Central Coast Audio Visual

Imagine walking into your home after a long day at work and, with a few taps of your finger, transforming your domicile exactly as you please for your evening’s plans. Whether it’s the lighting or music for a dinner party with two dozen guests, an intimate cocktail party for four or just a quiet night relaxing at home with family, you can tap an in-wall touch screen in your foyer or great room, and your preset desires will instantly set the mood. Read more: http://hamptonroads.com/2014/10/homearama-house-takes-smart-home-tech-extreme

Consumers will continue to demand greater functionality in the form of synced devices such as wearable technology and smart home appliances. Mintel’s trends analysts Stacy Glasgow and Jenny Zegler point out in the report that synced devices will begin to go mainstream. “We’ll see smart devices advancing into new annexes,” Glasgow said. Wearable technology will provide not only the “convenience of connectivity” but provide personal devices “that are secure and fashionable,” Glasgow said. “Style matters in the smart home, too, where systems will go beyond economizing utilities by embracing ambience and blending in with the décor, such as Philips ‘Hue’ LED lighting systems and iPhone fragrance diffusers.” Read more: http://www.cspnet.com/industry-news-analysis/technology/articles/four-trends-changing-consumer-culture

The future of the connected home is continuing to evolve, and with more startups pitching products, the ship date of older crowdfunding campaigns hitting customer homes and big name companies warming to the space, I’m starting to see a few trends come together for 2015. I’m sure we’ll see more at CES in January, but based on conversations I’ve had and products I saw at our Structure Connect show last week, here are a few things you can expect on the connected home front. Read more: https://gigaom.com/2014/10/27/5-trends-coming-to-the-smart-home-in-2015/

Acoustics are an area that gets a lot of attention in the world of home theater and with good reason. A poorly designed room can make an incredible audio system sound terrible. But is it worth using insulation to dampen the sound coming from your home theater? There are several factors you should consider when deciding whether or not to spend the money on insulating your home theater from the rest of your house. First and foremost is the location of the room itself. Many home theaters end up in basements. This is a big advantage since it only requires you to insulate the ceilings and walls. http://times247.com/2014/10/should-you-inuslate-your-home-theater/

First and foremost, I think the ultimate goal for HA is "automation." So pulling out my phone to do everything is unacceptable, but so is for the most part using my TV to control my lights (or a box connected to my TV). I want my house to respond to me, my family, and our movements/actions. I don't want to have to tell it what to do. Perhaps a Nest style "learning" system would be ok as a "starter" for people, but ultimately the goal is to not interfere with it unless there is a special need to (in which case wall switches should be acceptable overrides). This is why I don't normally use "smart bulbs" except in lamps or where I can use a scene controller on a wall to control them. I don't always carry my phone or tablet and to have to pull one out to turn on a light is dumb in my opinion. http://gizmodo.com/what-everyones-getting-wrong-about-home-automation-1643889685

More and more everyday devices are becoming networkable: Smoke alarms, coffee makers, refrigerators, thermostats, door locks, window shades, garage doors, security cameras, lights, air conditioners, and on and on. The industry has somehow settled on what must be the most awkward, imprecise, idiotic name for this trend ever: “the Internet of Things.” Why is that name so dumb? For starters, the things don’t make an Internet. Many of them can’t even get on the Internet; they’re just networkable within your house or controllable by your phone. Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/tech/more-and-more-everyday-devices-are-becoming-98946148349.html

The term “home automation system” is a lot like the word “groceries.” It’s a mixed bag that depends on your tastes and what you need to accomplish when you get home. What most systems have in common is a hub, a small box that contains the system’s brain. It works with a smartphone or other device to give you remote control and monitoring. From there, you shop for the system that gives you the features you want – a few or many. These smart home hubs promise to bring a little gravity to your connected universe. Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/10/16/5246530/4-hubs-to-consider-to-run-your.html#.VEbMOfldXXQ#storylink=cpy