Discover all Your Options for AV Content in New Orleans

If you look at how audio and video technology has evolved over the previous 50 years, or even the past five years, you’ll see a dramatic difference. We’ve gone from audio cassette tapes and VHS tapes to CDs and DVDs, and from grainy sound and picture to vivid colors and crystal clear images. Along with those changes in devices is the way we attain and enjoy content. You don’t necessarily have to purchase and own a CD or DVD anymore. You can subscribe to streaming services and get unlimited amounts of movies and music. In this blog, we are going to cover what video and audio streaming is and what the best ways are to access online content using your whole house audio/video system in New Orleans, Louisiana.

SEE ALSO: How to Enjoy the Ultimate Entertainment Experience in Your Louisiana Home
What is video and music streaming?
Video streaming is the process of sending compressed video content over the Internet and displaying it for the viewer in real time. Instead of downloading the video file, or playing a disc, the content can be accessed directly and instantly via the Web. The media is sent in a continuous stream of data and played as it arrives to the screen. Music streaming works in a similar way as music files are compressed and sent via a network connection to your music system, and then through your speakers.

What do I need to stream?
There are a number of ways to use streaming platforms. One way is purchasing a smart TV, which already comes with the most popular services – such as Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. You can also use a streaming stick, box, or Blu-ray player. Streaming sticks are Wi-Fi enabled, but if the Internet isn’t strong you could experience problems. A wired Ethernet connection, or professional home network like the ones we install, will provide a reliable connection for high-definition movies and games. Smart TVs also have the advantage over sticks and boxes in some respects because they have exclusive content deals with studios to offer more content. In addition, a smart TV has a strong processor to handle Internet content, which helps make navigating and browsing faster.

For music, the top streaming services are Pandora, Spotify, Tidal, and XM Sirius Radio. Some of them are free, like Pandora, and some require a monthly fee for subscription like XM Sirius Radio and Tidal. Like we explained with smart TVs, some wireless speakers or receivers support these streaming services, like Sonos. However, if you already have in-ceiling speakers, or other speakers in your home we can connect the right equipment to give you access to more streaming services so you can listen to unlimited amounts of songs throughout your home. Switching between your personal music collection of CDs or even vinyl and these streaming services will be quick and easy using your smart home interface.

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Everything you need to get the most from your Baton Rouge home’s new whole home audio installation

It’s hard to think of some aspect of your life that isn’t made better with music. Chores, work, parties, holidays, birthdays and other family celebrations all get a little easier and more fun if you have some tunes playing in the background. So why not make it as easy as possible to enjoy your favorite audio content?

The best way to expand and simplify your listening experience is to install a whole home audio system. That way you can enjoy almost any type of audio in any room of your house, no matter the source.

These systems may seem complicated at first glance, but with a few tips up your sleeve you will have no problem navigating the world of whole home audio. That’s why we put together this guide for Baton Rouge homeowners so you can make better decisions for your home. Read on to learn more.

SEE ALSO: HOW TO ENJOY THE ULTIMATE ENTERTAINMENT EXPERIENCE IN YOUR LOUISIANA HOME

THE FUNDAMENTALS

If you want to make it easier to listen to music in your home, the baseline components of a whole-home audio system are easy to acquire. You can link several wireless speakers together and create a DIY audio system that stretches across your home.

Enjoy Whole House Audio/Video Without the Clutter

Investing in a whole house audio/video system for your Baton Rouge, LA residence doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your clean interior design for the sake of high-quality sound. With the minimalist A/V products from Stealth Acoustics, Acadian Home Theater & Automation can design and install a whole house audio/video system that seamlessly integrates into your Louisiana home. Read on to learn about the options available for hidden technology.

SEE ALSO: How to Enjoy the Ultimate Entertainment Experience in Your Louisiana Home 

Hidden Speakers

The issue with trying to hide speakers in bookcases, or behind other more appealing décor is that you end up muffling the sound. By using in-wall speakers, you can enjoy hi-fi audio and eliminate unsightly clutter. These in-ceiling speakers are small and can match the shape and size of your recessed lighting so you don’t even notice them. We can even paint the speaker grill to match the walls, or even completely conceal them with dry wall. You and your guests will be able to focus on the beautiful sound and how beautiful your home looks, instead of all the A/V equipment.

Enjoy Premium Audiovisuals in Your Lafayette, LA Home
Just 20 years ago, all we had was cable TV – and there weren’t over 500 channels. Now we have streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, digital movie servers and rental platforms, and more. The music world has also expanded and evolved; you don’t have to buy CDs anymore to hear the newest songs. You can stream them using free platforms like Spotify and Pandora, or subscribe to hi-fi music platforms such as Tidal and Deezer. With so many sources of audio and video content, how do you stay organized? That’s where our team comes in. Acadian Home Theater & Automation can help you organize all of those sources in your Lafayette, Louisiana home, keep messy cords hidden, and streamline your controls into one easy-to-use solution. Keep reading to discover the benefits of a whole house audio/video system.



