Wired 1 Consulting

Ever since the recording and transmission of sound and video occurred the television industry, which since 1936 had not changed, the Canadian broadcast system (CRTC) opted to adopt a full digital transmission system (Aug. 31 2011).
This world wide adoption of digital transmission opened the floodgates for innovation and seemingly unending updates and innovations in this new digital world. Along the way there were casualties. Companies that were once household icons for quality and innovation like RCA and Zenith that were slow to recognize the changing market were quickly gobbled up by new, lean competitors like Samsung and LG. These companies not only bought the brand names of these companies, they also bought the research and design divisions of these innovative companies. With any technological improvements now in their “stable” these old brand names were discarded (sold) to lesser manufacturers in emerging markets, like China that use these trade names to enter into the North American marketplace. RCA TV’s that are available today are NOT what they used to be. Even the once most recognized name in consumer television (SONY) has announced that they are getting out of the television manufacturing business!
Through all of these changes the industry has not stood still. Driven by the new players in the electronics market who require these changes to drive more sales, the initial proposed standards for high definition recording and broadcasting that were conceived in the 1990’s, have been superseded by the new UHD (Ultra High Definition) standard that was finalized and released to manufacturers on November of 2013.

What that means to the consuming public I will address in my next post.

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Most of todays digital receiver manufacturers would like you to believe that their on-board, proprietary  equalization systems will make your home theatre sound like the best commercial theatre experience.

While it can certainly help, there is no way you can correct for the actual room interaction. Every room has a very unique sound quality (or lack thereof!). Most  home theatre rooms have very reflective surfaces (floors, ceiling & walls) that make it very difficult, if not impossible, for the electronics and the speakers to re-create the illusion of a commercial cinema sound experience no matter how expensive they are. Next time you head to your local cinema take a look at the walls, in most cases there is carpet extending almost to the ceiling on the sides and back of the theatre. This carpeting is not there to “look nice”, it is there to try to lessen the reflective characteristics  of the room, and hopefully, increase the intelligibility of the movie soundtrack. Sound reflects off of hard surfaces the same way that light reflects off of a mirror. You don’t want these reflections to interfere with the  originating sound coming from the speakers. If this happens you lose most of the motion effects of the soundtrack and you will definitely have trouble understanding the dialogue of the movie simply because your ears are hearing what is being reflected off of these hard surfaces almost as loudly as the sound that is coming from the actual speaker. By lessening these offending reflections from your room your ears can start to hear the performance as it was intended. So how can you tame an unruly room?

The best solution that we have found is from a company called Primacoustic. They offer “kits” designed to help you with this very common problem. We have had nothing but absolutely fantastic results and great feedback from our clientele at Wired 1 Consulting. Our clients are experiencing far better dialogue intelligibility, tight, controlled bass response and instruments that  sound more like the actual instruments! It brings back new life to any theatre that we have applied this product to. The kits are aesthetically pleasing, easily installed and very affordable! You can “do it yourself” or have the experts at Wired 1 Consulting help you with your installation. We guarantee that you will be more than impressed!

Visit Primacoustic web site at www.primacoustic.com click on “room kits” at the top of the page. We also offer their professional recording studio and commercial product line.

Give us a shout!

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Just in time for the Winter Olympics this 120″ Dolby Digital 9.1 surround theatre is ready to rock. All the wires and electronics are in another room. Primacoustic black sound absorbing ceiling tiles keep the sound in the room and reduce reflection of sound and light from the projector.

Bring on the popcorn, and the Gold Medals!

Go Canada!!

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Universal Remote Controls have been around now for over 30 years. A lot of the audio video receivers and new cable boxes come with a “Dumb” universal control. These remote controls, by punching a function button, can operate the basic functions (and I mean BASIC) of other electronic devices. For example; your Cable Box remote control can turn on your television. These remotes do need to know what device that you want to operate and only very rudimentary control commands are offered for these “other” devices.

Approximately 15 years ago a company called Harmony revolutionized the universal remote control market by introducing a “SMART” remote control! These remote controls connect to the internet and are programmed from an extensive library of codes to virtually operate any kind of remote control device! Now, all you have to do is punch ONE button and the remote control will turn on your TV, turn on your cable box, turn on your audio video receiver and put all these devices on the right input – amazing! One of the most innovative products that I can remember coming to the electronics world! No more frustration and phone calls to try and get your system running properly!

In the first picture is one of the first versions of Harmony Remotes. They worked great and I we have sold hundreds of these devices but the buttons are small and the screen is hard to see. They are starting to show their age! They have been replaced by new touch screen remote controls that are brighter and easier for everyone to use. Some of them can even be operated with an IPhone/IPad or Android smartphone or tablet (see second picture).

If you are using one of the old Harmony remotes or you want to simplify the operation of your system, give Wired 1 Consulting a call today! (506)470-7510

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The biggest televised event of the year is coming up fast and Wired 1 Consulting wants to make sure you see and hear every breathtaking moment. From now until the 20th of February save 15% on our custom calibration packages!

We make sure that your picture and sound is working correctly and that your systems are optimized and connected correctly to give you the best performance for every event! Personal, in home consultation and calibration by Greg Beardall assures that your system is ready for that gold medal event.

Book your appointment now on our website or call (506)470-7510. Evening and week-end appointments are available.

Go CANADA!!

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You buy your tickets, get your popcorn, and enter the movie theater. There is a change in the sound around you as you make your way to your seat. The movie starts and you hear every little rustle, every pin drop every word of whispered dialogue. Why can’t you get that sound clarity at home? You have good electronics, really good speakers and you have tried to set everything up for the best, but somehow it’s just not the same as “going to the movies”. Want to know why? It’s your room!

