Thanks to the technology geeks at Crestron, better know as their engineers, we can all enjoy music, TV and movies in full HD anywhere in our home.  I know that it's been a while since we've talked but I'm back and have to say happier than ever with Crestron and their new line of HDTV distribution products.

For years we distributed composite (480i) video and in the last decade we decided to really step up and distribute component (1080i) video.  It wasn't until recently that we really discovered we needed to give clients and end to end HDMI (1080p) solution.  With the "Analog Sunset" just a year or so away we would be doing our clients a dis-service if we didn't approach this technology head on.

The good news is that with the most recent hardware upgrades Crestron can now do this over CAT5/6 cable, though we prefer to use fiber optic cable.  The idea that we can pump full bandwidth HDTV to any room in any house at distances of 1000' or more was awesome.  The CAT5/6 solution does have some limitations but for the most part is an excellent solution, especially in home where you don't have the option of running new cables.

Contact your local certified Crestron DM dealer for more info and enjoy.

All you must do is get through summer and CEDIA will be here, don't worry.  Like most automation and A/V company owners, I look forward to CEDIA every year.  For those of you who care it's this September 7-10 at the Indiana Convention Center.

I'll be there and look for my tweets live from the show floor!

You can kiss your 1080i HD goodbye unless you're using HDMI.  At the end of 2010 equipment manufacturers are going to stop making devices that output anything above 480i on Component Video!  Thanks a lot HOLLYWOOD!

Wait, there’s more….By January 2011 Blu-ray makers will be able to include an “Image Constraint Token” on all discs that can disable HD video over an analog cable (component video).  All this to reduce piracy, do they not understand that the people creating illegal copies will figure our a way around this?  We’re the ones stuck suffering through standard definition TV. 

Yes it’s gets worse, sorry.  On January first 2014 NO hardware will be manufactured to output anything above 480i unless you use HDMI. 

The good news for most of us?  If you have a flat screen display (LCD, LED, Plasma or OLED) you’ll be fine.  The truth is 99% of flat screens have HDMI inputs so all you’ll need to do is replace the current component video cable with a new HDMI cable.  The only time this turns into a problem is when your Blu-ray or cable box is over 50 feet away from your display.  You see, currently running HDMI over any distance is costly but over 50’ or so it’s also impossible without the use of some fancy gadgets.

SUMMARY:

January 2011 you're probably going to be OK

January 2014 your picture will be pretty bad unless you’ve invested in an HDMI cable

For detailed information visit the AACS website, they’re in charge of this stuff.

As a Sony Dealer we’re here to help, sometimes at our own expense.  At AVX we primarily install Sony and Samsung TV’s for a few simple reasons.  They work; we can easily control them with virtually any control system (RTI, Crestron, AMX, URC), almost every model has a fantastic picture, brand recognition and ease of installation.

Recently we install a Sony KDL 46EX710 and it’s beautiful.  Like most of these new displays it’s an LCD and it’s web enabled.  What does this mean?  You don’t need a Roku or AppleTV with one of these TV’s.  It has Netflix, Pandora, Amazon Video, Slacker Radio, Flickr and more built right it!  This is all available with one single connection, Ethernet (yes it needs power too), most TV’s have an Ethernet jack but many include wireless as well. 

In explaining the web content and how it’s accessed I failed to mention one very important thing, YOUR TV IS A COMPUTER NOW and guess what sometimes it has software problems.  To qualify the “computer” part of my statement, all of these TV’s have microprocessors (just like your iPad), operating systems (like Mac OS or Win7) and a user interface which in this case is a remote control.  Welcome to the convergence of PC and TV, it’s here people.

Now the problem with that, we have had to do factory resets on more than one Sony TV in the last week.  It took one of our technicians calling Sony to figure out the special “Factory Reset” sequence.  This ultimate wiped out all setting we had previously done to the TV but fixed our problems.  The 2 problems we have seen are:  HDMI from a surround processer did not work on any input (directly from any source worked fine so we knew our cable was fine) and the second problem was that none of the web content was available even after refreshing the content in the user menu. 

This was supposed to be a short post on how to fix (reset) your Sony TV so here it is:

We were called in to walk a job site and review the proposed design for the new owners A/V requirements.  Most of this house has been gutted down to the studs and wiring removed.  I ran across this wiring in the pool equipment room, it appears to feed speakers near the pool.  It’s a little tough to see in the video but there are 4 wires, one has a yellow wire nut, one an orange wire nut and two wires are just twisted together.  I have to say that it’s not the first time we have seen this type of workmanship here in LA. 

I know most of you think when you hire a professional to do any job for you, it will be done right, professionally.  Sadly this isn't always the case, it’s not just A/V companies, it could be your mechanic, plumber or virtually service technician.  I’ve been pretty vocal about people in my industry being the worst and I’ll stand by that.  Many people installing TV’s, Speakers, and Stereo Systems have very little or no training.  In fact the title “custom installer” doesn’t mean a thing anymore, most installers just want to get in and out.

Do yourself a favor, when you hire someone to do work for you, make sure your comfortable working with them and you have obvious trust in them.  My experience has been to get a referral from a friend and check up on a companies references, if you’ve done all that the best bet is to go with your gut!

**INSTALLER TIP**  When running wires make sure you have plenty of length, it’s better to have too much and trim it.  If you must splice a (low voltage) wire do it right.  Use the correct splice methods and strain relief, you don't want these wires coming apart.