SEE ALSO: What It’s Really Like to Live in a Smart Home in New Orleans

1. Maintain the Beauty of Your Home

If you have TVs in every room of your home, the entertainment stations are bound to get messy. Blu-ray players, soundbars, video game consoles and more clutter up the room and can be an eyesore. To create a beautiful interior design, you need a professional to intricately hide all of the equipment. We can install the speakers in the walls and ceilings, even make them completely invisible; encase the TV in a piece of stylish furniture or install a motorized lift in the ceiling; and keep all of the additional equipment in a closet. With our expert wiring and programming, we can place all of the hardware in a hidden location, and then all you need is a tablet, touch pad or phone to change the channels.

2. Simplify Your Controls

Smart home automation is all about uniting different technologies so that you can easily control them with one solution. We have smart remotes that can not only access all of your sources and channels, but can control the lights, shades, and even the intercom system. Or, you can simply place a tablet on the coffee table and open an app to set your scene for a movie or video game session.

With a whole house music system, you can unite all of your music – including your iTunes, personal CD collections, and Internet sources – then easily play any song you want. Beautiful album cover art displays as the song plays. You can create playlists and then marry them with other actions, like dimming the lights, to create scenes. Choose a name, like, “Sunday Funday” and then recall the same playlist whenever you like. You’ll never get frustrated trying to figure out the remote; even grandma can use it. Our control systems are intuitive and simple to navigate. So you can throw away all those remotes and just use one simple control device.

Use These 3 Whole House Audio/Video SolutionsWhether you are a tech geek, or are just starting to learn more about what the term smart home means, the phrase “whole house audio/video” can still be a foreign term to people. What exactly does that mean? We’re here to share that it doesn’t simply mean that you have audio and video products in every room. It means that your audio and video systems are interconnected, giving you sophisticated controls to enact sophisticated sequences. Continue reading to discover what a whole house audio/video system would look like in your Covington, Louisiana home.

SEE ALSO: Top 3 Benefits of a Whole House Audio/Video SystemWhole House AudioSure you could put a wireless speaker in every room and call it “whole house audio” but the system is more complex than that. You could easily put speakers in every room, but that doesn’t mean they will be interconnected. By working with a professional like us, you can install speakers in every room and they play the same song on all of them. So as you move from room to room you can hear the tune everywhere. The sound will also be evenly distributed. We know exactly where the speakers should go to give you a uniform sound. With whole house audio, you can also group certain speakers together. For example, dad can listen to sports radio outside on the patio while mom listens to pop hits inside while making lunch. Each person has control over what they want to listen to and where. One added benefit of using our systems is that you can expand music options with streaming services like Pandora, Tidal, and Sirius XM Radio.

Whole House VideoWhole house video works in a similar fashion to the audio system, but the application is different. Typically you’ll sit in one room to watch something whereas the location isn’t as important with audio; you can move around and still enjoy it. One unique thing you can do however, is easily change rooms mid-program. So for example if you start watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens in your media room downstairs, but then halfway through you decide you want to finish it in bed, you can pause the movie, turn the TV off, walk upstairs, and start it up again in your room without having to take the Blu-ray disc with you.

The reason this is unique is because all of your cable boxes, Blu-ray players, and other video components are stored inside a closet or other area. Matrix switches direct the content from room to room without having to move discs between players. Not only will this save you time setting up the movie, but it will also take away all that extra clutter. All the wires and boxes are hidden out of sight. If you want to play the same program on all your TVs in the house, you can do that too. It would be a perfect solutions for when you have friends over to watch a baseball or football game. Some guests can watch outside, while others hang out in the kitchen or living room.

17 Questions to determine if you are ready for a smart home.Managing a house, no matter how big or small it is, can be challenging for any family. Busy schedules and hectic routines can make it difficult to keep your household running efficiently, and to have time to relax and unwind.

Necessary mundane tasks, such as setting back the thermostat and shutting off the lights before you leave the house or go to bed, are easily forgotten or simply ignored due to lack of time or energy. Even activities that are seemingly so simple, like closing the drapes to block out the harsh afternoon sun or choosing a song to enjoy on the stereo system, can become tedious when you're tired or pressed for time.

Here's where a smart home system can help. Programmed by a professional home systems integrator, a smart home system can control the lights, thermostats, motorized shading, audio system, security system, home theater equipment - basically anything else that uses electrical or battery power - so you don't have to.

Answer the following 17 questions to determine if you and your family could benefit from a smart home system. The questions are similar to those that would be posed to you by a professional home systems integrator about your lifestyle and family dynamic to determine the practicality of having a smart home system installed.