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Summer Is Here: Is Your Outdoor Home Theater Ready?

July 18th, 2010

A dedicated home theater system is no longer relegated to inside your home. You can now remodel your backyard into a first-class outdoor home theater system. For some, the appeal of an outdoor home theater is the nostalgic reminder of the drive-in theater. I have even heard swimming pool owners refer to it as their dive-in movie theater. For others, the appeal can be as simple as watching the game outside with your buddies while puffing on a Cuban cigar. Can you imagine how wonderful it would be to watch a basketball game by the pool or a movie under the stars? An outdoor home theater is an innovative solution for the sports and movie lover who wants to regularly enjoy the outdoors.

The Display

To implement a large outdoor display, I recommend a few approaches that look classy while protecting your display from the harsh elements of the outdoors:

• Recess a flat panel display into your backyard’s awning that flips down for viewing
• Recess a projector screen into your outdoor awning that rolls down for viewing
• Store your large display inside a waterproof unit and use a motorized lift to slowly carry the display into full view

No doubt, having your large flat panel plasma display slowly rise up from out of the ground has a certain cachet about it. Heads will turn as the screen appears to rise to its full extension.

The Speakers

You have many options for producing a great sounding system in your backyard:

• Use a freestanding waterproof wireless speaker such as the OutCast from Soundcast
• Hide your speakers inside faux rocks for a natural look with Rockustics speakers
• Install a 5.1 speaker system into your outdoor patio with outdoor speakers such as the Voyager outdoor series by Boston Acoustics

The OutCast speaker by Soundcast is one of my current favorites. It allows you to listen to Mahler’s 10th symphony outdoors while having a Mojito on your patio or even on your boat. The greatest thing about this speaker is that it is truly wireless – no power cord, no speaker wires, and it has a rechargeable battery that works for 10 hours. You can move the speaker closer to you to keep the noise level down for the neighbors or place the speaker several feet away so that you can play kickball with the kids.

If you are interested in putting together an outdoor system, please contact me. I would be happy to provide a consultation to discuss the possibilities with you.

 

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Top 3 iPhone Apps for A/V Media Control

June 3rd, 2010

Did you know that you can control many of your favorite audio and video media components with your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, and other web browser capable wireless devices? Downloadable software applications from the web can transform your iPhone into a first-class wireless touch screen remote. I am happy to say that many multimedia device manufactures have generously provided the apps for free and only take a few seconds to set up.

Our staff’s top three favorite free media control apps compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad are:

1. Sonos Controller – for Sonos Systems

The Sonos Controller lets you do the following:

- Browse your entire music library
- Quickly search for your favorite artists
- View album cover art
- Stream music and radio stations from the web
- Select the room or zone to play the music

To download the Sonos Controller, visit the Sonos website.

2. i.TV – for TiVo and Roku Players

The i.TV app is primarily for TV and movie listings. The more exciting thing the i.TV app will do is act as a remote control for your TiVo HD DVR and HD Roku player.

To download i.TV, please visit Apple’s website.

3. Remote – for iTunes and Apple TVs

Remote by Apple allows you to control your iTunes library for music playback from anywhere in and around the home. A short list of the control benefits are as follows:

- Control the music on iTunes and Apple TV
- See the album artwork on your Remote
- Create and update Genius playlists
- Edit playlists in iTunes
- Search your whole iTunes library
- Control your AirTunes speakers

To download Remote, please visit Apple’s website.

As a result of these free apps, I have had a change of heart. I guess sometimes the best things in life really are free!

Tell us what your experience has been with these and other iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch media control apps.

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HD Blah Blah Blah!

April 3rd, 2010

“HD blah blah blah!” echoed thunderously throughout an upscale Menlo Park Italian restaurant from an older gentleman seated at the bar. Hearing this man’s home theater battle cry made me realize that perhaps some clarification on the value of a 1080p native resolution display was in order. If you are currently creating or updating a home theater system, a 1080p display can be vital in delivering a high resolution, larger-than-life movie theater picture experience to your home.

When you go to your local movie theater, the screen size and seating distances are such that you will have a viewing angle ranging from 26 to 40 degrees. A full HD 1080p display makes it possible for the picture detail to be maintained while you sit close enough to recreate the same degree of visual envelopment you experience at your local cinema.

If you would like to optimize your viewing experience at home, you can choose a display size, resolution, and viewing distance to replicate the movie theater experience. THX recommends a 36 degree viewing angle of the image, which in turn determines the seating distance location. From the prescribed THX seating location, you can then determine what resolution you will need to maintain optimum visual acuity (the ability of your eye to see and distinguish fine detail).

To help you achieve the best picture possible in your home, try this TV Viewing Distance Calculator. It will help you determine the best size display and resolution to use with the desired viewing distance in your home. Enter your display information into the calculator. It will then provide you with the seating location for the recommended field of vision coverage and the maximum distance you can be away from your display to still benefit from a 1080p resolution picture.

If the image appears to be a bit too close for you, use the “Maximum recommended SMPTE viewing distance (30 degree viewing angle)” to provide you with an acceptable seating location. A 30 degree viewing angle will still provide you with enough of a movie theater visual envelopment that you should feel immersed in the action.

Please keep in mind that 1080p native resolution alone does not guarantee a high quality image reproduction. A picture can be compromised greatly by video noise, artifacts, poor-quality sources, and improper video adjustment control setting. Our home theater company is ISF trained and certified. I will blog on exactly how a professional display calibration noticeably improves picture quality at a later date.

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3D HDTVs – A Game Change for 2010

March 13th, 2010

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2010 conference in Las Vegas, display manufacturers heavily promoted 3D HDTVs. More recently, Panasonic broadcast live to a movie theater the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in 3D HD for free to the general public.

It is very exciting to see manufactures’ collective push to bring 3D displays to the consumer market this year. When sports fans see how incredible the 3D HDTV picture looks when watching their favorite team play live, I believe we will see increasing interest for 3D HD displays.

The plan is to broadcast live sporting events in 3D HD, making owning a 3D HDTV very attractive for avid sports fans the world over. Because the public has seen how realistic 3D can be while attending recent IMAX movies such as The Polar Express, U2, Avatar, and now Alice in Wonderland (2010), it is my feeling that 3D HD will now successfully make the transition to the home theater market.

What are the next steps in consumer 3D HDTV movie and live sports broadcast viewing? Well, the good folks at Mitsubishi have already been selling 3D-capable laser displays since 2008, including the 833 Series and all Mitsubishi Home Theater TVs. Mitsubishi is using active shutter glasses to achieve the realistic 3D HD image. Active shutter glasses have a layer of glass containing liquid crystal wedged between a polarizing filter. When voltage is applied to the glasses, the liquid crystal darkens, creating an alternate-frame sequence between the monitor and the glasses. This provides each eye with a different image, producing an impressive quality 3D HD experience. No more of those goofy red/blue glasses which essentially eliminate color, and are not “true 3D”. Now the job of 3D HD display makers is to convince enough content providers to do their part to complete the circle.

I have been a huge 3D fan since the 1980s. When I was about 13 years old, I saw the Michael Jackson 3D Captain EO movie at Epcot Center in Orlando, Florida. Soon after, my father and I discovered a 3D camera at a collectors’ swap meet in Washington, DC. The Revere 33 Stereo Camera changed our lives, or at least our family photos, by forever capturing my childhood in all its 80s fluorescent clothing wearing glory in 3D. I am looking forward to seeing the 3D HDTV revolution take hold.

If you are located in the San Francisco Bay Area and are interested in viewing a demo of a Mitsubishi, Samsung, and Panasonic 3D HDTV display, you are welcome to contact me.

 

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