John Sciacca

As a custom installer, I find that education is one of my main jobs. Every day, people come into my shop seeking advice on how best to spend their A/V dollars. And whether their budget is $1,000 or $100,000, they want to be sure they're getting the best bang for their buck.

A computer in the living room? Madness! Computers are big and noisy. They aren't reliable, they aren't remote-controllable, and they can't even handle high-def. Keep them the hell away from my media room!

I usually cover topics geared toward consumers, but this month's column is really meant for my fellow installers. (Of course, non-installers are welcome to read what follows; you might gain insight into how we choose to feature certain installs.)

Giving consumer electronics as gifts used to be easy. You picked out what you wanted, wrapped it up, and were off the hook for another year. If you took the time to look at the package, you might have noticed the micro-sized print advising "*Batteries Not Included" and decided whether or not to toss in a pack of AAs for good measure.