Installing an outdoor sound system is one of the best upgrades you can make to your outdoor living spaces. Music is a fantastic complement to a host of outdoor activities like pool parties, game day watch parties, or casual dinner parties on the patio. And with agreeable summer weather arriving in the Pacific Palisades and Los Angeles area, there’s no better time than now to invest in outdoor audio. Here’s what you need to get started.

SEE ALSO: Give Your Audio Video Installation a Boost With New Speakers

Weatherproof Speakers

Speakers are the centerpiece of your outdoor audio system. Luckily for you, Sonance offers several outdoor collections to fit the performance and aesthetic you desire in your outdoor living spaces. The Landscape Series is Sonance’s pinnacle collection for landscape audio. Each set includes two high-performance satellite speakers, two in-ground subwoofers, and one hardscape subwoofer. The Landscape Series is endlessly scalable, with the option to add as many speakers and subwoofers as you need for even sound coverage throughout your space. Placed strategically around the perimeter of your property, the Landscape Series directs sound inward toward the listening areas, creating an enveloping soundscape over your backyard.

If aesthetics is a primary concern, consider Sonance rock speakers designed with a natural stone texture and colors that blend into garden beds and foliage. You can pair rock speakers with an optional subwoofer for even more impressive and powerful sound.

How about speakers for the patio, courtyard, or pergola? Sonance all-weather Mariner speakers are easily mounted on walls and under eaves and can be pivoted to direct sound to your desired listening area.

Another brand you can’t go wrong with is James Loudspeaker, a company that Sonance acquired in 2019. The All-Terrain (AT) landscape speakers are designed to perform at higher volumes while maintaining smooth frequency response, resulting in powerful sound that travels across your entire outdoor space. Paired with a direct burial subwoofer, the AT series provides a well-balanced audio soundscape in your backyard.

James Loudspeaker’s newest contribution to the market is the Outdoor Tower series. These freestanding speakers are meant to be seen and heard. Each model boasts proprietary drivers and a quad tweeter array to deliver widely dispersed, high-fidelity sound. If you’re looking for a ground-shaking, concert-level performance outdoors, these speakers are the ones for you. They can be installed with a hidden internal mount or external mount.

Power Source: Amplifier

The amplifier powers your speakers and connects music sources. Outdoor audio systems require a robust power source to generate sound that’s crisp, clear, and loud in open spaces with a lot of ambient noise.

Sonance has its own amplifiers that pair with outdoor speaker collections. The Landscape Series offers the most impressive and flexible system design options. It can be configured for 70V/100V or 8 Ohm designs. A 70V system drives a lot of power to multiple speakers, making it the ideal system for large-scale areas that need expansive sound coverage.

James Loudspeaker sells its own line of amplifiers, and also offers Crown Audio and Sonance amps to pair with speaker collections.

The amplifier is also where you’ll connect your music sources, like media streamers, CD players, and turntables (for vinyl records).

Help from the Haustech Team

Designing and installing a high-quality outdoor sound system is not for the faint of heart — we recommend hiring your friendly Haustech team for the job. We’ll work with you to design a system customized for your space and perform all the mounting, staking, and wiring required.

Ready to bring your outdoor spaces to life with music? Call us or fill out an online contact form to schedule a consultation with our experts. We look forward to working with you!

The post What Do You Need to Set Up an Outdoor Sound System? appeared first on Haustech.

Lighting control is one of the best investments you can make for your Malibu, CA, house. Home lighting is a technology that has value far beyond its functional purposes — we use different lighting fixtures and brightness levels to create ambiance, cultivate an inviting environment, and find more comfort in our living spaces. And smart lighting control has the bonus of bringing significant time and energy savings into your daily routines. Why waste more time flipping switches when you can press a button on your smartphone instead? Or better yet, when your house does it automatically.

Savant and Lutron are the premier brands for luxury home lighting control. Keep reading to learn more about their solutions.

SEE ALSO: Enhance Your Life with Lutron’s Innovative Motorized Shades

Lutron

Lutron has long been a dominant brand in the lighting control industry. One of the company’s primary advantages is that Lutron offers straightforward, easy-to-install solutions for single-room, whole-home, new builds, and retrofits. The RadioRA 2 system is entirely wireless and supports up to 200 devices, making it a great whole-home lighting option for retrofits. Lutron’s most impressive offering is HomeWorks, a luxury, whole-home lighting system that supports up to 10,000 devices. Lutron lighting works seamlessly with shading, thermostats, and HVAC to enhance your home environment for comfort and convenience.

