AV Adviser

The ultimate audio video gear for your home

Cleveland - I need to pull out this photo essay when customers get a little uneasy at the investment they're about to make on a home A/V system.  CNET's Christopher MacManus put together the ultimate wish list for home electronics where money doesn't matter, $8 million speakers? Home theaters fit for a king. 

Aside from the ridiculous $8 million dollar speakers there's the Samsung 85" 4K HDTV flat panel at $40,000 and speaker cables that'll run you $45,000 a pair.  Now if I could find just one client a year who's ready for a system like this...

If you have question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

The master of home theater design

Cleveland - Theo Kalomirakis is regarded as one of the top designers of home theaters in the world.  He was born in Greece but lives in Brooklyn, New York.  From there he consults and designs, creating some of the most stunning home theaters in existence. 

I talked  with him once or twice, briefly, while working on a proposal for a project some years ago.  He actually came off as a bit arrogant.  I never did see the fianl design as I didn't get the job.  My quote was too high which I found amusing as I'm sure his fee was way more than the average for northeast Ohio.  I guess after paying him they had to cut costs somewhere. 

Digital Trends takes a look at some of his work, Recreating yesterday’s opulent movie palaces at home, with today’s tech .  You'll find some insight into what it takes to create such glamour in your home as well as some photos of his work. 

Kalomirakis and his "money's no object" aesthetic may be too much for most folks around here but his work does inspire.  We at K+ Integration Systems have designers who can work within a budget and make something just as pleasing for you. 

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

How TVs are reviewed and rated

Cleveland - Ever wonder why some TVs are perceived to be better than others by reviewers?  It's not just a matter of looking at a TV screen, dissecting the specs and digging into the menu.  Sophisticated instrumentation goes into the process to determine the quality of a picture. 

Home Theater Review's chief reviewer decided to explain all that went into rating a new television, How We Evaluate and Measure HDTVs.

All that said, TVs have become a commodity for the most part.  At the $1,000 price point each manufacturer makes TVs that are very comparable to one another.  You want a very good TV?  Buy an expensive one.  If you want a mediocre TV then buy a cheap one.  It's really that simple. 

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

 

Dad's hi-fi, Happy Fathers Day

Vintage hi-fi consoles

Which way to go when replacing a projection TV lamp

Cleveland - I have a Sony KDS-55A2000 rear projection HDTV.  Yes, you heard me right.  I don't own a large size flat panel TV.  I'm fine with that because my Sony TV uses their patented SXRD technology which offers an amazing picture.  Nowadays you can only get an SXRD in a front projector since rear projection is all but extinct. 

The KDS-55A2000 is seven years old and over the weekend the lamp on it went.  I was a bit ticked since there was no warning that came up on screen in the days leading up to the failure as you'd imagine.  I heard a click sound and the picture went away.  I turned the TV off and back on.  In about 30 seconds a red LED light flashed next to the word "lamp" telling me I needed to replace it.

I pulled out the manual from the drawer I keep all my manuals in and found the correct replacement lamp model number.  As an Amazon Prime member I went directly there first.  It's where I do the majority of my shopping these days.  I found replacement lamps for between $30 and $40.  Then I went to the Sony site to discover the official replacement lamp runs $300.  That's quite a difference. 

So I read the reviews on Amazon.  Crowd sourcing has replaced the need to consumer reports hasn't it?  It turns out these cheap lamps were after-market knock-offs.  Some buyers said they only received a bulb and had to fasten it into the old lamp casing.  That's not what the photo of the product showed. Other reviews said the new lamp only lasted six months or a year.  

The original lamp in my TV had worked for seven years.  If the authorized replacement lamp lasts seven years it'd be well worth the large price tag.  So that's the way I went.  Afterall, this is my main viewing TV and I love it. 

It could've been worse.  The lamp could've died during some major event I'd planned on watching.  Instead it happened on a Saturday morning in the summer.  There's been plenty of other things to do these past few days as I wait for the new lamp to arrive.  By the way, it ships second day air at no extra charge. 

