Having the HOTEST Home theater in town...doesnt have to be LITERAL! 

Having a theater room is a great and fun addition to any home, but as many people experience, once you get all the electronics running and you settle in for your favorite movie, the room tempature drastically increases. It happens more often then not when people have a theater room that was not installed in a room already containing a thermostat of its own. The ideal solution is to have your installation tech instal a new thermostat in the room to control the tempature changes quickly all on its own, however this can be costly. Also most people who set up their own theater room are not even aware of this issue until it is too late.      

A great solution we like to offer is installing a Control4 remote tempature sensor. A Remote Temperature Sensor allows the Thermostat to get its temperature readings from an area where the Thermostat is not physically located. Typically, the Thermostat will be located near the HVAC equipment with only the Remote Temperature Sensor on the wall in the living area. This creates a much cleaner install. In this case, the Thermostat settings would be controlled using any of the Control4 user interfaces. A Remote Temperature Sensor is also a good solution in a retrofit when a common wire is not available and power stealing is not an option. The Thermostat can be mounted in the mechanical room and wired directly to the HVAC equipment. The previously installed Thermostat wiring can then be used to connect the Thermostat to the Remote Temperature Sensor. 

Let us help keep your home theater room relaxing and comfortable like it was meant to be without sacrificing the tempature comfort in the rest of your home! Call us today to discuss our solutions!

Have you recently decided to install the home theater of your dreams? Before you get started, we have some design tips to ensure the final product is exactly what you hoped for.

Work together with installers and the interior designers. Installers want the room to function and sound great. Interior designers may focus more on the design of seats and furniture placement. By working together, everyone will be on the same page and reduce the risk of miscommunication about the design. What may look best to an interior designer may not be optimal for home theater sound to an installer. By working together, both sides can achieve a beautiful and fuctioning home theater.

Furniture selection is a huge factor in any home theater. Comfort, viewing angles and sound quality should all be taken into consideration. For example, many experts recommend cloth seats vs. leather because leather tends to be more reflective. Also try to keep seat backs low. If your home theater has surround sound, you want your ears above the back of the chair. Don't make the mistake of purchasing high back chairs that will interfere with your home theater experience. Also, don't try to fit too many seats into a space. It won't do you much good to have more seating if the number of seats minimizes the overall quality of listening and viewing. Instead, decide on the number of seats first so that the screen size and projector layout reflect those number of seats.

Equipment location is important in the overall design of your new home theater. Did you know that your devices don't even have to be in the same room? Creating a separate room for equipment can reduce clutter and wireless remote devices still allow you to control the system with the touch of a button.

Audio systems should be installed first. This sets the parameters for you and the interior designer to work within. If everyone is on the same page about the balance of room design and good sound, then the end product will be that much better. If your interior designer has already designed the home theater, it is important to go back in with the installer to create a plan that incorporates beautiful design as well as screen visibility and sound.

Paint is also a huge factor in the design of a home theater. Many commercial theaters are painted with dark colors to allow viewers to focus on the screen and not the walls. If you're not wanting to necessarily mimic a commercial movie theater cave, you should still opt for a darker color in a matte or flat sheen. Semi-gloss paint may be easier to clean, but its reflective nature can be very distracting. Shy away from traditional ceiling paint as well. Opt for a darker color like flat black or gray.

Lighting control is another factor to take into consideration during the design process of your home theater. Misplaced lighting can cause some major problems so it's important to get it right. The biggest focus is making sure no lights point directly at the screen. It's also a good idea to create different lighting zones so you can keep the screen dark, but light up other areas like a snack bar. Wireless dimming products like Lutron allow you to control lighting right from your chair.

Hopefully these tips will help you create the home theater of your dreams. While these industry standards can help in doing so, the ultimate goal is to create a space that you and your family can enjoy together for many years!

Home automation can take movie watching to an entirely different level by integrating your home automation system and a/v system to create a seamless home theater experience. Whether you have a specific room for the home movie theater or just a great living room with cozy couches, we can bring the grand cinema experience to you!

Imagine for a moment- you could start the movie, dim the lights and set the temperature with the touch of one button. Automatically brighten the lights when the movie is paused so you can make that quick trip to the restroom or to get a snack.

What if someone happens to come to your front door? No problem. You can automatically pause the movie and see who is there on your screen without ever leaving your seat. There are so many options you have when creating your home theater, and having a home theater is a great way to bring the family together. They add value to your home, and a great investment that you will cherish for a lifetime.

