It seems as though everyone has gone crazy for voice command devices and applications, but we are exercising caution.  Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Google’s Assistant Allo all have flaws. That’s what we are hearing from you.  “Alexa won’t turn on the lights in my kitchen.” “Allo can’t open the garage door for my plumber while I’m at work.” “Siri can’t find anything!”

As home electronics, integration and automation experts, we feel your pain. We know you want to speak your mind and have your wishes granted: open the shades, change the music, pre-heat the oven, and on and on. This is life in the 21st Century. The good news is that eventually all of these devices will understand you clearly. In the not too distant future, they will communicate with you and one another!

These apps and devices are basic and limited in what they can do. So if you’re OK with that, go ahead and plunk down $129 for the Google Home device or $179 for the Amazon Echo, and then download the apps that make them work. Want to know the weather? The score of the Red Sox game? Change the temperature on your Nest? These will do that for you.

Name that skill

One of the issues is how the devices in your home are programmed. Let’s say you have multiple lighting sources and need to be very specific, for example, kitchen recessed lights. Your voice command will have to be equally specific, according to AVD Project Manager Glenn Middleton. You may know this but your guests may not. Another issue is that Alexa and counterparts “aren’t at full voice recognition capacity yet, which means they make a lot of mistakes understanding human speech. Eventually they will understand us 100 percent. At that time these will be great devices for interacting on some level with our systems,” says Kyle Tripp, AVD Systems Designer.

Currently Alexa and Allo do not communicate easily with any smart home systems. And they won’t necessarily be able to work the rest of the cool, high-tech stuff in your house. The latest versions from Control4, Crestron and Savant have the capability to be “introduced” to Alexa and learn one another’s language. Alexa’s language is “name the skill” or “call the skill.” Once Alexa becomes more fluent, the skills it knows will be more easily understood by the home integration systems we install. For now you’ll still have to push buttons on your smart phone, tablet or wall touch panel, which in many cases is actually more convenient than voice control. The best smart home systems are now developing their own voice recognition technology.

Father’s Day is a couple of weeks away and if you’re stumped for what to give Dad, we have some gift ideas from our team at AVD. Present the man in your life with a gift certificate for a fully-equipped “man cave”/media room. Or give him one of the items suggested here. And, as man does not live by home electronics, automation and integration alone, we’re offering up some additional thoughts as a way to honor Dad this month – or anytime.

What man cave/media room would be complete without a big-screen TV? Bob Copeland recommends Sony’s new XBR 65A1E OLED Display. John Veloza suggests pairing that with surround sound that works in multiple locations like the Sonos system. Brad Smith suggests one of the Leon Soundbars to be mounted with the TV. Add a subwoofer, says Bob Riddle, and he likes JL Audio. Richard Mullin says an all-in-one remote is essential and recommends the Universal Remote Control. Bob thinks the Savant Pro Remote is a must have for ease-of-use and the coolness factor (just enough to make it fun).

What would our team members like to be gifted – related to business and not related?

Bob Copeland: DAC for Sonos Connect and time with family.

Richard Mullin: Apple TV and a pair of tickets to the new Odyssey cruise ship with dinner aboard.

John Veloza: A Control4 System and an Apple Macbook Pro.

Summer will be here before you know it. Since the season is so short in New England, we want to make the most of it when we spend time outdoors. The trend to entertain outside gets stronger every year with improved technology and products. Here are 10 tips to enhance your outdoor A/V experience.