I'm really looking forward to replacing the lamp.  I'm certain the bright picture will be quite startling as over the years a lamp begins to weaken, darkening the screen.  It'll be like owning a new TV set.  That and the piece of mind that comes from buying the authorized replacement makes it money well spent. 

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

Why did Apple opt for Pandora over Spotify?

Cleveland - I was sorely disappointed in yesterday's Apple keynote.  The new mobile operating system, iOS 7 looks very cool but where's the new phone?  I guess we have to wait until the fall like most everything else they announced yesterday. My big problem with the event was their plan to enter the streaming music category with a Pandora-style player rather than Spotify.

Pandora and Spotify are far from similar.  Pandora allows you to choose artists you like and then create a "radio station" around those choices.  It picks the songs through sophisticated algorithms.  You don't get a choice of what exact song you want to hear at any given time.  Spotify is like owning the world's largest music collection.  You choose precisely what song or album you want to listen to.  Pandora is for people who like music.  Spotify is for people who love music. 

I'm quite certain the reason Apple decided to go the "radio" route instead of the "library" is for fear that it would eat into their lucrative iTunes store.  With Spotify you really don't need to purchase songs.  They're with you any time you want to hear them. 

To my mind Apple has done a disservice to their customers.  Google opted for a Spotify-type service with their recently announced Google Music.  It was there for Apple to offer yet they are giving their customers a lesser product. 

Oh well, I'll stick with Spotify who must be breathing a big sigh of relief.  Now is the time they should jump on a major ad campaign and solidify themselves as the premier service.

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

 

After a long 9 months Apple ready to introduce something new

Cleveland - The annual Apple World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) gets underway in San Fransisco today.  The keynote, where the company unveils new products, is always the highlight.  It's not the only day of the year that they announce new things, but it has been nine months since we last got a new taste from Apple. 

With their stock slipping, a rough court battle with Samsung, and Android getting much of the attention these days Apple needs to make a splash.  There's concern that without Steve Jobs the company will hardly be cannonballing into the pool. 

Rumors are of a new operating system, iOS 7, designed by Jonathan Ive.  Ive, the man behind the iconic design of Apple hardware, was brought into the software department to shake things up.  You can count on one slick looking and acting interface. 

There's also word of Apple opening up the Apple TV platform for developers to create apps for Apple TV.  Though not an immediate gratification, third party apps could make Apple TV so much more in the near future. 

Will there be a new phone?  Will they finally announce a streaming music service?  Will it be like Pandora or Spotify?  There's many of questions and predictions from the media.  Here's a few from Forbes, NBC, and Wall Street Journal.  All will be answered at 1pm Cleveland time. 

If you have aquestion or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal

 

Vintage cassette decks

Apple's streaming service may be announced Monday

Cleveland - I've been waiting for Apple's streaming service for a few years now.  And every major announcement from the company is a major let down for me.  It's not that I'm unhappy with Spotify, but it can be done better and Apple's track record says they can do it.

It looks like Apple may finally announce the service Monday.  Word this week is that they've penned a deal with Warner, Apple Secures Warner Music Group Rights for Streaming Music Service.  They already have Universal on board but it looks like they're still in negotiations with Sony.  It would be a bad move to come to market without Sony signed. After all Spotify and Google's recently announced streaming service have all three of the majors.  So there is a chance nothing will happen on Monday.

Streaming music services are the best thing that's happened for music fans ever.  Period.  The problem is that many still don't understand it or think it's too good to be true.  Why Spotify has not done a major advertising campaign is beyond me.  Get some major artists to explain the service on a national media platform and people will sign up in droves. 

None of the streaming services have made money yet but analysts think that with a larger membership that will change.  The same goes with commissions to artists.  And if anyone can market streaming music it would be Apple. 

The name for Apple's streaming service being bandied about is iRadio  I don't like it.  That indicates it'll be something like Pandora where you don't get to choose exactly what you want to hear.  I love radio when its programmed by a real person not by an algorithm.  If Apple goes this way it'll be a big mistake. 

 

If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com

John Hannibal