Breaking the Break-In Cycle with Home Security Integration

Data collected by the FBI in their Uniform Crime Report each year in the United States paints a clear picture – homes get robbed, and they get robbed on a frequent basis. In a typical year, 20% or more of the crimes reported to police are burglaries, and with the increasing number of homeowners who have expensive A/V and electronics equipment in their homes, security has become a paramount concern.

Technologically-forward systems are the first line of defense against a home break-in, and come in a wide variety of forms, including high-definition cameras and DVRs to live video feeds. Further, they have evolved significantly over the last decade. Cameras and video feeds have the ability to make a home feel safer and convince would-be burglars that their target is not worth the risk. But integrating these systems with existing electronics can pose a challenge, as they may not play nicely with other pieces of technology in a home.

Often, homeowners feel that they are left with two choices: a safe home or one that is designed for comfort and control. Cameras and video feeds are often seen as options that don’t mesh well with other whole-house systems, and are pieces of equipment that have to be run separately from other electronics in order to work properly. Fortunately, options exist for homeowners to find an electronics systems contractor that can work with their security provider of choice to devise an entire home system that not only incorporates cameras and lives feeds, but that does so in such a way that it works with existing electronic equipment.

High-end electronics providers like Crestron now offer in-home control panel systems that can be made to work seamlessly with a television system, stereo equipment, lighting controls and security options. When installed by a qualified and professional technician, cameras and video feeds can be run seamlessly throughout a house, allowing for easy viewing and recording, which gives a homeowner the ability to design the kind of system that best suits their needs. Style and security – you can, in fact, have it all.

Contact Kiwi A/V today for more details on how we can integrate and enhance your home security system.

With Fiber, It's Not Always the Optics That Matter

Builders have the often thankless job of dealing with multiple contractors in order to ensure smooth project completion for a homeowner. For a builder, knowing everything about each trade that comes into a home is an impossibility, and one of the more complicated areas of subcontracting lies within the scope of an electronics system contractor – whose job it is to provide and install the latest technology desired by a homeowner.

New advancements in digital television and high-end sound systems have necessitated a number of changes to the way in which electronics system contractors do business, and one of the most recent and notable is the increased use of what is known as “digital media fiber.” To a technician, this cable represents a high transmission rate for information including sound and images, far greater than typically seen when using copper wiring, and often with far less latency.

For a builder, its most notable feature is that it is made of glass.

This alone can be cause for concern, but also that is due to its nature: it will break or tear easily or that it could be damaged accidentally and no longer work. Couple that with the fear that the DM fiber may not be compatible with all other systems in a household, and it’s no wonder that builders have questions about the use of this new technology.

Fortunately, digital media fiber not only stands up better to the test of time than copper and is less vulnerable to failure. But it is now being supported by some of the biggest names in the business – names like Crestron, for example.



Digital media fiber may look less robust than its copper counterpart, but provides not only better durability, but also greater functionality across the board.

Welcome to the Third Dimension

Sure, you live and work there every day, but it's not quite the same when it's not up on the big screen, jumping out, larger than life. For years, the future of the high-quality home electronics industry has focused on a 3D home experience that can rival those in theaters, and thanks to Runco and their line of 3Dimension projectors, that future is arriving.

Ask anyone what's great about 3D and they'll likely speak about realism and immersion. Ask what's not so hot and they'll mention headaches from LED glasses or the fact that the 3D images seem to stutter as they move. When it comes to 3D, options in the home haven't delivered.

This is partially due to the way current 3D technology works. Typical projectors display an image and rely almost entirely on what are known as “active” glasses to do the work of making the image 3D. These glasses require a power source, and must be in range of the projector’s transmitter to sync the frame rate of the video to the glasses. Other objects in the room, low batteries or another television can cause stuttering problems, and many users experience eye strain or headache.

Runco, a leader in projection technology, went back to the drawing board and created the 3Dimension Series. The 3Dimesnion systems use what is known as Constant Stereoscopic Video (CSV), a proprietary architecture that is based on actual eye depth perception and visualization in the real world. This allows for a streaming, seamless image that is delivered to a pair of passive glasses – allowing the projector to do most of the work.

The Runco line of 3D projectors, including the D-73d 3D Projector, also feature the largest color palette available, one that exceeds the standards of the Digital Cinema Initiative, and the Personal Color Equalizer, that allows users to precisely calibrate their color options. With awards from CEDIA, CE PRO and TechHome to name a few, the Runco 3Dimesnion line is the first to bring streaming, seamless 3D home.