Green Construction Services

Local resource for green construction services in Los Angeles. Includes detailed information on local businesses that give access to energy efficient whole house fans, photovoltaic system design, skylight installation, energy efficient water heating systems, solar panel installation, and energy audits as well as advice and content on home remodeling and green building material.

A Wave of Green

Its a house that knows how to put its money where its mouth is and can show you where every penny is going. Atlantas $1.5 million EcoManor is a

More Marketing Mileage

Pictured along the side of this clean E-Series van was a beautiful closet scene, just like the one that Leann and I dreamed about having in our home.

Learning to Use Words that Your Customers can Understand

As an industry and as businesspeople, we need to build bridges to a wider scope of people, now more than ever. But we need to do so on their terms, not ours. This means learning how to filter jargon out of your vocabulary, and communicating with your audience in a language they can actually understand.

Qsonix Software Version 2.6

Version 2.6 adds support for the optional "Performance Audio Pack" upgrade that delivers third-party external USB DAC (Digital to Analog Converters) capabilities, .wav uncompressed CD ripping and import and playback of high-resolution 24-bit audio.

Leon Speakers Ultra-Thin Sub

To complement the A10-UT, Leon's L3-1K subwoofer amplifier delivers the power, finesse, and flexibility that the subwoofer deserves. Its adjustable crossover, variable phase, and tunable EQ allow installers to tailor the sound of the sub to match any room.

iScan Color Management

Video calibrators will be able to perform color calibration of displays through the controls of the processor, free of any limitations or complications involved with performing calibration by using the display’s controls, according to the company.

Velodyne’s SC-602 Amplifier Controls Two Subwoofers

The SC-602 dual-mono amplifier, available from Velodyne Acoustics, controls up to two SC-600 Series in-wall, in-floor or in-ceiling subwoofers. Read on for more detailed information in the following article.

Russound and Colorado vNet Touchscreens

Colorado vNet introduced its first products since being acquired by Russound last year. The company’s two new touchscreens, the TS1-4/50 and TS1-7/70, will ship in March.

InFocus ScreenPlay 8602 Projecto

This home theater projector features native 1080p resolution and is designed to be bright enough for multipurpose rooms or viewing with the lights on. The SP8602 offers adjustable optics, a 30,000:1 maximum contrast ratio, and video-optimized 1,300 lumens.

Russound Fixed-Tilt In-Walls

The new speaker models provide both Single-Point Stereo (SPS) and conventional stereo L-R speaker solutions from a fixed-tilt, square frame and magnetic grilles that fit nearly anywhere and install quickly and easily, according to the company.

WiFi Systems

WiFi systems are changing home networking solutions. People love the ease of a WiFi wireless network. Here you will learn more about WiFi technology. WiFi makes VoIP connections accessible and this can really save you money. Listed below you will find local Broadband Internet Service Providers around Los Angeles that can explain more.

Protectionism Profits

In order to prevent power failures, it is very necessary to use power management tools. This equipment, however, not only provides them with a sort of insurance policy that prevents quality degradation or outright damage to their systems, it also serves to reduce the number of house calls a custom installer may be forced to make.

TPMC-4SM Touchpanel

Using standard Ethernet for power, control, and communication, Crestron TPMC-4SM touchpanel is designed to be installed on any surface quickly and easily, with no electrical outlets or control wire needed. It can offer flush wall-mount control in meeting rooms, classrooms, and corporate boardrooms, or serve as a bedside touchpanel for whole-house control and hotel guest rooms, with its 16x9 widescreen display, 16-bit color graphics, and support for streaming audio and video, two-way IP intercom, and WAV file feedback.

Snell Acoustics IW C7 In-Wall Loudspeaker

Here is the brief introduction to Snell Acoustics IW C7 in-wall loudspeaker, which is the architectural version of the Snell C7 floor-standing speaker. Read on for more details.

10 Points About IP

IP stands for Internet Protocol, which has become the defacto language that newer electronics products use to communicate with one another in the home (like your computers) and to the outside world via a high-speed Internet connection. With IP connectivity you can distribute audio, video, and data all around the house from digital content that you have stored or downloaded from the Internet.

Become a Great Leader

In tough times, it is imperative to get the most out of your people, and to do so you have to transform yourself from the role of a manager of employees to a leader of people. The best way to accomplish this is by strengthening the working relationships between you and your staff. In this article, you can learn some leadership techniques.

