AV Adviser

A look at some wireless technologies for the home

Cleveland - Wireless technology has come a long way in the last ten years.  Heck, ten years ago wi-fi was all but unheard of.  Today there's a number of different ways to get audio, video and other low voltage signals throughout the home. 

In the custom integration business we have a saying though.  If it can be hard wired then do it.  There's a caveat to that.  At what expense are we hard wiring?  If it means a major demolition of drywall then it probably doesn't make sense.  Unless the plan was for a complete gutting as might take place in an extensive remodelling job. 

A case in point.  I took a look at a customers living room situation in which he wants to hang a flat panel TV over the fireplace.  The equipment (ie., cable box, Blu-ray player, etc.) is located in a cabinet about 15 feet away.  Without actually getting into the crawl space but knowing it was a modern fireplace on an angle in the room, I took an educated guess that we'd be able to run an HDMI line to the fireplace location. 

I quoted both a hard wired and wireless solution.  He liked the idea of wireless.  I didn't.  Running high definition video without wires is not something I'm a fan of at this point, if I can avoid it.  Plus when he goes to sell the house it'd be nice to have a line between the two locations.  So my head tech is going to scope it out this morning to see if it is feasible to get the HDMI line there at the labor figure I quoted.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press writes about some wireless technologies this morning, Coming (un)wired: New technologies make it easier to minimize cords in the home.

 

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

John Hannibal

 

When electricians screw up a pre-wire

I don't often review specific products on my blog.  There's plenty of criticism and critique to be found on the net.  Just google it.  But once in awhile there's a product that comes along which can be a godsend. In this case it's WyreStorm's 60m (Coax) 2W IR. 

60m (Coax) 2W IR doesn't really roll off the tongue now does it?  Personally, I'd have named it something more memorable, but this is a product for custom installers not the general public.  Though it does solve a problem a number of people might have. 

When I take a call from a prospective customer who informs me that their new home or remodeling job has already been pre-wired by the electrician I cross my fingers.  The first rule about employing a custom integrator is to do so at the outset.  We should be involved from the planning stages and certainly not an afterthought.  But that lecture is useless once the die have been cast. 

Electricians, typically the ones who'll do a pre-wire in absence of a custom integrator, have gotten better.  I can remember coming across wiring jobs in the 90s in which the electrician would totally screw up a cable TV distribution.  In wiring for lighting the electrician can "daisy chain".  That means he can leapfrog from one line of romex (wire typically used to carry electricity) to the next.  This is the opposite of "home runs" where each destination should be a straight shot back to the headend (where the cable comes into the house).  In the custom integration business all wiring is home run.  Well, except for 70v audio distribution, a subject for another time.

I'd go to the cable headend and find two pieces of coax (the wire used to carry cable or sat TV).  One would be the feed from the street and the other was the beginning of the daisy chain throughout the house.  They'd put splitters throughtout the wiring scheme.  Between these splitters and the multiple lengths of coax, all stemming from one, the db lose would be too much for a TV signal to travel.  In other words, no TV in many rooms of the house.  We'd have to use powered boosters in order to try and salvage things because by that point the drywall was usually already up. 

As I say, electricians have learned over the years but they still make mistakes.  Now I'll go to a new home and the customer will point to the fireplace indicating they'd like a TV hung above it.  And is the right wiring in place?  Too many times the answer is no.  There will simply be one coax line, albeit home run to the headend.  They got that part right. 

Unless the customer is fine with limited channel choices that come off the cable line without going through a cable box then they will not have high def TV.  The coax line should have been run to the location of the cable box and from there and HDMI line should have been run to the fireplace location.  Ideally there would be a tube in place so any future wiring could be run to the fireplace. 

WyreStorm has a solution for that problem of a single coax run where HDMI (high def) is needed.  The 60m (Coax) 2W IR can send the HDMI signal including both video and audio over the length of coax, converting it to HDMI at the end.  We call these two piece devices baluns.  And this one can come in handy.  Especially with the analog sunset approaching.  What's that I say?  Again, that's another story.

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

John Hannibal

 

Neatness is telltale sign of a good AV install

I've always preached that custom install techs should be like a thief.  No, I don't mean case the joint and steal things.  What I mean is a good installer leaves the scene without a trace of his having been there.  Well, except for the cool gear he's left behind. 