Lutron offers an extensive line of smart switches, dimmers, custom keypads, wireless remotes, voice control, and mobile app control that makes dimming and adjusting the lights in your home effortless. You can schedule lights to turn on or off at specific times of day and build custom scenes to set the right lighting environment for “Family Dinner,” “Movie Night,” or “Wind Down” with the press of a button.

Lutron features we love:

• Geofencing uses the geographical location of your smartphone to trigger specific lighting events. For example, Lutron will command home lights to turn off when you’re leaving and turn on when you’re approaching. Geofencing is a convenient feature if you consistently forget to flip the lights off when you leave the house.
• Smart Away. The Smart Away feature triggers random lights to turn on and off when you’re away from home or on vacation. The purpose is to create the illusion that someone is home and deter potential burglars. Smart Away can give you peace of mind knowing your home is better protected when you’re gone.

Savant

Savant has impressive lighting control options as well. The company’s primary advantage is that Savant supports whole-home automation that extends beyond lighting. Savant brings your home lighting, shading, climate, audio/video, and security together in a single centralized system. As a bonus, Savant home automation is compatible with Lutron lighting systems, meaning you can have the best of both worlds.

Like Lutron, Savant offers an extensive line of control options, including the Savant Pro mobile app, touchscreens, keypads, the Savant Pro Remote, and voice control. You can build personalized lighting schedules and scenes that activate at preset times or with the press of a button on your smartphone.

Savant features we love:

• Daylight Mode. Daylight Mode uses sophisticated technology to match indoor lighting color temperature and intensity with natural sunlight patterns. Dynamic, natural lighting is associated with increased comfort, better sleep, and improved overall well-being.
• The TrueImage app places dynamic color control in your hands. Use the app to change the color temperature and brightness of your home lighting to reflect a mood or ambiance.

Haustech is a trusted Savant and Lutron dealer in the Malibu, CA, area. If you’re interested in adding lighting control to your home, our experts can guide you through your options and help you make the best decisions for your lifestyle. Give us a call or fill out a contact form to set up a consultation with us. We hope to hear from you soon!

The post Explore the Top Lighting Control Solutions on the Market: Savant and Lutron appeared first on Haustech.

The primary purpose of smart home automation is to utilize the latest and greatest technologies to make your home life more comfortable, convenient and secure. Centralized automation gives you effortless control over your home using a smartphone app, touchscreen tablet, custom keypads, remotes, or even voice control. Integrate all your smart functions – audio/video systems, smart thermostats, dimmable LED lighting, networking, security and surveillance, motorized shades, a custom home theater, outdoor entertainment, and more — all in one, manageable platform.  

Home automation can be a lifesaver for busy families managing work, school, family, social, and home care responsibilities throughout the week. Keep reading to learn some of the ways home automation can improve your day-to-day life in the Pacific Palisades or Los Angeles area.    

SEE ALSO: Unleash Your Inner Audiophile With Savant’s Audio Over IP for Whole Home Music 

Get Out the Door on Time 

Getting everyone out the door on time is a pain point for families juggling hectic morning schedules. Let automated processes help speed things along. Do the kids have a hard time getting out of bed? Schedule lights to turn on and music to play in their rooms to coax them up — without you having to waste time running from room to room.  

Once everyone is ready to leave, save time readying your home by pressing an “Away” button on your smartphone or wall-mounted tablet. As you leave, the lights will turn off, shades will lower, the security alarm will arm, and the smart door locks will lock behind you.   

Relax in a Comfortable Environment  

Your home is a safe space to relax, unwind and spend quality time with family and friends away from the stresses of work and other responsibilities. Smart lighting, climate, and shading solutions ensure that your environment is comfortable and inviting no matter how you decide to spend your downtime.  

Use motorized shades and smart lighting control to blend the perfect mix of natural and indoor lighting in your space. You can create custom scenes that automatically set the shades and lights to your desired preference depending on the time of day or use a smart device to adjust the settings yourself. Your smart thermostat will work diligently to regulate the indoor temperature and humidity levels based on your personal comfort and the amount of heat and sunlight coming through the windows. You can issue a voice command to change the thermostat any time you feel too hot or cold.  