Sales Meetings for Success

During a sales meeting, every one of our salespeople learned how to convey the value in the product and how to position it against the competition. Even non-technical sales representatives were completely comfortable in demonstrating and presenting a technology- based line, all because we employed a few simple training axioms.

Crestron's e-Control2 Facilitates Efficient Remote Control

e-Control 2 uses COM technology that is designed for Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer. The purpose of e-Control 2 is to give e-Control Web pages (or stand-alone executables) the same look and feel as touch panel pages, with almost none of the overhead associated with Java-based projects.

Regaining Your Passion

With all the daily “noise” related to running your business, when was the last time you stopped to consider why you got into this industry in the first place? For most, I would venture that it wasn’t due to your love of running a business.

Phase Technology Soundbar Selections

Phase Technology's enhancements to the Teatro V-3.0 and Teatro PC-3.0 Soundbar loudspeakers is the addition of Phase Technology’s proprietary Spatial Field Expander circuitry, which when combined with drivers mounted on each end of the soundbar moves the acoustic center of the right and left channels beyond the physical cabinet to produce a very wide soundscape.

Designing for Success

Industrial design can mean different things to different people. For many, it relates strictly to cosmetics, aesthetics, or styling. However, especially in consumer electronics products, industrial design often incorporates ergonomics.

SIM2 Projector Setup iPhone App

The SIM2Calc program deals with all the tedious calculations involved in a projector install and ensures the user can get the desired information in a very intuitive way—it is a must have for home theater enthusiasts, custom installers, and video professionals alike.

Safe & Sound

The integration between the home automation products and the fire and buzzer alarm panels are working together instead of working separately nowadays. Read on to know more about this.

Chumby: a Consumer Internet Device

Chumby is a bedroom alarm clock that always has the correct time. But chumby is also a consumer Internet device that lets people receive a constant personalized broadcast of their favorite parts of the Web, like the latest news, weather, and entertainment, as well as the ability to share photos, widgets, and e-cards.

Power Management System

In a world relying on electricity heavily, power management system is getting more and more important. There are four key aspects to power management: surge protection, electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency filtering, voltage regulation, and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS).

Future of Business

So named for the group of young people who follow on the heels of the much-publicized slacker-generation X, Generation Why?, according to Chester, is the tattooed and multi-pierced demographic that might answer the age-old Army command, When I tell you to jump, you say...with Why? instead of How high?! Read on to know more.

Burdens on Bosses

While everybody thinks they want to be the boss, few onlookers understand the enormous pressures that rest upon the shoulders of the small business owner. Read on to know more.

The Force of Ideas

The best way tosell more products is to be fluid in explaining cool ideas and concepts that your clients can relate to. Then tie these ideas back to benefits in your sales presentations and bids. Here are a couple of cool ideasand suggestions for presenting to your clients that are sure to getbuy-in and increase your sales.

How to Run a Business Successfully

Running a business is never a easy task, while making it successful is even harder. Here are some tips from successful business people on how to run a business successfully. Read on for more.

Small Acoustical Spaces

Much of what has been written about classical acoustics in textbooks has focused on large acoustical spaces such as concert halls, cathedrals, and auditoriums. Much smaller rooms that typify a home theater or multi-purpose listening room in a residential setting have not received nearly as much attention as those larger spaces, but we know that we cant apply the same large-room design rules and methodologies to these smaller spaces.

Windows OS

What was commonly referred to as the Microsoft Media Center Edition for the older Windows XP platforms has now been rolled up into either the Vista Home Premium or Ultimate Edition operating systems. The Media Center platform has been part of the Microsoft operating system for six-plus years and with each new upgrade it comes closer to providing the ideal media management software solution for the home. Lets look at these features more closely.

The Pursuit of Happiness & Finding a New Career

How do we take the leap to change? Spontaneity should not be frowned upon. Make a plan, analyze the various outcomes, and move. One of the biggest problems facing the world today is a lack of decisiveness. Find your passion and desire inside and move toward that goal.

Networked HD Music System

The Olive+Thiel system is completely digital, streaming music over Ethernet in HD quality with what the companies say is perfect synchronization, directly into Thiel's IP-based SCS4D high-performance speakers. For a multi-room music experience, users can add an additional pair of SCS4D speakers per room.

Touchpanel Products

Some touchpanel manufacturers that focus directly on home automation have been taking cues from these simpler devices to create a uniform touch tech experience that for end users, while others have made little adjustments to their existing product ranges to enhance the overall user experience.