A good installer brings along a drop cloth, a vacuum at the ready and either takes off his shoes or wears shoe covers.  It helps insure that when the job is done it'll be impossible to tell that a contractor has even been in your home. 

There's something more important than picking up after oneself though.  It's the neatness of the install itself.  From how well the wires are concealed (wire management we call it) to making sure the slots on the screws on wall control plates all line up the same way (I prefer vertically).  It's the attention to detail that makes not only the system install look professional but keeps it running smoothly and easily maintained. 

When we come upon an existing install one quick look at the headend (the place where most of the amps and other equipment are housed) will tell us how professional the original installers were.  It's evidence of shoddy work and a lacking pride of workmanship. 

Maybe you have a system that has sloppy wire management.  Here's a story from Consumer Research, Taming your home theater's cable clutter, on how to address the issue yourself.  Of course, you can always get in touch with my company, K+ Integration Systems.  We'd be happy to make things right.  

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

John Hannibal

The wireless home theater receiver

Customers ask me quite often if there are wireless speakers.  The answer is yes but with a caveat.  Home theater in a box set ups sometimes use line of sight wireless rear speakers.  This is entry level stuff and something I don't recommend.  Aside from the inadequate sound reproduction the idea that if the line of sight is upset then the sound goes away.  Of course, between the receiver emitting the signal and the speakers is you and your couch. 

There's also the 900 megahertz technology used in cordless phones.  There are speakers that use the same RF signal (not line of sight) to get sound to a remote speaker.  900 megahertz makes for lousy sound. 

There's also Sonos which isn't exactly wireless speakers but rather a wireless source.  And, anyway, it's not used for home theater surround. 

I've written about Summit and there invention of wireless speaker technology for an av receiver for a few years now.  Their invention won best new product of the year in Popular Science a couple of years ago.  Then last year Aperion incorporated the technology into an av receiver.  Now there is such a thing as wireless speakers.  These speakers are amplified and thus need an AC outlet near each speaker though. 

Here's a short video on how it works. 

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

John Hannibal

Wireless, the simple but sometimes frustrating solution

Over the past few days I've been working on two different home projects.  Each features Sonos and Apple TV, products that can be used wirelessly, and in these cases are, due to the difficulty of retro-fitting wiring. I've been dealing with wireless issues on both projects.

One of the homes, built in the 1920s, is like a castle, literally.  It's facade is made of large stone with the same stone work being found in the home as well.  It's hard to say what's all behind the walls.  Needless to say they're quite impenetrable to wireless RF signals.  

The Time Warner cable modem has a 3rd party wi-fi signal booster, which in most homes, would suffice.  Not so in this fortress.  We've had to add two access points.  There also seems to have been an issue with the TW modem itself so we had one of their techs troubleshoot and replace it.  It appears we've solved the problem.  

In the other home, built in the 1950s, the problems seem to have to do with the size of the house and possible metal studs in some walls.  An access point added to the basement has helped but there's still times when the wireless signal is shaky.  The closest neighbor is two acres away so we've ruled out interference coming from outside the home.

You see, radio frequency (RF) is still a bit of black magic.  A product may say it can reach 75 feet but that's in ideal conditions.  These two homes are not ideal, though, fabulous homes.  

I'm sure you've tried to tune in a radio station that's difficult to receive.  One radio may pick it up while another won't.  Why?  The antenna?  The way the radio is built?  The variables that can cause wireless issues are sometimes difficult to figure out. 

Sonos and Apple TV operate on different  frequencies.  Apple TV uses 802.11n.  802.11 is the same frequency found in most wi-fi networks.  Sonos uses a propriatery network.  It also creates a mesh, the more units you have the more robust the network.  Controlling the Sonos via a smart phone means relying on 802.11 though.  

In the end I like wireless technology.  It can save time and labor resulting in saving money.  Once the issues are resolved it's quite reliable.  

 

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

John Hannibal

Ways to get high def video wirelessly

If the analog sunset happens as is planned at the end of 2012 there's going to be people looking for a way to send their high def signal from source to screen without using wires.  The analog sunset means any high def signal that is being run through component video will be downgraded from 1080i to 480i.  It won't happen with your Blu-ray player unless you load a disc made after a certain date, but the cable and satellite providers are set to shut off your analog HD signal.  They can reach right into your set top box you know. 

In a number of situations it'll be difficult to run an HDMI line to the TV or projector.  That's why these wireless solutions are so important.  Here's a good story from trade publication CE Pro on a number products which do just that, 14 Wireless HD Options.

