Home theater control iPad apps

Since iPad’s launch three years ago, audio/visual software manufacturers have begun developing a wide range of apps on Apple’s iOS platform. Many were originally designed for the iPhone; but with the iPad’s 9.7-inch display (with a 2048×1536 resolution on the new third generation iPad), home theater control iPad apps are developed with fewer screens, a more intuitive interface and less scrolling. Functioning much like a universal remote control, home theater iPad apps allow home theater system enthusiasts to control video and sound, DVRs, HDTV, A/V receivers, Wi-Fi systems and media extenders from the palm of his or her hand – and even on the go.

Many of the home theater iPad apps are software based, meaning they can control a virtually unlimited amount of devices. Although these apps are free, they require additional hardware in order for the devices to read the app data.

Here are a few of the best home theater control iPad apps on the market.

RedEye Remote

• Allows users to control thousands of devices from a single app, including TVs, DVRs, lighting systems and even air conditioners!
• Includes infrared control codes for more than 85,000 devices.
• The system syncs from your iPad app to your personal computer or iPhone via wifi, so you only have to configure once.
• Controls your devices from anywhere in the house or while you are away via VPN.
• The app is free; hardware ranges from $50 to $200.

Re Universal Remote Control

• Allows users to control a variety of infrared based devices and unlimited locations using the RE NK100 IR hardware combined with the RE Universal Remote Control app.
• Easy setup and an extensive database of infrared control codes that can be instantly updated with user requests.
• Ability to backup app settings via email or from one iPhone or iPad to another through the Bluetooth BUMP app.
• Customizable remote layouts that let users choose button images and assign unique skins to individual remotes.
• The app is free; hardware is $60.

iRule

• Allows users to control up to 8 infrared device from the iPad app through their home wifi and the iRule hardware.
• Easy setup and customization through the iBuild website with no additional software to install.
• App is synced through cloud computing technology – just customize your remote setup on the website and download it to your iOS device.
• The app is free; hardware starts at $95.

No longer do you have to have multiple system controls for the technology in your home. Now your home surveillance, whole house audio and home theater controls can all be managed from your iPad.

How do you currently control your home’s theater system?

We suggest two Wi-Fi speaker systems on the market: Sonos and Logitech Squeezebox.

All about Sonos

The Sonos Wi-Fi speaker system is extremely customizable wireless HIFI system. Sonos allows you to start your system with a single speaker and expand almost anywhere you want to listen to your music.

The company offers five products:

• Play:5, an all-in-one 5 driver HIFI speaker system
• A smaller all-in-one Play:3, which features a 3 driver HiFi speaker system
• Connect and Connect:Amp, which turn your existing home stereo into a digital streaming music system
• The Bridge — or the heart of the Sonos Wi-Fi system, which connects to your router and brings all your Wi-Fi speakers together

The Sonos Wi-Fi speaker system easy to set up, and multiple speakers can be connected with a touch of a button. Apps are available on iPad, iPhone, Android smart phones and Android tablets to let you control your system anywhere. The Sonos Wi-Fi speaker system lets you connect up to 31 units in one space.

The Sonos Wi-Fi speaker system boasts that customers can “stream every song on earth” – and they might not be too far off! Sonos Wi-Fi system can play iTunes and MP3s stored on any computer, gives access to over 1000 Internet radio stations from across the globe, and supports a variety of streaming music services like Spotify and Rhapsody.

The Sonos Wi-Fi speaker system starts at $350.

All about Logitech Squeezebox

The Logitech Squeezebox is another great option for a Wi-Fi speaker system. Squeezebox’s Wi-Fi speakers are small and compact, but pack a punch in audio quality. Speakers include color displays for artist and song information, and come in a variety of sizes. Add ons, such as battery packs and remote controls, are available to complete your Wi-Fi speaker system, as are apps for iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

Squeezebox provides access to all your digital PC-based music files on Windows, Mac and Linus, and supports nearly every digital audio file format. Logitech also offers the SqueezeNetwork™, a free Internet-based service that lets you tune in to thousands of Internet radio stations and stream millions of tracks from online music services like Pandora and SiriusXM.

Like the Sonos Wi-Fi system, setup for the Squeezebox Wi-Fi system is a breeze. Squeezebox lets you synchronize multiple speakers for room-to-room sound or stream music from the network on each player individually, making the system perfect for a multiple-person household with various musical tastes.

The Logitech Squeezebox Wi-Fi speaker system start at $300.