Custom Installation Business

I talk with companies all the time about what works and what doesnt work in the custom installation business. One thing that companies need to develop is a clear focus on the precise market they are targeting and how to reach them. Read on for more detailed information in the following article.

System Analysis to Find Source of Problems

The situation I've just described could have been avoided with careful analysis of the system and proper use of test gear to figure out the sources of the problem. That's what I did when I was called in to play Mr. Fix-it. It turned out that the problem came from a serial succession of issues, which made it even harder to figure out. But a methodical process and investigation did reveal the sources of the trouble. Lets take a look at this as a case study, and see what we can learn from it.

Hi Def TV

There are several forces challenging the future of hi-def home audio systems. HDTV is getting incredible attention and has lit a fire under TV sales, while LCD, plasmas, and DLP displays occupy the center stage of home theater installations.

3D TVs

Here you will learn about Digital Projection’s video projection technology. You can truly enjoy a home cinema experience with this type of home theater set up. Today there are so many different electronic products to choose from with more to come along the way. It can get confusing to decide. Now you can experience what it feels like to watch 3D Blu-ray movies on 3D Blu-ray disc players on 3D TVs. Which system is right for you? Listed below you will find knowledgeable home electronics stores around Los Angeles that will help you sort through the variety and explain the pros and cons between the different options available for your home entertainment centers. Let the pros help you research and decide.

Video Game Revolution

At the start of the video game revolution, connections were purely physical, as the person you were playing against had to be right next to you and using a controller hooked up to the same console. Read on for more detailed information in the following article.

Internet Service Providers (ISP)

Home control systems were designed to integrate all your multimedia devices onto one controllable platform for home automation. It’s a tricky process and you will need a professional A/V installer to help you set it up. It’s a great addition to your home entertainment center and really eases the use of your home theater. Most of your storage devices rely on Internet connectivity and you will need a reliable Internet Service Providers (ISP) you can depend on. Listed below you will find local references for both ISP providers and home electronics stores around Los Angeles that can help you understand the home automation process and keep it running and connected to the Internet.

Battling Big Box Retailers

Most custom AV installation companies are pretty small. Even those generating a few million in annual sales generally operate with a handful of talented guys in a modest office. Smaller install companies work out of home offices with no showrooms. Their inventory is little more than a few piles of boxes in a big garage and a truck or two equipped with wire and tools.

Audio Receivers

Audio receivers definitely make a difference. Home theaters systems benefit from the sound quality AV receivers bring to movies. Movies aren’t the same without them. Once you hear the difference you will understand. Listed below you will find a review on the affordable Sherwood RD-5405 audio receiver. It’s a good start for your home entertainment center. You will also find local references for home electronics stores around Los Angeles that have all the latest AV equipment and can answer all your questions.

Understanding Subtle Electrical Fluctuations Affecting A/V Performance

Power, as a basic system component, is a tougher concept for the custom A/V integrator to introduce than the differences in quality of more visible parts of a home theater or stereo system.

Windows of Opportunity as a Salesman

Like many homeowners, I had been keeping up with developments in all of the new gear. I diligently researched the products and visited key retail locations a few times a year. I checked out the new television and always found a handful of other guys moving from TV to TV, wanting so much to pull out my credit card and bring home the prize.

iControl Interactive Service Solutions

ADT Security Services, a provider of electronic security systems, has partnered with iControl Networks, paving the way for development of a new interactive services solution which could revolutionize the way homes and businesses are protected and managed.

Configuring a Surround Processor

Configuring a surround processor should be pretty straight forward. You set up the inputs, preprogram the surround modes for each digital or analog type, set up the speaker configuration and bass management, set the channel level calibration, and set up the speaker distances. End of story.

Common Mistakes in the Custom Installation Business

Every year there is a consistent flow of new companies jumping into the custom installation business. Unfortunately, most make the same initial mistakes. Read on for more detailed information in the following article.

Residential Systems & the Close

In the residential systems world, The Close is a critical component of every projectthe official handshake. Its the stage where a client trusts you enough to invite you into their home, or building site, tangle with architects, plumbers, feng shui consultants, and install the A/V system of their dreams.

Speakers

The right surround sound system makes an impact on your home theater set up. There are many different options including wireless surround sound systems and A/V surround sound receivers. No matter which speaker system you choose placement is crucial. Here you will learn how to effectively place a surround sound system in your home entertainment center. You will also find home electronics stores around Los Angeles with knowledgeable personnel that can guide you in the right direction and answer all your questions including how to handle installation.