Finally saw Avatar: 3D

So now I have something to reference besides a few animated clips from trade shows when discussing 3D.  First off, I have to say that the movie itself was very entertaining and lived up to the hype surrounding it for the last 6 months or so.  As for the 3D....I am still sticking to my opinion that it is a very cool novelty.  Movies like Monsters vs. Aliens, Up and Avatar offer bright, clean colors and graphics but they are supposed to.  That is what makes them the movies that they are.  If 3D makes it into the home are we going to watch How I Met Your Mother in 3D?  The Jersey Shore in 3D?  No way!!  Even a football game might make you a little queasy after a while with all of the motion.  But until they launch ESPN in 3D, here's to good old fashioned HD.  (did I just say old-fashioned HD?)

The biggest thing to come out of CES 2010.

When my employer walked in the door the other morning I immediately started asking about what he saw at CES 2010.  He only had one word for me....3D.  As you might have seen from all of the other more established blogs, everyone had a new 3D display to show off.  Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Toshiba, Sony, they all have jumped onto the Third Dimension!!  Passive glasses, Active glasses, and the elusive glasses-free stereoscopic, they were all on the CES floor, ready to wow passing guests and suck them into a 3D adventure.  I wish I could have experienced them all but unfortunately I have to live vicariously through others.  I have still managed to form an early opinion on 3D in the home though.  I believe that it is going to be very popular novelty until they manage to get the glasses off of the faces of the American family.  It is one thing to wear them for the movie of the year, it is another thing to wear them every weekend for football.  Still cool though.  Wish I could've had this technology for Sunday nights and the Wonderful World of Disney when I was a kid.

Will A/V Receivers Need to Be 3D Compatible? - CE Pro Article from CE Pro

Will A/V Receivers Need to Be 3D Compatible? - CE Pro Article from CE Pro

Equipment Rack Installation: Part One

Future proofing your home for new technologies

When building a custom home, there are many things that go into making sure that it will stand the test of time. While most people think about the framing of the house and the exterior handling the challenges of Mother Nature, we in the Audio Video Industry are always thinking about having enough wire run throughout the home to handle the newest streaming video or extra channel of audio. The technologies are constantly changing and getting better and better. There is nothing better then knowing that you are prepared for anything when it comes to installing a new pair of speakers or new HDTV.
When you are sitting down with your Electronic Systems Contractor and have some decisions to make, never take out the wire. If you haven't decided on a distributed audio system, or trying the newest streaming video server, ALWAYS make sure that the wire is still run to all of the possible locations. This makes your decisions easier in the long run because the wire will have been sitting patiently in the wall, awaiting the purchase of that new high definition plasma TV just in time for the big game.

Did You Know?

Streaming Video vs. Bluray

There are so many devices out there that have the ability to stream 1080p video directly from the internet. Does this mean that Blu-ray is going the way of the Dodo? Unfortunately, the abilities of your new TV being able to stream the newest HD content is restricted by the bandwidth not only in your home, but the bandwidth available to you from your internet service provider. Many people live in neighborhoods where the traffic is so high that the HD movie they just rented will show up very jittery or not at all. The better way to watch the movie is to wait and download it which will still take a very long time. So while the instant HD movie watching idea is very cool, I believe that Blu-ray is still a better way to enjoy the newest blockbuster at home....for now. I am looking forward to a bright future where there is fiberoptic cabling being laid in the streets as far as the eye can see and the bandwidth inside your home is large enough to stream high definition movies to every room.