AT A GLANCE
Plus
Very solid amplifier performance
DTS:X, Dolby Atmos on board with seven-channel power and nine-channel processing
Good streaming-audio client performance and ergonomics
Minus
Ho-hum remote
Firmware/feature upgrade process is clumsy
THE VERDICT
Denon’s latest-generation upper-echelon AVR does all of the most current modes, sources, and processings very competently indeed, with ample audio power and fully up-to-date video abilities.
Full disclosure: Denon holds a special place in my hi-fi heart, because the brand’s former parent company, Nippon Columbia, brought me to Japan for my first time, on a sort of mini–press junket cooked up by the firm’s U.S. marketing guru. When I say mini, I mean it: It was just myself; Ken, the marketing guy; colleague Ken Pohlmann; and the late consumer electronics editor Bill Wolfe, whom I already knew well through long associations at titles like Video, Car Stereo Review, and (Plain Ol’) Stereo Review (S&V’s precursor).
Increasingly, technology is transforming kitchen culture via smartphones, tablets, and charging stations. Whether you read recipes from an iPad, play favorite tunes when hosting guests, or use USB ports to keep favorite gadgets charged, today’s kitchen is exceptionally high-tech and connected. The adorne Under-Cabinet Lighting & Power System from Legrand is the collection’s answer to the demanding need for technology in the kitchen, and with new updates to the system’s aesthetics, homeowners have even more options.
The modular track that fits under the kitchen cabinets to discreetly deliver light power and music to the space is now available in a new hue to match even more kitchen design aesthetics: white. Additionally, the system has upgraded the lighting with a sophisticated LED strip light. Complete with power outlets, USB ports, a Bluetooth music system, and mobile charging cradles the system enables backsplash to be clear of outlets and cord clutter — yielding a blank canvas to create beautiful backsplashes. Each aspect is customizable as the configuration is easy to update at any time by popping out any module and replacing it with a new insert.
The product’s low-profile track is available in four lengths and plugs into an existing outlet or can be installed with in-wall wiring to completely eliminate all outlets from the backsplash.
The post Under-Cabinet LED Lighting Brings Beauty and Functionality to the Kitchen appeared first on Electronic House.
For decades audiophiles have coveted the performance of electrostatic (ESL) loudspeakers for their speed and transparency. The loudspeaker manufacturer MartinLoganhas refined the performance of electrostat speakers with its own unique designs, and its latest product provides stereo and surround sound system owners with an elegant, modern take on its timeless ESL technologies.
Debuting at CEDIA 2016 in Dallas, the newly announced Classic ESL 9 features MartinLogan’s proprietary Curvilinear Line Source (CLS) XStat vacuum-bonded ESL panel with microperf stator technology, along with its AirFrame Blade construction.
Balancing the frequency response of the speaker is a pair of 8-inch aluminum cone woofers the enable the hybrid speaker design to extend down to 34Hz.
Describing the performance of its CLS ESL panel technologies, MartinLogan says that its design builds in a slight horizontal curvature that, “enhances the high-frequency detail and dispersion by the large radiating surface, without compromising sound quality.”
ESL technologies produce a dipole dispersion pattern, producing a minimal amount of sound to the sides, and in the case of the Classic ESL, it employs a dipolar 9.2-inch x 44-inch electrostatic transducer. Augmenting the panel, the speaker’s two 8-inch aluminum cone woofers are housed in a complementary enclosure, along with a MartinLogan Vojtko crossover network that controls the interaction between the CLS and cone woofers.
Housing its CLS ESL designs is MartinLogan’s rigid AirFrame design that is precision made from an aerospace-grade extruded aluminum alloy. MartinLogan points out this design maximizes the performance of the CLS panel, while providing electrical and acoustic isolation.
The Classic ESL 9 will be available in November 2016 at a MSRP of $6,495 per pair.
The post MartinLogan Goes Retro with Launch of Classic ESL 9 Loudspeaker appeared first on Electronic House.
