News / Media

By Nick Mokey

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http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/apple-tv-vs-google-tv-how-do-they-differ/

The smartphone brawl between Apple and Google just crashed through a fence and onto your television set. But is Apple TV vs. Google TV a fair fight? Here’s why Apple TV and Google TV are significantly different approaches to digital entertainment.

The surging interest set-top media boxes such as Roku, Apple TV and the Boxee Box is starting to look a lot like the sudden buzz around tablets: Microsoft was puttering around with the same concepts ages ago, but nobody really cared. Now that Apple and Google have focused their laser-like engineering teams on the problem, years of antiquated GUI design are searing off in months as both companies work their magic on the long-neglected “ten-foot interface.”

While Apple TV has kicked around in various iterations since 2007 and Google TV hasn’t even hit the market officially, enquiring TV addicts want to know: Which will you be kicking back and watching this fall? In truth, despite the similar names and cutthroat competitors, they’re two different beasts entirely. Here’s how Google TV is different from Apple TV.

Apple TV is one box, Google TV is an ecosystem.

Google and Apple have both carried their smartphone strategies directly over to the television: Apple won’t let anybody else touch its proprietary Apple TV interface, and Google wants to staple Google TV onto as many boxes as it can. Google TV will be built right in to new TVs from Sony, available on separate set-top boxes from Logitech, and those are just launch partners, with many more to come. Just as it does with smartphones, this rainbow of vendors will translate to more choice for Google TV users, while Apple TV users have one box to do it all.Need composite video outputs, 1080p decoding or some other, yet unknown feature on Apple TV? Tough luck, wait for next year. Need it on Google TV? Just wait for some manufacturer to pump out a deluxe box.

Google TV has more power.

Apple recently redesigned the Apple TV to run on the same A4 processor powering the iPhone and iPad. Essentially, it’s a smartphone, without a screen, in a box. While that will make it a quiet, ultra-efficient power miser, it doesn’t leave much headroom for upgrades, either. By contrast, Google TV will run on Intel’s Atom processor – the same chip powering virtually every netbook on the market. Besides giving it the additional horsepower to pump up full 1080p video, rather than 720p as the Apple TV caps out at, it should leave room for additional upgrades, and maybe even the possibility of hacking hardware to run other desktop software. MythTV or Boxee, anyone?

Apple TV acts as a storefront.

Apple makes a killing off of iTunes. Conveniently, Apple TV conveniently plants a storefront for iTunes in the middle of your living room, allowing you to buy Apple content from Apple. Besides the existing option to purchase both TV shows and movies through iTunes, Apple has also introduced 99-cent TV show rentals with the latest iteration. Google, meanwhile, has said nothing of opening a store for content. Every source will either come for free through the Web, from a cable box, or third-party providers. This might make the selection of popular shows smaller out of the box, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see providers like Amazon on Demand, Vudu and Hulu Plus lining up to hop aboard Google TV, broadening its appeal past what Apple alone can deliver.



Google TV has a Web browser.

Not everything you want to put on the big screen comes wrapped up as a movie. Sometimes, you want to show off photos from a Picasa gallery. Sometimes, you want to give directions to a friend on Google Maps. Sometimes, you just want to read your favorite site without squinting. Google TV will integrate a browser based on Chrome to do all the above – plus play all of your favorite Web-based videos. Apple only offers YouTube and Flickr.



Google TV has apps.

Ironically, Apple TV lacks the holy grail of expandability that rocketed the iPhone to success, while Google managed to cram it in. Google TV runs on Android , and it will run Android apps. Details remain somewhat scarce on Google TV’s app support, but Google claims that existing Android apps should eventually be able to run on Google TV, as long as they don’t use smartphone-only features (a labyrinth game that relies on tilt sensors, for instance, wouldn’t make much sense on your TV). More importantly, developers will be able to code Google TV specific apps after an SDK comes out, so anything a developer dreams up should – theoretically – become possible….

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http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/apple-tv-vs-google-tv-how-do-they-differ/

Crestron brings out 13-button iPanel, which snaps over the iPad and communicates via the multipin connector.

