While the market is slowly making a rebound according to CEPro’s State of the Industry 2011, both existing and new homeowners are still looking to maximize their dollars. The funds might not be in their budget for lavish vacations in faraway lands, resulting in more families spending time together at home. In doing so, their meeting place often tends to be in the family room, on comfortable couches and in front of large HD televisions.


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by Barry Lieberman
 Advantage Plus Marketing Group, Inc.

Overview of Requirements

My vision was to set up flat-panel TVs in two rooms that would allow my family to watch full HD television, have Internet access, Blu-ray DVD viewing, and PC access using those TVs.

The front room would have a Samsung 55″ 8000 Series flat panel TV with 5.1 surround sound. I wanted that TV to be able to double as a PC monitor, an on-demand movie display (Internet Streaming), Blu-ray display and, of course, display full HD TV from our DVR.

Then the game room would have a Samsung 46″ 8000 Series flat panel TV. That TV would also have access to the same PC, Blu-ray player, its own digital HD cable box, and on-demand movie display (Internet Streaming). That room would also have 5.1 surround sound.

Lastly, I wanted all the source equipment housed in a “media” closet. The media closet includes the following equipment:
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From laptops to iPads, Blu-Ray players, gaming consoles and other devices, we surround ourselves with an increasing number of components, cluttering our living and entertainment rooms with cables and black boxes. While some consumers are happy to live with high-tech inspired decor, many others just want the performance without the visible hardware.

Fortunately, one of the greatest innovations in home entertainment over the last five years has made cable and black box clutter obsolete. Wireless HD streaming, once littered with endless buffering, colorful scroll bars and interrupted audio, has made great strides on the back of research and development by companies like IOGEAR.
Of course, not all wireless HD streaming products are created equal, and settling for an untested, low-end solution can result in the same problems mentioned above, or worse. IOGEAR spent countless hours in the lab developing the most reliable solution possible, and the result…Ultra-wideband (a.k.a. Wireless USB or UWB).

This new radio technology can be used at very low energy levels for short-range high-bandwidth communications by using a large portion of the radio spectrum – 3.1GHz ~ 4.8GHz (WiMedia Band Group 1). By using this frequency, our Wireless Audio/Video Kits have a minimum level of interference with other wireless signals such as WiFi, Bluetooth, or cordless phones.

As mentioned, wireless HD streaming is an ideal solution for eliminating cable clutter, but if signal clutter is wreaking havoc and interrupting your wireless HD streaming, there’s really no convenience at all. Our wireless products may not clean up the clutter in your closet, but they can reliable make your entertainment more accessible.

If you could eliminate one cable or wire in your home, which would it be?

“Retrofit” is the hot topic for many AV Installers. Why you ask? Just check out the stats below:

• New Housing Starts have been decreasing since October of 2005 and have now leveled off at almost record lows. See the graph below:Source
• It is not possible for all installers to go after the “higher-end” market for home theater renovations/installations. According to Rob Gerhardt, founding father and former President of CEDIA says, “The rich will always be uber-rich, but they don’t represent a future for you.” And, he adds, “…you don’t want to be one of the many now chasing the only millionaire home theater project in town.”
• Many homeowners are buying new 3D TV’s with new Blu-ray players and 7.1 sound systems.“By year-end 2011, the number of units sold will triple from 2010, to about 12 million. By 2015, it will reach 78.1 million, a growth rate of about 80.2 percent.”- iSuppli & International Business Times

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Next month, CEDIA will hold their annual tradeshow for installers, specialty resellers and distributors to showcase the hottest trends in home electronics. To honor the cream of the crop at this years show, the CEDIA panel of judges has just announced the finalists to the Manufacturers’ Excellence Award for ‘Best New Product’. We don’t like to boast here, but we can’t help but proclaim our Wireless HD Kit has made it to the top of the list!

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Do you recognize YOUR living room? The landscape in your family’s favorite room has changed dramatically the past few years as the Internet (as a main source of media content) begins to take over from your old favorite, the traditional cable model.

With these changes come dynamic new equipment options and possibilities. In this post IOGEAR is your fearless guide to help navigate this new media landscape and take advantage of the exciting changes in home entertainment.

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No two days in the life of an installer are ever the same. Whether you’re outfitting a raucous sports bar with the latest flatscreen TVs, equipping a family of four with a solution that will work for Jimmy’s playstation, Dad’s high-definition TV AND Mom’s Wii Fit, or simply hooking a customer up with his dream AV set-up, every day is a new challenge.

We here at IOGEAR salute the installers! Without these everyday heroes supporting our every entertainment whim, we may never be able to effortlessly switch between web and TV, wirelessly control several computers or sync all of our AV equipment, all with the help of artfully concealed switches and control centers.

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