Full disclosure: I skip commercials. Even during the Super Bowl. It’s one of the reasons I love my Dish Hopper DVR, which does the skipping for me, even when I’m not at the controls.
Dish had some fresh competition on the commercial-skipping front at CEDIA 2016. Now TiVo skips commercials, too. Which is better?
Dish AutoHop
For the prime-time shows with “AutoHop,” the Dish service works flawlessly. There is never, ever a misstep. Even those 5-second trailers — where a network touts its own shows just before returning the viewer to main performance — remains intact, so Dish keeps its partners happy.
How does Dish skip commercials so perfectly? We revealed the dirty little secret last year: Dish has people who sit and watch the shows as they air, and they flag the beginnings and ends of the commercials for AutoHop. It was one of the most tech-defying secrets CE Pro has ever exposed.
So that’s why the service works so well. The problem is … Dish tags only a handful of primetime shows by a select number of networks. Worse, they’re not available with commercial-skipping until several days after the show airs.
After all, Dish has to maintain its crucial relationships with the major networks, most of which sued and settled with Dish over AutoHop.
So for primetime shows that can wait, Dish’s AutoHop is a treat. Here’s a bigger treat: Dish’s PrimeTime Anytime service records all the big network shows during the crucial hours. And why not with Hopper 3’s 2 TBs of storage (more via USB)?
TiVo SkipMode
In comes TiVo with Roamio, Bolt and now Bolt+ and the new SkipMode service. TiVo doesn’t need to appease the studios and networks like Dish does. So they can skip away.
TiVo’s newish SkipMode service covers the top 20 channels, and ad-free versions are available roughly five minutes after air time.
So how does TiVo get away with it when Dish was sued by everyone?
TiVo’s trick is that their “people” only tag the beginning of each TV segment – not the end. Essentially, they’re bookmarking chapters and the user just presses the SKIP button to … skip to the next segment.
It’s a handy feature, not just for skipping commercials but for jumping through the slow bits of a show, like those super-long previews of CBS Sunday Morning, which unfortunately is not a primetime event.
The thing about TiVo’s SkipMode is that you have to be at the remote control to skip a commercial, which isn’t very convenient if you’re, say, cleaning the house or cooking. I’m good there.
At CEDIA, product manager Jeff Pedersen told me the bookmarks are created by using real live people watching TVs as well as special TiVo technology – about 50/50, he guesses.
Take your pick: More shows almost immediately after they air … and you have to press a button? Or fewer shows, available days after they air, but you can cook and clean while you watch and skip?
The post TiVo vs. Dish: Which DVR Skips Commercials Better? appeared first on Electronic House.
More than 100 years ago, the barn that now occupies a pristine piece of property in the Catskill Mountains functioned as all barns do, by housing livestock, feed, and farm implements.
But that was then, and this is now, and based on the level of technology recently incorporated into the relocated and refurbished building, you’d never guess that its roots date back to before Thomas Edison invented the light bulb.
Functional and Frugal Lighting
Thanks to its purposeful orientation to the sun and the addition of dozens of controllable LED fixtures, this unique dwelling never lacks light, yet it remains extremely energy efficient. The LutronHomeWorks system that was installed and programmed by the New York City-based home systems integration firm Cloud9 Smarthome ensures that the lighting in this “green” home operates only when necessary and only at the most appropriate brightness level, which according to Jordan Wills, director of marketing, is 80 percent.
The HomeWorks system was integrated with a Savant home control system, which enables the homeowners to press one button on a tablet or iPhone to turn off every fixture. If they plan to be gone for more than a day, they can pull up the Savant TrueControl app to activate a “vacation” setting, which turns the lights on and off randomly to mimic occupancy.
“This adds a level of security by making the house look as if someone is home,” Wills explains.
The owners maintained some vintage charm of the residence with the modern lighting by turning an old-fashioned punch-clock (pictured opposite page) into a keypad that can be used to control select groups of LED lights. The specially-designed “keypad” fits right in with the reclaimed doors, sinks, and light fixtures.
