The Connected Life | Sound and Vision Magazine

4K is Here!

What higher-resolution video means for your current system.
By John Sciacca

Posted November 30, 2011

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Today, 3D has become a de facto feature on almost every higher-end TV and even many projectors, and it continues to make headlines. But the biggest news to come out of the CEDIA Expo trade show this past September wasn’t of the three-dimensional variety. The news that took many attendees by surprise was 4K.
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Related Tags:
- Projectors
- TVs & Projectors
- Expertise
- 4K
- Audioquest
- Blu-ray
- CEDIA
- hdmi
- JVC
- Kordz
- Sony
Out-of-Sight A/V

Keep down the clutter by hiding your home theater gear away.
By John Sciacca

Posted September 19, 2011
Prices for flat-panel TVs have been reduced to a level where they’ve literally become throwaway commodities. Just yesterday, a customer informed me that he was going to put a TV outside on his deck and “leave it there until it breaks, then buy another one.”
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Related Tags:
- Expertise
- cables
- hdmi
- remotes
- universal remotes
iControl Your Life

Remote contact via iPad is a beautiful thing indeed.
By John Sciacca

Posted July 13, 2011
Some people immediately get that the iPad can become the controller for an automation system, allowing them to control not only their audio/video gear but also their lights, HVAC, security, and irrigation systems.
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URC Looks to take Total Control

Remote control giant URC debuts new whole-house automation system
By John Sciacca

Posted July 1, 2011

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Friday the 13th is nothing to fear this month as remote control giant URC releases the first wave of its new Total Control platform of housewide automation, control, and audio distribution components today.
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Related Tags:
- home automation
Control Your Remote

The most important component in your system is often the smallest.
By John Sciacca

Posted January 14, 2011

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There are so many Pow! Bang! Ka-chow! buzzwords thrown out by the consumer electronics industry's marketing war chariots that smaller, more important things often get lost or completely overwhelmed in the ground clutter.
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Related Tags:
- Expertise
- blogs
- remotes
Seen at CEDIA 2010

Our install expert reports on all of the tech goodies that caught his eyes — and ears.
By John Sciacca

Posted November 17, 2010
At this year’s CEDIA Expo, held in Atlanta at the end of September, I felt that the mood on the show floor was decidedly upbeat. The positive vibe exuded by many suggested that the worst of the recession is over and that business is actually starting to pick back up.
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Related Tags:
- Expertise
- 3D
- CEDIA
It's All Right to Be Wrong

Enjoy your system the way you want, even if it isn't exactly "correct."
By John Sciacca

Posted September 16, 2010
We definitely don’t need to be bogged down with more rules. Practically everywhere we go, someone or something is telling us what to do or what not to do. Walk. Don’t walk. This lane 15 items or less. Pants required to eat here. Enough!
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Related Tags:
- Speakers
- Expertise
- anamorphic lenses
- Audio
- Home Theater
- rules
- Video
3D TV Demystified

Before you try to jump on the 3D bandwagon, make sure you know what you need.
By John Sciacca

Posted September 10, 2010
My dad called me the other day. He had just rented Avatar and he wanted to know if I had seen it and if the version I watched was in 3D and why his wasn’t. A client sent me an e-mail asking whether he could use a new 3D TV to watch regular, non-3D programming.
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Related Tags:
- Expertise
- 3D
- 3DTV
- HDTV
Showing Your Cards

When planning your new home theater with your installer, you can't just be vague. They need hard numbers to know how far to go, and when to stop.
By John Sciacca

Posted December 3, 2008
Fans of the Bible and of the Byrds will recognize that there is a time for everything - a time to laugh, a time to cry, a time to keep quiet, a time to speak, and so on. Accordingly, there are times when it pays to hold things close to the vest. For one, supervillains should refrain from pontificating about their master plans for world domination.
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- Expertise
Gear Hall

In the custom-install world, which inventions are considered the kings of all media? We introduce you to the first inductees into the CEDIA Hall of Fame. (WEB ONLY)
By John Sciacca

Posted October 7, 2008
Being a custom installer is no easy feat. More often than not, the job involves problem-solving and figuring out a way to make a square peg fit in a round hole. Fortunately, the manufacturers that support the world of custom installation have produced a lot of terrific products to make these possible.
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Related Tags:
- Expertise