1. Wireless audio can be your new BFF if not exposed to the elements.  Soundcast has weatherproof wireless  speakers that we would recommend. They are portable and battery powered so you can even take them to the beach! While we always prefer a hardwired connection for quality audio, wireless systems are great for getting music outside temporarily, without a lot of planning or structural wiring.
2. Plan for permanent fixtures when building or renovating. The more speakers the better! It’s important to plan for permanent outdoor electronics. For example, you need to install pool speakers before the concrete is poured, and conduit will need to be run to any permanent outdoor video displays.
3. Look for speakers that blend in. In the beginning rock speakers were all the rage, but there are more advanced speakers now that can be hidden among plantings. Compact speakers designed with flexible mounting options are increasingly popular because you can place them in trees, bushes, or virtually anywhere.
4. Allocate the proper space for in-ground subwoofers, which produce great bass outdoors.
5. Invest in a waterproof, rugged iPad cover or remote for outdoor control.
6. Never use indoor gear outdoors. You can’t simply take your TV outside, install it and expect it to hold up to the elements. That is one reason why we like the products from Seura, especially their Storm series. Splash is made to be waterproof! Install the largest size screen you can accommodate for maximum viewing pleasure.
7. Wow your guests with an outdoor movie theater, complete with a weatherproof screen and drop down projector. Just remember that appropriate housing is important.
8. Run video wiring to several locations so that you can put video in one or more spots should you decide to add another screen, or move your screen, in the future.
9. Add outdoor wireless access points to boost your signal for continuous Wi-Fi coverage outside. Or talk with us about some of our advanced network solutions.
10. Light it right to set the mood and add to your home’s safety. We can program lighting for various activities, like watching TV outside, a late night dip in the pool or soak in the hot tub.

It’s not too late to get your property ready for summer. Get in touch with our System Design team. And don’t forget all the other elements that go into fabulous summer entertaining: a great play list, comfortable seating, an outdoor kitchen and, most important of all, family and friends.

What’s a better combination than music and wine? Join Audio Video Design for our inaugural Boston Design Week event at M. Steinert & Sons at the Natick Mall on April 7, 2017 from 5 to 7 p.m. and find out! Play with the amazing Steinway Spirio™ piano and listen to the Steinway Lyngdorf S-Series Sound System. Sip a fine selection of wines, nibble delicious hors d’oeuvres and mingle with music lovers, design aficionados, wine connoisseurs and design industry professionals. Thank you to our media sponsor Boston Design Guide, a trusted and comprehensive resource guide featuring the “best of the best” in the home design industry.

The knowledgable staff from Audio Video Design and M. Steinert & Sons will be on hand to demonstrate the Spirio™ and the S-Series speakers. Learn about room correction and how the shape and dynamics of a space play a large part in what you actually hear in terms of echoes, reflections and absorption of sound.

We’ll also be giving away door prizes, including a set of speakers valued at more than $500.

Registration is required to attend through Eventbrite.

M. Steinert & Sons is located on the second floor of the Natick Mall near Neiman Marcus. 1245 Worcester Street, Natick, MA 01760.

Have you ever heard of room correction in reference to audio equipment? You might be surprised to learn that with most audio systems, more than half of the sound you hear doesn’t come from your speakers alone. The shape and dynamics of the room, including your furnishings, play a big part of what you do hear in terms of echoes, reflections and absorption of sound. In the past that meant placing your speakers in the best spot acoustically, but not necessarily aesthetically.

Enter the Danish engineers at Lyngdorf who have created the most advanced and user-friendly room correction system on the market. More than twenty years of research have gone into this stylish integrated stereo amplifier that identifies the characteristics of your speakers and the influences of your room, and then takes the room out of the equation. With built-in RoomPerfect™ room correction, you hear exactly what the music is supposed to sound like, not the way your room makes the speakers make it sound.

This award-winning amplifier is the audiophile’s friend. A fully digital component, the TDAI-2170 has flexible upgrade modules that use the RoomPerfect™ technology. It is easy to set up and use, and enhances all speaker systems.

Good News for Design Enthusiasts

“I like it because with RoomPerfect™ you can place the speakers where they look best, not necessarily where they sound best,” says AVD president Brad Smith. “That’s why interior designers and architects should like it, too. And the sound is shockingly good.”

No more worrying about minimalistic spaces with echoes or rooms with a lot of upholstery absorbing too much sound. Applying RoomPerfect™ calibration allows homeowners and designers to position speakers in a way that best reflects the style of a room.

Audio Video Design was recognized for professional excellence with a Silver BRICC Award by the Home Builders and Remodelers Association on Cape Cod. A fully integrated and automated house in Chatham earned the award for Excellence in Smart Home Technology.

The BRICC Awards recognize the finest projects and outstanding achievements of builders, architects, designers, sales and marketing professionals, subcontractors and home technology contractors in the home building industry on Cape Cod.

“We are delighted to have received this BRICC Award from the Home Builders and Remodelers Association on Cape Cod. In this business it is always a team that earns the honors. No one person can do this by himself. I thank my team here at Audio Video Design for their conscientious attention to detail and dedication to customer satisfaction,” said AVD President Brad Smith.