A Technological Escape
Lighting isn’t the only technological component helping the owners of this repurposed barn lead a greener, simpler, more efficient lifestyle.
“Their goal from the start was to use technology in order to get away from it,” Wills says. “Every piece of electronic equipment was chosen for its low-consumption of electricity. No cable or phone service was ordered; only Internet, with Wi-Fi extending down to the pond as their only link to the outside world.”
Even the home’s one and only TV, a 55-inch Sony, is “disconnected,” as the cord-cutting homeowners rely on an Apple TV as their only video source.
Getting away from it all was, in fact, the main impetus for the renovation, which involved moving the barn from Vermont to a secluded piece of property in the Catskills. When the owners arrive to their getaway — by electric car, of course — they press a button on a Lutron remote that’s clipped to the visor of their vehicle, and the 4,500-square-foot home rolls out the welcome mat. Configured by Cloud9, this Welcome scene activates a preset group of energy-efficient LED lights for a safe, stumble-free nighttime arrival.
If the owners would also like music to greet them, they can pull up a Savant mobile app on their smartphones to turn on a mix of vintage and modern McIntosh and Bang & Olufsen audio equipment and have their favorite tunes delivered to a variety of speakers that Cloud9 placed inside and outside the barn.
Cost-Cutting Comfort
Just as the Savant system ensures that the homeowners never enter a dark house, it guarantees that the temperature is always comfortable upon their arrival — as long as they tap into the Savant app a few days before they plan to reconnect with their rustic getaway.
As Wills explains, the high-mass concrete slab with radiant heating tubes that was poured during the rebuild of the barn is super-efficient but takes two to three days to ramp up to the proper temperature in the winter. The owners kickstart the 8-zone Savant heating system from their smartphones at their primary residence 85 miles away. Once the temperature of the house has reached the ideal level, the radiant floor heating system requires very little energy to maintain it.
Last winter, for example, the homeowners spent just $800 to fuel the system, says Wills. A Big Ass Fans ceiling fan, also controllable remotely or locally via a Savant mobile app, can supplement the heating system by circulating warm air throughout the residence. A traditional fireplace helps out, too. There’s no need for AC. The home stays cool enough in the summer on its own.
The Art of Music Listening
Cloud9 took advantage of one area that was actually primed for the incorporation of cutting-edge technology. The previous owner of the barn had used a portion of the space as a recording studio, and had reinforced the room with 1.5-inch thick walls and acoustically engineered construction.
The current owners never planned to record their own music, but benefited from the finely tuned area by calling on Cloud9 to convert it into a high-end listening room. They outfitted it with a Sony HAP-Z1ES high-res audio player, Sony TA-A1ES amplifier, and a pair of top-caliber Sony SS-NA2 ES speakers.
“These three pieces are a match made in heaven and one of the true bargains in hi-fi,” Wills says.
Solar, Tesla and More
So far, the Savant system and its complementary suite of electronic components have afforded the homeowners the opportunity to curb their reliance on energy, and Savant’s Ethernet-based power metering control allows them to monitor their success.
The Smart Energy Monitor, which is attached to the home’s incoming electrical service, captures and logs overall electricity usage and production in real time. The owners view the data via the TrueControl app on their iOS smartphones or tablets. Still, they’re eager to add more as they inch closer to their goals of Net Zero consumption and living off the grid completely.
The solar panels and a Tesla battery scheduled for installation and integration with the Savant system could be the final technological twist this homestead needs to disconnect and function independently — much like it did 200 years ago.
The post 1800s Barn Provides High-Tech, Energy Efficient Escape: Gold Award Winner for Best Unique Space appeared first on Electronic House.
