Kaleidescape, Inc. today announced an industry-first service that enables the digital delivery of movie purchases over the Internet with video and audio quality equal to Blu-ray Disc^™ and DVD. The new service enables the electronic delivery of digital movies containing all of the extra content found on physical Blu-ray Discs or DVDs.

Customers can now purchase and download movies directly to their Kaleidescape Systems from the newly launched Kaleidescape Store that is designed exclusively for online movie sales. This makes it easier than ever for Kaleidescape customers to expand their film libraries. Once a customer's system is linked to an account on the Kaleidescape Store website, the titles of their current movie collection are automatically cataloged and kept up to date. This makes it simple to discover movies missing from a collection and avoid duplicate purchases. In addition, the Kaleidescape Store provides the ability to buy multiple movie titles by a favorite actor or director, all available Academy Award^® winning titles, and more with a single mouse click.  Click here for a video of the intro to the beta version of the Kaleidescape Store that was set up before its launch.

Warner Bros. Digital Distribution is the first to license content for sale through the new Kaleidescape Store, providing nearly 3,000 premium films and over 8,000 television episodes. Additionally, Kaleidescape System owners have access to their movies on their mobile devices, through UltraViolet. Future plans will enable the consumer to add movies already purchased on disc to their UltraViolet Collection for a small fee.

Until now, the conveniences of digital delivery also meant compromising on quality and special features. Now Kaleidescape customers – who are avid movie collectors – can enjoy a 'no compromise' buying experience."  Standard definition downloads feature audio and video that precisely matches DVD quality. The extra content such as director's commentary, alternate endings, deleted scenes, and documentaries found on a disc are included in the download.

If you're a movie buff, Kaleidescape just proved once again why their's is the name you want to know.

If you want to add streaming internet to your TV (or switching altogether from cable or satellite) there are at least two units to consider.  One is the AppleTV which is quite familiar to most while the other is Roku, a newer device which may be more suitable for many users.  So we thought we'd take a moment to consider both.

Let's start first with WHY you might want to consider streaming TV.  More and more, people no longer hurry to their TVs to catch their favorite program in real time.  Instead, they will record the programming to view later at their convenience.  VCRs and, later, DVRs made that possible and popular.  Now however, with so many downloading their programming via streaming internet, the DVR may become less and less relevant.

Roku's head, Anthony Wood, forecasts, "Within four years I would say that the majority of TVs will stream over the Internet versus cable and satellite.... It is inevitable that all TV is going to be delivered over the Internet."

If that is true, then let's consider two such streaming devices currently making waves.

We'll start with AppleTV, an Editor's Choice from CNet.com.  The Apple TV is a tiny streaming box for $99 that lets you stream all of the movies and TV shows available in the iTunes Store to your HDTV on a rental or purchase basis, with purchases stored in the cloud. Netflix, MLB.TV, Hulu Plus, and a handful of other online media services are available, plus music, videos, and photos can be streamed from iOS devices (iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch) using AirPlay.  Those who've already invested in iTunes content and Apple hardware will find the Apple TV to be an indispensable living-room companion, and it's an excellent streaming-video box for non-Apple folks as well.

Most of us don't live in sprawling homes.  And we try to make the most of our available living area.  That's why our family room often also serves as our media room.  At the center of our "media room" are the flatscreen TV and surround sound system.  Add to that the Blu-ray or DVR and if you enjoy good music, that's also where you'll find the CD player, the receiver and the amp.  Oh, you have kids?  Then add the gaming system to our media room/family room.

Those are just some of the different types of media components you could expect in either of our two sample family rooms pictured here.  Using either of these two photos, you can easily imagine including something like a satellite receiver or AppleTV or some or digital components in these rooms.

So what if you decide that as a family Christmas gift, wouldn't it be cool to have a home theater?  I mean, the existing flatscreen is fine for routine TV viewing, but maybe you like the idea of "big event" home entertainment.  Maybe its a special movie night or a sporting event that you'd like to have a monster screen so having someone walk in front of you doesn't mean missing the big moment!  And you certainly don't have space for a room dedicated to a home theater.  Why not let your family room also become your home theater?

So picture this...you see you have a comfortable living space for friends and family to gather.  There's ample room to move about as guests refresh their plates with the food you have out as part of your spread.  Only thing is, everyone tends to huddle real tight for those "can't miss" moments on the screen.

That's when inspiration hits!  You can add a drop screen and video projector to your media room.  Pick either one of our sample rooms shown and imagine a motorized screen recessed into the ceiling.  At the start of your event, the massive screen lowers from the ceiling just forward of the existing flatscreen while the lights dim and your audio system prepares to thunder!  Even the video projector can be recessed into the ceiling only to descend as well on cue!

