1. You don’t have to subscribe to a TV providers in order to get Hi-Def TV.

There are over 15 local channels of Hi-Def TV available free on an antenna. Guess what!  It actually gives a better picture than any of the cable providers. To find out if you have good signal or which antenna you need go to the following web site:

http://www.hdtvantennalabs.com/location/

2. Having HDMI issues? Blue screen? Loss of picture? Sometimes when switching between video sources (cable box or DVD) things can get out of whack. HDMI cables have to shake hands with the component. If they have a weak hand shake, they don’t connect, and you get the blue screen. If this happens you need to turn everything of and start again.

3. Many new TVs and Blu ray players come with access to the internet. They can be connected by wired or wireless. You should always update the firmware upon initial set up. Most units will tell when there is a new update. Make sure that you have good wireless signal.  You can check this with a laptop. If you don’t have a strong signal, then you may need a repeater system to boost the signal. 

4. If you are changing your TV or internet service provider, please give us a call us before they come. You may get lucky and get a good tech, but that’s not often. They probably won’t know our system and may make changes that cause our system to stop working correctly.  (Then guess who you’re going to blame, so you will be calling anyway.) At the very least, we can try to walk you through the process and save you the headache.

5. TVs hung on a wall require a recessed electrical outlet. It is not advisable to run the TV power cord inside the wall. We have a UL-approved solution for that.

6. Finally…   With the holidays approaching, please call me early enough to guarantee that you will have holiday cheer in the air!

Cheers,

The Dr. of Audio Video

Thermostats
Light switches
Door locks
Cameras
TVs
Laptops

Because the systems are part of your home network, you can access these devices from afar via your Smart Phone or laptop. These devices make life very simple for us, too, especially if there is no cat5 wire in the home.

You could make the argument that you would not want to pre-wire a new home with a lot of cat5/6 or even co-ax TVcable. After all, most homes now have only one phone jack and a few remote phones. Some customers don’t even have a traditional land phone line.

Reasons why you should still put as much wire in your home as your budget allows:

1. New single smart media boxes for distributing multiple content to TV locations require cat5/6 or co-ax. This technology is coming soon. These boxes will be wireless as well, but HD TV signal can glitch on a wireless network.
2. There are potential security issues with wireless—with a Home office, for example.
3. Have you ever seen how many wireless networks are available in your local vicinity? They can cause interference with your signal.
4. Wireless networks don’t always reboot after a power outage.

Conclusion: We recommend a stable hard-wired system, along with a solid wireless system for laptops, and smart phones. If that’s not possible, we would then recommend totally wireless system.

Cheers,

The Dr. of Audio Video

LCD TVs have come a long way, and the addition of LED back lighting has made them the best selling TVs. The LED back lighting increases the brightness of the screen, which in the past was a major complaint with the LCD panels. These issues have been solved. Major advancement have been made with the marriage of TV and the internet. If you’re looking at any TV today make sure that is has a gateway to the internet. Many come with apps built in so you can surf to your favorite YouTube or Netflix videos.
For viewing your computer on your TV, there are many applications out there. We can help you with that.

Conclusion
Modern plasmas have the same 60,000-hour lifespan as LCDs. This means that both types of TVs will last for almost seven years even if left on 24 hours a day.

If you want to go over 55’, then the plasma has a slight edge, with deep colors and darker blacks. Below that size it is very difficult to see the difference. Some of the new 50” to 60’ LCD TVs look fantastic. LCD TVs are better with computer and gaming graphics; LCDs are a lot thinner, making them more acceptable in a formal setting.

Cheers
The Dr Of Audio Video

We have to be very careful when we make a recommendation to a client. Case in point: A few years ago we had two competing DVD formats. Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. After doing the research and keeping a close watch on the industry, we determined that Blu-Ray would end up winning the format war. But until that became apparent, we didn’t recommend that our clients buy ether.

Now we have yet another new format: 3D-TV. There are currently two formats in this category. With Active 3d, you have to wear expensive designer glasses. Passive 3D doesn’t require glasses. I’ve seen both, and I’m not convinced that either format is going to fly in a normal household. (After all, they have been trying to sell us 3D since the early 60’s!)

The only exception to these conclusions is an IMAX theater. Go and see the space shuttle 3D IMAX theater at Cape Canaveral. It’s fantastic, but you can hardly do that in a home.

So at this point we will wait and see if the format is going to fly before we make it part of our mix.

Cheers
The Dr. of Audio Video

Here are some points you should know
1. In order to get the High Definition signal to the TV, you need an HDMI cable from the Cable box/Equipment location.
2. We cannot install HDMI cables during construction. They are pre made cables, expensive, and would either get stolen or damaged.
3. Solution is a 2 conduit from equipment cabinet to TV with pull string.
4. It is not recommended that TV be over 15 ft from the equipment cabinet if using a HDMI cable. There is a solutions for this if its over 15 ft. (contact us for your requirement)
5. If TV is to be recessed into the wall, bear in mind we need 3 or 4 inches around the TV for installation.
6. Electrical needs. We recommend a recessed electrical out let (wall Clock type) above the fireplace.20amp
7. Electrical retrofit if no power available. call us for details
8. TV bracket needs. Generally we can mount into studs without too much of a problem. Plasma TVs are a lot heaver so blocking or plywood would be recommended.
9. We also highly recommend that at the equipment location there should be 2 cat5 data cables and 2 rg6 TV cables. This will future proof the equipment.

Cheers
The Dr of Audio Video

Here at First Coast Entertainment we believe that a home should come with a Sound System.

Most of us listen to music in our car because most autos come with a great audio system. The first thing I do when I get in my car is plug my smart phone into the car system; I can listen to Pandora or whatever is on my device. I recently drove from Upstate NY to Jacksonville on my own. I can’t tell how much I enjoyed listing to my own music, not some radio station that I’m constantly changing.
This brings me to my point. What do you do when you get home? If you’re listing to your music with head phones shame on you .Your car has a rocking sound system. You should have one in your house.
Whether you know it or not, you have or are going to have a data cloud that follows you everywhere. This cloud will contain all of your media, including your music. The question becomes how you access it in your home. The simplest way is to plug in a set of headphones, but this is anti social and can hurt your hearing.
We have great sounding audio systems for you that would allow you to start rocking and share great music with others. Did you know that a lot of people below the age of 25 have never heard a great audio system?
My mission is to get great sounding audio in people’s homes. After all your car has a great system shouldn’t your home?

Cheers
The Dr of Audio Video