Q I own a Marantz NR1606 Dolby Atmos/DTS:X-enabled AV receiver, a Roku 4 streamer, a Samsung Ultra HD Blu-ray player, and a Samsung JS8500 Ultra HDTV. Which of these devices will deliver the best audio and video performance for streaming? —Richard Wahlstrom
QI’m looking for a playback system that can rip, convert, and store my Blu-ray Discs, DVDs, CDs, and SACD/DVD-Audio discs in a format that preserves their high resolution and multichannel sound. I’ve looked at HTPCs and multi-bay drives but am having trouble finding a solution that’s affordable. Do you have any suggestions? —Stephen Romanelli / via e-mail
Each year the editorial staff at Electronic House reviews hundreds of submissions to its Home of the Year contest. The entries submitted by home systems integrators represent some of the smartest, most innovative home tech projects on the planet. Here, you’ll see our Gold and Silver picks for the Best Home Theaters, between $75,000 and $150,000 in high-tech equipment.
Blessed with 14,000 square feet of living space, the owners of this St. Paul, Minn., mansion had plenty of room for entertaining family and friends — spacious family room and kitchen, luxuriously appointed patio, a grand foyer. The only thing missing, it seemed, was a sensational home theater. Remarkably, one of the biggest challenges was finding a good spot. The crawlspace-like basement of this 1906 home was a no-go, as were the family room, den, and other spaces that the owners preferred to keep as is. The best option, says Lance Anderson, founder and CEO of the home systems integration firm Admit One, of Edina, Minn., was a dusty storage space on the third floor.
Admittedly, scaling the stairs to reach the home theater would require more muscle than skipping over to a media setup on a lower level, but the homeowners liked the idea of making their home theater feel like a special destination. They also were keen on the concept of maintaining the same vintage look that pervades the rest of the residence. Naturally, then, says Anderson, concealing most of the A/V gear was of the upmost importance. “They wanted the period design to be the focal point, not the projector or the speakers.”
In a room of typical construction, Admit One could have easily tucked a rack of equipment in a wall and stowed a projector above the ceiling. Speakers could have been recessed into the ceiling and walls and to top it off, a sleek, modern keypad or touchpanel could have been mounted to the wall for a quick, convenient kick-start of the equipment as the owners strolled into the room. This 24-by-12-foot room, however, featured slanted walls, dormer windows, and a vaulted ceiling — unaccommodating of these common cloak-and-dagger techniques.
In the business of home theater design for more than 14 years, Admit One has experienced its fair share of challenging installations, so the embraced this project with gusto, engineering creative solutions that would preserve the home’s historic integrity without any compromise to the performance of the cutting-edge gear selected for the award-winning home theater, nor to the comfort of theatergoers. Before any A/V gear could be installed, Admit One had to tackle a tricky layout and configuration of the theater seats. Slanted walls dictated a rather unconventional arrangement of eight vintage-style chairs. “Guests wouldn’t be able to enter the room if the seats had been set up in rows across the width of the theater without crouching,” says Anderson. To ensure that guests could comfortably walk to their seats, a center aisle was designed, with four chairs on each side.
This clever and effective configuration set the tone for the rest of the theater design. A Sony 4K video projector suspended from the ceiling above the aisle is hidden within a custom-built “hush box” that was crafted to complement the period style. Admit One added a cooling system to make sure the projector would never overheat and to keep it in mint condition. The Sony projector is positioned perfectly to shoot vivid video to a 127-diagonal-inch Stewart Filmscreen screen that commands the front of the room. Seven JBL Synthesis speakers and two subwoofers round out the A/V accouterments, but they remain largely undetected, having been mounted to the walls and covered by acoustical panels, which were designed and fabricated in a special silk material by Admit One to hide the technology without muffling the audio … and of course, to satisfy the owners’ desire for downplayed electronics.
The last piece of the concealment puzzle was locating an impressive rack of A/V components so they would be out of sight yet easily accessible for service and maintenance. Unlike other spots that may have offered storage in a closet, this room was lacking any tuck-away area. Admit One and the project architect quickly devised a scheme that’s more than just a place to put gear, but adds an element of excitement to the home theater experience.