If you need help in creating a great movie theater experience for your family, contact us and we will be glad to help. No project is ever too big or small; we are here to help offer you better life solutions.

In our previous blog, we discussed how a home theater is a great addition to any home and can bring the family together. There are so many possibilities you could do with a home theater. So this week we want to discuss some great screens and projectors that can complement different areas within the home and provide amazing home entertainment.

A family room with cozy couches or a basement man cave can both be a great media room. A media room is a multifunctioning space within the home, and for this type of home entertainment space it is best to set up a beautiful screen. One of the best screens for a home media room is the new Sony 4k Ultra HD TV. Sony’s new TV is automation-ready with two-way IP communications. This means the TV can both receive commands and provide status feedback, like I’M ON or the VOLUME is 70%, etc.

Now, if you have a dedicated room for a Home Theater that is fantastic! There are so many screens available, but we really love any one of the Stewart Film screens. A Runco projector pairs greatly with the Stewart Film screen, and both products help to create a unique display and provide seamless movie watching.

Lastly, we cannot forget some outdoor entertainment. Yes I know it is fall and getting colder day by day, but next summer you could be the go to place for those summer BBQ’s. Screen Innovations (SI) motorized screen and an Epson projector are two great products for outdoor entertainment. The SI screen is easily retractable and combined with the Epson projector can provide an amazing picture even in the brightest of light.

What is truly amazing about home theater entertainment is that any room or outdoor space can be integrated with any home automation system. For example, Control4 is our go to system for any home theater, home automation, lighting needs, etc.; and putting all that together creates a unified home entertainment system that could work easily with a push of a button. Not only a home entertainment system, but a whole connected home.

Now you can't watch a movie with just a picture, audio quality is a major compontent as well to any great home theater. We are far from watching silent movies in our technology driven world today. Can you guess what we might write about for next week's blog?

For those of you that saw our ad in the most recent edition of Cityview Magazine, you may have noticed we referred to our custom theaters as Home Entertainment 10.1. We finally decided to give our practice a name after 25 years of specialized service in East Tennessee.

Many companies can install a "theater", but what are you really buying? Are you buying the projector? The lighting control? The Blu-ray player? We at iSS know the answer to all those questions; No. No you are not buying any one product. In fact, you are not buying anything tangible at all. In reality you are buying confidence in the professional you choose to deliver the home entertainment experience you deserve. The most important aspect of any custom system is the smile on our client's face.

That is Home Entertainment 10.1

Ah, that time between Spring and Summer has finally arrived in Knoxville. Pollen covers every exterior surface imaginable in yellow blankets of dust. The quickly-warming temperatures remind you that the humidity of a Tennessee summer isn’t far off. Right now it is baseball season, but soon enough, the UT fight song will be echoing from every living room in Rocky Top while we watch our football team make it all the way to the national championship this year (a girl can dream). You begin to think about the home theater you always wanted, and how great these games would look on a big screen. You think of the home theater that would allow you to be immersed in the experience of the stadium, without having to buy tickets to the game or spend eight dollars on a beer--that theater with state-of-the-art audio technology, the one you always put off on installing because other things came up along the way. Hey, we know that life happens, and things get put off. Here at iSS LLC.  we are here to make your life a little easier—and a lot more fun. Now featuring Control4 home automation software, we can create the home theater of your dreams--and tailor home automation installations to your personal wants and needs. Still not convinced? Check out a few of the things we can do for your home or your commercial business space by clicking the link below.

 CLICK ME!

♪ ♫ ♬ AMAZING AUDIO IN ANY ENVIRONMENT! ♪ ♫ ♬

If you want your sound systems to sound great no matter what type of space it is in, this amp is deifinitely the way to go! Heres why:

The new line of DSP amplifiers feature SONARC (Sonance Advanced Room Correction), which offers hundreds of presets designed specifically for Sonance speakers! They make it very easy to access with simple pull down menus. The presets enable effortless DSP without the need for additional hardware, software, and more importantly time. Additionally, should there be a need for further customization, SONARC provides options for that as well! 

Sometime Less can give you MORE!

How to Create an Outdoor AV Haven for all Seasons:

If you’re planning your new home, you’ve probably noticed that “interior” design has found its way outside. In modern homes, the backyard patio, deck or pool area can often be as elaborate as any inside space, sometimes incorporating a full kitchen, extensive seating and dining areas, and, of course, electronic entertainment. That means getting sound and video, normally enjoyed under the protection of a roof, safely outdoors. It also means being sure your AV equpiment is protected from the weather in all seasons.          