By Julie Jacobson September 16, 2010

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http://www.cepro.com/article/exclusive_crestron_brings_hard_buttons_to_ipad/

A total of 13 buttons grace the left and right sides of the iPanel:

- VOLUME UP/DOWN

- MUTE

- LIGHTS

- HOME

- GUIDE

- INFO

- EXIT

- LEFT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN, SELECT

The buttons look like the ones on Crestron’s flagship TPS-6X wireless touchpanel, and they function similarly.

Power and communications occur through the the iPad’s multipin connector. The buttons tap into the iPad’s WiFi capabilities, communicating with a Crestron controller just like the TPS-6X or any other WiFi-enabled Crestron touchpanel. The screen does not have to be docked for the hard buttons to work. That’s because the case itself contains a multipin connector. When you dock the unit, you’re basically stacking connectors. Engraving of the buttons is still being finalized and more details are to follow if the hard buttons can be used for instant access to the Crestron app. Click here to view the full article

http://www.cepro.com/article/exclusive_crestron_brings_hard_buttons_to_ipad/

In wireless networking, maintaining a clear and far-reaching signal is an ongoing challenge. Luxul Wireless is the leader in engineering superior wireless signal propagation technologies to address these challenges. Luxul’s Pro-WAV Systems and Kitscan be found in successful wireless network installations worldwide. From office buildings, to nationwide truck stop chains, to hotels and hospital facilities around the globe, Luxul solutions are a key component in some of the most robust, stable and efficient wireless networks in the world. Pro-WAV solutions are ideal for both mobile and fixed Non-Line-of-Site (NLOS) wireless applications and are key elements to successful WI-FI, WIMAX, RFID, wireless Broadband and other wireless network implementations.

Pro-WAV 100

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• Includes a D-Link DWL2100 Wireless Access Point
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Pro-WAV 200

• Covers an area of 30,000 to 50,000 square feet - while penetrating most typical home and office construction
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• Certified for use with the D-Link DWL2100

iPhone App From NuVo!

NuVo has introduced their own iPhone App to control the Renovia, Concerto and Essentia systems. Download the FREE Lite version from the Apple App store to try the app in one zone of your home. If you like it, you can download the complete NuVo App and control all zones of your home.

Control4 My House App

Turn up the music (or the TV or the radiator…). The Control4 My House app gives you one-tap access to your Control4 home automation system so you can manage everything from your HVAC system to your audio and video devices. Now you can adjust the temperature in your home or change the volume on your living room stereo using just your iPhone.

DirecTV App

Never miss a show. If you’re a DIRECTV subscriber, the DIRECTV app lets you set your home DVR to record your favorite shows from anywhere. Or you can access the entire program schedule for a quick search or browse by channel, date, or time.

Crestron App

Crestron is the leader of home automation, controlling entertainment and environmental systems from touchpanels, keypads, remotes and Web-enabled devices such as iPhone. What’s New In Version 2.00.09 Rotation support for both portrait and landscape modes, gestured lists, ability to disable project updates, iOS 4 multi-tasking, page transitions, and updated built-in graphics to reduce project sizes

Samsung Sells Millionth 3D TV, Eyes Apps

By Stephen Silver on August 31, 2010

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http://www.customretailer.net/article/samsung-sells-millionth-3d-tv-eyes-apps-25008901/1

Samsung announced Tuesday that it has sold one million 3D TVs in the products’ first six months on the market. The company also said that it accounted for 88.3 percent of the U.S. market between March and July, but did not cite external numbers. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Samsung is planning to encourage software makers to develop an app store for its TVs…

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http://www.customretailer.net/article/samsung-sells-millionth-3d-tv-eyes-apps-25008901/1

Samsung Skeptical on Glasses-Free 3D

September 6, 2010

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http://admintell.napco.com/hometechnologytell/comment/samsung-says-glasses-free-3D-tv-not-ready/

Samsung believes, according to reports, that glasses-free 3D must be shown at a low resolution that most viewers would find unacceptable. Add to this the need for the viewer to sit absolutely still, lest the image become distorted, and glasses-free 3D still needs more time in the incubator before it is ready for the masses….

