Insights & Innovations: The Integrated Home Blog

You might be a huge movie buff or simply want a way to relax while enjoying a film with friends and family.  A custom home theater system can give you both the comfort and enhanced fixtures commercial theaters simply don’t have.  Impress guests – and yourself – with a new viewing experience like no other.  Installation and design might seem overwhelming, but there are three key features needed when planning your theater.  Read on to learn how a perfect home theater design for you will amaze every viewer in your Charlotte, NC home.

1. Stellar Screen and Surround Sound

If you want to recreate the amazing visuals of a commercial theater, you need a 4K Ultra High-Definition projector. Even on a screen large enough to fill the entire wall, you won’t be able to see any pixelation or blurriness. Instead, you get a crisp, clear picture.

SEE ALSO: HOW TO PAIR UP A PROJECTOR AND SCREEN FOR YOUR HOME THEATER

Second, you’ll want a surround sound system that gives you the feeling of actually being in the movie. With surround sound, the speakers are strategically placed overhead, to the sides, behind, and in front of you to create a fully immersive listening experience.

2. The Right Seating

The style, material, and position of your home theater seating will make a big difference in the overall experience. As your home theater installer, we’ll be able to provide recommendations on the perfect seating based on room size and how many people you want to accommodate seating for within the space. 

We are a proud Pinnacle Control4 Dealer because they are always coming out with new and exciting products that we think will benefit our Charlotte, NC area customers. Not only is Control4 smart home automation user-friendly, it’s also customizable. The personalization features of the user interface makes Control4 stand out amongst the other smart home manufacturers. Recently, Control4 announced some new upgrades, called “When>>Then Personalization.” Read this blog to learn all about it.

SEE ALSO: One App to Rule them All

What is When>>Then Personalization?

The control device is one of the most important elements of a smart home. With Control4’s 4Sight App, you can customize your home any way you like at any time. This new feature allows you to fine-tune your system depending on your changing tastes in music, your schedule and more. 

For example, if your work schedule is going to change around the holidays, meaning you will be working later hours, you can program you home accordingly. This tool is also useful for when family members come for a visit and may want to adjust your home to make themselves comfortable. You can experiment with the settings and then change it back to the way it was when you need to. 

Let’s say your mother is coming for a visit around Thanksgiving and she likes to keep the home warmer than you. You can change the thermostat and any other settings like the shades, lights and more while she is visiting that week and then change them back to your personal preferences when she leaves. When>>Then Personalization ensures you never lose all of those valuable settings you loved before, and you can play with some new ones too. 

Setting up a music system outside isn’t as simple as placing a regular speaker on your patio. For a fully immersive experience in your backyard, you are going to need to work with a local expert like us. Why? In this blog we are going to share some basic tips with you on renovating your Charlotte, NC home with outdoor audio video.

SEE ALSO: An Expert’s Guide to Outdoor Video

#1 Use Weatherproof Speakers

Some wireless speakers you see in the store may be marketed as travel friendly, but that doesn’t mean they can withstand the rain, sun, and wind. You need speakers that have been engineered to survive nature’s elements. But you can’t pick up high-quality weatherproof speakers in your run of the mill storefront. That’s why working with a local dealer is so important. 

The Integrated Home has relationships with speaker manufacturers like Sonance that have been designing and making these smart outdoor devices for decades. Sonance Landscape Series Speakers are waterproof, can withstand the harmful UV rays of the sun, and still operate in freezing temperatures as low as negative 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Their color-molded composite construction also won’t chip, peel or fade over time.  

#2 Use Wireless Technology 

Running wires over your patio or pool area is first and foremost not safe because someone could trip over them, and it’s also an electrical hazard. Today, we get to enjoy the convenience of wireless technology so you don’t have to worry about connecting all of your speaker with wires. 

Amazon’s voice control devices the Echo, Dot and Tap are dominating the voice control market space according to an article on Fortune.com. Amazon has reported they have sold more than 10 million Alexa-powered devices since its inception in 2015. However, adding the Echo to your home doesn’t automatically turn it into a smart home. You need a full smart home installation and Alexa to make true automation possible. Our partner Control4 was one of the first to integrate Alexa in smart homes.  In this blog, we'll show you how easy it is to enjoy integrated voice control with your smart home system in your Charlotte, NC property.

See Also: Update Your Charlotte Home with These Three Trends

Your Personal Voice Assistant

We get a lot of questions about the different types of wireless music systems available. The truth is the answers often have to do with your lifestyle, routine, budget, and home structure. While our team can certainly provide a unique solution for you, no matter what you situation is like, we do want homeowners to know exactly what they can encounter during an installation and stay knowledgeable about what is available. This blog will be a great resource for those of you who have a lot of questions about home audio.

Do I have to upgrade my Internet service to enjoy wireless music?

You may or may not have to upgrade your Internet service. However, problems with streaming music often have more to do with the quality of your home network, not you Internet Service Provider. Simply upgrading your service to a faster speed may not do the trick. Buying a better modem or router and working with an expert to strategically place your equipment and set-up the network is a better option. If you regularly stream a lot of music or video, then you’ll need some kind of Internet upgrade. We can give you an assessment and some recommendations.

What kind of wiring is involved?