately, which panel is best depends on your viewing habits and room conditions.
Rear-projection TVs no longer use a CRT to generate the picture - they use either a small LCD panel or a mirror panel called a DLP. Either way, the picture generation unit is much lighter than a CRT, and the entire unit can be made thinner and lighter. Current rear projection TVs are as little as 11" thick, compared to up to 2" for an older CRT-based unit (and compared to 3-5" for a panel TV). Rear-projection TVs are less expensive than either LCD or Plasma TVs for the same size, but can't produce the same black levels and color richness. They also have a relatively narrow viewing angle - if you look at them from a 45 degree angle or greater, the picture will be noticeably darker.
Front projectors these days can either sit on a table top or be mounted to the ceiling. You still need a screen, and the prices of both screens and projectors range from pretty inexpensive to wildly expensive, depending on the features and resolution you want. You have the ability to customize your screen size and resolution for your own room and viewing pleasure, and you can get as big as you like. Front projectors typically work best in a room where the light can be well controlled. But you can get a really, really big screen, so if you want a true theater experience, this may be your best bet!
Still not sure what's right for you? Give us a call here at Inspired Electronics, Inc., and we'll be glad to provide a free in-home consultation to help you decide what's best for you!
- Rob
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Fireplace TVs
We get a lot of calls to mount TVs over the fireplace.
From a design perspective, this makes a lot of sense. It pulls the room together, giving it one focal point, instead of two. It also saves a lot of space in the room, and it makes furniture placement a lot easier - you don't have to lay out the furniture to be able to see both the fireplace and the TV at the same time!
Overall, we really like the look of putting the TV over the fireplace - in fact, one of the key ads in our ad campaign shows a wonderfull view of a modern living room with the TV over the fireplace.
While fireplaces are an excellent place to put the TV, they can also be a bit more difficult than standard on-wall installations. For example, the fireplace front may be made out of brick or stone, or there may be a mantle right where we need to put the TV. And usually, builders don't put electrical outlets and cable raceways where we need them. Since one of the advantages of locating the TV over the fireplace is a nice, clean look, it's important to have a way to hide both the video wiring and the power cables.
While these installations can take us a bit longer, we have several partners that we work with to help move the electricity, remove or remount the mantle, and ensure a clean-looking installation. While they're in there, we usually ask them to put in a path for us to run the cables - then our job takes less time. Finally, we come in and mount the TV and speakers, install the source equipment, and calibrate the whole thing.
Incidentally, we also have the electrician put in a surge-suppression outlet. That helps protect your investment from transient power spikes and other power issues.
People also ask about the heat and soot from the fireplace - does it reduce the life of the TV? The answer is, a little bit, but not by much. The important thing is to make sure you keep the screen clean - the soot will very slowly create a thin film on the screen. This can take many years, depending on how often you use your TV, so don't worry that it will make your TV go bad in weeks or months! The other point to note is that you should limit the amount of time you burn a fire while the TV is on. This is because the additional heat from the fire, combined with the heat generated by the TV electronics, can shorten the life of your TV. Again, it's not a huge impact, as most TVs are designed to operate at room temperatures of over 100 degrees. Since the heat from the fireplace dissipates as it rises, you're not likely to exceed the operating temperatures - you will simply be running the TV at the top of its designed range.
I hope this answers some of your questions about putting the TV over the fireplace. Feel free to drop us a line here or by email if you have questions or comments!
Thanks -
Rob
From a design perspective, this makes a lot of sense. It pulls the room together, giving it one focal point, instead of two. It also saves a lot of space in the room, and it makes furniture placement a lot easier - you don't have to lay out the furniture to be able to see both the fireplace and the TV at the same time!
Overall, we really like the look of putting the TV over the fireplace - in fact, one of the key ads in our ad campaign shows a wonderfull view of a modern living room with the TV over the fireplace.
While fireplaces are an excellent place to put the TV, they can also be a bit more difficult than standard on-wall installations. For example, the fireplace front may be made out of brick or stone, or there may be a mantle right where we need to put the TV. And usually, builders don't put electrical outlets and cable raceways where we need them. Since one of the advantages of locating the TV over the fireplace is a nice, clean look, it's important to have a way to hide both the video wiring and the power cables.
While these installations can take us a bit longer, we have several partners that we work with to help move the electricity, remove or remount the mantle, and ensure a clean-looking installation. While they're in there, we usually ask them to put in a path for us to run the cables - then our job takes less time. Finally, we come in and mount the TV and speakers, install the source equipment, and calibrate the whole thing.
Incidentally, we also have the electrician put in a surge-suppression outlet. That helps protect your investment from transient power spikes and other power issues.
People also ask about the heat and soot from the fireplace - does it reduce the life of the TV? The answer is, a little bit, but not by much. The important thing is to make sure you keep the screen clean - the soot will very slowly create a thin film on the screen. This can take many years, depending on how often you use your TV, so don't worry that it will make your TV go bad in weeks or months! The other point to note is that you should limit the amount of time you burn a fire while the TV is on. This is because the additional heat from the fire, combined with the heat generated by the TV electronics, can shorten the life of your TV. Again, it's not a huge impact, as most TVs are designed to operate at room temperatures of over 100 degrees. Since the heat from the fireplace dissipates as it rises, you're not likely to exceed the operating temperatures - you will simply be running the TV at the top of its designed range.
I hope this answers some of your questions about putting the TV over the fireplace. Feel free to drop us a line here or by email if you have questions or comments!
Thanks -
Rob
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