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.

In the land of video projectors it can get a bit confusing. The critical issues are physical size and lens throw distance. Physical size is just what it seems, will it fit your space, in a soffit, at the back of your room or in a cabinet. Throw distance takes a little homework; all projectors have a range that they can project their image to produce a certain size. Throw distance is the distance from the lens of the projector to the screen. You will also have to keep in mind the screen size because the further back a projector is located the larger the projected image will be, do your homework on this.

Once you get through the basics you get to the area that’s not as much fun, performance and features and trust me you get what you pay for with projectors.

Brightness – Critical for larger screens or bright rooms.

Contrast – Works with brightness in a sense, but this is how “Black” your image can get. (I don’t care as much about contrast as brightness but most people do)

Native Format (Aspect Ratio) – Normal choices are 4:3 and 16:9. 4:3 is what your old tube TV was, it more square in its shape. 16:9 is also known as “wide screen”, most HD broadcasts are in 16:9, when you rent a DVD the wide screen format is how the movie was shown in theaters.

Native Resolution – 480, 720p, 1080i or 1080p are the typical resolutions. The higher the number, the better the resolution. Some projectors specifications are given in numbers like 1280x800 or 1024x768 again the higher the number the better the resolution. Get at least a 720p (1280x720) resolution projector if shopping today.

Lumens – Actual light output. A decent Home Theater projector is at least 1500 lumens, a normal video projector is over 2000 lumens (I like these).

Inputs – You must have at least one of each of the following inputs: RGB, PC, Component, Composite and HDMI. (The HDMI input must have HDCP)

Lamp Life – All projectors have light bulbs inside. Most bulbs will last a couple of years with normal use and only cost a couple hundred bucks to replace.

I like a bright, 16:9 projector with over 2000 lumens. Since I usually want to keep mine portable I want it small and it must have a component input. Good luck and if you have questions or need help send me an email Patrick@avexperience.net.

It should be easy; I mean how else will technology progress if it’s too difficult? The idea of a home network intimidated people just a few years ago and now even Comcast will setup your network for you. Let me first admit that the difficulties of home technology are job security for companies (and guys) like ours.

Thanks to companies like Silicon Image http://www.siliconimage.com HDMI exists, taking what used to be as many as 9 cables and replacing them with a single, digital cable we now call HDMI. This is a perfect example of technology heading in the right direction, thanks.

A new product that has recently been debuted is called LiquidHd and it looks to be the next step in simplifying your TV viewing. Similar to a computer network it uses CAT5 cable to share and distribute all of your HD sources including satellite, Blu-Ray, and streaming movies. Check out their site for more information. http://www.liquidhd.com

As the A/V expert in my group of friends and family I'm asked this question pretty frequently, "Should I get that off brand HD TV I saw at COSTCO?". My normal response is usually in question form as well, "What kind of car do you drive?". If they answer KIA then its easy get that bargain TV from the big box store, if they answer Audi well you know they need a Sony.

Let's be honest, most people are impressed with the bright, crisp image on any HDTV but to even the enthusiast there is a big difference. There is more to it than just picture quality; number of inputs, warranty, and for the custom installer controllability.

Brand name TVs can have warranties of up to 3 years (Pioneer, Panasonic on some models) and can easily be repaired locally if needed. Some of the less expensive, off brand models only come with 90 days (make sure you buy the extended warranty on these, you will need it). With the price of the TVs below $1000 and shipping costs as much as $200 the cost of shipping your TV out for repair does not make sense.

Now for picture quality details. I myself have both Plasma and LCD HDTV’s in my house and like them both. Since AVX is a high end company we don’t deal much with the cheap TVs, we typically see the big 4 (Sony, Sharp, Panasonic and Pioneer) and that is exactly what I watch (and game) on. All of the high end TVs has pretty specific traits but all of them are truly High Performance machines. It’s OK to look for deals on these TVs, last week’s model is always a good choice, almost certain the TV you are looking at is 1080p too (this is the REAL HDTV and worth a little extra).

The final breakdown if you drive a:

Kia – buy a Vizio LCD

Toyota – buy an entry level Sony

BMW or Mercedes – get someone to deliver your new Panasonic or Sharp LCD

Hope this helped and happy shopping!