OTHER TECH

FINISHING TOUCHES Now the system is configured, fine-tuned, and troubleshot. To ensure that nothing is missed for surround setup, we use a detailed checklist. This includes assigning digital inputs on the receiver, setting speaker sizes, measuring distances and entering channel delays, and calibrating speaker audio levels. Basic video adjustments - color, tint, contrast, brightness, and sharpness - are made to TVs. (We perform Imaging Science Foundation calibration as well, but that's done after the TV has been installed and running for several weeks.) After all that, we play some familiar audio and video clips - everything from surround-heavy scenes on the DTS and THX demo DVDs to Eric Clapton and Dave Matthews on CD. This helps us make sure everything looks and sounds the way it should. House-wide systems are checked to ensure that all speakers are working and that keypad controllers are functioning correctly.

Assuming that no problems have been found, we'll sit with the home-owner and explain how everything works. Smart system remotes, like Logitech's Harmony, have greatly reduced the learning curve, allowing a new owner to master his system in no time.

And that's it - except that an installer's work is never really done. A visiting A/V "expert" might get the system out of whack, requiring a service call. A component might need to be added or the system upgraded. Something might break and need servicing.

Unlike other trades, we're around from the framing of the house until long after it's built - or from the time we install a retrofit until the owners sell the house. (And then we usually begin a relationship with the new homeowner!) When you select an installer, remember that this is a relationship that can last for years, and choosing someone based on price alone might end up costing you in the long run.

The thing I love most about my job is that every day - every project - is different. Different goals, different budgets, different components - and with new technologies being introduced all the time, different challenges.

No one really gets excited to see the plumber, roofer, or electrician show up. But they can't wait for us to get there. And when we're done, we leave them happy.