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http://admintell.napco.com/hometechnologytell/comment/samsung-says-glasses-free-3D-tv-not-ready/

Sony Introducing 3D Projector Before Year’s End

by Jeff Kleist on Aug 31, 2010

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http://admintell.napco.com/hometechnologytell/comment/sony-introducing-3d-projector-before-years-end/

While other companies are concentrating on smaller, budget-friendly flat panels, Sony is moving ahead by introducing its first 3D projector. Based on the same SXRD tech you find in their commercial installations, as well as the company’s renowned Qualia projectors from a few years back. The company hopes that its projector will be just what the enthusiast crowd was waiting for, and it should be a boon to the emerging home 3D screen market, as well. While the new 3D projector undoubtedly pumps out more lumens, you’ll still need a screen with good gain to keep the brightness up, and a homemade, cheap, or ScreenGoo screen might not have the kind of reflectivity to really make the most of the 3D experience…
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http://admintell.napco.com/hometechnologytell/comment/sony-introducing-3d-projector-before-years-end/

Panasonic on Next Phases of its End-to-End 3D Strategy

By Nancy Klosek on September 1, 2010

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http://www.customretailer.net/article/panasonic-next-phases-its-end-to-end-3d-strategy-25009031/1

DirecTV’s 3D US Open Broadcasts to Start this Weekend. Panasonic is banking on an enthusiastic consumer takeup for the invitation. The company yesterday hosted an event at the USTA National Tennis Center – home of the US Open tournament – to note several milestones in the progression of 3D technology, products and broadcasting initiatives.
The event marked the debut this Labor Day weekend, and for the following two weeks through the finals, of worldwide 3D coverage of the tournament through a collaboration among Panasonic, DirecTV and CBS Sports. It also provided a forum for Panasonic to tout its end-to-end involvement in 3D – “from the camera to the couch,” said Panasonic Corp. of North America vice president of technology policy Peter Fannon…
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http://www.customretailer.net/article/panasonic-next-phases-its-end-to-end-3d-strategy-25009031/1

More details on the featured “Favorite Theaters for Watching Football” in Electronic House

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http://www.electronichouse.com/article/football_spurs_multi_screen_game_room_design/

August 10, 2009 | by Lisa Montgomery



Most people head to the nearest sports bar when they want to watch more than one football game at once. The owners of this 12,000-square-foot home in San Diego, Calif., just walk upstairs to their newly constructed game room.

High-level sports viewing was the impetus for building the space, says custom electronics professional Ryan Lipkovicius of Audio Impact in San Diego, Calif. “One of the owners is a football fanatic, so a top priority when building the house was to have a room dedicated to it.”

While the 700-square-foot game room was being constructed, Audio Impact laid out its plans. The front wall would feature an arrangement of five Pioneer plasma TVs: one 60-inch display in the middle, flanked by two Elite 42-inchers on either side.

Each display would be fed by its own high-def satellite receiver and controlled by the same Control4 touchpanel. It’s cool enough to be able to press one button to turn on five games simultaneously, but Lipkovicius took the cool factor up several notches by enabling the owners to move the images to whichever screen they want—plus operate the room’s lighting and heating and cooling—all through the one touchpanel.

Engaging a sports button on the lighting menu, for example, activates the lights by the bar at the back of the room. Touching movie, on the other hand, fades out the lights, and the owners can activate their Sony Blu-ray player and direct the movie onto the 60-inch display. There’s also a button that pulls a view of the front door surveillance camera onto the screen.

