Belleair, Florida is known for its gorgeous homes and beautiful views. The unfortunate truth is that areas with high-value homes are often seen as valuable targets for thieves. Is your home’s security system prepared against that risk? One effective way to keep your home safe is with surveillance cameras. In this blog, we cover three main ways that surveillance cameras help enhance security for luxury homes.
Have you been considering turning your Tampa, Florida home into a “smart home”? If so, you’ve probably looked into all the ways to upgrade the different aspects of your home: HVAC, smart security, home audio video…the list goes on. Here at AV Specialists, we believe lighting control is a great starting point for smart home automation. Continue reading to learn why.
There are a lot of factors that go into a high-end private home theater installation. Room acoustics, seating, décor, lighting, and more all combine to create that cinematic experience right within your Clearwater, Florida home. One of the key components that differentiates a high-end theater from any basic media room is the video display. In this blog, we’ll show you how to set up your theater to make the most of your 4K Ultra HD display.
Audio equipment brands play a huge role in the quality and type of sound systems. Generic stereos may cut it for some people, but for true audiophiles, nothing beats the crystal clear tones of McIntosh. In this blog, we will cover the background of why McIntosh sound systems are held in such high esteem in the A/V community, then discuss which McIntosh products are a good starting point for your home in Tampa, Florida.
Since 1995, AV Specialists has been bringing the residents of Clearwater, Florida and beyond the best smart home automation solutions and services the industry has to offer. We’ve built our business on passion for home technology and incredible customer service. Control4 is certainly our top-recommended manufacturer for smart home systems. Not only are they easy to use, but they are also leading innovators – always offering new and improved products that are relevant to today’s generation. Here are a few of their newer features that we think you’ll love.
Last week Apple released the latest update of the operating system iOS 8. With that update as well as other updates in the past, there may be potential issues for your AV system. More and more it seems AV technology depends on network connectivity for both delivering music and video content as well as for control of the entire AV system. Each update or even the neglect of doing updates has the possibility to affect your experience.
When you're looking to spend time outdoors enjoying the weather and your backyard setting, music is a must. With a well-planned system that can withstand erratic Tampa Bay weather patterns, you can create audio accompaniments for any outdoor activity. Here are a few things that you may want to consider when designing your outdoor sound system.
Today's homes are more technological than ever. Pools and spas, lighting, and even window coverings can be controlled with the push of a button. But, using multiple applications, and maybe even multiple devices to perform simple everyday tasks defeats the purpose of automation - convenience. Luckily, there's a better way to manage your increasingly high-tech home. Having various systems controlled by a consolidated home automation device allows you to control your home with ease.
When designing a residential sound system, one simple mistake can drastically decrease your sound quality. You don't want to end up with a system that blows you out of the room, doesn't have the sound quality you were expecting, or does not put out the volume you were expecting, even with the volume turned all the way up. How do you avoid these mistakes? Here's a look at the some things you should never do: the worst residential sound system advice we've ever heard.
In the last five to ten years, the home theater industry got a lot right. High definition video has become readily available, and for the most part, a standard, with most mainstream channels broadcasting in HD. Surround sound has enabled new levels of realism, and the dream of a real movie theater experience at home became well within reach of millions of people. Today, the latest in home theater systems is built upon these advances to merge the home theater into the fabric of family life. The result is a more networked place where families can enjoy all types of media. Here are the four technologies that we think have changed everything.
With high-quality equipment uniquely designed for residential use, you can create a home theater for watching your favorite movies with unbelievable picture and sound in the comfort of your slippers. Whether you’re trapped in Jurassic Park, or running from a life-threatening boulder with Indiana Jones, you can achieve amazing things in terms of sound, picture, and atmosphere.
It's easy to focus on components, the perfect television, and other gadgets when designing your dream home theater, but any professional will tell you that one of the most important steps in making sure that your home theater is everything you want it to be is proper wiring.
