The modern home has many ‘smart’ devices, a variety of electronic components, and a myriad of technological advances. What naturally ends up happening is that every home is either filled with remotes to control all the different things, or it is confusing trying to determine how to control something effectively and efficiently. Professionally-installed home automation solves this problem because it is uniquely customized to your home and needs and installed correctly so that it works well.
Home automation offers homeowners many advantages by making home life easier and more efficient. Almost anything you can imagine can be integrated into your home automation. You can control things like your heating and cooling, home security, home surveillance, home lighting, window shades, door locks, appliances, WiFi network, home audio, home video, home entertainment components, and more! Whether you simply want to integrate all controls into one device, create specific ‘scenes’ in which controls such as lighting adapt to a certain time of day or type of entertaining, remote monitor and control home automation. or automate multiple operations so that they all happen at the push of a single button – you can do it! Yes, you can sit down in your media room, press a button and instantly the lights will begin to dim, window shades close, and television and audio/video source and components turn on. You can adjust your thermostat while you are gone for the day at work or gone for a week in another country. Check in on your home surveillance any time, any day, anywhere. The possibilities are endless with home automation.
Not all home automation is the same and while there are many DIY home automation options, professional installation is always best. The whole goal of home automation is to make things easier and more efficient to use but if not installed and programmed correctly, it will just create a bigger problem than it solves. Next Level has extensive experience installing, programming, and deploying home automation systems that are uniquely customized to meet a homeowner’s needs.
A home theater is an excellent addition to any home. Everyone loves the immersive movie theater experience – the huge screen, the amazing picture quality, the surround sound, the comfy theater seats – it is all part of the experience. While there are certain elements of decor or very specialized features that may be unique to a few select people, generally, there are a few products that are considered staples of the perfect home theater. Below are some of the audio and video products that we at Next Level believe are essential components of any home theater.
1. Projector & Screen
This may seem like it goes without saying but if you want to create a true theater experience in the comfort of your home you need a projector and screen. Your screen can be fixed or it can drop-down from the ceiling. Additionally, even if you invest in a screen you can still have a drop-down screen with a television behind it so that you have the option to watch TV on a regular television screen if you so prefer. Professional installation is ideal to ensure you choose the right size screen, install the projector at the ideal height and distance from the screen to maximize picture quality, and so that your image quality is optimized for your unique space.
2. Television
As aforementioned, a television makes a great addition to a home theater or can serve as the primary video source if you choose not to install a projector and screen. There are televisions in many sizes and some that are as big as a traditional projector and screen so you can still create an immersive viewing experience with a television.
3. Speakers
One of the best parts about a movie theater is the surround sound that enhances the viewing experience. You will need a selection of speakers that have been strategically positioned throughout the room at various locations and heights, aimed in a variety of directions and discreetly installed to create that unique surround sound experience.
4. Surround Sound Receiver
You can install multiple speakers throughout the room with the intention of creating surround sound but true surround sound will not be achieved unless you have a surround sound receiver that can communicate between your DVD player and your speakers and send specific sounds to the speakers.
5. Comfortable Seating
What would a home theater be without comfortable seating? There are many seating options specifically designed to be installed in home theaters. They often have electronic programming that can be integrated into your home theater automation so that your seats can recline and possibly even have sound projected through them for a more complex and exciting experience.
Many homeowners today take great pride in the things that they have ‘DIYed’ around the home. And, while there are certainly many things that homeowners can do themselves with the help of a YouTube tutorial, there are other things that are best left to the professionals. When it comes to home security, you want peace of mind that your home alarm will work when you need it. Below are 5 reasons you shouldn’t install your own home alarm system and should hire a professional to correctly install your alarm.
5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Install Your Own Home Alarm System
1. Peace of Mind
You install a home alarm system because you want your family to be safe so the last thing you want with your alarm system is uncertainty. You want to know it will work when you need it to work. With professional installation, you will have peace of mind that it is installed correctly so that it will work when you need it.
2. Discreet Installation
Professional companies know how to discreetly install any electrical wiring, cords, monitoring or other components of your home alarm system so that the finished product looks aesthetically pleasing. No more worrying about wires hanging everywhere or things looking how they shouldn’t, professionals know how to get the job done right.
3. Correct/Easy-to-Use Programming
Your home alarm system should be easy to arm and disarm or make adjustments. Frequently, when homeowners do it themselves the programming may not get done correctly and it can lead to false alarms or the inability to arm or disarm your system – something you definitely don’t want.
4. Save Time & Money
By the time it’s all said and done, a homeowner may need to buy the alarm, buy special tools, and spend countless hours trying to install the system. Leave it to the pros so that you can save time and money since they know how to do it quickly and have all the necessary tools.
5. Done Right the First Time
Even if a homeowner thinks they installed it correctly, they may not have. Whether or not it is obvious, if you hire a professional you will know that your home alarm system is installed correctly – the first time.
If you are like many excited audio/video enthusiasts or just a homeowner that likes to have the latest and greatest, you may have purchased a 4K television or are planning to. If you have invested in a 4K television you are expecting to have the highest quality image whether you are watching TV, streaming, playing video games, or watching a DVD. But, if you have not invested in the right components you may not be getting the most out of your 4K TV.
Just having a 4K TV is not enough, the quality of the image that is sent to the TV must be optimal as well which is why you need the right hardware. Forbes explain why you need more than the TV to actually view 4K, “In most cases you’ll need more than a 4K TV to see a 4K picture. In order to pass 4K content from your video source to your screen, every hardware component in the video chain must be capable of handling 4K. You can stream 4K content from providers like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Vudu through a variety of video sources including smart TVs, streaming devices like Roku and Chromecast, video game consoles, set-top boxes, Blu-ray players, smartphones and tablets. If your 4K video source is your smart TV, you’re good to go. If your source is another component, make sure it supports 4K…If your video chain includes a soundbar or an AV processor or receiver between the video source and the TV screen, the intervening component must also be capable of handling 4K. If it does not, it will usually downsample 4K video to 1080p. Finally, the HDMI cables that connect the components in the video chain also need the bandwidth to carry 4K content.”
It can be confusing to determine whether or not you have every component and cable necessary to view true 4K. For this reason, it is always best to work with an experienced audio/video provider and installer. They can ensure that you have every component necessary to maximize the quality of your 4K television and install it all correctly so that all you need to do is sit back and enjoy.