Lipkovicius could have stopped right at the game room, but he was able to stretch the homeowners’ $150,000 budget to include other features. The master bathroom, for example, was fitted with a 32-inch Sharp TV and a Control4 keypad. The TV was positioned behind a pane of two-way glass that functions as the vanity mirror. The Control4 keypad was planted on the wall near the bathroom entrance so that the owners can set the display and lights the instant they step inside. On the keypad is a button for each homeowner. One button tunes the TV to CNN; the other to a favorite sports channel. The bathroom lights also brighten when either button is engaged, but only if it’s nighttime… Click here to view the full article

http://www.electronichouse.com/article/football_spurs_multi_screen_game_room_design/

At a Glance

How long did it take?
Design: 2 days
Prewire: 3½ weeks
Installation: 1 week
Programming: 4 days
The biggest part of the budget? TVs and video equipment

Systems Design & Installation
Audio Impact
San Diego, CA

The NFL and College Football seasons are looming. Here are some of our favorite mulitple display media rooms we’d love to spend fall Saturdays and Sundays in.

August 27, 2010 | by Arlen Schweiger Electronic House

Audio Impact featured in Electronic House 15 Favorite Theaters for Watching Football

Click here to view the full article

http://www.electronichouse.com/article/15_favorite_theaters_for_watching_football/football

Game Room



While the 700-square-foot game room was being constructed, Audio Impact laid out its plans. The front wall would feature an arrangement of five Pioneer plasma TVs: one 60-inch display in the middle, flanked by two Elite 42-inchers on either side. Each display would be fed by its own high-def satellite receiver and controlled by the same Control4 touchpanel. It’s cool enough to be able to press one button to turn on five games simultaneously, but installer Ryan Lipkovicius took the cool factor up several notches by enabling the owners to move the images to whichever screen they want—plus operate the room’s lighting and heating and cooling—all through the one touchpanel.

Fantasy Football Paradise



This ideal sports-watching setup consists of nine plasma HDTVs. The biggest screen, a 63-inch Samsung 1080p plasma, is in the center. Above it, there are two 42-inch Samsung 720p plasmas, and below it are two 42-inch Panasonic 1080p plasmas. The remaining Samsung units were mounted to the left and right of the 63-incher.

Billiards and Touchdowns



The plasmas in here are of the Panasonic variety, but if you turn around the room has an even bigger video surprise—a 130-inch Screen Innovations screen that’s fed by a 1080p SIM2 projector. Surround-sound comes via a Klipsch THX Ultra2 7.2 speaker system, with a Denon receiver and B&K Reference amplifier.

6 Screens, 6 Jerseys



Designed and installed by the custom electronics pros at Hi-Tech Home in Clovis, Calif., the wall consists of six individual 42-inch Panasonic flat-panel displays, mounted in two horizontal rows of three. Each TV is connected to its own DirecTV high-def satellite receiver, all of which reside out of sight in an equipment closet.

Gators Guru



This homeowner had included a multiple display setup in a previous home theater. He doesn’t use his season tickets to the Swamp as much these days, so multiple displays to watch the Gators and other big SEC games and more college and pro football became a priority.

3 Screen Paradise



For this ex-college football player homeowner, a Stewart Filmscreen screen in the main theater area receives images from a Runco CL-810 single-chip DLP projector and is flanked by two 26-inch Sony Bravia 720p LCDs, while two more of the Sony LCDs hang by the bar area. The bar TVs are visible from both the billiards and card-playing areas, which flank that space.

Hockey Night in Canada



OK, so this Canadian hangout is better for hockey viewing … but there’s always the Calgary Stampeders, right? A 120-inch Da-Lite screen takes center stage in this theater as you sit below a mini jumbotron that itself features three screens.

All-in-One Man Wall



For starters, this ultimate sports fan’s fantasy features a 52-inch Vizio LCD as the centerpiece eye candy, surrounded by three more smaller Vizios. On the audio side, you get a 5-disc 1080p upconverting DVD player, iPod docking station and 1,200-watt Panasonic 5.1 theater system and a pair of wireless surround speakers. All of the cabling is completely hidden.

Game and Sports Room



Spiro Razatos’ theater area includes a large game room with 16 networked Xbox 360s and LCD monitors for real fun and games with all of his friends. It also includes personal touches like favorite football memorabilia.

