You’ve likely heard that Star Wars will be re-released in a digital movie collection on Friday (April 10th), finally allowing people to legally own and enjoy all six of the films (or at least enjoy four of them, tolerate Episode II and just agree to disagree on most of the filmmaking decisions from Episode I ) on a host of devices wherever they are.
TiO stands for Turn it On, and the company is looking for ways to breathe new life into existing, outdated audio systems with a system that is incredible retrofit friendly. Imagine turning your old, lame analog only volume control system into a state-of-the art streaming music system with multiple zones and app based control over all of your favorite music services including high-res audio up to 192/24-bit and you have an idea what TiO is bringing to the table.
In a recent blog I dealt with some of the big-picture infrastructure items when planning a video installation. Beyond the brand and size of TV you’ll be getting, the big four preinstallation items requiring attention are power, sources, audio, and control.
TiVo is going to take on low-priced streamers like Roku and Fire TV with the introduction of its new streamer, the TiVo Stream 4K. Unlike all previous TiVo products, the Stream 4K will not have any traditional TiVo DVR functionality, but rather will be entirely dedicated to streaming.
Beyond designing and installing new AV systems, one of the things my installation company does is perform service calls on existing systems. Whether it has been installed by the homeowner themselves, a trusted friend/family member, or some other “professional,” we routinely run across the same kinds of installation issues when we pull open the rack or cabinet and start digging into the guts of the gear.
I’ve spent the past 20 years in the custom installation industry, and it would be no exaggeration to say I’ve worked with more than a thousand clients during that time. A regular part of my job is consulting with clients on the design and installation of media rooms and home theaters. (The difference between the two: a media room is a social, multi-use space, while a home theater is a purpose-designed room for watching movies.) Sometimes the project is a new build (the best). Other times it involves repurposing a room or trying to fix and improve an existing room.
In my two previous blogs — Top Home Theater Design Mistakes, Part One and Part Two — I described basic home theater/media room design mistakes that I’ve repeatedly encountered during my 20 years of doing custom installations.
As I mentioned in my last blog Top Design Mistakes, Part One, I’ve worked as a custom installer for the past 20 years, and a key part of my job is designing and installing media rooms and home theaters. (The difference between the two: a media room is typically an open, multi-use space, while a home theater is a dedicated room purpose-designed for watching movies.)
The Internet of Things has expanded to include a new high performance rifle from TrackingPoint nicknamed the “Mile Maker” for its “tag and shoot” technology that virtually guarantees anyone can hit a plate-sized target at up to one mile even on targets moving up to 30 mph! This technology puts the level of shooting skills the likes of Navy SEAL and Delta Force snipers that have spent years honing their craft into virtually anyone’s trigger finger.