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Interactive TV! Get into it.

blog, Consumer Electronics, Custom Cabinetry, Design Related, Home Automation

Don’t just watch TV. Get up, become interactive with it.

With the newer SMART flat screens that come with these new bells and whistles, it’s time to get off that couch and literally play with your TV.

Samsung now has flat screens that have a built in camera. That means you can be interactive using SKYPE with friends and interact over Facebook, and Twitter to keep connected within your Social Media Network Friends and Family.

TV MOVES DOWN TO THE PERFECT VIEWING LEVEL

Here is a perfect example of what we can do with your flat screen that eliminates those neck aches of the past. We bring the flat screen down to the perfect viewing angle so that you can watch TV a whole lot more comfortably than ever before. CLICK ON THE PICTURE FOR A CLOSER LOOK.

How much effort does it take to move it?

With this new flexible arm that only requires an effortless touch to have a full range of movement with your flat screen that now allows you to be interactive with your TV when watching movies, gaming, exercising and more. Here is a video clip example.

The ActionMount series made by Omnimount brings you closer and more interactive with your TV like never before. The design is from Ergotron’s patented Constant Force technology. I don’t really know what this means, all I know is when I was moving the flat screen, it very little effort to move it around.

Here are just a few of the benefits with this new interactive mount.

Raise and lower your TV with only a light touch

Great for standing activities like gaming and exercising

Pan screen left and Reposition the TV smoothly in all directions

Perfect viewing to reach multiple areas

Ideal for overhead applications

Wide frame offers installation flexibility for centering TV

Arm folds to the wall for a discreet profile

Post installation leveling ensures level screen

What size mount is available for my TV?

We’ve got you covered from the traditional 13-inch for those kitchen nook areas to the 70-inch ones above your fireplace.

Just imagine your TV is in the family room and be able to swing that big TV to view it from the kitchen within seconds.

Call today!

So why not make the most of your flat screen TV investment with a mount that’s designed to be as interactive as the TV itself. Makes sense, doesn’t it? Then pick up the phone and give a call today at +1 (808) 740-8463 to get one of these mounts installed today. Your neck will thank you.

How to improve your cooking.

blog, Consumer Electronics, How To

How to improve your cooking.

Are you tired of the same old meals that you serve your family when you are cooking and would like to put a little pizazz into the your routine?

Being raised with 4 older sisters and a father who was the Chef of the U.S. Grant hotel, in our household there was never a dull moment. Cooking was part of our daily routine where we gathered to share stories about what happened that day. We shared the good the bad and the ugly.

Each of us was taught about cooking with feeling. Our father said it was one of his secret ingredients that united a family, as well as a staff of sous chefs, assistants and dishwashers in the kitchen.

This secret ingredient that created the unity in the kitchen when cooking was a special concoction that has been taught from generation, to generation.

So what is this secret ingredient to improve my cooking?

Unfortunately, this ingredient is something that has been lost in translation for a number of years. I feel very fortunate to pass this on to you and your family so that it may bring your family closer as it has in our household.

A number of years ago, I happened to be at a training seminar. And the guest speaker had a personal cook. As a curious individual that I am, I ventured into the kitchen. There was this little man cooking a meal in this huge kitchen at this hotel. At the time, I was not a fan of Indian food. But what caught my curiosity was that, as he was cooking, he was singing these wonderful songs. Keep in mind, I could not understand a stitch of what he was singing. But when he came up to me and offered me a taste, I said no, no, no, I don’t like Indian food.

It was the most delicious taste I ever had.

He insisted, and I wanted to be polite, so I took a bite and tried it. WOW! I loved it. Then it hit me like a lightning bolt. I am convinced. That the quality of food was great and he knew how to spice it up. But the most important “secret” ingredient was the singing that I forgot about that occurred in my own home growing up.

How does this apply in my kitchen?

Cooking with music affects our body, our mind and our emotions. The quality of his emotion, and the quality of feeling, was the secret ingredient that made that meal from, let’s say a bronze medal, to a gold medal if we were to use this analogy.

For most us, we can’t carry a tune to save our skin. Fortunately, Apple has created an iPhone, iTunes, and iPad that can help us with this dilemma. Then the final ingredient to improve your cooking is to have the joy of music in the kitchen at your fingertips.

This is possible with the installation of a pair of speaker in the kitchen. If for some reason, we cannot get the wiring to the kitchen, we have our wireless speakers from Sonos that will do a great job as well.

