Custom Installation How-To

Integration and contemporary styling is what everyone is looking for so Samsung's new Blu-ray players certainly embrace both these concepts. The BD-P4600 is a wall-mountable Blu-ray player and the HT-BD8200 is a Home Theater Sound Bar with an integrated Blu-ray Player. According to Samsung they are heralding a new direction for the Blu-ray industry and moving away from the traditional square (and boring) black boxes.

Dealers are often advocates of their favorite products but I have found few dealers as fired up over a product line as Dave Rutz, owner of Dave's Home Entertainment. To say he is a strong supporter of the Bose BUILT-INvisible product line would be a serious understatement. To hear Dave tell it, this specialty line from Bose is perfect for the next generation of home entertainment enthusiasts due to the brands perceived quality, value, and performance.

In the past, creating a movie experience at home meant setting up a big screen in the basement and putting in a few recliners. These days, many homeowners are transforming living rooms on the main floor of their homes into home theaters. Some homeowners may even convert a room that’s right beside their kitchen.

Los Gatos, California-based cyberManor specializes in the design, installation, and integration of Internet-connected home electronics solutions that enhance the entertainment, communication, comfort, and safety of its clients’ homes. This year, the company won the Microsoft Windows Media Center Ultimate Install Contest for this immaculate and eco-friendly installation at the Kreaden residence in Sunnyvale, CA.

As cool as it may look, not everyone wants to hang their new flat panel TV on the wall. Omnimount, manufacturers of sophisticated TV wall mounts also offer entertainment centers to accommodate your flat panel, AV components, media, and more. The sleek and elegant Link Series furniture offers contemporary finishes and a modular design that is sure to compliment any decor.

Long before the iPod gained dominance as the defacto portable media device, audiophiles were voicing their concerns about where the music world might be headed with the popularity of lowfi MP3 music files. For some the introduction of Krell's S-300i Integrated Amplifier, which interfaces with the iPod, could be seen as a "if you can't beat them join them" strategy. A different perspective would be that the iPod is no longer considered a lowfi product.