Most people think that for smart home systems to make sense, they need a huge home. This 2,500-square-foot historic two-story Craftsman home nullifies that misguided viewpoint. The homeowner—a frequent traveler and habitual remodeler—has made her life more convenient, relaxing, and entertaining by adding a full-blown automation system to her house.
Get the Guide
Windows add architectural interest and beauty to any space. It’s too bad they’re such a pain when it’s time to watch a movie. You know the drill: Close the drapes before you pop in the Blu-ray (or press play on the Roku remote); open them back up when the final credits roll. The glare that […]
Get the Guide
The momentum has been building for some time, and last fall Dolby and its partners unleashed Dolby Atmos for the home theater market, and since then products like this Onkyo receiver have arrived to bring object-based audio to our homes. Imported straight from the commercial cinema industry, Dolby’s Atmos technology transforms the concept of channel-based […]
Get the GuideWhile the media room may have the most electronic gear in it, the kitchen is where people gather daily and where everything comes together.
Get the Guide
The new SKR-22T ceiling speaker blends into any room with a standard 2-by-2-feet drop ceiling tile format.
Get the Guide
You can integrate wireless audio systems and devices into your existing wired audio system in many different ways. If you wish to reduce the amount of wiring in your current system, then a pair of wireless speakers can do the trick. For example, the Dynaudio Xeo just connects to the line out of your receiver or preamp and eliminates the speaker wires that were there before.
Get the Guide
A home theater shouldn’t be boring; nor should it always abide by the book. Of any room in your house, it’s the one place where you should feel free to express your creativity, to unleash your imagination, to create something that’s truly one-of-a-kind. Sometimes it’s the stumbling blocks you encounter while installing a certain piece of A/V gear that inspires innovation; other times you simply strike on a really interesting idea that’s a bold departure from the standard theater design. Whatever the impetus, whatever the reasons, the owners of these five theaters have, with the help of a professional home theater designer, created some truly unique, and a few completely unconventional home entertainment spaces.
Get the Guide
If you’re familiar with New York City, you know backyards—or any external spaces for that matter—are nearly impossible to come by. That is, unless you purchase two brownstones—abutting ones on either side of the block—to create an inner courtyard between two residences. That’s exactly what the owners of this five-story townhouse in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village did, connecting the main structure (approximately 5,000 square feet) with the guest house behind it (2,500 square feet) via an underground tunnel and a comprehensive Savant automation system. In doing so, these residents enlarged their living space and created an interior courtyard which, in this crowded area, is a true luxury.
Get the GuideMatt Dever, marketing manager of audio and Core Brands The Atmos and Auro 3D evolution To look to the future of speakers, we start with the future of consumers—particularly how their consumption of audio is changing. At Core Brands we see a resurgence of interest in home theater audio, stimulated by new 3D Audio formats […]
Get the Guide
It’s that time of year again—time to take a look at some of the biggest trends in home technology and figure out what it all means for next year. This year I break it down into the four areas that saw the most change or significant activity: Home Automation, Home Theater, Wireless Home Audio and […]
Get the Guide