Music is In the Air

Springtime is a season for weddings and graduations.  And gift-giving can often be a challenge--trying to find that unique as well as thoughtful gift.  So why not consider giving the gift of music?

Newlyweds love compact, portable music systems to add warmth and beauty to their new homes.  Even if the happy couple already has an audio system for their living room, having a compact system for their bedroom or even patio is a huge bonus.  AND both the bride and groom can equally appreciate and enjoy your thoughtfulness!

And Grads?  They especially love knowing they don't have to dismantle their audio system at home but can leave it in their rooms for when they're home on a weekend or over a semester break.  With a compact system you give as a gift, they can enjoy their favorite music at their new dorm or apartment.

But the problem with typical "off the shelf" portable units is that the sound produced lacks dynamic range nor does a very good job filling a room.  Its music in a box.

Not so with products by Bose!  Bose is music in a ROOM.  Bose has earned an unmatched reputation for yielding astounding acoustical depth and clarity from compact components, bathing rooms in absolutely luxurious fidelity.  As a Bose dealer, we can help you with your selection of products available, but lets take a moment here to look at a few options.

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Movie Buffs and the Props They Love

There is a small but growing industry in acquiring movie props and costumes.  Perhaps the most famous movie memorabilia are the ruby slippers from "The Wizard of Oz."  Five pair of the original shoes are known to exist.  One pair is on display at the Smithsonian and made an appearance on the red carpet at last night's Academy Awards.  Debbie Reynolds owned the "trick" pair that curled up under the house.  Years ago, Reynolds invested money into movie memorabilia which she planned to sell to help provide for herself during retirement.  At auction in 2011, her ruby slippers fetched $510,000.

Movie buffs have begun displaying props as part of the decor of their home theaters or media rooms.  The internet has made shopping for props easy for anyone.

Favored props from more contemporary films were those produced by WETA Workshop which produced thousands of highly intricate (and in many cases beautiful) props for the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  Troika Brodsky is the proud owner of the largest private collection of LOTR film props in the world--second only to the official studio archive in New Zealand.

Because prop designing has become such a refined art, owning and displaying actual pieces used in movies is (to movie buffs at least) as good as owning actual museum artifacts.

As a result, the most cherished items collectors possess are often set up on display in their homes as part of their private, at-home movie-going experience.  In many cases, favorite movies are viewed in laser-sharp definition with crystal-clear, digitized audio reproduction while surrounded by "artifacts" professionally lit and displayed on the walls around them.

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Gizmos to Get Fit With

If you're in "getting in shape" mode, you might be interested in learning about the help you can get from technology and the internet.

Bathroom Scales

This is the first and most basic tool for any weight-loss program--measuring where you are currently and helping you decide where you need to go.  But now scales are Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth compatible.  There are so many of these products on the market that the easiest way for you to check many of them out is to simply click here to link to Amazon.com to give you a good starter list and prices of some that are available. They don't just measure weight!  Depending upon the model (and what you're willing to pay) you can learn your degree of body fat, bone mass, muscle mass, hydration and more.  And you don't need to keep record.  The scale will send your results to your computer or smartphone and log it for you through software and/or phone apps they provide!

Activity Monitors

Light activity is where you want to start?  Then all the experts say you should have a walking regimen.  Again, LOTS of products available and they start with the technology version of pedometers and advance to handle other forms of exercise.  This blogger covers six different devices that may be of interest to you.  In short, these devices will do such things as total up your activity level, monitor your heart rate, measure your blood pressure, calculate calories burned, etc.  Of course, most of them will do the recording for you in your health/fitness program on your computer or phone.

Rest is Important Too

Getting proper rest is important to an overall fitness program and, yes, there is even technology to help with that!  One of those is Zeo.  Whole clinics are now devoted to sleep assessment because having your eyes closed at night doesn't equate to sleep.  So most people don't know why they're fatigued when they awake thinking they've had a good night's sleep.  One product Zeo offers is a headband you wear while you sleep.  The information the headband downloads shows you how restful or else restless you sleep, measures the amount of REM sleep you got and scores your night.  You'll even get recommendations on how to improve your sleep.