Creating a perfect sound system for a home or office can seem like significant task for audiophiles at any level of expertise. Experts enjoy the challenge of assembling a system from scratch and balancing its many components, while beginners can be bewildered by the range and type of audio equipment available. The following overview of some of the most popular new high-tech sound equipment can help both advanced users and new initiates understand what options are available.

• Bluetooth speakers: Connecting your sound system to your speakers has long involved a sometimes complex and messy array of wires. Bluetooth speakers give you the option of wireless connections that eliminate the need for wires while still providing excellent sound. Lower-quality speakers may sacrifice some sound quality for the convenience of wireless operation, but higher-quality, higher-priced models will deliver sound that is equivalent to a high-end wired speaker system.
• AirPlay Speakers: AirPlay-enabled speakers offer another wireless option for home sound systems. These speakers use your home Wi-Fi network to stream music and video to Apple devices without a loss of quality. An AirPlay setup provides generally higher quality sound than Bluetooth, but tends to interfere with network performance if being used at the same time as other network tasks.
• Soundbars: Soundbars provide a modern shape for speaker systems, usually a long, narrow, bar-shaped speaker set up. They contain several drivers and an amplifier that makes them excellent as upgrades to TV speakers or as stand-along speakers for a typical sound system. Since soundbars are smaller than many other speaker types, they can be used in situations in which larger speakers may be impractical.
• Passive speakers: These are the standard wired speakers that are common in many sound systems. They require a receiver to generate the power that provides the sound, but they can achieve excellent quality for a reasonable price.

Beginner or expert, Audio Video Design can help you choose the right sound system and equipment for your home or office. Contact us today for more information on the audio technology and components that will make your sound system work best for you.

When setting up the display system for a home theater, many video enthusiasts face the choice of using a flat panel TV or a projector. Here is a brief overview of flat panel TVs and projectors that can help you understand their differences, advantages, and disadvantages.

• Image size and resolution: A high-definition television has a constant image resolution and size that cannot be changed. Images from projectors can be adjusted to a degree by varying the distance between the projector and the screen.
• Image quality: You can count on the image quality in a flat panel TV to stay consistent. The image from a projector can be affected by the brightness of the light source for projection. If there are problems with the video, they will likely be more noticeable in the larger projection image.
• Space considerations: A flat-panel TV, though much smaller than previous generations of tube-based television sets, will still take up a significant amount of space in any room. Projectors are often mounted on the ceiling or in an out-of-the-way spot where they aren’t obtrusive. Screens for projectors can be rolled up and put away. In cases where the wall of the room is used as the screen, the only space needs are for the projector itself.
• Convenience: Once your flat panel TV is set up, you usually don’t have to do much else to it. Projection systems that use portable screens will need to have the screen set up and taken down each time its used. Image adjustments may also require physically detaching, moving, and resecuring the projector.
• Operating costs and lifespan: You can expect to pay for your flat panel TV once and get around 60,000 hours of use out of it. Projector bulbs can burn out frequently, requiring the investment of hundreds of dollars and the aggravation of changing bulbs.

Recognized for Residential Construction Industry Excellence

Audio Video Design was recognized for professional excellence with a coveted Gold PRISM Award on October 6th, 2016.

Hosted by the Builders and Remodelers Association of Greater Boston (BRAGB), the PRISM Awards recognize the finest projects and outstanding achievements of builders, developers, project owners, architects, land planners, marketing/advertising firms, interior designers, remodelers, and home technology contractors in the home building industry.

Audio Video Design won a GOLD PRISM in the category Best Use of Smart Home Technology and was recognized as a trailblazer in their field. This year’s PRISM Awards Gala presented awards in nearly 80 different categories to honor the accomplishments of those who influence the building and design industry in Greater Boston.

“We are delighted to have received a Gold PRISM Award from the Builders and Remodelers Association of Greater Boston. In this business it is always a team that earns the honors. No one person can do this by himself. I thank my team here at Audio Video Design for their conscientious attention to detail and dedication to customer satisfaction,” said Audio Video Design President Brad Smith. “We are grateful to interior designer Vani Sayeed, our industry partner, for introducing us to the client. We enjoyed working with them to bring their smart home to life and enhance the way they live in their home.”