smart house AV system

A Smart Home Theater System That Moves With You In Every Room

How great would it be after a lengthy day at work to just wind down to your favorite spot on the couch and your favorite sitcom is on. You pause the show to grab a beer, then start it at the precise spot from the kitchen so you can prepare dinner. Or, how about hosting a party where the music moves with you, playing whether or not guests are in the lounge, the patio or in the kitchen. This sort of smart home AV solution distributes sources — like Apple TV, Blu-ray player, cable box, satellite and even a PS4 or Xbox — to distinct zones throughout the home. Centralized in one area of your house are the components of your entertainment system, fulfilling you with the comfort and satisfaction of shows, movies, music, media and video games in every room. Guess what, all of this is possible without breaking the bank.

Read: The Most Affordable AV Switchers for Smart Home Theater Systems.

The first step to establishing a smart home system is to design for a whole-house AV system with audio speakers. We highly advise hiring a professional Integrator to set up wiring for your home. Secondly, we suggest the placement of the audio video zones and the main section to place all devices. Pro tip: make sure this location is an area in your home where you can manage the temperature. A fan or a cooling system can range from $60 up to $240.

Next action is to wire up the house. Do not worry if you haven’t secured the equipment you need for your system, the wirework is affordable to put in during renovation or construction to evade the task of retrofitting another time. We recommend a least a CAT5E cable to reach distances up to 330 feet from the primary cabinet/rack. Anything beyond will require a fiber-optic solution which can dig deep into your pockets. Wiring your home with category cable allows for HDBaseT transmission of video, audio, control, Ethernet and power which equates to simpler installation and savings.

Upon completion of wiring, we suggest a matrix switcher to tie in all your component sources. The Atlona AT-UHD-PRO3-44M or AT-UHD-PRO3-66M matrix switchers are the perfect solution for a smart home entertainment system or home theater. Knowing how many inputs and outputs you will need is dependent to how much you’ll spend, these units range from $2000 to $5000. Atlona offers a 10-year warranty on their products which makes them a very competitive brand. From a centralized location, the matrix switchers can provide up to four or six HDMI source inputs. Homeowners can now connect set-top boxes, satellite, DVD players, Blu-ray, game consoles and even a network router to manage the system. Typically, an IR remote or a GUI (Graphical User Interface) on the web would be a clear choice for control, but a smartphone or tablet that’s set-up with a 3rd party control system like Kramers K-Touch or Key Digital’s Compass Control to manage all components in your entertainment center including your HDTV’s.

Watch this video about how Benjamin found the perfect solution for his home theater system.

home theater systems
Watch the video: how to convert your home into a smart home (3 min)

 

With this set-up, homeowners can now distribute video, audio, Ethernet, power, and control signals using the four HDBaseT category cable outputs from the AT-UHD-PRO3-44M or six from the AT-UHD-PRO3-66M from this centralized location. Since we are sending all these signals to each HDTV in the house, we’ll need to install a compatible receiver for the Atlona matrix switcher, the AT-UHD-EX-70C-RX to convert HDBaseT back to HDMI from the extension up to 230 feet. If one or more TV locations are further than 230 feet, the compatible receiver to reach a longer distance up to 330 feet is the AT-UHD-EX-100CE-RX. We’re almost complete with connecting the entire house to display audio, video, Ethernet, power and control in every room.

How about audio? Well, we haven’t forgotten about that. This type of home audio system, we suggest adding in-wall rated speaker wires of the correct gauge to specific locations for optimum surround sound throughout your house. Kramer and Soundtube carry in-wall and in-ceiling speakers ranging $100-$400 per pair. We favor their speakers for home stereo systems because of their design plus they don’t need electrical outlets.

Finally, integrating a wireless remote control system is the proverbial ‘cherry on top’ sort of speak. This control system will interact through walls wirelessly with the equipment that you have in your cabinet/rack. We mentioned Key Digital’s Compass Control or Kramer’s K-Touch as our suggested control system for their ease-of-use and applications that convert your tablet or smartphone into a controller. The most important factor is the control interface. Honestly, it does not matter how well the remainder of the parts work if the user interface isn’t practical and intuitive.

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Homeowners can now assign pristine high-definition audio and video with a simple touch throughout their home. In such a case where you own a sentimental piece of equipment that outputs either DVI, VGA, composite, or component; we recommend adding a multi-format switch that can accept the various source signals over this class of wiring.

We all have a budget that we are working with, and our BZB Express Team understands everyone has a unique situation. The equipment mentioned are recommendations based from our experience in the industry. Our sales team manages each scenario case by case and the relationships we’ve formed with our partner brands empower us to produce affordable solutions. We’d love to hear from you and learn about your particular application. We’re confident we have a solution waiting just for you.

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