Apple TV 1080p Coming Soon!

From CE Pro:

" Amid the excitement over the New iPad was the barely mentioned Apple TV.

No this isn’t the iTV or Apple smart TV many thought was coming. It’s just an updated version of the earlier Apple TV, but it comes with some welcome updates.

The most important upgrade for home theater fans is the new support for 1080p video. You can get 1080p video from iTunes and other services and enjoy them in all their pixels on a 1080p display. "

Read the full article here.

Kiwi Test Lab

One of the most important phases of a large, custom audio-visual installation is the in-house testing.  When Kiwi Audio Visual moved into its new building in Carlsbad, one of the first tasks was to get a test lab designed and wired so that future projects can be connected and tested fully.  This included testing the audio zones, video zones, touch panels, and other subsystems. 

In-house testing is instrumental in finding small bugs and other issues that might otherwise be found onsite halfway through an installation.  The efficiency with testing components and programming early also saves costly man hours later on during the project.

If you are interested in coming to the Kiwi facility and seeing our test lab, either give us a call (760-931-9922) or stop on by 1950 Kellogg Ave, Carlsbad CA 92008.

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.

Uncrossing The Wires

Being a homebuilder is no easy task. Aside from managing the concerns of a new homeowner, you have to deal with each and every one of the contractors that comes into the home. For better or worse, you're the face of the home, and that means that if something goes wrong, it is likely you that ends up with the black eye.

As a builder, you tend to be a jack of all trades. Bringing together so many different pieces of the home puzzle means that it is nearly impossible for you to be an expert in all fields, and high-quality A/V has changed significantly in the last few years. From custom speaker installations to full-home automation systems and televisions on motorized brackets that can slide away behind a picture or under a bed, the world of in-home electronics has become extremely complicated, especially when it comes to programming new pieces in a home.

Two of the best things that any Electronic Systems Contractor can do for you are to ensure that not only every piece of equipment they bring to the home is ready to go, but that they also take the time to program and test the same equipment before it ever arrives. Simply put, testing and programming before equipment leaves the shop leads to faster and more efficient installation times. Further, everything from television color and stereo sound can be tweaked, all before a homeowner ever sees it.

If you find yourself with equipment that hasn't been properly tested, you'll need to have it removed, serviced and properly re-installed. By finding a company that can set up racks, fit stereos and program components in-house before they are ever installed, both you, the builder, and the owner can save time and money, the two most valuable commodities in any home design.

At Kiwi Audio Visual, we know how important in-house testing and programming is to every new home project. For that reason, we never leave you in the lurch. Come see what we can do to make a project flow more smoothly.

Super Bowl Syndrome

Everyone needs a new TV for the big game, whether it’s to watch celebrities like Ozzy Osbourne and Justin Bieber awkwardly interact in yet another legendary commercial or to watch famous attendees feed each other (thank you Cameron Diaz and Alex Rodriguez). So, shoppers flood the big box stores to find themselves staring at countless televisions with repetitive images. Relating these devices to a family's needs requires more than cursory examination. So, the smart shopper researches televisions leading to confusion over acronyms like LED, LCD, 3D, plasma, CRT, DLP, ICBM and FDIC. All of this information can overwhelm a shopper before he or she even enters the store.

Shoppers tend to rely on the knowledgeable associates who, they believe, will be ready to untangle the technology and confusing advertising claims for them. Although sales associates are indeed knowledgeable, all they really have at their fingertips are the two least helpful statistics available: the size of the screen and the price. There happens to be a great deal more to large screen televisions than screen size and price.

Scenarios like these, which result in regrettable choices, can be avoided by engaging the assistance of electronic systems contractors. Experienced A/V consultants protect clients by asking questions of substance; questions about the size and configuration of the room in which the TV will sit, the viewing habits of those expected to use the device, and any other equipment it may need to accommodate will all be handled by A/V professionals.

Further, consultants like the professionals at Kiwi Audio Visual can typically source various brands of equipment and demonstrate enough expertise to help clients choose the best device while simultaneously staying under budget using the technological specs they are familiar with.

Crestron's DM (Digital Media) System

Crestron has long been known in the electronics industry for supplying the best in both technology and innovation; the company has never been satisfied with simply following trends. Instead, it focuses on creating them, on thinking outside the box before anyone else has ever figured out just what the box looks like. Now, Crestron has once again created a solution intended to help audio and videophiles get the most from their systems - their line of Crestron Digital Media (DM) products. Intended to work with a wide variety of input types over a large range, the DM line of switchers and input cards helps homeowners to find a unified system that streamlines all applications through one simple-to-use console. The DM concept has proven popular - Microsoft, Time Warner, and ESPN all have Crestron systems working for them, as do Rice, Midwestern, and Ohio State Universities to name a few.


The DM Advantage - Getting Specific

New technology leads to innovation, but also to a reduction in support for signals of a previous generation. Not only that, but multiple media sources will often use different inputs and outputs, leaving a homeowner struggling to find an overall solution that minimizes cabling issues. Fortunately, the Crestron DM system is designed to deliver in a big way. Take the entry-level DM-MD6X1 as an example. The MD6X1 supports RGB, HDMI, multi-format BNC video and SPDIF audio. In addition, the HDMI input comes with support for HDCP and DVI. This gives the MD6X1 the ability to take input from virtually any source in a home - computer, laptop, cable, or satellite box - and effortlessly route it where it needs to be. Speaking of routing, the system also allows for extra inputs up to 450 feet away from the source box with extra DM transmitters, giving MD6X1 systems the power to perform both in residential homes and in large business complexes with equal facility. Now you can stream multiple video and/or audio sources across several rooms in your house; all in the highest quality with no lag time or distortion.


Tying It In - Using DM with Other High-Quality Products


Crestron's technology is such that it can broadly accept inputs from a variety of audio and video sources, giving a consumer and an electronics systems contractor the ability to create a full-home theater system from the ground up. No longer will you be limited from putting in a custom-built Triad or Prodigy sound system or a wide variety of both Plasma and LCD TV inputs. Ease of use is key for Crestron technology, as evidenced in their use of QuickSwitch technology when changing between HDMI signals. In order to minimize latency and lag time between signals, QuickSwitch ensures that an HDCP connection is maintained with each device in the system, meaning that no re-authentication of a new signal is necessary, greatly reducing lag experienced by users.


Crestron continues to push the home theater edge with innovations such as their DM system, helping to drive the entire industry forward. Visit our Website for more information on Crestron products.

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?)

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.

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.