Hearing every little sound is important when you invest in a home theater system.
When you are looking into making a purchase, a surround sound speaker system is always a smart move. Take a look at some of the benefits of this investment:
Multiple Speakers – When you watch a movie through a surround sound system, you will be hearing the sound through multiple speakers. If it is mixed properly and is available in surround sound, you’ll be full immersed in the sounds happening on the screen as if they are happening around you.
Hear More Frequencies – Did you ever wonder what the “.1” in 5.1, 6.1, or 7.1 surround sound is? That’s the subwoofer. This additional speaker is there to play the lower frequencies that you wouldn’t hear in typical 2-channel sound systems – allowing you to both hear and feel the action.
Moveable Systems – Just because you set up the speakers a certain way, it does not mean that you have to keep them in the same space! The wonderful thing about any system is that you can move the speakers as needed, giving you complete control over your home theater experience.
When you are prepared to invest in new surround sound home theater systems, you can rest assured that the team and SpaceCoast AV can help you. We offer both commercial and residential system services in East Central Florida area and the surrounding areas.
From 4K/Ultra High Definition (UHD), which is four times the resolution of full HD, to XGA, there are quite a few resolutions to choose from. A key consideration is how much HD video content you plan to show.
Remote management is helpful in a classroom environment, especially if there are several classrooms. With remote management, lamp-based projectors can be powered off using a program timer built into the control software in order to conserve bulb life.
Video picture quality varies a lot depending on make and model of the projector. That is because scalar chips and video processors in the projectors are not created equally. This is important because audience expectations are getting higher due to the amount of HD content available.
Top 10 Do’s and Don’ts
Don’t try to get by with a “floating” projector that goes from room to room
Don’t plan on turning out the lights. Dimly lit rooms, at times, reduce the audience’s attention. The brightness of the projector needs to be high enough to overcome lighting
Don’t worry about LCD versus DLP vs. laser phosphor vs. LED light engines – they all perform well
Do assess whatever multimedia sources and computer sources your presenters will want to connect to the projectors, and map that to available connectors before buying a specific projector model
Do talk to presenters about how they can integrate more multimedia to get them thinking about improving classroom techniques
Do look for models with “eco-mode” that will conserve power and bulb life for lamp-based projectors
Do select projectors that have the compatibility with newer video signal protocols and higher brightness to suit your evolving needs over time
Do examine your mounting challenges prior to buying mounts and projectors
Go with a good brand name – it will generally equate to longer product life and better product reliability
Do ask an expert for advice about your unique circumstances
A Better Facility
Projectors have a big impact on the image your organization sends. You want to make presentations a memorable experience for parishioners, guests and administrators. There are many different options out there for hardware, and up-front planning is the best way to ensure you are happy with your selection. If you follow these tips, you’ll be on your way to a noticeably better facility.
We love our sports. We spend thousands of dollars a year supporting our sundry sports passions, be it through ticket sales, jerseys, or regretful bar tabs. Even gambling debts might fall under the category of “sports tax,” depending on your point of view.
But there’s no doubt that televisions are a vital purchase for any sports fan.
You may be pleasantly surprised to learn that a “good-for-sports TV” is generally synonymous with a “good-for-_everything_ TV.” From a picture quality standpoint, the requirements for displaying the best possible football game is all but identical for the best possible Star Wars marathon.
However, some TVs do possess qualities beyond simple processing power that might make them better for sports than others. Let’s take a lap around the field.
Screen Size
The number one consideration for buying a TV, aside from price, is screen size. If you can’t see the puck whipping across the ice, what’s the point? You might as well be listening to the radio
Contrary to popular opinion, there is such a thing as “too big.” At some point you’ll be able to see the individual pixels and the illusion of a smooth, uniform picture will vanish.
There’s an actual formula to calculate the ideal size, but you certainly don’t need to break out a scientific calculator to shop for a TV. The rough estimate is simple:
That means you can measure the distance from your couch to the TV, then divide by 2.5. There you have it, your ideal screen size. So if you sit 7 feet (84 inches) from your TV, you want a TV with a diagonal screen size of about 2.8 feet, or 34 inches. It’s a very rough calculation, but at least it’s a place to start.
Plasma Vs. LCD and LED
Ah, the old debate. We’ve covered it many times in many forms, but here’s the difference in a nutshell: Plasma TVs tend to run a little larger in screen size (50 inches and up). They have a wider viewing angle, which makes them good for hosting a party for the Superbowl or NBA finals.
LCD TVs (and LED TVs by extension), on the other hand, have a wide range of screen sizes (26 inches up to 80+ inches), but the larger screen sizes will probably be more expensive than an equivalently-sized plasma. More importantly, LCD screens can get a lot brighter than plasma, which might make them easier to see in a sunny room.
There’s a heap of misinformation and half-truths about performance differences between plasmas and LCDs, much of it based on outdated information. Suffice it to say that both offer smooth motion and great contrast ratio.
3D TVs
There’s no doubt that 3D TVs are becoming more common, though their actual usage rates are probably not rising commensurately. The problem is that 3D broadcasting is just not up to speed yet. A 3D signal takes up a lot more bandwidth than a regular signal, so cable providers are probably slow to support it widely.
TVs are rapidly becoming more like tablets and smart phones, with lots of apps to satisfy lots of small customer bases. The worst apps try to make the TV something it’s not—like a gaming system or web browser. The best apps play to the strength of the TV as a passive entertainment device. After all, most people just want to lie back on the couch and watch something fun or exciting.
There are lots of apps for sports fans. To date, the best come from the leagues themselves, with MLB.tv as the hands-down winner. With all the complex licensing and broadcast rights, it’s impossible to get an app that offers everything you wantwhenever you want. Most apps, for instance, black out live games in your current location. In Boston, for example, you can’t watch Red Sox games live on MLB.tv.
For scores, stats, news, and clips, there are no shortage of third-party apps including Yahoo, ESPN, Hulu, and many more.
To watch the games themselves, you should always check if your local cable provider offers a sports package. Also, Apple TV, Roku, Boxee, and other set-top boxes may have better packages than your smart TV’s app selection. NFL RedZone and NBA League Pass are currently unavailable as standalone TV apps. However, both are accessible through your computer and mobile devices. We can only hope that as smart TVs become more popular, the leagues will embrace the platform, but they’ve been slow to do so.
The specs that count for a sports TV
Brightness: Many broadcasts occur during daylight hours, so you’ll want a model that’s bright enough to produce a “in-your-face” picture in a room with high ambient light.
High refresh rate: You should also be looking at sets that can display content with fast-paced action without turning the picture into a blurry mess. Plasma models excel at making sports look crisp, while most LCD models with a 120 Hz and higher refresh rate have processing modes to help reduce motion blur.
Large screen size: Finally, you’ll want to watch on a screen that’s sufficiently large—we recommend 55 inches at minimum.
The Winner’s Circle
We’ve taken our own reviews and compiled a Best in Class for Value and Quality comparison which you can get here. Are You Ready for Some Football!
When you are looking into making a purchase, a surround sound speaker system is always a smart move. Take a look at some of the benefits of this investment:
Spacecoast AV Communications 