Luckily, technological advances in speaker systems have given music lovers a reason to sing all over their houses – without tripping over speaker wires. These days, there are many options for Wi-Fi speaker systems. Here’s how they work and the advantages of investing in Wi-Fi speaker systems.

How Wi-Fi speakers work

Wi-Fi speaker systems function just like your home’s wireless internet router. Wi-Fi utilizes radio waves similar to two-way radios and walkie-talkies, transmitting data over one of two spectrum bands: 2.4GHz or 5GHz.

Wi-Fi speaker systems typically have two components to work properly: a wireless router connected to ethernet and a player.  The ethernet will connect the Wi-Fi speaker system to your home network, giving you access to your own digital music collection or a variety of online radios or music subscription services. Depending on the system you choose, you can add devices that will allow you to stream music in several rooms, to multiple speakers in one room and to your existing home stereo system.

Advantages of Wi-Fi speakers

Although Wi-Fi is still new technology compared to radio frequency and infrared technology found in many wireless speakers, there are many benefits to using it.

Wi-Fi was designed for multiple users or devices to access the signals simultaneously. This means you can build a truly customized Wi-Fi speaker system using as few or as many speakers as you’d like. Additionally, a Wi-Fi speaker system has a wider range than traditional wireless speakers, making it a perfect fit for larger homes, homes with outdoor areas, office buildings or retail areas.

Wi-Fi speaker systems are also designed with easy set-up in mind. You don’t have to be an audio expert to get your Wi-Fi speaker system up and running. The portable speakers can be placed almost anywhere, so you don’t have to mount them (unless you want to!) Plus? No wires mean no additional clutter.

In our data driven world, Wi-Fi is everywhere – including our many “gadgets” like smart phones, tablets and laptops. Wi-Fi speaker systems offer downloadable apps for your phone and tablet that allow you to control your playlists and volume from anywhere. Because these devices use the same technology, adding more gadgets is a breeze.

Interested in whole-home audio without wires?  We offer a variety of products in the leading Wi-Fi speaker systems. Contact us for a consultation today.

It’s been over a decade since file-sharing software start-up Napster hit the music scene, allowing music fans across the globe to share their music with other fans – violating copyright at the same time.

Are subscription music services here to stay?

iTunes, digital music stores and online streaming music applications like Pandora, MOG, Rhapsody and Spotify have largely replaced peer-to-peer networks. In addition to allowing listeners to stream their favorite artists for free from a desktop or laptop, many streaming music companies also offer subscription services, which allow listeners to take their music anywhere via mobile devices. But with free options still available, are listeners taking advantage of paid music subscription services – and are they really worth it?

Are listeners actually paying to play?

The Recording Industry Association of America released year-end music shipment statistics for 2011 in late March, and the statistics were clear: people are paying for music subscription services. The RIAA reported music subscription service revenue increased almost $30 million from 2010 to 2011. The number of online music subscribers rose to 1.8 million during the same period.

This is great news for an industry that has been fighting file sharing for more than ten years. Revenue increases – no matter how small the margin – are welcomed with open arms after seven straight years of decline in sales for the music industry.

Are Music Subscription Services better?

Music subscription plans vary from company to company. Plans typically start at $4.99 a month and top out at $9.99. Subscribing to music plans removes ads and gives users the ability to listen almost anywhere, including streaming music to your television, car and mobile devices. Subscription services also give you access to better quality music. Spotify recently added an “Extreme play” mode to the iOS app – an astounding 320kbps bitrate, or CD quality sound.

For the budget conscious music lover, subscription services are a cost-effective alternative to paying for a song or even paying for an entire album on iTunes. The priciest music subscription service plan – about $10 — gives you unlimited streaming from a database of millions of songs and artists; music fans can only download one album for that same amount.

Music subscription services offer many benefits for a relatively low cost, and can easily connect to your home stereo. The best benefit? Giving the music industry the credit they deserve.

*Photo credit Craig Cloutier

Connecting your home theater system to outdoor speakers will allow you to bring the inside outdoors and listen to your music without the confining acoustic limitations of your four walls. Learn how wiring a home stereo to outdoor speakers can enhance outdoor living – no matter how your backyard is designed.

An outdoor "media room"

What makes outdoor speakers special?

Remember dragging a boom box outside to listen to music, then back in when you were finished? These days, outdoor speakers can stay outdoors. Quality outdoor speakers are built to protect internal components against rain, snow, dust, dirt and bugs. They will work under all types of weather conditions (as well as extreme temperatures) and are designed to perform optimally against the “soundtrack” of the great outdoors.