Outdoor Sound:

There are several approaches ranging from simply plopping down a wireless portable speaker that can be brought back inside when its too cold or the weather is bad to permanent, wired solutions.

The easiest way to get good sound outdoors today is with the new generation of high performance wireless speakers. Most use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi communication  to route Internet radio services like Pandora or your favorite playlists from your phone, tablet or computer to the speaker. Some of the newest and best options for this would be the Bose Soundlink II or one of there cheaper options might be the SoundLink Mini or SoundLink Color. Another great option would be the new Sonos Play:5 smart speaker. All have AMAZING sound and are the easiest route to go for sound. Keep in mind that Bluetooth transmission range usually tops out around 30 feet; Wi-Fi solutions will go farther.

For those looking for more permanent and wider range solutions, I recommend checking out Sonance's Landscape Series. Sonance Landscape Series is a totally scalable outdoor speaker system that delivers perfectly-even coverage and unbelievable sound quality throughout any sized space. SLS provides jaw-dropping sonic performance from small satellite speakers and below-ground subwoofers that are hidden completely out of sight amongst plants and under foliage.                  

Outdoor TVs & Screens:                

Enjoying your outdoor space can also mean watching television sports coverage by day and sharing a movie by night. Bringing video outside is more complicated than audio due to both the weather elements and the need to feed both audio and video signals along with AC power. If you only desire to keep an eye on the big game while you put away a few beers with the gang, most small indoor LCD televisions are light enough to carry outdoors in fair weather and plop down on the patio table. They can be easily brought back inside during inclimate weather or on colders days.

For a bigger screen and more permanent arrangement, you’re probably looking at investing in a dedicated, weatherproof outdoor television. Manufacturers like SunBrite and SEURA make LCD televisions up to 80 inches that are ensconced in housings designed to keep the elements (and animals) out and temperatures within normal operating range.           

 Want bigger? Of course, the ultimate outdoor big screen experience calls for home theater-style front projection, with a separate projector and screen. A permanent installation might involve the use of a glass rear-projection screen mounted on an exterior wall facing the outdoor viewing area. A dedicated projector shed can also be created with the screen mounted on the side facing a pool or patio area, though forced ventilation or even air-conditioning might be required to keep the projector cool. There are also companies like Camp Chef and Stuart Film Screen that provide easier options like The Outdoor Big Screen or Stuarts Outdoor Oasis Series Screens. These are the ultimate in portable screens!

Outdoor Control:     

Thanks to Control4 the options in automating & controling your outdoor oasis are practically unlimited now a days. There are also several great options that help you control things with just the touch of a button to help keep you cool in the summer, warm in the winter and protected from the elements. For example, we have a customer who has a mostly covered patio area but it is still subjected to the outdoors and the weather. For him we set it up so that at the touch of a button he is able to turn on and off heaters throughout the area, turn the outdoor fireplac eon and off, control the ceiling fans, and even bring down or put up bug screens surronding the space! Again the possibilites are endless!

Call us TODAY to Start Designing Your Own Outdoor Haven you Can ENjoy Year Round!

CES 2016 Brings the Future of Technology Innovation to Market

With more than four decades of success, the Consumer Electronics Show ® reaches across global markets, connects the "who's who" of the industry and enables consumer technology (CT) innovations to grow and thrive. Let's take a look at some of the Top products of #CES2016 that we offer to our customers! We pride ourselves on offering the Best of the Best to you! See why here:

Four Best of CES Products We Offer:

1. The LG OLED TV

One year later and we're right back here: LG's flagship OLED TV is the Best of CES again. Why is it still ahead of the pack? A stunning package of technology provides the best picture we've seen this week, and it's the one we really want to take home -- even without knowing exactly what the price will be. 

2. Luxul XWS-2510 Wireless Controller Kit

The #CES2016 Mark of Excellence Awards winner for Wireless Product of the Year! The Luxul XWS-2510 comes with one XWC-1000, two XAP-1510 AC1900 Dual-Band Wireless APs and PoE Injectors.The XWC-1000 Wireless Controller uses Luxul’s exclusive Roam Assist™ technology to ensure seamless roaming of mobile client devices within wireless networks that utilize more than one Wireless Access Point (AP), while providing simple, centralized deployment of up to 16 Luxul APs through an easy-to-use setup wizard. With seamless roaming, installation simplicity and sensible pricing, the XWC-1000 is purpose-built to meet the needs of the residential and light commercial custom installation professional.

