OTHER TECH

Schreiber was the first person to buy an i-Command system. When I tell him that makes him a trailblazer, he smiles wryly and says, "I've always wanted to be a trailblazer." But being the first actor on his block to get cutting-edge gear meant he had to be patient. "I was told right away that this was a new technology and they were still ironing out the wrinkles. But it seemed like a good option, and it certainly seemed like the future."

As we sit talking in his living room, Schreiber picks up the Tablet controller and starts fiddling with its virtual buttons. "I love how low-profile it is," he says. "It has a minimalist design, and the whole apartment was designed to be that way."

Since the lightweight controller uses an 802.11b Wi-Fi connection to communicate with the system, Schreiber can use it anywhere in the house. But he wanted to keep the Tablet close to the living-room system, so he had in-wall keypad controllers ($600 each) installed in the other rooms. While walking through the apartment, he points out that "the living room, dining room, den, bedroom, office, and bathroom are all separate zones. Listening in the bathroom is kind of strange, but I've got to tell you it sounds wonderful in there." When I ask him if he has a TV there too, he says, "No, I'm not that bad."

As we check out the system in his bedroom, Schreiber says, "It's very tempting, when you're planning, to fill up all the rooms with gear. But you can overdo it, especially if you're a geek like me. I didn't leave myself enough media-free zones." He sits down on the bed and gestures with a remote toward the plasma TV. "The system is so well done that it makes it easy to listen to music or watch TV - but that's the problem. When you're in bed and there's a button 2 feet away that will turn on the TV and surround system, it's hard not to press that button."

Liev's Gear

Living-room system Samsung HP-R5052 50-inch plasma TV Rotel RSX-1067 digital surround receiver Rotel RDV-1060 DVD player Rotel RCC-1055 five-disc CD changer DirecTV DVR satellite receiver/recorder Monster Power HTS5100 Home Theatre Reference PowerCenter 2 B&W CWM 800 speakers (L/R front) B&W CWM Cinema speaker (center) 2 B&W CCM80 speakers (surround) B&W ASW600 subwoofer Bedroom system Samsung HP-R5052 50-inch plasma TV Rotel DSDX-02 digital surround receiver DVD player 2 B&W CWM 800 speakers (L/R front) B&W CWM Cinema speaker (center) 2 B&W CCM80 speakers (surround) B&W ASW600 subwoofer

When I ask him to sum up his impressions of his whole-house rig, Schreiber is almost embarrassed to admit that he hasn't had much time to play with it yet. "We really are trailblazing here. You and I are here on the first day it's all working, which is exciting." When I wish him good luck, he says, "Thank you. I feel a little like I'm on the bridge of the Enterprise."

Schreiber is especially intrigued by the system's IP capabilities, but notes that i-Command hasn't fully implemented them yet. "That stuff is still in its infancy, but I'm positive that's the main advantage of something like this. When we were setting up the network, it couldn't always find the Tablet - which was frustrating, because the components were right there in the same room with me and yet I couldn't use them. So I requested an override that lets me take the Tablet off the network so I can control everything using an IR repeater on the living-room wall."

Coming home late at night after finishing a performance of Glengarry Glen Ross, Schreiber would sometimes find installers Jim Young and Wayne Tomblin of Audio Video Environments still at work on the system. "My guys did a great job considering they were dealing with something brand new, but I think the technology is getting too advanced for a lot of the people who have to install it. They look at it and think, 'Holy shit - what is this?' You need really well-trained installers to set it up. If you could see this place with the walls ripped open, the amount of wiring and technology that's pulsing through them is mind-boggling. But when it's all sheetrocked and plastered and painted, all you see is this simple command pad."

Does he worry about the gear being too complicated to use? "You can have the i-Command programmed to limit your options, giving you a simplified version of what it can do. But as you get more comfortable with it, you can have it programmed to do more. I'm excited about that because I'm going to learn how it works over the course of the next few months, and the system will grow with me."

Every whole-house system is unique, and Schreiber is quick to urge anyone about to venture down the same path to be patient with the installation process. "The time to think about something like this is when you're buying a new place or renovating an old one. It's much harder if you're already settled into your home and you go, 'Oh, I want a system like that.' Then you're going to have to tear down some walls to make room for all the wiring." How long did it take to program everything? "Almost two weeks."

Schreiber says he's satisfied with his setup - for now. "It's that conundrum of, the more you get, the more you want. You get a little taste and you realize how far you can go. But that's my problem in general." Looking around the living room, the i-Command Tablet in his hand, he smiles: "But I can't imagine much more than this system. It's pretty tricked out."