AV Adviser

Sound bars make it logical to do source switching through the TV

In a home theater one of the most important functions of the AV receiver is to do the switching of sources.  It makes for simple operation and making things easy is critical to a pleasant experience.  You just plug the Blu-ray player, cable box, Apple TV, etc.  into the AV receiver and run a single line to the TV.  The TV just stays on one input making life less complicated.

With the advent of the sound bar the opposite is usually the way to go now.  Most sound bars don't have many source inputs.  There's just no room for them in their compact design.  So now it makes sense to plug the source components into the TV and then run one line from the TV to the sound bar.  Things get more complicated when the TV is to hang on a wall though.  That's too many wires to run through the wall.  Solving issues like this is what I do when I design a customer's system and each case is different.

Still, if the TV is simply sitting on a stand with the sound bar below and in front of it you may consider using the TV as the switcher.  Matthew Moskovciak at CNET tells you how, Get more from your sound bar by using your TV as a switcher

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

John Hannibal

Helping my peers harness technology

At the start of this month I wrote a piece on how my peers, let's just say middle-aged, are technologically behind the curve, Smart phones still baffle the over 50 crowd.  At the end of the story I explained how I'm beginning to use my skills and knowledge to help people get the most of this new wave of invention. It's catching on.

We're all so busy today with raising a family, working, getting things done around the house and all of the other things that come up in life.  Who has time to learn about your smart phone and all of the apps, let alone just enjoy some entertainment.  I do because it's my business. 

So I'm sitting with friends over a Memorial Day barbeque.  I'd plugged my iPhone into their home theater system and fired up KPIG for some good music.  Soon enough the questions began.  How'd you get that station?  How'd you get it to play through the Bose system?  What is this station?  Can I can do this? 

Instead of trying to teach a class right there I set up times with each of them to go through their systems and devices and help them enhance their lifestyle.  They were genuinely excited and began making lists of what they wanted to accomplish. 

I told them I'm trying to help business executives do the same thing.  Give them tools like apps, websites and systems that will make them more organized and productive and even incorporate some leisure activities into their hectic schedule. 

For example, after work today I have to cut the lawn and wash my windows from the outside.  While I'm doing those chores I'll be listening to Paul Krugman's new book, End This Depression Now.  I'll be learning and getting things done.  Simple multi-tasking.

If you're interested I can help you too.  Just let me know. 

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

John Hannibal

A flat panel TV face off, what's the best TV on the market?

Kevin Miller of ISFTV, a company that specializes in TV calibration, recently conducted a flat panel TV face off.  Pitting TVs against each other to determine which TV is the best. 

Last week he spoke with Home Theater Geek host, Scott Wilkinson, and discussed the competition and the results.  Here's the show.

 

Getting Spotify off your computer and throughout your home

This is pretty much a quick lesson in simple distributed audio but since I have some friends in New Zealand and Australia who've just seen Spotify unveiled this week I thought I'd help them out.  There's nothing worse than having all sorts of great music yet be stuck at your desk in order to listen to it. 

If you have a smart phone, be it an iPhone or a Droid product the first thing you want to do is become a premium member.  Then you can stream Spotify on your mobile device.  From their it's simply a matter of plugging the phone into your car or stereo system.  Most new cars come with a mini aux jack, therefore you'll need a mini to mini patch.  For interfacing with a stereo system you'll need an unused input and a mini to RCA patch cord.  Just plug the RCA ends into the unused input. 

Now it gets more tricky if you don't have a smart phone.  Say you just want to get the sound from your PC where Spotify resides to the stereo in your living room.  The cheapest way is to run a long patch cord from the mini jack on the soundcard to the stereo, again, using an unused input.  If your wire run is long, use 22 guage 2 conductor shielded wire then splice on the needed ends.  Here's how to splice it.

If you want to accomplish this without wires here's a few products from RAM that could do the trick.  And there's a good story from the New York Times, Wirelessly Moving Music From Gadgets to the Stereo, with some ideas as well.  Granted these are a bit more expensive. 

Saving the best for last I recommend Sonos.  It's not cheap but not awfully expensive either.  The beauty is you can slowly add more rooms of sound, even getting the music outdoors. After all it's Memorial Day weekend here in the states.  We'll all be outside grilling and chilling. 

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

John Hannibal

3D, could it be a fad once more

3D in the movie theaters has been a fad on three separate occasions, the 50's, the 70s and this latest one.  Calling it a fad means it's to be short-lived.  And by the looks of it, the present resurgence in 3D is heading in that direction.

Have you noticed that there isn't the onslaught of 3D movies there was just a year ago?  If people are growing weary of donning glasses for just a couple of hours in the movie theater what's that say about their acceptance of wearing them while watching TV at home. 