An authentic-looking ticket booth was designed and stands just outside the entrance to the theater. Built into the back side of the booth, a Middle Atlantic rack holds JBL Synthesis processors and amplifiers, an Integra processor, and a suite of Kaleidescape media servers. The entire rack slides out so that Admit One designers can easily reach the wiring and the rear of the components for any future equipment updates or upgrades.
The culmination of this theater’s creative design, though, has to be the keypad that controls the entire A/V setup plus the lights. Instead of using a standard keypad that exudes a sleek, modern appearance, Admit One fashioned one to look much more … well, old-fashioned. Small backlit buttons were replaced with simple toggle-style buttons and an antique brass faceplate was applied. The custom keypad may look like a throwback from the early 1900s, but it’s anything but antiquated when it comes to operating the modern technology. Using an RTI processor as the room’s control platform, Admit One programmed the equipment to respond in a perfectly timed sequence to buttons pressed on the keypad or an RTI handheld remote. A single tap, for instance, dims the lights and activates the appropriate equipment for a spontaneous movie night; another shuts down everything as the owners and their guests exit.
For an extra touch, Admit One refurbished at old, non-working intercom system to allow the owners to easily communicate from the theater with family members through the enormous home. A fresh bucket of popcorn is just an intercom call away.
The family that owns this stunning theater had never been at a loss for places to watch movies in their home. “There are various other media areas with full surround-sound setups,” says Bob Gullo, chief creative officer at Electronics Design Group (EDG), a home systems integration firm based in Piscataway, N.J. “But what they were lacking was a singular-purpose room and a place where they could truly escape to enjoy their favorite films … a special entertainment destination. So while the house was undergoing a major renovation, the team at EDG transformed a portion of the home’s lower level into a dedicated home theater, complete with a sealed door to close it off from the rest of the house.
Soundproofing this room so that no noise from outside could enter or audio from the commercial-grade amps and speakers could leave was a top priority of the project. In addition to insulation behind the walls, above the ceiling, and inside the seating platform (provided by the general contractor), EDG covered the walls in acoustical fabric. In addition to enhancing the acoustical properties of the room, it gave EDG a place behind which to install the seven Klipsch speakers and two subwoofers. As is the case with most of its dedicated theater projects, EDG specified commercial-grade speakers and subs. “Choosing pro products provides an experience that’s closer to a real cinema than standard home theater products,” says Gullo.
The video performance is top-notch, too, thanks to a Sony 4K video projector, 138-inch Elite Screens screen, which are fed by an Oppo-Digital Blu-ray Disc player, Apple TV, and cable box. A Control4 SR-260 remote lets them control the gear, as well as three lighting scenes—high, medium, and low—provided by a Lutron QS system.
The post Gold and Silver Award-Winning Home Theaters appeared first on Electronic House.
By Jordan O’Brien
It’s good news for the custom install industry when a big manufacturer invests in the channel, and even more so when it’s Sony. That’s why integrators are excited about Sony’s first 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player, which was announced at CEDIA 2016. Homeowners should be just as excited about the chance to have a 4K player that’s not only, well, 4K, but that is so packed with other incredible features that it is best installed and configured by a professional.
Some of the notable features include support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio formats and ‘virtually any optical disk format,’ along with compatibility. And unlike many conventional 4K Ultra HD players currently on the market, Sony has fully certified its model with some of the leading home control and automation systems, including Control4, Crestron and Savant, among others.
The player also provides virtually every connectivity option required for today’s custom installations, including IP Control over CAT 5 cable or Wi-Fi networks; RS232C two-way control and IR-IN.
“Our new reference model has been specifically designed to deliver the highest quality video and audio possible and will excite the most demanding A/V enthusiasts,” says Yukio Ishikawa, director of home entertainment systems, Sony.
The X1000ES Universal Player is compatible with Ultra HD Blu-ray discs as well as video streaming in full 4K resolution and High Dynamic Range (HDR).