Outdoor speakers are water-resistant and able to withstand intermittent water exposure. Outdoor speakers are also made to enhance sound such as high power handling and low frequency response.

Outdoor Speaker Coverage and Placement

Outdoor speaker wattage ranges from 60 to 300 watts. The higher the wattage, the better sound coverage you’ll have at a lower volume. The type of outdoor speakers depends on the size and design of your outdoor space. In areas less than 300 square feet, a pair of 60-watt patio speakers will do the trick. For yards 300 to 500 square feet, opt for 80 to 100 watt speakers. The larger your yard, the higher watt outdoor speaker you’ll need.

Other considerations are walls, trees and architectural features in and around your outdoor space that could limit speaker performance. You’ll also need to think about where to place your speakers – many outdoor speakers include mounting brackets, but should be mounted to solid wood or masonry surface for stability.

Wired for sound – or wireless?

Because most outdoor speakers require a power source to work, your outdoor speakers should be connected directly to your home stereo or to an amplification system. Multiple speakers are easily connected using CL3 rated speaker wire, a hearty type of wire designed to withstand extreme outdoor conditions. A second option is wireless outdoor speakers, which transmit sound via a 2.4GHz frequency. Wireless outdoor speakers are powered by solar panels, and have a range of approximately 150 yards. These require less set-up and as an added benefit, are less permanent than laying cable for traditional outdoor speakers. This means you can move them more easily if you reconfigure your outdoor area.

As with any home theater installation, outdoor audio setup can be tricky. Contact us for an evaluation and get your outdoor ready for spring entertaining.

Wii Gaming System

Even if your gaming system is connected to HDTV, having great video is only half the gaming experience. Serious gamers can take their hobby to a new level by connecting their gaming systems to their surround sound system for truly immersive audio.

Need proof? Here are three great reasons to connect your gaming system to your surround sound system.

Better audio means better game play

Hear that song playing quietly in the background of your game? That could very well be an aural cue to help you beat the game. Game designers add subtle clues through a game that are difficult to hear with traditional speakers. Adding the power of surround sound to your game system will add an extra dimension to your game play.

Experience games like they were intended

Designers of today’s video games produce high-definition, movie quality games to be experienced like you’d experience a full-length film – in surround sound. Many video games, especially Xbox and Xbox 360 games, are encoded with speaker-specific audio designed for a surround sound system. By connecting your gaming system to surround sound, you’ll be able to play these games the way video game designers envisioned.

Fewer wires, better view

Extra wires and cords hanging from your HDTV can distract you from a home theater experience – and can do the same thing for your game play experience. One benefit of connecting your Xbox or PlayStation 3 to surround sound is these game systems use a single optical digital audio cable. Less wires equals a richer gaming experience.

Connecting your Xbox, Wii or PlayStation 3 to your surround sound system will bring a fun new dimension to your gaming.

*Photo credit wlodi

Considering pre-wiring?

Future-Proof Your Home

It’s true that we can’t plan for everything the future will bring. We do, however, know what types of wiring will be most useful. Pre-wiring also allows homeowners a little room for growth. Perhaps you don’t want surveillance cameras right now, but with the proper wiring in place you can add them in a snap.

Resale Value

Maybe you’re not an audiophile, but the next person buying your house could be. When buyers are making the tough decision about which house to buy, the home that gives them flexibilty and options for home theater, communications and security needs will show better than non-wired comparable homes.

Hide Wires

Prewiring not only hides cables, it allows you to create a centralized hub. You can stack and store equipment, like AV receivers and amplifiers, in one place. Better yet, you can have it all located in a conveniently located closet or cabinet that is out of sight.

Protect Your Paint Job

You can retrofit a home with wiring. It’s not an incredibly complicated process, but you may have to open up walls to get the job done. If repairing drywall and repainting is not high on your priority list, consider running the wires before those walls go up.

Some homeowners try to skip the pre-wiring step, claiming they can handle their needs wirelessly. While it’s true that more and more data can be transmitted wirelessly, not everything can. Consider your home theater or even more straightforward TV viewing needs. These days, with DVRs and satellites providing the ability to record, store, and watch multiple shows on multiple TV’s, wires are more important than ever.

But there’s much more to pre-wiring than setting up amazing home theater systems. With the proper wiring in place, you can control systems all over your home. Here’s a partial list of systems that can benefit from proper pre-wiring:

• Home theater and entertainment
• PC and internet networks
• Phones, door-phones, and intercoms
• Security, including surveillance cameras
• Thermostats
• Window treatments
• Irrigation systems

Once you decide to pre-wire your new build or remodel project, HTS can help you put together the perfect plan for your home.

