Frequently Asked Questions about Audio & Video related services and products
The closer the tweeters of your speakers are in terms of height to ear level, the better the sound quality. Correct positioning of your front left and right speakers in both a stereo and surround sound system is critical. We use a systematic speaker positioning method using music and film to properly position the front left and right speakers for optimal sound quality. Most end-users can spend years trying to properly position their speakers but will never succeed. We highly recommend that you have our experts position your speakers.
Getting the correct film screen size is the most important criteria when replicating the cinematic experience in your home. To do so, the film screen manufacturer must have the capability to manufacture the screen to our exact specifications. Giving you a choice of fixed screen sizes of 100″, 110″, 120″, etc. to choose from will often not provide cinematic visual involvement. Next time you go to a commercial movie theater, notice how large the screen is in relation to your field of vision. This relationship has to be precisely duplicated in your home to get the same visual involvement as you get at a movie theater. Based on your room size, seating arrangements, ambient lighting, and the type of projector, we can have Stewart Filmscreen custom make a screen that will provide the same visual involvement as a commercial movie theater.
There are many important factors to consider when selecting a home cinema projector. However, comparing specifications among different models is not one of them, and selecting the right screen is just as important if not more important than the projector itself. A projector’s color fidelity is of utmost importance. Second, selecting the right screen size and screen material based on seating distance and ambient light is just as important. Looking at a projector’s specifications does not tell you if it has good color fidelity. Only a qualified professional video technician with proper test equipment can calibrate a projector for accurate color fidelity. This cannot be done by the naked eye alone. Some projector manufacturers “lockout” important calibration features in order to control what video features they want you to see, an over bright picture with false over or under saturation of colors. Very few projectors come correctly calibrated from the factory. We manually calibrate every projector that we sell for the best color fidelity. Visit us for a demonstration of what a properly calibrated projector should look like and let our professionals design a projector and screen that is right for your home and budget.
A “TV” regardless of size will not provide a cinema experience. You will likely feel as if you are watching a TV — not the same as watching a movie on a big screen. There is no substitute for a film screen in a media room/home theater.
Absolutely no. Is the projector right for your room? Is the projector designed for data presentation or for high-fidelity video? Will it work with your screen size? What should your screen size be? Will it provide the proper video fidelity and brightness for your lighting condition? What are the optimal measurements from your screen and optimal vertical distance above or below your screen? What is the best aspect ratio based on what content you watch? Can it be professionally calibrated for the best video fidelity? Will it work with my other electronics? Our audio/video professionals are the experts that can address all these issues for you with superior service and support.
7.1 is better if your room allows for it. 7.1 has better envelopment, low-level detail, spatial detail, and dynamics compared to 5.1. Some rooms and seating arrangements may not benefit from 7.1. We will be happy to discuss which option is best for your room.
Yes. Even if you have a “bad” sounding room, you can still tell the difference between a boom box and a nice stereo system. A “bad” sounding room does not make a good stereo system sound like a boom box.
It depends on the room, seating, equipment quality, interior finish-out, and installation quality. It’s not about how much you spend, but how you get the best performance for your dollar. Home theater systems can range from $10,000 to more than $1,000,000. Come visit us, and we will help you get the best home theater that fits your budget.
Multiple subwoofers properly placed and calibrated will sound better than a single subwoofer, providing better sound envelopment with cleaner, more detailed, and dynamic bass without being “boomy.”
The term smart home refers to the regular home, which has its appliances, lighting, and electronic devices connected to the internet to enable remote monitoring and management. The homeowner enjoys the comfort of securing, operating and monitoring their house even from another side of the world. The devices that are connected are lights, security systems, cameras, audio and video systems, televisions, thermostats, and even sprinklers.
The first and foremost reason to buy a home automation system is for comfort and security. The other benefits that the homeowner gets to enjoy are convenience, remote access, savings, and peace of intellect. A few home automation systems have evolved to be more affordable and advanced, so homeowners across the country are upgrading their homes.
There are a variety of devices and appliances that get connected and controlled in a smart home setup. The most common ones fall into four categories, and they are lighting, climate control, entertainment, and security.
Yes, smart homes are affordable. However, there was a time when smart homes were considered a luxury. Setting up your smart home is easier than ever but choosing the right smart home system to unify your devices and get them talking together is the biggest challenge that a homeowner faces today. Know how you can benefit from turning your house into a smart home; this helps zero in on the right product.
Home automation is in high demand, and thereby, it increases home value. Today, everyone wants to live in a smart home and enjoy advanced technologies. When a house uses smart technology, the homeowner can most likely raise their asking price. It would be best if the homeowner worked with a licensed real estate agent, though, to ensure your price falls within what the market can bear.