Commercial movie theatres pay a lot of money to get the sound right. Could you imagine what that theatre would sound like if they made you watch a movie with just the cinder block walls and open ceiling – yikes!

The sound of your room is critically important in how accurate your system can be. To try and alter the sound coming out of your speakers by electronic equalization can only make matters worse – what you need/have to do is “tame” your room. I have not heard any home system that could not benefit from having at least some acoustic treatment applied. Even a small amount of  acoustic “conditioning” can yield huge improvements in performance.

At Wired 1 Consulting we are partnered with one of the leaders in acoustic room treatments – Primacoustic http://www.primacoustic.com/app-home-theatre.htm They also offer some awesome and very attractive home and professional recording studio solutions in addition to their great home theater and stereo room solutions. Check out the videos on their site.

Wired 1 Consulting offers custom installation for all of these products but you can order and install it yourself! Give Greg a call (506) 470-7510 and he will help you with your selection. Start hearing what you paid for!

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Like a lot of our clients you may be using a laptop as your “main” computer. The speed and power of these devices are getting better all the time, but as speed and power increase so does heat! Too much heat can kill a computer! If you are old enough you may remember when computers had to be refrigerated so they wouldn’t overheat. Here are some basic rules to follow to get the best performance and longevity from your laptop.

#1 – Turn it off! Simply closing the “lid” on your laptop does NOT turn it off (unless you have gone into the setup of the laptop’s power settings and changed the configuration to “shut off” when cover closed). The default action (what the laptop does right out of the box) is go into standby mode. This makes for very fast startups when you lift the lid but the computer is still running which not only is wasting power it is also contributing to #2 on this list. To turn off your laptop use your on screen SHUT DOWN control. For instance on a Windows machine select Start then click on shut down. If you want to be Ultra Green remember that the charger/power supply for your laptop is ALWAYS drawing power when it is plugged in, so either unplug it or connect it to a switched outlet on a power bar so you can simply flip a switch to totally shut it down.

#2 – Remove your battery! Most laptop computers do not need to have the battery in the machine in order for it to turn on and operate. If your laptop sits in one place in the home and stays plugged in all of time take the battery out. Rechargeable batteries have a finite number of times that they can be recharged and when kept in the laptop if it is plugged in it is constantly being recharged, just a little, but enough to drastically effect the number of times that battery will be able to recharge. Also the control program that determines whether the battery needs charging can “overcharge” the battery over time, effectively boiling the battery. Put the battery in a drawer and when you know you will need to go unplugged reinstall it and give it a charge.  The battery will last at least 10 times longer!

#3 – Learn how to do routine maintenance on your computer. Operating systems by default set a time for the computer to perform automated required service on your computer. Normally this is done without you even knowing that it is happening, unfortunately, this maintenance is set by default to take place at 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning, a carry over from when all computers were desktops and were running 24-7. You can change these settings, but it is important that you learn how to perform these tasks manually. Things like disk cleanup and defragmentation, online updates of the operating system and hardware of the computer. You should do this at least once a month if you want your computer to work up to spec. Go to your help menu and type in maintenance and your computer will teach you how and what should be done.

#4 – Get a GOOD anti-virus program for your computer. There are plenty on the market but what I use, and one of the best ones out there is free if you are running a Windows computer with Windows Vista or Windows 7 and that is Windows Security Essentials. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-CA/windows/security-essentials-download This program is included with Windows 8 and the new Windows 8.1. Download it and learn how to use it! There are also very good products from companies like MacAfee, Symantec, and Eset to name a few. Stay clear of the “Suites” solutions you don’t need them and they tend to slow down your computer – just get the anti-virus program. This applies to Mac users as well, there have been some pretty nasty virus’s for Apple products lately! Steer clear of internet service provider’s internet security “packages” that charge you a nominal fee every month to “protect” you and your family while on line – THEY ARE A WASTE OF MONEY – PERIOD! There are also plenty of “fly-by night” online – we can fix it websites out there that will take your money and usually not get rid of the problem you may be having. Consult an expert. Practice safe procedures when on line and opening emails… you know the routine!

Remember that Wired 1 Consulting also offers expert computer diagnostics and repair (in home) in addition to Custom Home and Commercial Electronic solutions. Please let us know if you need our help!

Cheers!

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Wired 1 Consulting wishes you the merriest of greetings during this holiday season. May you enjoy health, happiness and prosperity in the New Year!

We would like to thank all of our Clients for their ongoing support and their love of music and movies! There is nothing we like better than to see the smiles of happy customers!

Please remember that Wired 1 Consulting  can not only help you with your new home construction or renovation. We can also help you with home computers and networking and existing or new audio/video connections and calibration. You know, we can make sure that stuff you bought from EBay and Amazon is working the way it’s supposed to!

Call us for a free estimate. We’ll get it working right and you’ll be able to operate it when we’re done! (506) 470-7510

Seasons Greetings!

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This morning we installed more Speakercraft Aim series speakers. They look almost as good as they sound! No unsightly grill bubbles bulging from the ceiling and the speaker “aims” to where you want the sound to travel. Check out the full line of lifetime guaranteed speakers at www.speakercraft.com Your next building project deserves the best!

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That’s right folks it’s Wired I Consulting’s second birthday! We want to thank all of our clients and suppliers for their ongoing support. It’s been a year of changes and challenges and learning. Lots of new, exciting products and innovative technologies to pass along. As always at the best prices with the extraordinary service you deserve.

Thanks so much and we look forward to serving you for many years to come.

Best Regards,

Greg Beardall

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