Sure enough there's signs pointing to a real lack of interest by consumers to embrace 3D technology in a TV.  I was never a fan of the idea.  It smacked of an attempt to make consumers think they need to buy a new TV when they'd just purchased a flat panel in the last five years.

Here's a story from Digital Trends that points out the waning interest in 3D, 3D simply isn’t motivating consumers to buy new televisions.

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

John Hannibal

 

Ikea enters the home theater market

I like Ikea for what it is.  They offer modestly priced, modern furniture and accessories that make it easy to transform a room. 

Ikea furniture doesn't have great build quality but has terrific form and function.  If you're one to move fairly regularly it's not the furniture for you.  It can't hold up to that sort of constant transport.  On the other hand, I delight in walking through their massive store and finding solutions galore.  I love the whole room solution concept and plan on doing just that with my son's room. 

Now Ikea is entering the home theater market under the name Uppleva with an all in one unit consisting of a TV built into a stand, a Blu-ray player, speaker bar, and wireless sub.  The TV will be networked with many built-in apps.  It debuts in Europe next month with plans for a US launch in 2013. 

The idea behind it is to clean up unsightly home theater set ups with exposed wires and the like.  That's why you hire a custom integration company such as mine to avoid that.

The unit is being built in China, and the big question is, will it be built well.  It does have a 5 year warranty which is impressive.  It's a harbinger of the changing home theater landscape with the inevitable Apple iTV on the horizon as well.  I have confidence in Apple's capability to build electronics.  Ikea?  Well, I wouldn't suggest being an early adapter. 

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

John Hannibal

The inventor of the TV remote dies

It could be said that Eugene Polley was the man who created the smart home business.  After all he was the man to invent the first wireless television remote.  Polley died on Sunday May 20 at the age of 96. 

Here's the story from Gizmodo, Eugene Polley, Inventor of the First Wireless TV Remote Control, Has Died.

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

John Hannibal

Paying homage to the transistor radio

Since I was about eight years old a radio has been like an appendage to me.  It quickly became a part of me.  Inseparable.  Whether I was holding it while rocking the swing set, tucked under the covers of my bed at night, or up to no good in the woods in my teens.  The radio was always with me and serving as a soundtrack to my life. Of course, radio was good back then, but that's another story. 

My first radio was a Motorola.  I can't recall the model number or it's exact look but it was similar to this.

Encased in an off-white Bakelite it's gold grill shined as I moved the AM dial with my thumb to tune in local Cleveland stations like WHK, WKYC and later WIXY along with Detroit/Windsor's CKLW.  There was no FM band because there was little happening there in those days. 

My next radio, and a very popular one at that, was Panasonic's ball radio.  Mine was blue but they came in other colors as well.  They seemed to exemplify the time perfectly. 

Then came FM radio, and though I first turned to the top 40 of WGCL I was soon lured away by more mature and mysterious sounds heard on WNCR and, when they changed formats, WMMS.  The station that would guide me through my teens. 

I needed a radio that would match the better sound of FM and found perfection in Panasonic's RF-888.

It's big speaker could blast out the music, years before the boombox would become the cranker of choice.  Besides, the accompanying shoulder strap made it easy to walk with, freeing up both hands.  What a sight I must have been walking down the neighborhood streets announcing my presence with loud rock and roll.  A friend of mine bought the same radio.  We'd turn the treble up on one and bass on the other for what we called stereo. 

This Panasonic RF-888 just sold on ebay last night for $82.05.  And it's missing the shoulder strap.  Lately I've been watching the auctions of transistor radios, half tempted to start a collection.  They bring such joy to me.  Even if the content leaves something to be desired these days. 

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

John Hannibal

Dolby making Blu-ray discs sound as good as possible

It's all about the sound.  It's half the equation to a movie.  To think not is to deprive yourself of total immersion. 

Dolby knows this and has now increased it's TruHD lossess audio to 96k.  This may all sound like tech-speak to you, but the bottom line is amazing sound. 

Here's the scoop from Engadget, including a video, Dolby ups TrueHD lossless audio on Blu-ray to 96k, says every upsampled bit is amazing (video).

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

John Hannibal

Making your home theater kid-proof

It's a simple matter of preventive measures.  Like when I set up to DJ a wedding reception.  I make sure that any accidental contact between my equipment and the guests is kept to a minimum. 

The same can be done when designing a home theater.  The USA Today just ran a story on the topic with some great tips, How to kid-proof your home theater. 

It's all quite sensible.  I always steer clear of standing tower speakers if there's toddlers in the house, or plans for the little ones in the future.  And the idea of hiding the equipment is always at the top of the list.  More so because of the interior design issue of not wanting to spoil the look of the room.

In the VCR days I can recall a number of occasions where I'd be called out to find that a kid had stuck something into the VHS slot.  Sometimes it was a little toy and one time it was a sandwhich. 

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

John Hannibal