In addition to support for Ultra HD Blu-ray discs, the X1000ES utilizes a Sony-developed Precision HD drive to help maintain consistent performance with virtually every optical disc format, including DVD Video and DVD Audio; CD and SA-CD; and Blu-ray 3D and BD-ROM media.
The player also incorporates a variety of video codecs that can deliver 4K streaming from video streaming services.
A dedicated picture mode for HDR content is provided, along with Sony’s video processing that upscales 1080p content to near 4K 60p resolution. Additionally, when playing 4K HDR content on a 4K SDR television, the X1000ES utilizes a unique Sony algorithm to reproduce the proper brightness and color gradations to provide the best picture possible.
The X1000ES offers a number of other ES refinements, including dual HDMI outputs with separate audio and video signal paths and its HDMI, 2ch analog and coaxial digital outputs are gold evaporated for better conductivity.
The new UBP-X1000ES is being offered exclusively to the custom installer channel and comes with a 3-year limited parts and labor warranty. It will be available from authorized Sony AV dealers and custom installers in spring 2017. Pricing will be announced at a later date.
This article was originally published on CE Pro Europe.
The post Sony’s First 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player Supports Home Automation, Dolby Atmos, and DTS:X appeared first on Electronic House.
One of the most popular home audio systems on the market today, Sonos, will be widely available to consumers online at apple.com and at physical Apple Stores starting October 5. The first Sonos products to be sold will be the company’s two most popular speakers: the PLAY:1 and PLAY:5. Even better, and some of the stores you’ll be able to experience hands-on demonstrations of Sonos and Apple Misc working together.
“Our expanded collaboration with Apple is a great example of our ongoing work with our full ecosystem of partners to make it easier than ever to listen to music out loud at home,” says Patrick Spence, president of Sonos. “Apple Music on Sonos is a powerful experience, one we’re proud to bring directly to Apple fans at Apple stores worldwide.”
One of the coolest features you might get to try is controlling a Sonos system with simple voice commands. Sonos recently integrated the Alexa technology into its system, enabling users of Amazon Echo or Echo Dot to use voice commands to play, pause, skip, control volume and more.
The demos at the Apple Stores will be controlled via a Sonos app on an iPad Pro, further solidifying the strength of the Apple-Sonos collaboration. The collaboration is a natural extension of two company’s already established relationship with a Feb. 10 announcement that Apple Music would be available on Sonos systems, and be able to stream that music through Sonos smart speakers positioned throughout the house.
As part of the recent deal between Apple and Sonos, anyone who buys a Sonos system at Apple retail stores or at Apple.com between now and December 31 will receive a free three-month Apple Music Gift Card.
The post Sonos Now Available at Apple Stores appeared first on Electronic House.
Last week the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) accused LG, Samsung, and Vizio of exploiting flaws in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) method for testing TV energy use by designing TVs that disable energy-saving features when the viewer changes picture settings, significantly boosting the set’s energy consumption.
AT A GLANCE
Plus
Brilliant octave-to-octave balance for musical playback
Exceptional center-channel timbral match
Effective and adaptable Atmos module design
Minus
Short towers may require tilt/angle manipulation
Limited subwoofer extension
A bit expensive relative to some recent debuts
THE VERDICT
Though it’s got some stiff competition at and even below its price, the Imagine X series trickles the magic of PSB’s near-perfect tonal balance down to a more attainable price while adding the option of object-based surround sound.
It’s a fact that good loudspeakers sound more alike than different. After all, they’re trying to accomplish the same task: reproduce the recording presented to their inputs with as little change, whether reduction or addition, as possible.
PSB speakers are good loudspeakers. Thus, thanks to the transitive property we all learned in middle school, one PSB model should sound very much like another PSB model, with allowances made for size, price, and range. It follows that PSB’s new mini-tower in their Imagine X series, the X1T, should sound like the full-sized and vastly more expensive Imagine T3 (Sound & Vision, September 2015, and soundandvision.com).