With the NFL season fast approaching, it’s time to get your home ready with some of the latest equipment available to improve your gameday experience. If you’re looking to be the envy of your friends and neighbors, it’s important that you invest in the latest and greatest audio visual equipment. If you enjoy being the host of the party, you want to ensure that your guests have a great time. Technology has improved the gameday experience dramatically, especially over the last few years. From upgrades to televisions, surround sound, home automation and furniture, there are many ways you can guarantee your home becomes the place to be for premier sporting events.
The variety of devices that can be used through Control 4 technology is increasing exponentially. As demand grows, appliance, technology and entertainment producers are taking note. The statistics don’t lie. The average Control 4 home has 40 devices connected and some larger residences have over 250. Those that are new to home automation may not be aware of all of the devices that can be connected through Control 4. This technology is at the cutting edge of the industry and the options that consumers have will continually increase. Home entertainment, security and basic time savers are all becoming much easier with Control 4. Here are some of the features available in regards to entertainment and some new products you can purchase to take advantage of Control 4 home automation.
In the last few years, it has become anything but out of the ordinary for smart phones and tablets to be most people’s source of music. However, nothing can hold up to the pure sound quality of a home audio system. Since 1949, Mcintosh has been creating a legendary listening experience. Many famous musicians, recording artists and producers like the Greatful Dead, Earth, Wind and Fire and the Beach Boys have selected McIntosh audio systems for the rich quality of sound, to experience music the way it should be. The McIntosh founding fathers created a solid foundation based on sound business and scientific principles that continue to guide the company today and continue to provide stat of the art listening.
There are countless ways to utilize a home audio system in your home. Any room could benefit from a little McIntosh sound.
Control 4 offers the ultimate in home automation navigation. With several advancements and additional products becoming available, there are countless ways you can use this technology to make your life more relaxing, organized and secure. And let’s not forget about the fun you can have with Control 4 automation. With the ability to create different “scenes” that pair together the automation of several devices at once, personalized home automation is becoming reality. Here are some of our favorite ways to indulge in one of the great luxuries of the present, and future.
This is the best ceiling speaker I've had in my possession to date. It's built very solid but more importantly it sounds like a floor standing tower speaker.
The wireless speaker market as we know it didn’t really exist until Sonos arrived with its modular system of small speakers which could be bought piecemeal and configured around the house as desired by the user. In a world of expensive, low quality speaker sets with unreliable connections, Sonos went from unknown to beloved brand overnight. Sonos has fended off competition from more recognized names including Bose, Samsung, and LG.
Whether you’re discovering new musical artists and genres or watching a favorite-movies-of-all-time marathon over the course of a relaxing weekend, the types of audio components available for home use can transform your family room and favorite chair into a theatrical experience.
But to really appreciate how Eric Clapton can make a guitar “gently weep” and every nuance of Steve McQueen’s classic car chase in Bullitt, you want the best affordable quality that is installed to deliver the best possible sound. After all, if your home is the place you want to be, and excellent quality is important, there are several things to consider when configuring your present AV equipment or considering a new purchase.
Home AV Systems are becomming a major staple in homes and residences today. Audio video equipment is vastly improving through technology. Televisions can now access the internet and provide life-like images, and audio systems are becomming even more resilient and realistic. Having a home audio video system professionally designed for your home or residence can provide an entertaining scene where movies are like the theaters and music is like a concert.
With recent advances in technology more and more people are able to afford the luxury of upgrading their home entertainment capabilities. However the upgrade to your audio video systems experience comes with more wires and clutter. Many people desire a “wireless” appearance, and this is something that is not easy especially with devices in multiple rooms. Unfortunately, the issue goes deeper than mere aesthetics, according to the U.S. Fire Administration there are 26,100 fires annually within residential areas. It is estimated that half of these fires are caused by faulty wires, poor maintenance, and dangerous handling. A great solution for people who want to improve the safety of their home and still enjoy a great home entertainment system is structured wiring.
