If you don’t already have an outdoor theater and you want your family night to be the best it can be, it’s time to discover what you’ve been missing. Here are the top ways building one in your backyard or renting all the components can change your life.

3 Ways and Outdoor Home Theater with Change Your Life

1. An outdoor home theater makes entertainment more personal.
Who wants to sit with a bunch of strangers and watch a movie on family night? Outdoor media specialists can help you design a completely unique space, from the furniture and color scheme to the more technical audio and sound components. Many also offer outdoor movie screens, projectors and outdoor audio system equipment to rent for your deck or patio.

2. The sights and sounds will rival the movie theater.
Using the highest-quality equipment from innovative companies, professional home theater experts can help you design a backyard movie theater that’s optimized for the best audio and visual results possible.

3. You can customize just about every feature.
If you can imagine it, a professional home theater company can create it. You’ll experience outdoor home living like never before with your choice of:

● Multiple-screen video setup with surround sound outdoor audio system
● Smart-home automation for audio, visual, lighting and security control
● Electronics-savvy furniture design
● Small-space installation solutions
● WiFi range extension

Enjoy Luxury Home Living with Your Own Outdoor Audio System and Theater

There’s never been a better time to upgrade your outdoor home living experience. With the right audio/visual equipment and professional installation team, your family night will be more fun than ever before. Add some automation and smart technology into the mix, and you may never want to go back indoors!

The post How to Make the Most of Outdoor Home Living appeared first on Home Theatre Connection.

If you’re looking to stay on the cutting edge of home technology, check out the latest audio and visual design trends making our media experience better.

The Top Home Theater Systems of 2020

Smart Home Theaters

The top home theater systems are smarter than ever, making lives easier in so many different ways. No worries about fumbling around with a bunch of different remotes every time you want to change the channel or video input. Do it all from your centralized control panel. You can even run everything through your smartphone, to avoid learning how to work new equipment. Want more?  Dim the lights, close the blinds, start a projector, and connect to your favorite streaming device, too! You can even program all of those functions to happen simultaneously, sending your home theater into movie mode with one click of a button.

4K & 8K

4K TVs have been around for a while but the industry is finally catching up. In 2020, look for broadcasts and streaming services to upgrade their services as they adjust to smart home technology. Upgrade your hardware now, and you can expect video providers to help you get the most from it. Take it a step further with 8K, which quadruples the pixels for an even denser image.

Richer Sound

You may be surprised by how affordable it is to get the highest-quality sound experience in your home. Soundbars can deliver home theater audio that rivals the movie theaters. For instance, the Sonos Beam soundbar contains four woofers and a tweeter for the full range of home theater audio. Built-in microphones facilitate beam forming for auto-calibration and echo reduction. Plus, it can connect with satellite speakers for full surround sound.

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality (VR) has already revolutionized the way people use media like video games, and its popularity will only grow in 2020. Adventurous homeowners are now starting to enjoy it, too. There’s no better place for a VR headset than with the rest of your immersive entertainment at home.

There’s plenty of other home technology out there to discover, but if you get yourself set up with some of these, you’ll see the difference. Talk to your home theater installer today!

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Whether you’re a Control 4 owner, a smart-home hopeful or an architect who builds modern homes, you should know that this this system can completely enhance the comfort, convenience and enjoyment of any home. And here are just a few reasons why.

It’s Easy to Automate Your Home

You can automate your home with the Control4 Smart Home Operating System (OS), which connects technology across the home via a single, simple-to-use interface. Now all it takes is one remote to dim lights, play music, turn up the heat, lock the doors, arm the security system and more. Your home can even be set to respond to your schedule and needs automatically.

Control 4 Smart Home Devices Can be Installed Tastefully

The Control 4 System can complement any home decor or architecture—working behind the scenes in every space and blending seamlessly with your vision.

You’re Safe When You’re Home or Away

Never worry about your security again with the ability to check in on things from wherever you are. The system can send alerts when someone enters your house, the garage door is left open or even if a leak is detected in the basement. One of the coolest features of this intelligent security is the Mockupancy™ app, which alternates the function of shades, lights and even TVs in a random fashion, simulating your family’s activities so it appears you’re home when you’re away!

Enjoy Every-Room Audio

Wouldn’t you love if high-resolution music could play throughout your home? Control 4 lets you stream music with a single push of a button from room-to-room—anywhere from kitchen to the backyard.

Stop wishing you could automate your home. With the Control 4 System, you can experience a new level of convenience, entertainment and security. Your home theater installers can set you up with this powerful technology today.