Large equipment racks will always have a place in a smart, high-tech home, but with the growing popularity of streaming devices and the ever dwindling size of A/V components, homeowners need a way to store their A/V components locally.
“A growing number of people are opting to locate their A/V equipment in smaller, local pods around the house rather than in one central rack,” says Middle Atlantic marketing manager Rebeca Villareale. “They are looking to integrate components into traditional furniture and smaller racks.”
Mid-Atlantic has capitalized on this trend by developing a unique storage system that tucks small-size components behind a flat-panel TV.
Introduced at the CEDIA Expo, 2016, recently in Dallas, the company’s new Proximity Series In-Wall Box and Mounting Plates have been engineered to optimize the space behind a display and accommodate small devices, such as Apple TV and Roku boxes, as well as power solutions and cables.
Designed to recess flush with the wall, the Proximity Series In-Wall Box comes in two sizes to accommodate different behind-the-TV storage needs. The smaller option ships with one 4-inch mounting plate; the large comes with two 4-inch mounting plates.
The mounting plates feature Middle-Atlantic’s tool-less Lever Lock technology. As an option or complement to the In-Wall Box, Mid-Atlantic also introduces a Proximity Mounting Plate that attaches directly to the back of a display for additional localized small device mounting support.
Creating a home theater isn’t difficult and there are no special rules to follow. However, you will need a lot of equipment. First and foremost, you need to figure out where you’re going to put this home theater.
The post Behind the TV Storage for Streaming Devices appeared first on Electronic House.
SkyBell has one of the nicer, integration-friendly doorbell cameras on the market, but it’s big and round and doesn’t fit on slender door frames. At the CEDIA Expo 2016, the company is introduced Trim Plus, a slender HD video doorbell that’s just 1.39 inches wide. The new product has a battery option for homes that don’t have two wires to an existing doorbell. Other than that, it’s the same SkyBell HD product the company has been selling in “the round.”
SkyBell is also announced at the CEDIA Expo an interior door chime that plays a “melody” when the doorbell is pressed. The SkyBell chime is compatible with the SkyBell Trim Plus while on battery power, or the SkyBell HD or Trim Plus while wired.
In addition to its function as a doorbell sounder, the SkyBell chime has Wi-Fi and BLE radio connectivity for communicating with other smart-home devices. It has a customizable LED light setting that causes the device to change colors when someone is at the front door, alerting the hearing-impaired or customers who have opted to utilize the “silent mode” setting for notifications.
The SkyBell Trim Plus and SkyBell chime will both be built on the SkyBell bi-directional API platform, SkyBell Connect, which allows third-party products to send and receive triggers from SkyBell.
The new products and pricing information will be available later this year. Pricing will be announced in the “near future.”
The post Skinny Doorbell Camera Fits Snug on a Doorframe appeared first on Electronic House.
With roughly 100 acres of land, the owners of a Toronto-area Property had many choices to make when designing their new residence built by Den Bosch + Finchley. Big fans of fundraising and entertaining, they decided to use a large area of their lawn to create the ultimate outdoor party space. Den Bosch + Finchley connected the homeowners with Toronto-based technology integration firm Synergy Systems Group to install a robust home automation system that would extend throughout the home to the event lawn. Synergy met with the owners to learn more of their needs and determined that the ELAN Entertainment & Control platform would be the ideal solution for the job.
We’ve been in business for 24 years, so we have worked with many automation systems; our go-to is now ELAN,” Rob Campol, president of Synergy Systems Group states. “ELAN is one of those platforms that just works, it doesn’t have any idiosyncrasies or ‘gremlins’ that the automation industry seems to be plagued with.”
In order to enhance the event lawn, Synergy Systems Group pre-wired the area for audio, making it an ideal space for the charity fundraising events and private parties often hosted by the homeowners. “The events are often held in outdoor tents, so we pre-located four speaker-jacks in irrigation boxes in the ground,” Campol explains. “That way they can wheel outdoor speakers into the tent and easily connect them to the audio system.”