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

John Hannibal

 

Wireless video is getting better

It was only a few years ago that a box capable of sending your video signal from source components to the TV would run about $1,000.  Even then it wasn't very robust. As is the case with technology, things become better and cheaper with time. 

Today full 1080P signals can be sent through the air in your home with little interference or picture degradation.  I hooked up the new version of Apple TV to my home theater last week.  There's only two wires to connect, the electrical cord and an HDMI cable.  The content is sent wirelessly from your ISP router to the Apple TV puck (that's the size and shape of it). 

I've been testing Apple TV for a few days now and have not had a single hiccup in delivering the content to my big screen TV.  My three year old Sony Blu-ray player has Netlfix and YouTube and is hard wired via an ethernet connection from the router.  It seems archaic now.  The interface is cumbersome.  The content loading times are horrible.  I'll only be using it to watch Blu-ray discs from now on. 

The reason Apple TV is so much faster is the amount of RAM built into it.  Here's a teardown from Gizmodo that reveals what's inside the new model. 

Aside from Apple TV, which only streams internet content wirelessly, there are other products that can send audio and video from any of your source components to your TV through the air.  It makes for a very clean look.  MSNBC writes about it, How to hide your home theater.

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

John Hannibal

Wireless Speakers Still Need Power

A couple of years ago a company called Summit invented wireless speakers for an AV receiver.  Actually wireless technology has been around for years but this was quite an innovation. 

In the past wireless speakers worked via 900 megahertz, the same frequency used on cordless phones.  It was far from perfect.  The signal wasn't clean with some hiss usually detected and you had to have an antenna set up at the source location. 

Then came wireless rear speakers for surround systems.  These usually worked via line of sight which was problematic since most home theater rooms have furniture that might prevent that. 

So Summit invented a technology where the transmitters were built into the AV receiver, sending out separate signals to each of the speakers.  They sold this technology to manufacturers like Aprion who's product using the technology has been showing up on best products of 2011 lists. 

The problem is that each of those speakers that you no longer need to run speaker wire to are powered speakers.  That means you have to plug each speaker into the wall.  In newer homes where building codes call for installing many more AC outlets than in the past it's not that difficult to find an outlet near each speaker placement.  That's not the case in an older home where, if you're lucky, there's one AC outlet per wall. 

If you wanted to mount these wireless speakers on a wall then you'd have to go through the same hassle with flat panel TV mounting, having an electrician install an AC outlet at each speaker location.  And you'd better make sure those wall outlets are recessed so you can mount the speaker while hiding the unsightly outlet. 

A customer asked me earlier this week if there will ever be truly wireless speakers.  Of course, there's wi-fi and the brilliant devices like Sonos but as far as simply wireless speakers, I don't see it happening. 

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

John Hannibal

G.hn, Another Way To Use Existing Home Wiring For AV Needs

Over the past few years technology has brought us new ways to send audio, video and control signals through a house without running any new wiring.  And I'm not talking about wireless technology.  I'm speaking of using existing wires such as coax and electrical romex wire. 

The newest technology, G.hn, will be showing up in consumer products by the end of 2012.  It's got some interesting things going for it but also may be found frustrating to the consumer who could be beholden to the integrator who sets it up. 

It's a bit complicated but perhaps Ross Rubin's story from HD Engadget will help explain it, Switched On: No new wires, one new caveat.  And, again, we're about a year away from this product being introduced.  That's a long time in the fast paced world of technology. 

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

John Hannibal

 

Technology Means Less Unsightly Cables But They're Still Here To Stay

Your done with a major system set up.  The cables and wiring are zip tied, bundled, wrapped as neat as can be.  Still, when the woman of the household looks behind the equipment she's been known to ask, "do we need all those wires?" 

Granted, today, with the advances in technology those wires have been minimized.  With the advent of HDMI, which carries both audio and video, one cable has taken the place of up to five.  Thankfully HDMI is much more dependable these days. 

Then there's wireless which has done away with some cables completely.  Though most in the business will tell you, if you can hard wire it, do so.

Wire management can distinguish a good install from a bad one. You can tell the quality of workmanship by just observing how neat the cable routing is done.

Computer World writes about some different ways to take care of these wiring issues, Clean Up Your Cables, Home-Theater Edition.

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

John Hannibal