The post Why a Control 4 System is a Life Changer for your Home appeared first on Home Theatre Connection.

But home audio installation isn’t what it once was. No more bulky, high-fidelity speakers and other assorted equipment that could easily cost you thousands of dollars. That setup has been reshaped into something more compact and less expensive. Wireless technology now powers smaller, portable and affordable components that give you more bang for your buck. And when it comes to entertaining, having a system is a must.

How Home Audio System Installers Can Improve Your Get-Together

Music just makes a get-together better, and when home audio system installers you can enjoy it like never before. Here’s just a few things a professional installation can offer.

Wireless Home Audio Installation

Home audio installers offer a series of wireless products that allow you to control what you want to listen to from your phone, tablet or computer and stream it wirelessly to any room. Plus, you can start with one and then add throughout your home.

Voice Activation

You’ve got plenty to do when you’re entertaining, so being able to control the music with your voice takes one thing off your plate. A home sound system is one of the best uses for voice-activated technology with many solutions working with either Google Assist or Amazon Alexa to leverage voice control in ways that guarantee unprecedented command of the tunes you and your family love.

Room to Room Enjoyment

Your home audio installation can give you the power to stream your favorite music to any room in your home from your phone, tablet or computer. Play the same song in every room, or different songs in different rooms.

If you love music and entertaining, a home sound system is a must have. There are many affordable options and ways to customize your experience. Contact your local home audio system installers to see the possibilities.

The post Just Add Food—Easy Entertaining with a Home Sound System appeared first on Home Theatre Connection.

Tips for Designing a Home Theater Room

1. Think about the whole space

One of the most important components setting up home media is the room. Things like dimensions, surfaces, materials, and light all come into play. Maybe you have to set up false walls or use specific materials like carpet to prevent echoing. Whatever the case may be, there’s always a solution.

2. Choose the right display.

Most of home media ideas revolve around the technology. Whether it’s LCD, LED, OLED or plasma, the video display will be your first consideration. The brightest options are the LCDs and LEDs, making them perfect for spaces with natural light. Plasma creates a richer image with flexibility for viewing angles. OLED, which is the newest technology, is thinner, brighter and especially energy efficient.

3. Sound is crucial.

Built-in speakers are great, but they simply don’t compare to the immersive surround-sound system. With five speakers or more plus a subwoofer, you’ll feel like you’re a part of whatever you’re watching. In-ceiling or wireless speaker installations are great options for homeowners.

4. Hide the wires.

Speaking of wires, there are ways to hide them, especially if you start designing a home media room before the drywall goes up. Your professional home theater company can help you with those specifics.

5. Automate the experience.

Finally, you’ll want to tie it all together with automation, eliminating unneeded remotes and adding the use of various devices. Home media ideas should also include a reliable wireless network to stream audio, video, and internet entertainment.

Start Setting up Home Media Today with a Professional

There are plenty of home media components to find but knowing how to make them all work together efficiently and affordably isn’t always easy. Call your home theater company to help you start designing a home media room today.

The post How to Start Setting Up Home Media Room appeared first on Home Theatre Connection.

Do you just have a standard TV installation? Do you have surround sound? How about automation? Having the right media setup is key to having an enjoyable get-together. Here are some of the top options in home entertainment systems when you’re ready for an upgrade.

4 Ways to Upgrade Your Home Entertainment Center for a Better Party

1. Build a media room

You’ll swear you’re in the crowd at the game when you have your own home media room with a multi-screen TV installation setup and surround-sound audio. It’s easy and affordable with perforated and woven screen displays that hide your speakers from view. Experts can also minimize space usage with small flat-panel displays and electronics-savvy furniture design.

2. Add automation

The best home entertainment systems make the viewing experience convenient. Today’s smart-home technology functions like a personal assistant – responding to your every beck and call. Have a big group and need to extend the experience? Go for room-to-room sound systems. Want to control the volume, lighting, and other components? That can be automated too. You won’t have to leave your seat to make your football party exactly the way you and your guests want it.

3. Take it outside

The weather is more unpredictable than ever, giving you the chance to have an outdoor football party. Your local TV installation company can provide outdoor audio and visual entertainment, offering a full home theater system that’s sure to keep things exciting day or night.

4. Mount your TV

Simply buying a new flat-screen TV can do wonders for a better party experience. But don’t just prop it on a television stand – have it professionally mounted. You don’t want to take any chances with wall mounting by attempting to do it yourself. TV installation really should be left to professionals who have experience with mounting brackets on wall studs, concrete or brick walls, and concealing wires.