LCDs, when Screen Goes Up

Busy sports Saturdays and Sundays are no problem to follow when you can tag-team the games with multiple screens—like the four high-def LCDs from Planar. They’re on the same wall as the projection screen, and easy to control in the Crestron video distribution system. And that’s when the 8-foot projection screen is retracted.
Click here to view the full article

http://www.electronichouse.com/article/15_favorite_theaters_for_watching_football/football

A look at the new streaming-only Apple TV, iOS 4.2 for the iPad, and Apple’s new iPod lineup.

By Steve Crowe September 01, 2010

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http://www.electronichouse.com/article/apple_streaming_apple_tv_itunes_10_ipods/

After days of rumors, we now know what Apple had up its sleeve for its event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco. Steve Jobs was on hand unveiling the new Apple TV, iTunes 10 with social networking, iOS 4.1, a sneek peak at iOS 4.2 and new iPod Shuffles, Nanos, and Touches.



Apple TV

Jobs showed the new version of Apple TV, a box that is about one-fourth the size of the previous version. There will be no more content purchases, only rentals, to avoid storage management. It will stream video directly from iTunes or your computer. Apple is offering $0.99 rentals from ABC and Fox and full streaming support for Netflix and YouTube. First-run HD movies are $4.99. The new version will also feature built-in power supply, HDMI, Ethernet, and 802.11n wireless. The new Apple TV will cost $99, which is $129 less than the old Apple TV. It is available in four weeks and can be preordered now.

iTunes 10 is About Social Networking

Jobs also introduced iTunes 10, which adds a social music network called Ping. Jobs says Ping, which is built right into iTunes, allows you to follow your artists and friends, discover what they’re talking about, listening to, and downloading. Jobs says Ping is for “social music discovery”. Artists will set up their own pages, and you can set up a circle of friends. Jobs says Ping, which is open to 160 million iTunes users, is “not Facebook, not Twitter, it’s something new.” Ping is available for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

iOS 4.1 for iPhone, iPod Touch

Jobs first announced iOS 4.1, which will be available next week as a free download for the iPhone and iPod Touch. He says it will fix a lot of bugs with the iPhone and the proximity sensor issues. It also adds High Dynamic Range (HDR) photo capture and support for Game Center. HDR takes three separates photos of the same image: one regular exposure, one under exposed shot, and one over exposed shot. It keeps the normal photo and the HDR photo, which is combined from all 3 exposures. Game Center is a social platform for those who want to play games in iOS devices. Epic Games president Mike Capps gave a quick demo of Project Sword, a HD 3D game that will be available for the iPhone this holiday season.

iOS 4.2 for iPad

Jobs says iOS 4.2, which will be available in November as a free download, is all about the iPad. It will bring all the features of iOS 4.1, multitasking, wireless printing and a new version of AirTunes that is called AirPlay. They changed the name because the feature will, in addition to music, now stream videos and photos over WiFi. The iOS 4.2 upgrade will also be for iPhones and iPod Touches… Click here to view the full article

http://www.electronichouse.com/article/apple_streaming_apple_tv_itunes_10_ipods/

by Andrew Munchbach on September 3rd, 2010

Click here to view the full article

http://www.bgr.com/2010/09/03/plex-and-lg-to-challenge-apple-tv-boxee-and-others/

Plex, for those not familiar, is a software company whose former creed was to: “bridge the gap between your Mac and your home theater, doing so with a visually appealing user interface that provides instant access to your media.” Today, the company has announced that it will be partnering with electronics maker LG to “integrate the Plex platform into their 2011 lineup of Netcast connected TVs and Blu-ray devices.” In the company’s announcement, they quip that when it comes to connecting devices to your television, a Mac Mini is “too large,” a Boxee box is “too pointy,” and the new Apple TV is “too tiny.” The company is betting on this free, integrated software model to be the future of connected televisions…. Click here to view the full article

http://www.bgr.com/2010/09/03/plex-and-lg-to-challenge-apple-tv-boxee-and-others/

Green Home in La Jolla - Audio Visual Work by Audio Impact