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 Some of those $99 TV installation deals many big box stores are promoting must look pretty good to some – especially the technically challenged who don’t know about TV settings and just know they want to spend chilly fall evenings in front of a TV that works properly. But if you dig a little deeper, these deals aren’t all that they seem. Typically, $99 deals will get your TV delivered, unboxed, and connected. Then after a brief training session, the installer will take the box away. In other words, you get what you pay for. Do you want your old TV recycled? Your VCR hooked up? The wires hidden? That’ll cost extra.

 Electronic House recently published an article called “Don’t Underestimate Your Installation Costs,” that listed 10 questions you should ask your TV installer. These questions include: 

• Will you place the TV for optimal viewing?
• If the installation doesn’t work, will you troubleshoot?
• How much training will you give me on the system?

If the big box installer gives you answers to these questions and the others listed in the article that are negative, unsatisfactory, or would incur additional costs, your best bet may be to hire an independent expert in home theater installation. Once the big box guys add on their costs for wall mounting and connecting the TV to your home network, and you’ve hired an electrician to run cables behind your walls, you’re looking at a price on par with your local expert. And you can bet that hiring an independent pro will guarantee you a better trained partner who is more committed to your satisfaction. 

Certified Connection is the premier provider of custom-designed home control systems and home theaters to residential and commercial customers. 

By: Certified Connection

You might think that if you put a Blu-ray disc into a Blu-ray player hooked up to a 1080p HD TV, you’re getting the best of the best. But simply purchasing a 1080p television doesn’t guarantee you 1,080 lines’ worth of definition. Just about every Blu-ray player has output settings that have to be configured properly to display full 1080p resolution. And if your player is hooked to an A/V receiver, it may also have output settings that will have to be set. Some sophisticated home theaters will then send the signal to an outboard video processor, which needs the same type of fine-tuning.

But even if your Blu-ray player, your A/V receiver, and your video processor are all configured in the right way, you might still not get exactly what you want out of your system. For example, if the display mode on your television isn’t set up properly, you won’t enjoy all 1,080 lines of detail that you paid for. With all of the menus and all of the options available on HD TVs – or any piece of electronic equipment – there are countless permutations. Every customization is different, based on anything from the room you choose for your set-up to the distance between your couch and the TV, and you may not even know what you want until you see the type of customization available.

Face it: You need help. You may be a computer whiz or remember fondly your time spent as president of the A/V club, but technology moves fast and you might not know what you don’t know. Not only that, the industry focuses on customizability and the user experience, so there are tons of options on every piece of equipment, whether it be part of a security system, a home theater, a lighting system, or a home computer network. And I think your baby just re-set your system to factory settings while she was chewing on the remote. So c’mon – call a professional. It’ll be our little secret.

By: Certified Connection

Now that summertime is almost here, there’s no end of outdoor activities to enjoy. Whether you’re taking a vacation, hitting the beach, or lounging by the pool, the hot summer sun will soon be calling.

But what if your favorite summertime activity is watching TV or movies? Are you cursed to sit inside for the season while everyone else is out having fun? Not if you’ve got some outdoor entertainment.

Manufacturers have finally embraced the great outdoors, and are offering up outdoor-specific components to keep you entertained no matter where you are. A television is not unusual to find on a porch or in a sunroom, but generally can’t go much further than that because of the elements. But a waterproof TV can, and does. No more worries about a sudden rain shower, splashed pool water, or a spilled soda. The waterproof TV is resistant to them all. And with the announcement of HD waterproof TVs, the picture never looked better.

If you’re all about the music, there are waterproof iPod cases as well. You can use your headphones, or hook your iPod up to waterproof speakers and DJ the pool party.

For those who desire the whole audio/visual experience, believe it or not, there’s an inflatable solution. Inflatable outdoor entertainment systems come with an 8- or 12-foot screen, a projector, a DVD player, and full-range speakers. They can be a little tricky to set up, so you might want to consult an expert, but once they’re blown up, tied down, and hooked in, you’ll wonder how you ever considered sitting inside in the dark with a solitary fan.

One thing’s for sure: When mom wants the kids to leave the house and go outside for some fresh air this summer, with cool gadgets like these, she’ll likely encounter less resistance.

By: Certified Connection

I came across a passage in a book the other day that I think perfectly describes the comfort and feeling of decadence that a home theater can provide. This comes from a book titled The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.

The third door on the left opens onto a miniature movie theater. A large white screen, a host of mysterious shiny devices, three rows of real seats covered in deep blue velvet, a long low table opposite the front row, and walls and ceiling covered in dark silk.

…

I settle into a wonderfully plush seat and the show begins.

How to describe such moments of bliss? To be watching [the film] on a giant screen, in gentle darkness, nestled against a soft backrest, nibbling pastries, and drinking scalding tea in contented little sips. From time to time, Kakuro pauses the film and we both begin to talk about this and that … Twice I go off … and return to the screening room as if to a warm cozy bed.

By: Certified Connection



As hard as it might be to believe, it wasn’t that long ago that the average home entertainment center consisted of a black-and-white television sitting on a TV tray, likely with rabbit ears (tin foil optional) and capable of picking up three or four broadcast channels.

These days, a home media center can have any combination of HDTV, DVD player, video game system, cable box, Blu-ray player, CD or MP3 player—and maybe even a computer or two.

All of these components have some form of audio output, and plug into some variation of a stereo receiver. To keep up with the voluminous number of outputs, newer receivers have more and more inputs, but sometimes there just aren’t enough to accommodate everything. What to do then? Get yourself a switcher.

A switcher is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a box with multiple inputs and a single output, and lets you switch from one component to another. There are less fancy switchers with big buttons on the front or top that you press for whatever you want to watch/listen to. There are also very high-end switchers with LCD displays and remote controls, so you can switch from video game to ball game without having to get up from your couch.

A switcher is relatively simple to set up, but it’s ideal to have one hooked up during an expert installation of your entire entertainment system to make sure you’re getting the best quality sound and video. Either way, if you’ve got more outputs than inputs, a switcher is an ideal solution.

By: Certified Connection

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