Why would you need a home surveillance system? Consider these uses:

Scenario #1

You’re out of town, and hear that a big storm hit your neighborhood. You can use your phone to log in and check for signs of flooding or broken windows.

Scenario #2

You just got a new puppy, and he’s an escape artist. You can check in from your office computer and make sure Fido is still in the yard.

Scenario #3

You’re sound asleep when you hear knocking on the front door. Take a peek outside without ever leaving the safety of your room.

But what exactly can you see with your security cameras?

Once upon a time, home surveillance images were fuzzy, at best. New camera models come with features like night vision, remote-control positioning (you can pan or tilt the lense), and zoom lenses. With an IP camera connected directly to your router, you can log in from anywhere and take a look.

Home surveillance system features can include:

• Window and door sensors
• Moisture sensors
• Temperature sensors
• Alerts to let you know if any of these sensors pick up an abnormality

Modern home surveillance solutions exist for a wide range of budgets and security needs. Home Theater Solutions can design and install the perfect system for your home.

• Grab one remote to turn on the television.
• Grab the remote that runs your Bluray player.
• Jump up to adjust the dimmer when you realize the lights are too bright.
• Go grab the laptop, because you need to check the weather so you know if tomorrow’s baseball game is going to happen.
• Oh, wait! You have music playing in the kitchen. Grab that remote and turn off the tunes.

And now, finally, you can start your movie. Unless, of course, you forgot to pop the popcorn.

Home Theater Solutions can’t help you with the popcorn, but there is no reason you need a different remote for every system in your house. With a universal remote, you can control more than just your home theater systems. Here are just a few of the things an all-in-one remote can do for you:

• Control your entire home theater system, from DVR to Bluray to music.
• Control lighting and set the mood for entertaining, romance, or everyday living.
• Connect to security cameras and keep an eye on other rooms of the house or entrances to your home.
• Control the climate without ever leaving bed or your favorite movie-watching seat.
• Connect to the internet and check weather or sports scores.

After connecting a sleek controller unit that is always on, always “talking” to your home systems, all you have to do is use simple touch screen or hard button remotes, or wall panels to achieve results. The universal systems have options for add-ons, like multi-source amplifiers, cameras, and more. You can even program remotes with your personal preferences, creating custom experiences for different users. For example, if you are primarily interested in watching TV, your interface will make that front and center, while your spouse’s interface may put music at the forefront.

Never play the stand-up-sit-down-jump-up-finally-watch-the-movie game again. With a universal remote, you’ll have it all in the palm of your hand.

You can, and it’s not nearly as complicated as you might think. There are two main ways to accomplish whole house audio: wired and wireless. Let’s take a look at both options.

Wired Whole House Audio

Many new homes come pre-wired for audio. If you have an older home that was not pre-wired, you can retrofit fairly easily, especially if you have adequate attic or crawl space adjacent to each room where you want to run wires. Retrofitting is possible in any home, but in those without good attic or crawl space access, you should anticipate going through the walls themselves. You’ll have to make some repairs to the drywall and repaint in areas where you run wires, but all of that is easily accomplished with the right professionals.

If you are one of the fortunate ones, and your whole house is already wired, then adding audio to more rooms can be as simple as hooking up additional speakers to your AV receiver. This option, while giving you sound in an additional room, will not allow you much control. You will have to change the music selection and the volume at the source (where your main system is located).

A better option that is just as simple? New, high end receivers typically come standard with a second built-in discrete amplifier. That second amplifier will give you two zones of audio, both of which you can control independently. There’s also a new option on the market that is a single receiver with four or six discrete amplifiers, and built-in volume and source distribution systems. For most homes, six zones of audio will cover all of your sound needs.

To add sound – and have control over volume and music source – in more than six zones, you need multiple receivers and amplifiers. These components are stacked and stored in a central location, and connected via your wiring to each room.

Wireless Whole House Audio

If your house was not pre-wired for whole house audio and the thought of retrofitting is not too appealing, you’re in luck. Wireless audio is a viable option now, giving you hi-fi sound on a wi-fi system.

Wireless systems connect to your router and offer portable, expandable whole house audio. You simply purchase a music “player” for each room where you want the ability to play music. The systems allow you to take advantage of free radio services, custom radio, music on demand and radio networks, and they’re controllable with free apps available for smart phones and tablets.