Feel Secure at Home and Away 

You and your family should always feel safe at home. A smart security system keeps an eye on the house so that you can have peace of mind at work and concentrate on family time at home. While you’re away, surveillance cameras, door and window sensors, and a burglary alarm will send you an instant alert if something happens on your property. You can check in on livestream surveillance footage or the status of your smart door locks at any time using a smartphone app. 

At home, front-entry cameras or a video doorbell can alert you when someone’s at the door. You can use video and two-way audio to communicate with delivery people or visitors before answering the door. While the kids are out in the pool, keep an eye out for trouble by watching livestream video surveillance on a touchscreen as you move around the house. 

Haustech is your smart technology and home automation expert in the Pacific Palisades and Los Angeles area. Are you ready to discuss the home technology solutions that will improve your modern lifestyle? Call us or fill out a contact form to set up a consultation.  

The post Improve Your Day-to-Day Life With Smart Home Automation appeared first on Haustech.

Audio video distribution is a must-have for homeowners who want hassle-free entertainment throughout their entire home. The problem with traditional systems is that they rack up high costs, especially if you have a large house with multiple locations for TVs and speakers. The labor is time-intensive and involves ripping into your walls, floor, and ceiling to install long cable runs.  

But with technology advancing in leaps and bounds, another option is available. A network-based system using AVB technical standards is a cost-effective solution that you can deploy throughout your entire Malibu, CA property. It’s the high-quality entertainment distribution you need, at the price point you want. Keep reading to learn more.  

SEE ALSO: Unleash Your Inner Audiophile With Savant’s Audio Over IP for Whole Home Music 

So, Tell Me How It Works 

The technology uses a set of standards called audio-video bridging (AVB). It’s a networked-based system that transfers real-time audio and video signals over ethernet connections. AVB reserves an allocation of the network’s bandwidth exclusively for audio/video streams — ensuring that AV streams don’t collide with other data traffic on the network. The standards also ensure accurate synchronization for multiple AV streams so that you can send audio and video to several endpoints (speakers, TVs) simultaneously. AVB is an open system, meaning that any network location can become a source or endpoint for the system. Once devices are connected via the network, they can communicate. 

At Haustech, we use open AVB standards to build amazing and high-quality audio-video distribution systems for you to enjoy entertainment everywhere in your home. We install a Savant device called a PAV-AIO1C at each TV location. The PAV-AIO1C is a single-input, single-output device for converting digital audio signals. We use it as an input device and connect it to the TV’s output jack.  

Here’s where the magic happens: we put the converter device on the AVB network using a simple PoE connection. Now, whatever you have on the connected TV is available across the entire audio network — there’s your distributed audio. Add a smart streaming device (Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast) to every location you want video — there’s your distributed video. The system can send large volumes of data to one endpoint or multiple endpoints with ease, allowing you to watch content and listen to music in a single room or many simultaneously.  

What Are the Primary Benefits? 

A distribution system using AVB standards is cost-effective and doesn’t require new cabling or rewiring in your home. It works with your existing network infrastructure and standard ethernet switch connections. Expanding your system with a new TV or set of speakers is as easy as adding additional ethernet switches.  

AVB standards that control timing, synchronization, and bandwidth allocation ensure that your audio and video are delivered in real-time with low latency and reliability. This is an incredible technological innovation that’s changing how we implement and distribute whole-home AV solutions.    

There’s no reason you can’t have great home entertainment at a price that works for you. If you’re interested in learning more about audio video distribution with AVB standards, call Haustech or reach out via an online form.  

The post Audio Video Distribution: How to Get More While Spending Less appeared first on Haustech.

As we enter the new year, home improvements are on the brain for many of us! Your home entertainment is a popular system to upgrade, and one of the best improvements you can make is new speakers for your audio video installation. High-performance speakers vastly improve your music, movie, TV, sports viewing, and gaming experiences at home.

When it comes to upgrading your home audio, we recommend the best: Sonance and James Loudspeaker. Keep reading to learn more about this powerhouse duo and how their speaker products will transform your Pacific Palisades or Los Angeles, CA, home.

SEE ALSO: Unleash Your Inner Audiophile With Savant’s Audio Over IP for Whole Home Music

The Making of a Power Couple

In September 2019, Sonance announced plans to acquire James Loudspeaker by the end of the year. Sonance was founded in 1983 and has long been considered the benchmark brand for architectural audio. Sonance’s speakers are “designed to disappear” into the architecture of your home, media room, theater room, or backyard and patio.

