Home Theaters, Lighting Control & Audio Systems

Brilliant! Lighting Control offers Safety and Energy Savings

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 10:13:00 -0400

It’s Getting Dark
…earlier these days and by December, it will be just about nighttime for everybody as they come home. Pulling up to a dark home and fumbling for lights and then turning on every light as you walk by to save yourself from tripping over goodness knows what. Then leaving lights on or off throughout your home all evening…Wow, its 2011…this stuff can be done without touching a switch…easily!

Imagine This
Pull up to your well lit home at the end of a long day…things are looking better already! As you walk into your home, lights turn on because of your motion. Your home responds to you! And to top it off, as you move from one part of the house to another, lights turn off. It even works for children. If you are a parent, this can really save your voice if you haven’t already recorded, “Go turn your bedroom lights off” for your child to hear every time they leave their room.

Lighting Control Adds Safety and is a Huge Convenience
The help that automatic lighting gives us saves us from the nasty habit of tripping and falling over things that we can’t see…or dropping our armloads of stuff. There is a great convenience factor for busy people who commonly enter their homes with children, briefcases and packages in overflowing armfuls. Simply reaching for the lights can be impossible.

Energy Efficiency
Saving money on energy bills is a huge benefit of lighting control. The payback can be in years so you will want to know that you will be in your home for some time…or use it as a bonus selling feature for prospective homebuyers. I’ve sure you can already figure out that the forgotten light by a child or even yourself adds up over the month.

Vampire Power
Just in time for Halloween, a drain on energy savings that many people don’t often consider is something called VAMPIRE POWER…you know the power that is being drawn by say, the toaster when it is plugged in when nobody is using it. That type of power waste can also be significantly reduced with lighting control by actually turning those outlets off a certain points.

The Coolest Part of Lighting Control!
It’s been called sexy, cool, state of the art and blah blah blah, but it really is so fun. Just think, controlling the lighting in your house from your phone - really! You’re about to watch a movie-turn down the lights. You hear a noise in the basement - turn on the lights. You are ready to leave the house - turn everything off. Button presses on your phone do all this. I’m adding a pic of the interface. On phone lighting control works for iPhones and Android.

Lighting Control for Holiday Lights
This may sound obvious, but wouldn’t it be much easier to manage holiday lights with your lighting control app on your phone? I know how much you love plugging and unplugging the lights every day, but if you should ever want an easier way…it does exits :)

www.TrendHomeSystems.com
Serving the Audio and Video needs of Pennsylvania & Maryland

Here’s more info on overall energy savings possibilities from one of our suppliers:
http://www.lutron.com/TechnicalDocumentLibrary/367-2054.pdf

Outdoor Entertainment: Music takes the cake!

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 21:50:49 -0400

If you are considering outdoor upgrades we’ve got exactly what you’ve been waiting for…An incredible offer for outdoor speakers, from Trend Home Systems, of course. It is Coming Soon to a Landscape Expert Near You! We are partnering with the best companies in landscape design to bring you great outdoor entertainment including rock speakers, planter speakers, lighting and even TV or outdoor movie theaters.

So if you’re considering adding a deck, a pool or other outdoor features and you want it to be just perfect for your family and for entertaining, the first thing you simply must have is music. Music puts the icing on the cake for outdoor entertaining whether it is an intimate gathering of two or a party of hundreds.

Check with your outdoor landscaper or call Trend directly to learn about the possibilies in outdoor entertainment. The consultation is free. (717) 478-8132

What do you want to know about Home Theaters?

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 21:30:33 -0400

Please email me and let me know. I'll try to incorporate your answer into a blog post soon! Christine@TrendHomeSystems.com

Key Home Theater Design Considerations

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:05:07 -0400

The best home theater designs are definitly an art, based heavily on science. I say this because there is so much science involved both in the design and manufacture of home theater components and in the knowlege that it takes an experienced designer to interpret in order to get the layout right.

The key components in theater design are:
1. Shape and size of the room - this includes ceiling height
2. The materials on the walls, ceilings and floors
3. Who is viewing and what are they viewing - watching movies, playing games, watching TV…all of the above. The answers to these questions will determin if this design will be for a man cave, family media room or in-home movie theater.
4. Your Budget.will be a HUGE factor so decide that up front if you can.
5. Is this going to be a new home theater room or adapting an existing room into a home theater room.
6. What’s behind the walls will determine in-wall or on-wall and hidden in a closet components or the need for furniture.
7…and speaking of furniture: Will you be upgrading to home theater furniture?

That will get you started. Professionally designed home theaters (sans the room) usually have a starting price of about $5,000 and can go up to just about any number depending on the customer.

Whole House Music KeypadSimple Keypad Lets Every Room Choose...

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:40:21 -0400

Whole House Music Keypad
Simple Keypad Lets Every Room Choose from Four Types of Music
When you build or remodel your home…it’s a great idea to remember whole house music. It will make a big difference in your enjoyment of music throughout your home.

When You're Building a Home or Remodeling in 2011

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:39:13 -0400

Nothing is more astounding than to see a brand new home or newly remodeled home that lacks even the basics in home automation or distributed audio and video. Maybe it just sounds complicated, but it’s like having a cell phone…once you have it you can’t imagine life without that convenience. And, ONE great sound system instead of sticking radios and stereos everywhere in a home is pretty affordable and looks a lot more impressive.

