Don’t Come Home To A Dark House Again

Do you live alone? How do you feel coming home to a dark house? Nothing is scary as walking into a dark house at night, especially if you live alone. Control4 wireless dimmers can be programmed so that the second you open the door all of your lights inside come on. No more coming home to a dark house again. Good news…there is no special wiring needed. They simply replace your existing light switch.

HC500

hc500

If you love the HC300, then you are going to really love the hc500.

The control4 hc500 is not only faster but includes a hard drive for your favorite mp3’s and ipod music.

Imagine a 180 gig hard drive large enough to hold 2000 of your favorite albums. Download them to the hc500 and it does the rest for you by cruising the internet in search of the albums cover art which is nicely displayed on its 720p HD gooey screen.

Greater speed plus the ability to store music…the hc500 is a favorite over the hc300 or the hc200 any day.

What are the disadvantages of a Plasma TV?

While they plasma’s certainly have their good points there are  a couple of  negative things about a plasma TV that you deserve to understand before spending your money on one.

Taking the time to Instruct yourself about these flat screen panels will certainly aid you in making your final decision.

Disadvantage # 1:  How small do you want it?
Plasma TV’s are readily available in sizes 42” to 65”. Here is a good article on how to tell what size TV should you get.  But what if you wanted something smaller? Perhaps your wall space or furniture will only  allow a 37” TV? Or perhaps you want to put one in the bathroom so you can watch the news while dressing in the morning? Well then a plasma is not the answer. You are probably going to have to get an LCD TV.

Disadvantage # 2: Plenty of Sunlight
Does your TV viewing room have plenty sunshine coming through your windows? While this is a ideal thing to keep a room cheerful, sunshine is the arch enemy of the plasma. Why? Basically it is because the plasma screen is made of glass and can reflect a whole lot of light. How does this impact your TV viewing?   Besides an annoying glare it possibly also cause a washout of color. Even indirect lighting can cause a contrast ratio reduction, especially in black colors produced on the screen. So if you already have a plasma TV then look for room darkening  curtains that you can use during TV watching times.  Don’t forget to turn off those lamps and overhead lights. Here is an idea you may want to get a plasma with a glare reducing shield. Remember every little thing will help. On the other hand, you can always get a LCD.

Disadvantage # 3: Were you planning on hooking up to your computer?
Do you like the idea of downloading movies and watching them on your TV? In effect your TV becomes a huge computer monitor! Add to this the use of an external hard drive to store scores of your favorite movies and it is evident that you want a TV that can hook up to your computer to get a HD picture. Sad to say, some plasma TV’s don’t allow you to do this. So here is my suggestion. Do your research first. Some of the newer models will allow you to do this. Your other option is to get the next model up from the one you are looking at to get this feature. Your other choice is to purchase a LCD TV.

If you would like to read about the differences between a Plasma and LCD here is a good article to read.

If you are looking for help installing your new Tv please contact us.

Nintendo Wii Bowling

You have not played Nintendo wii until you have played it on the big screen. You thought playing on your 50″ sony bravia was fun…Imagine playing it on a 110″ projector screen!

This game is not just for kids.

Here is a video about a bunch of senior citizens that have formed leagues that play weekly. What a great way to combine home theater, exercise and fun.

And here is an article about home theater techs having fun with wii bowling.

Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!

Control4: 4 zone amp

Control4 has released a 4 zone version of its amplifier according to a press release from the official control4 site.  It is called, the Control4® Multi-Channel 4-Zone Amplifier.

What that means is that instead of spending $2,400 on an 8 zone amp to distribute music when you don’t necessarily need one you can opt for its little brother now.

The 4 zone amp will allow you to send your favorite music to up to 4 zones in your home. Using the 50% rule we can take 2 of those zones and put 2 sets of speakers on each of these zones for you. This means up to 6 rooms can now have 60 watts of music playing out of your ceiling speakers simultaneously.

The best thing of all is that the 4 zone amp is half the price of its big brother, coming in at only $1,195.00.

Need help designing your system? Ask an atlanta georgia Control4 dealer.

Additional articles of interest:

Control4 4-Zone Digital Amplifier

Control4® 4 Zone Amplifier

HC200- Sneak Preview

Up until now the HC300 is the most affordable controller in the current Control4 family.

But not any longer. The official control4 website issued a press release about the upcoming HC200. It has been billed as the “first sub $500 controller” in the control4 family.