3. Control4 Smart Home App for the Connect Car 

The Control4 proof-of-concept smart home app for the connected car demonstrates one-touch smart home integration using an Android phone and a Toyota vehicle head display unit. The Control4 app syncs with the vehicle’s head display unit to enable Control4 users to access and control their smart home devices, such as thermostats, lights, locks and garage doors, right from the driver’s seat.The app can initiate automation scenes in the home right from the dashboard. Touch “Away” and, in addition to closing the garage door, the lights will turn off, security system will arm, doors will lock and the temperature will set to energy-saving mode. Touch “Arrive” before you turn into the driveway and your smart home will automatically turn on the lights, queue up the music and get the heat going to welcome you home. This is just one example of why we continue to use Control4 as our favorite go to for most automation products. Their impressive forward thinking and technology leading mentality is key!

4. GoldenEar Triton 2+, 3+ and the Supersub XXL

GoldenEar burst into the audio category back in 2010, and now six years later the company is introducing its second-generation Triton Two+ and Triton Three+ floorstanding loudspeakers and the Supersub XXL, the company's new flagship subwoofer! 

GoldenEar's Triton Two+ and Triton Three+ have been upgraded to adopt the same lively sonic signature as the Triton One. Improvements to the fabric-covered wedges include balanced crossovers, new mid-bass drivers, and better bass tuning for the built-in powered five- by nine-inch quadratic bass drivers. GoldenEar also showed the SuperSub X whose opposed eight-inch woofers are driven by a 1400-watt amp with 56-bit DSP. Demoed with video game material, it woofed way beyond anything its size would suggest.

Call Today to learn more about any of these great products and many more CES worthy products we offer!

Are you a Big Sports fan? Let's see, with March Madness starting today, NBA Play offs April 16th and the & MLB starting April 3rd I can't think of a better time for a TV, Projector or Home Theater Upgrade! Every year sees new models that are bigger, better, with more features and lower pries. When is that point where the performance difference of a new device is worth the hassle and the cost?

What to look at when upgrading:  

 The easiest way to start is by comparing how much better the newer models are  compared to your current model. You will want to compare things like picture quality, LED/LCD vs OLED, if you would like 4K or even 8K now adays and size. 

 Another thing you might like to consider for upgrading would be 3D  or Features/Internet streaming. A lot of TVs now offer built in streaming options for movies, gams & music which is a very fun and convienient option to have! 

When considering a new projector or projection screen most of the same things apply as far as what to consider, especially picture quality and size. Some of the new screen are INCREDIBLE as far as the vibrant color and large sizes and even in a lighted area they can be as vibrant as a TV! Unlike TVs, which have only improved slightly in the past few years, projectors have gotten significantly better.  

 Another wonderful upgrade or add on to consider would be outdoor entertainment. Yes now you can take the party outside and watch your favorite sporting event in the comfort of your own backyard!

Companies like SEURA & SunbriteTV have many different size options that offer impecable picture quality for all outdoors weather & conditions including direct sunlight! There are even companies like Camp Chef that off outdoor projection screens! The ultimate in portable screens. It features a huge silver screen made of durable Oxford nylon reflective material for quality high-resolution picture and enriched colors. Perfect for movies, business seminars, and sporting events. 

Ready to get started? Give us a call today & let us help make what can be a confusing decision become and AWESOME & rewarding experience! 

The Control4 philosophy is as straightforward as it is simple: life's better when everything and everyone works together. From a company strategy perspective, Control4 stands behind an open platform: we are committed to interoperability so both Control4 dealers and customers can count on a system that communicates with and controls virtually anything and everything in the home.

They partner with the world's leading brands in HVAC and lighting, cable and satellite, consumer electronics, and security to ensure their products integrate seamlessly into the Control4 platform to deliver an exceptional automation experience. With support for over 8,000 devices from hundreds of world-class brands, Control4 solutions are designed to work with the consumer electronics and appliances you already trust and love.

With over 6,500 drivers from 150 different companies sometimes it feels like you need a personal IT department to manage and control all of the electronics and systems in your home. There must be a better way than having dozens of remotes and a library full of manuals. That’s where Control4 comes in. 

Leading consumer electronic companies and home-automaton solution providers are teaming up with Control4 to accelerate the adoption of standard control methods for consumer electronic devices used in home automation. Control4 allows all of the technology in your home to work seamlessly together, giving you more control with more convenience. As we like to say – life’s better when everything works together! When you are looking for flat-panel TVs, home theater equipment, smart lighting or even door locks, remember to look for Control4 Partners.

So Many Options and Much More! Call iSS Today to set up your complete home automation one stop shop!