James Loudspeaker is no slouch in the audio world either. The company is revered for its high-performance speakers in homes, outdoor settings, commercial venues, and marine applications. Speakers are custom-designed to minimize their visual presence in interior and exterior settings.

Together, a Sonance and James Loudspeaker partnership is poised to deliver the ultimate experience in entertainment, high-fidelity audio, and hidden sound design. In 2020, integrators and technology manufacturers alike waited with bated breath to see what the powerhouse duo would unveil at their first joint CEDIA Expo.

They didn’t disappoint. Keep reading to learn more about the new products we recommend to upgrade and elevate your audio video installation at home.

Sonance Invisible Series

The Invisible Series is Sonance’s hallmark line of architectural in-wall and in-ceiling speakers. They are — you guessed it — completely invisible after installation and finished over with the wall or ceiling material. Sonance’s disappearing speakers offer a tremendous flexibility for whole-home audio design because you can install as many as you need (wherever you need them) without cluttering up your home or disturbing the aesthetics.

Motion Flex is what sets the newly upgraded Invisible Series line apart in performance. Motion Flex uses innovative acoustic engineering technology explicitly designed to improve the performance of flat-paneled speakers. The Invisible Series includes a wave flex drive unit that delivers crisp highs and smooth midrange, along with an air flex woofer to deliver robust and powerful bass. An acoustically isolated baffle ensures ultra-low sound distortion, and Sonance’s proprietary constant directivity crossover (CDX) enables consistent sound coverage with nearly 180° of vertical and horizontal dispersion.

The Invisible Series delivers a rich, immersive sound experience for multiple applications: a TV sound upgrade, a distributed audio system, or a full, surround-sound setup in a home theater or media room.

James Loudspeaker

The latest and greatest from James Loudspeaker are the new AT Outdoor Towers, introduced at CEDIA 2020. These loudspeakers are meant to be seen and heard — they were designed to give concert-level performance outdoors. The Outdoor Towers deliver powerful, earth-shaking sound for multiple outdoor entertainment systems, including outdoor home theaters and outdoor music.

This speaker line is weatherproof and can be mounted on all types of terrain. Now is the time to start thinking about your outdoor entertainment setup! Let Haustech handle your installation now so that you’ll be ready to rock and roll (literally — these Outdoor Towers will rock and roll the ground beneath your feet) when California summer arrives.

At Haustech, we exclusively work with industry-leading brands to bring the highest quality and performance to your home technology systems. If you’re ready to discuss installing or revamping your audio video installations, call us or fill out a contact form to schedule a consultation.

The post Give Your Audio Video Installation a Boost With New Speakers appeared first on Haustech.

Here’s a 2021 New Year’s goal all homeowners can get behind: improving home security. While spending the majority of 2020 inside your Malibu, CA, home, you may have noticed some security flaws. And whether you’re heading back to the office in 2021 or working remotely at home, it’s time to consider the smart devices you need to keep you and your family safe.

At Haustech, we recommend starting with two tried-and-true home protection devices: security cameras and access control. Keep reading to learn more.

SEE ALSO: CEDIA 2020 Wrap-Up: What We Were Excited to See This Year

Security Cameras

Smart, high-definition security cameras placed strategically around your property can help you feel more secure knowing what’s going on around-the-clock, even while you’re not at home. Smart technology allows you to access and view live or recorded camera footage from your smartphone, laptop or touchscreen tablet. Motion sensor-activated cameras can send an instant notification to your phone when a suspicious event occurs, allowing you to call the authorities faster. And while you may not always be able to prevent theft or vandalism, your camera footage is powerful evidence that can be used to catch an intruder. High-quality surveillance cameras also come with night vision to produce clear images even in complete darkness.

At Haustech, we believe security cameras with cloud technology from brands like Verkada and Rhombus are the solutions of the future. Hybrid cloud video security allows you to access and view all cameras on a user-friendly, browser-based interface on your smartphone or laptop. With a battery-powered backup, your cameras can keep recording locally, on the camera – even if the internet goes down – and uploads all your footage to unlimited storage space on the cloud. With advanced video analytics, you can use keywords to search saved footage and find what you’re looking for instantly. The system can also notify you with custom alerts when your cameras identify unknown faces, license plates or vehicles on your property. Contact Haustech to learn more about the Verkada and Rhombus solutions we offer.