Did you ever build a home only to regret you didn’t think of a few worthwhile features you could have easily added?  For example, when building a home, it is ALWAYS to your advantage to consult with a custom home A/V installer before the house plans are finalized.  That’s because companies like ours can help you envision amenities you didn’t know were available to you...and didn't realize you'd want later!  For practically the cost of the extra wire, you can avoid the future labor costs of having someone crawling in your attic with fish tape feeding wire between studs and ceiling joists.

• Plugs in kitchen pantry for charging, or for items that may end up living there
• Full size broom cupboard in pantry or laundry room to hide all the cleaning items away from sight.

  [caption id="attachment_557" align="alignright" width="196"] Solar Tube in Closets or Dressing Areas
  

• Solar tubes in areas that don’t get natural sunlight
• Prewire security system
• Run wire and prepare roof for future solar
• Central Vac with vac pans
• I would run conduit under your driveway just in case you need to run wiring or plumbing in the future.
• My contractor friend said one thing he learned to do was run a 2" pvc pipe from basement straight up to attic, for any future wiring to second floor.
• Pre-wire speakers indoor/outdoor
• Garden outlets/power, water line
• Double conduits from attic to basement
• Dryer vent lint box
• Hepa filtration for allergy sufferers
• Heated towel racks
• Motion sensor pre-wire for selected exterior lights
• Soundproofing where needed (we did laundry room/bedroom wall)
• Identify area for low voltage can/rack (alarm brain, network server, modems, routers, etc). Helps to have this stuff accessible.
• And don't let your plumber caulk the bottom of your toilet to the tile to hide potential leaks. Sigh.
• I'd also suggest several 4-plug outlets instead of all 2-pluggers. (By the time you have a bedside lamp on each side of a bed, plus a plug-in clock or two, plus a plug-in base for your cordless phone....it all adds up to lots of outlets.)
• We are putting an exhaust fan in the laundry room for our indoor cat's litterbox.
• A light switch at the head of your bed so you can turn out the light once you are in bed.

by Bryan Naquin.  Follow Bryan on Twitter @ACIexperts.  And you can always contact him at 225.906.2589 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Bryan Naquin is president of Acadian Home Theater and Automation based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  CEPro Magazine has ranked Acadian in the top 100 consumer electronic companies in the U.S. for the third year in a row.

People often ask us "Can you hook up our home electronics so we can operate it from our iPad?"  The easy answer is "Absolutely!"  While you're at it, what you really need to do is envision how your 21st century dream home or corporate office would function and, as a custom A/V integrator, let us help you make that a reality.  With that in mind I thought I'd bring you an EXTREME example to demonstrate what custom integrators can do!

GE, a global leader in energy research and technology, opened its new $40 million, 200,000 square foot Markham, Ontario Grid IQ™ Global Innovation Center dedicated to promoting its next-generation energy management grid. To help bring the new center to life in the most engaging, customer-friendly way possible, GE partnered with Advanced, Canada’s leading A/V integrator, to envision, design and install an integrated audio-video and IT solution that encompasses 55 rooms including a Customer Experience Center that features a jaw-dropping 58-foot Prysm LPD video wall.

Advanced utilized Prysm's video wall technology along with several wall-mounted touchscreens to enable customers to explore GE’s energy technologies firsthand and provide them with ways to discover solutions to improve and enhance their energy grids.

In fact, it's the world’s largest curved Prysm video wall, measuring 58 feet wide by 7 feet tall using 175 individual tiles with the thinnest seams currently possible.  Video processing is provided by the latest Extron Quantum™ Elite processor and a professional grade multi-zone audio system was installed to complete the media experience. The entire Customer Experience Center features Crestron automation and can be controlled through an iPad.

Acadian Home Theater is a Crestron dealer and we have automated many area homes with Crestron products and innovation.  Crestron has long been a leader in the "touchscreen control" of complex systems.  So a home can be programmed to have the HVAC system begin warming the bathroom 15 minutes before you normally awake, have the lights slowly fade brighter so your eyes can adjust and the flatscreen in your exercise room turn on and tuned to your favorite morning news program.

And, yes, if you want to override your regular settings, you can always operate it with your iPad!

by Bryan Naquin.  Follow Bryan on Twitter @ACIexperts.  And you can always contact him at 225.906.2589 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Bryan Naquin is president of Acadian Home Theater and Automation based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  CEPro Magazine has ranked Acadian in the top 100 consumer electronic companies in the U.S. for the third year in a row.