The best time to install home automation is now. The smart tech offers security and safety for the family and the house – nothing beats the security aspects. Besides, the best time to install home automation is while building a new home or renovating an existing one. In both scenarios, the homeowners can get down to the wires easily.
Home automation makes sure that your home uses resources like electricity and water more effectively in order to reduce waste throughout the home. Besides increasing security and convenience, home automation can indeed make a difference in the environment and you will thus get smaller utility bills. You can save energy by using energy management devices like smart power strips and switches that can turn off lights and appliances when not in use, thus saving energy and reducing costs. For instance, lighting controls can be set on a timer and this will prevent lights from staying in the ON mode for the whole night or day. You can also get smart light bulbs that work with motion sensors and respond to people leaving or entering a room, thus helping you to save energy and money.
A variety of smart home devices and systems are presently available on the market. Each of these comes with a unique set of features and different specifications. You may get confused about what to choose with so many options. Make sure that the gadgets you add are compatible with each other or just go ahead and get yourself a smart hub that will bridge any gaps.
The market today has smart home devices from popular brands like Wink, SmartThings, Google Home, Amazon Echo, etc. Wink Hub 2 supports BLE, Z-Wave, and Zigbee. Additionally, it integrates with Philips Hue, Amazon Alexa, Canary, Lutron, Canary, and iHome. Samsung SmartThings also supports several protocols. These products work with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Z-Wave standards, and Zigbee. Amazon Echo integrates with Philips Hue, ecobee, Insteon, Honeywell, Nest, and Belkin WeMo. Google Home is the latest hub offering fewer product integrations when compared to Amazon Echo and Samsung SmartThings.
Home automation is mostly a good investment as it helps in saving money and time. The following benefits will help you understand why home automation devices and systems are worth the investment.
Comfort: Home automation is a good investment as it prevents you from rushing around in the morning and getting all stressed when trying to get the lights turned off before you leave home and also when trying to get the thermostat set. These devices are so comforting because if you forget to turn off the coffee pot, these devices will monitor the situation and automatically turn it off for you.
Making your whole house smart is NOT necessary. You first have to prioritize all your options and then decide whether to invest in a full-scale home automation network or in separate smart gadgets.
If you want to automate your whole house, there are tons of home automation solutions you can choose from and these include appliances, climate control devices, access control, and security elements, entertainment technology, lighting controls, and energy management tools to name a few. Also, you need not buy all the smart home devices you need in one shot. To help you stay within a planned budget, you can plan your purchases in different stages.
No matter how you plan to buy a home automation system or device, always make sure that you choose your devices carefully because not all devices are compatible. You need to verify that the devices or systems you want to buy actually work together.
Basic home automation systems will transmit a command out and just believe that it is actioned. However, more complex home automation systems will first send a command and then wait for a response. A variety of actions can be executed if a response is not approaching. Home automation systems are reliable but if you go in for the more complex devices and systems then the cost also becomes higher along with the need for a skilled specialist for the installation process.
The 3 most sought-after devices that are coordinated with any of the home automation systems are lighting control device to turn on/off the lights as per the user’s requirement, heating control device to preserve temperature depending on the climate conditions which too makes a difference to save energy and to control the television/music system.
Security alarms, CCTVs help in protecting the owner’s property from thieves. Technology has taken security to the next level – families can set up monitoring devices connected to the home automation system. This helps the property owners to take control and oversee the facilities when the intruder tries to enter the owner’s property even when they are away from home.
Security alarms, CCTVs help in protecting the owner’s property from thieves. Technology has taken security to the next level – families can set up monitoring devices connected to the home automation system. This helps the property owners to take control and oversee the facilities when the intruder tries to enter the owner’s property even when they are away from home.
Smart home technology is absolutely a very good option for business. There is a list of smart devices that can be integrated with a home automation system. It helps to control conference systems, a range of smart TVs, security, lights, surveillance, audio, etc from a single console.
Hard-wiring is a good and reliable option for home automation systems – We try to avoid drilling holes but in some instances it is necessary and we would ask you first.
A smart home automation system lets technology take care of your home and business. In just a few clicks, life is made easy and every device connected to the home automation system can be controlled through a remote or an app installed on a smartphone or tablet. For instance – if you are going out, you can press “Away” and all the activities programmed while in Away mode is made to control instantly – it locks the doors, turns off the lights, and other devices that have to be turned off, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions about Smart Homes-related services and products
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