Holovision Powered By Ring

Access control is a must-have security tool for monitoring the flow of foot traffic on your entries and property. One solution we love is Holovision + Ring. This product offering that combines Amazon’s Ring Elite doorbell and Ring Access Controller Pro to allow homeowners to unlock and monitor their front gate and door from anywhere in the world. This unique product offering is designed and sold by Holovision and only available through Holovision dealers like Haustech.

Holovision + Ring solutions have a high-definition video camera, built-in microphone and speakers, motion detection sensors, night vision and unlimited cloud video recording. After installation via a simple ethernet connection, you can use the Amazon Ring app to see and speak to visitors at the front gate or door and remotely grant access.

This solution is great for allowing delivery people to gain temporary access inside your gates or home to leave packages in a safe place. It’s also convenient for allowing housekeepers, nannies, relatives or friends access to your property when you’re not at home. Holovision + Ring solutions come with a built-in keypad so that you can give visitors a one-time keycode. You can use the Ring app to monitor who’s entering and exiting.

An Integrated Solution

For comprehensive home security, integrate your security cameras, access control and smart doorbell into a centralized home automation system like Savant. With home automation, you can keep an eye on your entire property using a single smart device like the Savant Pro mobile app or a touchscreen tablet. You can also create settings that allow your security devices to work together. For example, when a person triggers the motion sensors on your Ring doorbell, the security cameras around your property can turn on and begin recording. Likewise, granting a delivery person access inside your front gate can trigger the nearby cameras to start recording and ensure that nothing unexpected happens.

Haustech can help you make your Malibu, CA, smart home a safer, more secure place to relax and enjoy time with family and friends. Contact us to learn more about our security cameras and other home security solutions. Call or fill out a contact form today.

The post 2 Smart Devices That Will Improve Your Home Security appeared first on Haustech.

The annual CEDIA Expo is the premier platform to find anyone who’s anyone in the smart technology industry and see all the newest technologies out on display. The 2020 CEDIA Expo looked a lot different than prior events…..it was entirely virtual. Thousands of integrators and technology manufacturers displayed virtual booths, hosted panels and held discussions remotely in a first-of-its-kind event for CEDIA.

As your local smart home company in the Pacific Palisades and Los Angeles, CA, area, Haustech is here to give you a brief rundown of the best of the best from CEDIA 2020. Keep reading!

SEE ALSO: CES Recap From the Eyes of Haustech

Savant Wins Multiple Best New Product Awards

Savant’s had a stellar product year, so it’s no surprise they were a big winner at CEDIA 2020. First, the luxury home automation company won a Best New Product award for its Smart Audio Soundbar. And why is the industry gushing about yet another soundbar on the market? Because not only does this three-channel model deliver an impressive audio punch……but its unobtrusive design has built-in Savant home automation software. That’s right: the soundbar doubles as a smart home hub that allows you to control whole-home technologies like audio/video, lights, climate, shades, and security via the Savant Pro mobile app or Pro X2 handheld remote.

We’re also excited about the second Best New Product award that Savant picked up this year in the software category: Daylight Mode. This new lighting feature allows Savant users to create a personalized lighting schedule that aligns with natural lighting patterns and the body’s internal circadian rhythm. Using your home’s exact geo-coordinates and advanced technology, Daylight Mode adjusts the color temperature and intensity of light inside your home to promote a healthy sleep-wake cycle. You can use your smartphone to preview how the light will change during the day and make adjustments based on your wellness routines.

Wellness-based lighting is an emerging trend in the smart technology industry. And we’re keeping an eye on Savant to see what comes next — especially since the company acquired GE Lighting in May.

Sony and Samsung Release New Display Options in Time for the Holidays

Sony and Samsung also had a great year and showcased tempting new displays at CEDIA 2020. First up, Samsung took a swing at the outdoor entertainment world with the release of the Terrace Smart TV in May. The impressive, weatherproof TV has a 4K QLED screen and matching soundbar. Featuring tons of smart features and easy integration with all your favorite streaming services, the Terrace is an excellent addition to your patio entertainment setup. Samsung also exhibited its microLED display, The Wall, and its new ultra-short-throw 4K laser projector, The Premiere.

And speaking of projectors….Sony is a brand to watch in projector technology advancements. The powerhouse company unveiled three new native 4K SXRD projectors for home theater and residential use. Of particular interest is the 4K laser projector with HDR optimizing features. Laser technology is the latest and greatest trend in home projectors due to the extended lifespan and long-lasting brightness.