I know that I have a bias; however that doesn’t change the facts that if you listen to music, watch TV, have lights or entertain outside, that your life can be significantly enhanced by even the simplest of home technologies. For example, when people see the little keypads on the wall in our home, I know it just doesn’t compute…it can’t. It looks way to simple for what it does. That little keypad on the wall plays four different sources of music. The first one is constant streaming music from Pandora on my computer, the second is an iPod, the third is connected to the TV and with that, the gaming system…anyone want to listen to the football game EVERYWHERE in the house? The fourth is the radio. Anywhere in the house, in any room, somebody can press a button to turn any type of music on that they desire. While in the next room a family member can be turned into an entirely different type of music on a different source.

Is it worth it?

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 08:34:00 -0400

I had a visitor in our home yesterday who was very interested to learn about the multi-room audio system, intercoms and distributed video we have installed in our home. He noticed no wires showing anywhere, just music everywhere and communication with anyone in the house with the touch of a button. When I told him about the benefits to my husband and I and to our whole family, it was really surprising to hear from my own mouth how much these systems mean to all of us. I guess it is like a cell phone…once you have it, you could never do without it and the benefits are immeasurable. It would be hard to enjoy a home without built in home technologies nearly as much as I enjoy ours with it.

Another question our visitor asked was what the benefits might be to somebody with a smaller home. Even with a small home, iPods can’t be heard in every room without speakers in those rooms, unless you are going set a stereo in the middle of the room and crank it up! Everyone can enjoy walking into their home at the end of the day, setting their iPod in a dock and turning on music that plays in their entire home while they cook a lovely dinner (or order in).

So basically, home technologies, are great for everyone who owns or is building a home. Learning what exists is probably the hardest part of the whole thing. Once you know about them and realize that they aren’t going to break the bank you’re on the path to a seriously great experience. If you want a free consult or just somebody to help you figure out what might work for you, give Craig a call at Trend Home Systems. He’ll get you the info you need to make a good decision. (717) 478-8132.

Football Dream

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 09:33:52 -0400

So it’s time for football again. I saw the exciting end of the Steelers game last night and it was GREAT! So how can you fullfill a least a part of your football dreams…the ultimate theater to watch football in? Everything from a huge screen, with an awesome picture to sound that will knock your socks off! In answer to this question, Craig has decided to do a basic marketing campaign for fall that delivers exactly what you’re looking for. He’s giving away the screen with the purchase of any theater package. Really, the packages are meant to make buying simple. They are technically sound and all the components work together like a charm. Installation and everything is included so life is easy. The excitement of the season, the feeling when you go into a theater to hear the sounds of the announcer and the stadium and see that picture so huge and clear, make owning a home theater for football totally worth it!

When to Add Modern Conveniences to Your Home

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 08:29:29 -0400

Home theaters, audio and lighting systems and the like can be installed anytime, however, when you are building a home or starting a remodeling projects it is a great time to call Trend Home Systems to get a free quote and find out what the possibilities are. Even if you want to do something as simple as listen to your iPod through built-in speakers throughout your home or call your kids to dinner with the intercom, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to learn about the ease that technology can bring to your life.

Are you ready for some football???

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 22:11:37 -0500

Truth be told…I’m not a huge football fan. I am more of a movie lover, but who doesn’t love the Super Bowl. I really do. So now is the time to ask yourself if you have everything that you need for the big game from Santa. Like, did you get a big screen TV and a rockin’ sound system? Okay, so if Santa wasn’t that generous, it’s okay. You can get the equipment now and you still have time to install it yourself or get a local company to do it for you.

First you should decide if you want a TV or a projector. Both LCDs and projectors are best in darkened rooms. If you want the lights up and the TV on…get an LED TV. Projectors are great for large dark rooms but light is the last thing you want when using a projector. I have to give a shout out to Samsung here…I love their TV picture quality!

Next you need to decide what you want when it comes to sound. I can’t recommend using just your TV speakers…that would be wrong. TV speakers are small and offer only the feeblest of noises. Very sad. Next worst, but good in some senarios for those that have limited budget and/or space is the sound bar. Sound bars are definetly a step up from your TV speakers but really aren’t great for overall sound…at least not the soundbar speakers that you can get at a reasonable price. If you want to stay on a seriously limited budget and still get decent quality sound, go with a 2.1 sound system…two front speakers and a subwoofer. It isn’t great, but it will give what you need at a good value. Want to do better than the bare necessities? Get a 5.1 system. This will add to your 2.1 system, two speakers in the back of the room and a center channel straight in front of you. You will get real surround sound and you’re probably gonna love it. The center channel braodcasts the audio signals for voices so you can imagine the difference that speaker will make to your system.

So if you have the picture and the sound…invite some friends over, make a run for beverages and snacks and you’re ready for the game. Need more help with your system, email me at christine@trendhomesystems.com and I’ll tell you what I know.

The Purpose of My Blog: Music, Movies and More!

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 23:56:00 -0500

The goal of this blog is to intoduce you to one of my passions…home technology. Really! Maybe it sounds crazy, but once you start to understand a little bit about the conveniences and the perks, it’s hard not to fall in love with music in every room in your home and great home theaters among other lovely things that technology brings to our lives.

Somehow most home technology seems to have passed by our homes and it doesn’t make sense. Perhaps people just don’t know enough about the benefits to understand why they would really enjoy it. Just imagine playing your iPod through speakers in any room in your home.

I am going to tell you how I use my home systems, why I like having technology integrated into my home, what’s going on that’s new, and what you really need to know about if you like this stuff.

I worked in the industry for a short time and my husband owns a business centered on home systems integration…(that’s what it’s actually called). These factors give me an inside advantage to help you. But, most importantly, I live in a home with integrated technology, I am a mom with a famliy that also uses and loves this stuff…and I really care about the way my home looks. Interior design is important to me so when we are talking about putting speakers in every room…that better not be the first thing I notice when I walk into a room - oops, more about that later.