Weight loss and fitness management is about about measurable results.  These products and SO many more can help you keep that New Year resolution.

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4 Great Gift Ideas for Movie and Music Lovers

Would you like some expert advice on finding the perfect gift for the music or movie lover in your life? Here are four surefire options that are available now from Acadian Home Theater:

1 - Sonos music bundle - Play:3 or Play:5 with "Bridge" - $299 / $399

Everyone enjoys music. Give the gift of the music system that is not only easy to use, but takes just a couple of minutes to plug in and start enjoying. Plus, this music solution is portable (you just need an AC plug nearby).

The Sonos Play:5 resembles an ordinary table radio, but is much more because it is part of the world-famous Sonos multi-room music system. The Play:3 is its even smaller sibling. Simply put, the Sonos music system streams not only your current digital music library (iTunes, etc.), it has streaming access to many popular music services such as Pandora, Rhapsody, Spotify, MOG, Sirius/XM, and many more. As of just a few weeks ago you can now "push" the music on your iPhone or iPad wirelessly to the Sonos system...very cool!

You can add more rooms wirelessly, too. Simply add more Play:5's, the smaller Play:3, or if using your own speakers, you can add Sonos Connect and Connect:Amp units. If you want multiple rooms of music, you can opt to have them all play the same music source or independent music streams. It doesn't get easier or more convenient than that! Control is from a free app that is available for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, or Android devices. There is also free computer software for control from a PC or Mac. The price above includes the Sonos Bridge, which connects to your broadband Internet connection and establishes its own wireless connection with your Sonos components. The free Bridge offer is valid until January 3, 2013 and is only for new Sonos customers.

You can visit Sonos' website here > www.sonos.com.

2 - Control4 one-room remote control system with 3 lighting dimmers = $1700 including installation (plus tax)

Is a deserving loved one frustrated at a coffee table full of remote controls to watch TV or control their media room or home theater? Give the gift of an intuitive remote control that not only controls audio/video systems, but will serve as the base of a home control automation system in the future. To give you a taste of how great a lighting control system is, this package includes three lighting dimmers. The handheld remote control included in this package is the handheld remote to the left in the above picture. Control4 is a popular control system company that not only makes a very nice centralized remote control, this advanced control system will serve as the basis of a full-blown home automation system that can grow to control your alarm system, climate, lighting, pool/spa, motorized shades/drapes, you get the idea. As with most other home control manufacturers (Crestron, Savant, AMX, etc.), you can use apps on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device to control your Control4 system.

3 - Sonance Landscape Series Outdoor Speaker System = $6,700 + installation

Outdoor living is alive and well in the Gulf Coast area, even in the winter (yes, braving that "freezing" 50 degree winter can get a little tough sometimes ;-) ). We've been installing outdoor audio systems for years (outdoor TV's and outdoor theaters, too), though the outdoor speaker category has really become popular lately due to a huge increase in both sound quality and "stealthiness". To sum it up, these speakers sound incredible and easily hide within your landscape / greenscape. The package price above includes eight "satellite" speakers and one subwoofer. The subwoofer is buried and the sound exits a "mushroom" top (conventional above-ground subwoofer option available), and the eight satellite speakers mount throughout your yard to give a wide, even area of sound coverage. No more "hot spots" of sound, just excellent quality sound seemingly "floating" throughout your yard.

4 - PRIMA Cinema First-Run Movie Machine = $35,000 + installation

The PRIMA Cinema is one of the biggest news items to hit the high-end home theater world in a long time. In a nutshell, the PRIMA Cinema movie player is a sophisticated component that downloads first-run movies automatically and allows you to watch them in better-than-Blu-ray picture quality in the comfort of your own home, while the movie is still in theatrical release! To read more details on this product, please be sure to see a review here: PRIMA Cinema for your home theater.

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.

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Kaleidescape Now Distributes Movies Over the Internet

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.

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