The event lawn’s audio is only one of the home’s 15-zones of audio, which also includes the pool area, outdoor terraces, media room and various locations throughout the home. Beyond audio, Synergy Systems Group connected the home’s thermostats, front gate, security system, cameras, spa controls, Vantage lighting, motorized shades and eight zones of video into the ELAN system.
Very successful in the IT world, the homeowner was unsure that a home automation system was the right solution for his lifestyle. “He is a do-it-yourself electronics tinkerer,” Campol explains. “Everything in his old home he had installed himself, from the stereo system to volume controls and IR repeaters. Since he was already technically inclined, the ELAN system was not a big stretch for him. However, it took a couple of meetings to lay out how the automation system would make his family’s lives easier, running such a large home.”
According to John Tackaberry, an owner at Den Bosch + Finchley, “Automation is one of those items that is often tough to sell the first time, but once a client experiences the benefits by living with and using the system, they can never imagine their life without it.”
The benefits of the ELAN system extend beyond the daily at-home uses, such as entertainment and climate control. The homeowners are able to monitor and maintain their home from anywhere in the world on the ELAN app on a mobile device. Best of all, the ELAN system is easy for all family members to operate. The homeowner’s teenage children can easily select their favorite movie, channel or song with one touch, and the multiple zones of audio and video frees each family member to enjoy their own media choices.
“The homeowner realized that he was able to seamlessly turn on different music in the kitchen, dining room, family room and down in the rec room from a single app on his iPad while roaming around his home,” Campol says. “It was like seeing a kid on his first two wheeler bike.”
Tackaberry adds, “The homeowner’s enjoyment of the home is another benefit of automation. His appreciation of the integrated systems increases with every use.”
Answer the following questions to determine if your home is a good candidate for a smart home system.
Download checklistThe post Home Automation System Extends from the Inside to the Outside appeared first on Electronic House.
By Melina Gillies, Vivint
If you consider your thermostat to be something that gets turned up when you’re cold and down when you’re warm, you may wonder why you need a smart thermostat in your home. The answer, it seems, may just come down to dollars and cents. According to Energy Star, a programmable thermostat can save about $180 each year in energy costs. That’s an amount that adds up, even when considering the cost of a smart model.
The following are three important questions to ask to help determine whether a smart thermostat is right for you:
OK, those are technically two questions, but they’re closely related. First, it’s vital to understand how a smart thermostat differs from other types of thermostats. Manual thermostats are set by hand and are manually adjusted each time you want the temperature to change. The programmable variety can be set and automatically adjusts itself based on a predetermined schedule. On the other hand, a smart unit actually learns from your behavior and self-adjusts based on the conditions of your home, which maximizes savings and comfort.
In addition to the savings, the main benefit of a smart system is that it’s remotely controlled, providing an extra level of control when you’re away from home. For example, you can remotely raise your thermostat when coming home from a winter vacation so that your home is comfortable by the time you arrive. Smart thermostats also provide usage data, which helps manage your consumption for optimum savings.
This is a common question, and the short answer is “maybe.” Generally, one thermostat will do the job if it’s placed in an appropriate location, such as an interior wall or in a room that gets a lot of use and is away from direct sunlight. However, more than one thermostat may be required if you have a zoned heating and cooling system or an extremely large house with more than one furnace.
The more appropriate consideration is whether a smart unit would be appropriate for a second home or the home of an elderly relative. Because a smart thermostat can be viewed and controlled remotely by a registered user, it can be helpful to monitor the status of family members or vacation properties that are primarily empty.
The purpose of home automation is to enable your home to work with you, providing intuitive control over your environment so you can do less maintenance and more living. One benefit of a smart thermostat is to link it up to a smart home security system. By combining systems, you achieve a powerhouse of home control and only need to access it through one app or control center.
Energy management isn’t just about turning the heat or AC up and down. It’s a total package–a total smart home package. There are a number of smart home devices and settings that can contribute to your total energy savings. And those savings compound when you integrate the functions of these devices together.
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