Enjoy Your Home Entertainment Center Year-Round

While your football party may have gotten you thinking about home entertainment systems, moving forward with purchase and installation gives you entertainment to enjoy year-round. You can even take things a step further working with a professional company like Home Theater Connection to turn your home into a smart home. If you can envision it, you can have it!

The post Are you Ready for a Football Party appeared first on Home Theatre Connection.

Top Smart Home Products

Home Automation

There are many smart home products available today, but you can’t experience the true magic until they all work together seamlessly. Whether it’s a handheld remote for your videos, a touch-screen to browse and play music, or a keypad to manage lights, shades, and audio, products like Control4 home automation offer many interfaces and voice prompts that allow you to interact with your home however you prefer.

Wireless Home Sound

A rise in technological advancements has transformed how we experience music and movies—especially in the realm of wireless audio. Consumers are choosing to alleviate strain caused by buffering, missed beats, and freezing, with sleek and powerful wireless access points are placed around the home.

Online Streaming

More than 49 million Wi-Fi-connected homes in the U.S. are driving the binge-watching craze, making streaming content a crucial component of the latest home theater systems. Share your entire movie library, streaming video and satellite channels in every room—with no need for set-top boxes and multiple video sources.

Voice Control Integration

Voice control will continue to be embraced, with 50 percent of all searches expected to be conducted via voice by 2020. Advancements in home sound and voice will play an integral role in the adoption of even more smart home products.

Wearable Theater & Virtual Reality

As products like Control4 home automation make things easier in the real world, virtual reality (VR) and wearable technology are finding their way into our homes. Manufacturers will continue developing and refining smart and networked home-theater speakers that support VR.

Make Your Home Sound and Perform Better

If you dream of having more smart home products, make it a reality. Many of the latest home theater systems can be had on any budget.

The post The Latest Home Theater Systems appeared first on Home Theatre Connection.

How to Harness Hometech

Picture this. You’re ready to watch a movie, and with the sound of your voice, your lights dim, your blinds close, your Blu-Ray player turns on and the surround sound engages. Or imagine you’re about to leave for a trip, and your voice commands engage your home security and surveillance system, which you can view on your smartphone anytime you want. This and more is possible with smart home technology.

You can turn your house into a home automation hub with features like Control4 technology, one of the best smart home system options. Hometech not only enhances audio and visual experiences, but it makes everything work together for a more comfortable, convenient and enjoyable lifestyle.

There’s never been a better time to enhance your home with the power of technology and automation. Here are just some of ways you can do it on any budget.

• Tying together the lights, climate control and music under one master control system that works on its own.
• Setting up multiple-screen video with surround sound, all controlled with a smartphone or tablet.
• Incorporating electronics-savvy furniture design, along with hidden screens, wiring, and speakers
• Utilizing the best smart home system technology for security and surveillance systems that can be easily integrated with home or business automation options, controllable from anywhere.
• Streaming music from room to room through Bluetooth, WiFi and other audio capabilities
• Extending the WiFi range so that you’re never disconnected
• Adding an outdoor media room using smart home technology to create the ideal entertainment for the backyard enthusiast and added benefit to any gathering of family or friends.

Partner with a Local Hometech Professional

Connecting your lifestyle with smart home technology offers the best of luxury, time-saving efficiency and safety in one dynamic resource. It also enables you to go green and save money by reducing your energy use. Whether you travel frequently and want to know and control what’s happening at your home while you’re away, or simply adjust lighting and temperature controls to enjoy your favorite movie, you can find exactly what you’re looking for with a professional media company.

Partner with a professional installer of smart home technology, and you can relax and entertain in a home that’s enhanced with automation—indoors and out. With one touch, or the sound of your voice, you can dim the lights, play music, turn down the heat, lock your doors and even arm your security system. Your house will become the home automation hub you always dreamed of.

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What You Need for a Small Theater Room

A small home theater system doesn’t have to be expensive or extensive. All you need is an HDTV, a few electronic devices, great speakers and the right lighting—all working together in harmony. Let’s take a closer look at the basics.

Flat-Screen, HDTV and Receiver
You probably already have this crucial component of a small theater room, but if your TV needs an upgrade, now’s the time to do it. It doesn’t just have to have a huge screen either, though the bigger it is, the better your viewing experience will be. The latest models are light and thin, and come with “smart” features like built-in internet streaming, Wi-Fi connectivity to your other devices, reminders, and more. For the best experience, mount the TV with a mounting bracket on the wall studs, concrete or brick wall. Professional media room installers can help you minimize space usage with small flat-panel displays and motorized screen options that hide the video display when you’re finished using it.