Here is a direct quote:

“For approximately the same price as a universal remote, an HC-200 can replace existing remote controls delivering easy navigation and streamlining home entertainment. The same HC-200 can also control lights, temperature, security and multi-room music, even Real Networks Rhapsody streaming music service.”

This means that if you have been holding back on automating your home, control4 will now be even more affordable.

It was supposed to start shipping this past November, but they haven’t even put the picture or specs on the control4 website yet. We will keep you posted on delivery dates.

Here are a few other articles on the HC200 including a few pictures too:

Control4 Home Controller HC-200

Control4’s Ultra-Affordable HC-200 Controller to Compete Against Universal Remotes

Control4 Home Controller HC-200

Control4 Introduces $499 Home Automation Controller

Control4 HC300

HC300 by control4

Save your money on fancy universal remote controls

This home automation controller comes with an RF remote control and can control anything in your home. The HC300 can produce a 720 HD interface on your TV screen that looks like this:

control4 TV gooey

This will allow you to control lighting, security, TV, Movies, Ipod and music too.

Retails for $699.00

Would you like to try the HC300? Then schedule an appointment in our Atlanta control4 showroom.

Control4 Ipod Dock

Control4 is finally ready to ship it’s version of the Ipod dock. Reports were released back in the summer  and everyone has been excited about the possibility of distributing audio through out your home with this amazing technology.

If you are not sure of what an ipod is , then read “Ipods: what are they”

Back in 2005 at the cedia show control4 showed how to use a standard ipod dock. But that is no longer necessary thanks to their new release.

The Control4 Dock for iPod offers better navigation and control than existing docks that are out there. It allows you to effectively distribute music and video throughout your home.

It allows you to access your music from anywhere that you want. Simply use any control4 interface to control your ipod even if it’s on the other side of the house.

And true to form the control4 dock for ipod allows you to view album cover art for your music and control of your ipod.

Retails for $299.00

If you need help installing and programming your control4 equipment only use control4 platinum dealers.

Control4 7″ Color Touchpad

control4 7" color touch pad

The 7″ Touchpad by Control4 is absolutely beautiful and fun to play with.

Imagine controlling everything in your home from this wall mounted touch screen. I mean everything, including your lighting, security, music and video. Now you can even control your Ipod too.

Simply touch the video or music button and you are scrolling through cover art of all of your favorite movies and Cd’s on this bright fully colored screen.

Retails for $ 1,195.00

If you need help installing your Touch pads feel free to contact us.

What are the disadvantages of a plasma TV?

While they plasma’s certainly have their good points there are  a couple of  negative things about a plasma TV that you deserve to understand before spending your money on one.

Taking the time to Instruct yourself about these flat screen panels will certainly aid you in making your final decision.

Disadvantage # 1:  How small do you want it?
Plasma TV’s are readily available in sizes 42” to 65”. But what if you wanted something smaller? Perhaps your wall space or furniture will onlyallow a 37” TV? Or perhaps you want to put one in the bathroom so you can watch the news while dressing? Well then a plasma is not the answer. You are probably going to have to get an LCD TV.

Disadvantage # 2: Sunlight…Natures gift…The plasma’s curse
Does your TV viewing room have plenty sunshine coming through your windows? While this is a ideal thing to keep a room cheerful, sunshine is the arch enemy of the plasma. Why? Basically it is because the plasma screen is made of glass and can reflect a whole lot of light. How does this impact your TV viewing?   Besides an annoying glare it possibly also cause a washout of color. Even indirect lighting can cause a contrast ratio reduction, especially in black colors produced on the screen. So if you already have a plasma TV then look for room darkening  curtains that you can use during TV watching times.  Don’t forget to turn off those lamps and overhead lights. Here is an idea you may want to get a plasma with a glare reducing shield. Remember every little thing will help. Here is an idea, you can always get a LCD.

Disadvantage # 3: Were you planning on hooking up to your computer?
Do you like the idea of downloading movies and watching them on your TV? In effect your TV becomes a huge computer monitor! Add to this the use of an external hard drive to store scores of your favorite movies and it is evident that you want a TV that can hook up to your computer to get a HD picture. Sad to say, some plasma TV’s don’t allow you to do this. So here is my suggestion. Do your research first. Some of the newer models will allow you to do this. Your other option is to get the next model up from the one you are looking at to get this feature. Your other choice is to purchase a LCD TV.
After reading this article you might think I don’t like Plasma TV’s and favor LCD TVs. That is not so because they both have their benefits and advantages. If you would like to read about the differences between a Plasma and LCD feel free to read our website article.