Sonance Hits the Highest Note

Sonance is already a leader in architectural audio, and the all-new, upgraded Invisible Series speaker line reinforces that fact. It’s been 8 years since Sonance refreshed the original Invisible Series, but the performance upgrades were more than enough to snag them a Best New Product award at CEDIA. True to name, Sonance’s invisible speakers blend flawlessly into walls and ceilings with no visual footprint. But the real improvement here is Sonance’s Motion Flex Technology, a series of advancements in acoustic engineering that delivers crisp and exceptional audio in the high, midrange, and bass levels. The new Invisible Series is sure to be a competitive benchmark for other brands to match.

Did anything from our CEDIA recap catch your eye? Don’t hesitate to ask your local smart home company, Haustech! We’re here to answer all your technology questions and help you find the best solutions for your home. If you live in the Pacific Palisades or Los Angeles area, give us a call or fill out an online contact form to set up a consultation.

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Whole home audio is a win for everyone in your family. With multi-room audio distribution, you can store, access and manage all your audio services — streaming platforms (Spotify, Pandora), playlists, MP3 libraries, CDs, the radio, TV audio, audiobooks and podcasts — from a single intuitive interface on a smartphone app or touchscreen device. From there, it only takes one touch to direct music to any room in your Malibu, CA, home.

The newest trend in whole home audio is audio over IP technology, which uses your home network to transmit exceptional sound throughout your home. In this field, Savant is leading the pack with its best-in-class IP audio products for residential systems. Keep reading to learn more!

SEE ALSO: 2 AV Solutions to Jumpstart Your Home Theater Installation

Why Multi-Room Music?

With multi-room music, you and your family can have unlimited access to music, audiobooks and podcasts in any room of your home. And we’re not talking about reconnecting to a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi speaker to play Spotify every time you move to a new room. We’re talking about an integrated system with high-fidelity speakers that envelop you in crisp, clear sound while you prepare dinner in the kitchen, work in the home office or practice yoga in the exercise room. With room-by-room or whole-home distribution capabilities, you and your family can listen to music individually in different rooms or bond over shared tastes.

Countless studies show that music helps improve your mood, energize your exercise routines, provide comfort and reduce stress and anxiety. Bring more joy and brightness to everyday chores and routines by adding a personalized soundtrack.

Why Audio Over IP?

An IP audio system uses a computer network to send audio signals between devices instead of relying on point-to-point cabled connections. Traditional audio distribution systems require all speakers to be connected via cabling infrastructure to a centralized source component. While these systems are very reliable, they need a labor-intensive, costly installation with long wire runs to connect multiple speakers to your system. Additionally, scalability becomes an issue when you’re limited by cable lengths and the number of input/output ports available.

In contrast, a networked system enables audio signals to be distributed over standard ethernet connections, vastly simplifying the installation and wiring process. IP audio remains digital from the source to all zones, and because all connections are on the same network, multiple audio streams can move effortlessly to different zones simultaneously. Savant’s unique IP speakers and soundbars keep the audio path digital with no degradation all the way to the speaker.

At Haustech, we highly recommend Savant’s audio over IP technology for whole home audio. IP audio systems are highly scalable, and Savant’s system allows for up to 96 rooms of audio distribution. Adding additional rooms and speakers is easy by connecting new devices to a network port and adding either architectural or freestanding speakers.

One of the problems with traditional audio distribution is that analog cables or long speaker wire runs can degrade sound quality, especially over significant distances from the audio source. Savant’s audio over IP system distributes music to amplifiers in each zone digitally, resulting in clean high-fidelity sound that doesn’t diminish over long expanses.

Savant’s IP audio integrates seamlessly with Savant home automation, so you can control your entire home (audio/video, security, climate, motorized shades, lighting) from a single interface of your choice, like a smartphone app. Haustech is a certified Savant integrator, and we’re ready to fill your Malibu, CA, home with music. Let’s get started designing the system of your dreams — call us or fill out a contact form to schedule a consultation.

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The display screen and sound system will make or break a home theater installation — luckily, we have some suggestions for you

The AV components are the defining elements in your home theater installation. With the right display screen and sound system, your favorite movies, TV shows, sports games and video games can pull you out of reality and sweep you into the thrilling, exciting, tense action of incredible media.

The primary goal of a home theater is to let your escape into an exceptional media experience in your Pacific Palisades, CA, home. At Haustech, we have recommendations for 2 high-end equipment solutions that make good on that goal. Keep reading to learn more.