You also need a solid receiver to be the hub that handles the system’s video and audio. Your consoles, streaming set-top boxes, game units, and most other inputs will be plugged into it, giving you one device that connects all your gear.

Speakers
The biggest benefit of setting up a home cinema system is having surround sound. A decent set of speakers that suits your space will make everything you watch become an immersive experience. You can find speakers at all sizes and price points, so no matter how big or small your room is, you’ll find a way to enjoy great audio. A professional home theater company can even help you hide your speakers from view.

Cables and Power
Whether it’s HDMI, Ethernet cable, composite video, component video or plain old speaker cable, you’ll need the best wiring for your small home theater design setup. Take the opportunity to buy some new power strips to keep everything organized, or better yet, hire a professional to help conceal all the wiring in decorative wire-track molding.

Furniture and Lighting
While entertainment is the core element of your small theater room, the layout and lighting add to the experience. Focus on how you want to experience the room before wiring or setting up speakers. The TV is best mounted on the wall or in a corner—someplace where there won’t be a lot of glare or light. Then set up the furniture in a comfortable watching position. For the ultimate customization, consider installing ceiling lights with dimmers.

Hire a Professional Home Theater Company

Keep in mind that a home cinema system company offers complete packages that bundle all the necessary equipment together for one price. Ranging from several hundred dollars to several thousand, there’s a small home theater system to fit needs.

The post How to Set Up a Small Home Theater System appeared first on Home Theatre Connection.

There’s just something about a backyard movie party that makes you feel all comfy and cozy. While summertime is also a great time to host an outdoor party, with the cooler nights and the warmth of some firepits, now’s the perfect time to start planning. We’ve got the ideas and tips to make yours goes off without a hitch

Movie Quotes to Help You Plan Your Outdoor Party

Throwing a backyard movie party doesn’t have to be stressful or expensive, but it does require some planning ahead to make sure your friends and family enjoy themselves. Here, you’ll find some movie quotes that serve as tips for putting together your next outdoor party.

“I don’t own emotion. I rent.” – Rent, 1996
Unless you’re a tech buff with every piece of equipment ready to be set up and started, do yourself a favor and rent an outdoor projector. Partner with a home theater company and you’ll have everything you need in both audio and visual outdoor entertainment. For the best parties, you can rent surround-sound systems, and have the technicians customize the perfect outdoor home theater system to optimize your visual and acoustic experience affordably.

“My friend, I have been to many, many stake-ings, and it all comes down to location, location, location!” Dracula: Dead and Loving It, 1995
Pick the right spot to set up the seating, outdoor projector rental and other elements of the event. Whether it’s the backyard lawn, the patio or set up among several houses, you’ll want to make sure everyone’s comfortable and can see and hear. Of course, not everyone has a backyard, so try to get as creative as possible with your space.

“Lilly-flowers nodded their half-opened heads in the grass.” – The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, 2001
While a lush, wild landscape is easy on the eyes, it’s not something you want to be sitting in during your movie party. Be sure to mow the lawn a day or two prior to the event for easy setup and comfortable surroundings. Also clear away any yard debris (including animal droppings), sticks or low-hanging branches that could cause damage to the outdoor projector rental equipment.

“He knew the risks, he didn’t have to be there. It rains… you get wet.” – Heat, 1995
Don’t let your automated sprinklers get your guests wet. Turn them well beforehand to prevent any possible equipment damage to electrical items, especially if you rent an outdoor projector, which you have to return.

“I’m an insect who dreamt he was a man and loved it. But now the dream is over… and the insect is awake.” The Fly, 1986
Nobody likes bugs buzzing around in any circumstances. Make sure you repel mosquitoes and flying insects. Fog your yard with insect repellent a couple hours prior to your event and have citronella candles, torches and insect repellent handy to help keep mosquitoes and flying insects away.

“He flips the projectors, the movie keeps right on going, and nobody in the audience has any idea.” – Fight Club, 1999
This might seem obvious, but select a movie for your outdoor party that will appeal to a wide range of tastes and ages. Consider the guests you’ll be inviting and choose accordingly. It could be a comedy, a family-friendly flick, a rom-com or a classic. The options are virtually endless.

If you’re looking to rent an outdoor projector or any other equipment for your backyard movie party, do you research. Choose a company that has a great reputation, a movie that has great reviews, and your party will be a hit!

The post How to Prepare for your Outdoor Movie or Video Party appeared first on Home Theatre Connection.