Central Coast Audio Visual

"Home automation has been the next big thing for the last 30 years," says Brad Arthur, product manager of home automation retailer Smarthome. "But we have a perfect storm at the moment." Simplicity and ubiquity drive this revolution because most of us already carry the automation controller in our Android, iPhones or iWatch. Just as third-party developers drove the popularity and potential of smartphones, "manufacturers are clamouring to get on board with this technology for the smart home", says Arthur. Everything from lighting to temperature thermostats, security cameras to theatre systems will be able to talk to each other wirelessly using the programming language of HomeKit or Brillo. Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/smart-homes-a-question-of-sensors-and-sensibilities-20150608-ghj9wj.html

Amazon’s Amazon Echo voice-activated, connected home command center is now available for anybody to purchase. The Siri-like device will start shipping July 14. The cylindrical Echo, which responds to voice commands and allows a user to learn the weather, set alarms, and listen to music, had a limited launch in fall 2014. Since then, Amazon has added many new features to the Echo, including compatibility with the music streaming service Pandora, the audiobook service Audible, and more. Read more: http://time.com/3932566/amazon-echo-buy/

Ingeny has introduced a retrofit home automation system that optimises levels of comfort, safety and energy efficiency, but can be fitted without causing damage to a property’s interior. It uses advanced wireless technology to create an integrated solution that can be up and running quickly and efficiently, removing the need to run new cables and keeping costly installation requirements to a minimum. Taking advantage of Z-Wave wireless technology, which operates a “mesh network” that uses repeating signals, Ingeny can deliver an automation solution throughout a building at a fraction of the cost of a traditional fully-wired solution. Read more: http://hiddenwires.co.uk/2015/ingeny-offers-new-retrofit-home-automation-system-solution/

Even the best designed smarthome apps can feel a little lifeless compared to flickable light switches and spinnable thermostats. Which is why German studio The Family of the Arts is working on a tactile alternative to the smarthome apps of today. Simply called Cube, the device is a small black cube that you can carry around your house, place on any surface, and use it to control nearby lamps, shades, thermostats, and speakers contextually. At night, Cube fits into the wall—right where a lightswitch would normally go—to dock and recharge. Read more: http://www.fastcodesign.com/3047288/is-the-future-of-home-automation-a-simple-black-cube

The PowerLite Home Cinema 3500 is a 2D/3D video projector from Epson that utilizes 3LCD technology as a foundation to provide 1080p native resolution, further supported by strong B/W and Color light output, and up to a long 5,000 hour lamp life in standard operating mode. On the connectivity side, there are two HDMI inputs (one of which is MHL-Enabled), separate VGA and Component inputs, a traditional Composite video input, and a USB input. Of course, there is a lot more. Continue reading the rest of this review to find out if the Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 3500, is worth consideration for your home theater setup. Read more: http://hometheater.about.com/od/videoprojectorviews/fl/Epson-PowerLite-Home-Cinema-3500-3LCD-Projector-Review.htm

We live in a world with stunning new HDTVs and even more immersive 4K sets which are clearer, brighter and more detailed than ever before. The new TVs are also getting thinner and lighter. You can hang them on any surface and they’re barely an inch thick. A good projector, however, demands attention. Even midrange projectors can generate an impressive and cinematic image that can turn any living room or basement with enough wall space into a decent home theatre approximating a movie theatre. Today’s new projectors can match and even surpass HDTVs in terms of quality and resolution. They even have some 4K projectors that an impressive job of creating a 100-inch projection. When used with the right projector screen. Read more: http://whatsyourtech.ca/2015/06/19/why-digital-projectors-are-the-unsung-heroes-of-home-theatre/

A movie going experience at the theater can be a great thing, unless you missed the good part during a restroom break or a fellow moviegoer decided to share their phone conversation with the entire audience. These annoyances may have prompted you to think about buying the equipment needed to create a home theater in your living room. Setting up such a system can be a bit of work, but it’s manageable and the benefits are immense. Read more: http://www.picayuneitem.com/2015/06/theater-experience-at-home/