SEE ALSO: Enhance Your Life With Lutron’s Innovative Motorized Shades

Sony Projectors

For homeowners looking to re-create the authentic movie-going experience, you can’t go wrong with a Sony movie projector for awe-inspiring display. Residential projector technology now rivals or exceeds what you can experience in your local cineplex. Many of the newest movie projectors on the market support high-dynamic-range (HDR) imaging and native 4K resolution for bright, colorful, and high-contrast picture quality.

At Haustech, we’re fans of a growing trend in projection technology: laser projectors. A Sony laser projector functions more like a TV: it can turn on and off instantly and doesn’t require cooling breaks. Traditional lamp projectors are very high maintenance and need a new bulb change approximately every 3,000 hours. As the lamp bulbs age, they’re prone to overheating and displaying reduced image brightness and quality. In contrast, a Sony laser projector can run smoothly for 20,0000-30,0000 hours and deliver consistent image brightness and color ranges that don’t fade with age.

While a Sony laser projector is a big investment upfront, it’s more energy efficient, requires less maintenance and has a longer lifetime value. We also like Sony laser projectors because they’re more scalable than traditional lamp projectors, which work best in large home theater rooms. Short throw laser projectors can be installed closer to the screen and still generate large screen images, opening the door for projector installations in smaller home theaters.

Triad Speakers

OK, take your eyes off the big screen for a minute, and let’s focus on the other crucial component of your home theater installation: the sound system. Our partner Triad builds high-end home theater loudspeakers that deliver audio you won’t only hear, but feel too. Every sound solution from Triad is built-to-order for your installation. Triad’s Dolby Atmos-enabled surround-sound speaker systems can extract the full dynamic range of movie soundtracks for an enveloping and exciting home theater audio experience.

Triad systems are only available through customer integrators like Haustech. And that’s only one of many reasons why we recommend hiring a professional for your theater installation. Every home theater is unique and has different equipment requirements based on the size and shape of the theater room.

Haustech is here to bring your home theater dream to life. We proudly serve residents in the Los Angeles and Pacific Palisades areas. Give us a call today or fill out an online contact form to schedule a consultation with our team.

The post 2 AV Solutions to Jumpstart Your Home Theater Installation appeared first on Haustech.

Here’s how Lutron automated shading can transform how you enjoy your Malibu home

Most of us have some window treatments around our homes — shades, drapes, blinds, etc. Window treatments are generally not someone’s favorite aspect of their home; it can be time-consuming to adjust each of them, and they’re not known as something to get excited about. What if your shades could be something you love to have in your life?

Lutron, a leader in motorized shading solutions, creates shades that offer a myriad of benefits — including convenience, customization, and energy savings. In this blog, we’ll walk you through what you can expect with Lutron motorized shades and how they can improve your Malibu, CA, home, and lifestyle.

SEE ALSO: What Components Do You Need for Great Outdoor Entertainment?

Control, Convenience, and Customization

If you’re tired of manually adjusting each of your shades and untangling cords every day, we don’t blame you. Lutron takes this frustration away and replaces it with effortless control. Its shades are powered by smart technology, meaning you can adjust them through keypads, IR remote controls, or wireless tabletop controls. One remote can communicate with all the shades around your home.

If you want your living room shades to open but your bedroom ones to close, you can manage them through a single smart device — no matter where you are in your house. Another convenience is getting to set specific times for your shades to rise every morning and lower every night. With Lutron technology, you can customize settings for every one of your shades.

Energy Savings

You may not realize it, but shading can have a significant impact on your energy bills. Raising your shades every morning and leaving your windows uncovered for the entire day can bring in excess sunlight and increase your home’s temperature, especially during summer. That then causes your HVAC system to work hard to keep your home cool — which can result in a higher energy bill.

With Lutron shading systems, you can have peace of mind that you’re saving additional energy for your residence. Lutron’s “summer cool” setting lowers shades automatically throughout the day to block solar heat gain and reduce your cooling costs. When winter comes, Lutron shades activate a “winter warm” setting to open and take advantage of the sun’s ways warming a southern façade.

Lutron motorized shades can add ease, customization, and savings to your life. Haustech is your local Malibu Lutron dealer, and we’d love to tell you more about motorized shades and other solutions. We are passionate about creating the best systems for our clients — schedule a no-obligation consultation with us today!

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