It beats the alternative of having to crank up the family room stereo, just to be able to hear it in the kitchen. then you end up yelling at each other. That is just wrong on so many levels.

With Memorial Day just around the corner, let Rancho Santa Fe Home Theater give you that richness, that connection, the gift of music to bring you and your family closer than before.

Bring back the fun, engaging and enjoyable experience that you have been missing. So pick up the phone and give us a call at +1 (808) 740-8463 to schedule a complimentary assessment to get that secret ingredient into your cooking lifestyle.

Because at the end of the day, creating that bond of love within the family is what its all about.

Top 5 Mistakes in Wireless Networking

blog, Consumer Electronics, Home Automation

Top 5 Mistakes in Wireless Networking

Let’s face it. Wireless networking is a part of our everyday life whether we like it, or not. Now that we have that out of the way, let us get into some of the mistakes we uncover when a client invites us to their home to unravel some of their problems with their existing wireless and why it doesn’t work as promised.

1. Don’t ever use the router that your internet provider issued you.

More times than not, we discover that this is one to be a common issue. Think of it to having multiple meetings going on in the same board room. The problem is that the router can only pay attention to one meeting at time. The minute you have more than one device requesting access to the internet, guess what? Your internet quality goes down. Unfortunately, the internet providers never tell you this because they just don’t want to. We will leave it at that. In most households what is required is a router that can multi-task. So look for a router with the MU-MIMO stamped on it. It simply means that it is a multi user router for mulitiple devices. Here is a link if you would like more info from Amazon

2. Why is the antenna lying flat?

Too often we see a router, or wireless access point that has 2 antennas laying flat in a one-floor home. If we can visualize the antenna holding on to the center of a delicious glazed donut that just came out of the oven. And the smell of that donut has a radiating smell of the sweet glazing trying to reach you nose. Since the antenna is laying flat, the smell is only going up to the ceiling and down to the ground. Its never going to reach your nose.

But if you stand the antenna straight up, then the glazing smell with permeate from side to side. Therefore, covering a lot more distance of an area.

3. Don’t put a router, or wireless access point on the back of a TV

This one is a doosey. There are times where we cant find the router, or access point. So we end up doing a site survey to find it. Since the invention of Smart TV’s the convenience of accessing Netflix, Pandora and other streaming services, we are finding the wireless networking routers and wireless access points stuck behind the TV. Guess what? Not a good place.

You want to avoid lighting fixtures, power lines, A/C units, elevators, fish tanks, and anything else that with lots of metal or water. The reason is that these items will block your signal from getting through.

Ideally we end up relocating the router, or wireless access points at least a couple of meters away from any possible RF interference and in line of sight what they’re to be connected to. What this does, is it give the signal the clearest path possible. So we want to mount them as high as possible.

4. Don’t use your name, or last name as your SSID

This is like broadcasting to the world, “Hey! Come hack me because this is my wireless network.” There is no realistic reason on earth to do this. Also avoid using WEP encryption at all costs, since it can be hacked within a few minutes these days. If for some strange reason a device requires WEP encryption, because it can’t handle anything else, then we go to Plan “B”

In plan “B” we use the MAC address filtering and put it on a secure VLAN that allows routing only to the device it needs to talk to.

5. Don’t use just one device to test the signal strength

Do yourself a favor. Use the actual devices that you are going to use everyday to make sure you have adequate coverage. Believe it or not, each device has its own power requirements, antennas and other nuances I won’t bore you with. One of the best tests is to use an iPhone to connect. Apple hand-held devices are notorious for having extremely poor signal strength. This is the reason why Apple removed all of the wireless signal strength meters from their app store.

We hope this article was informative and useful to you in the case that you are struggling with your wireless networking around the house.

On the other hand, if you feel that you just don’t want to mess with your wireless network anymore and would like someone to simply take care of it, then pick up the phone and give us a call today, or send us a text message at +1 (808) 740-8463 to rid yourself of this thorn at your side.

How to create a text emoticon

blog, How To

Got next generation text messaging?

For most of us 160 characters is plenty to get your message across. But one day someone decided that words are just not enough. That is where the text emoticon came to life.

Now your text can express yourself in such a way like no other way to get your point across. Your message now has your own personality with a certain jen ne sais qua, that your message could not express itself in any other way.

So without further a due here is how to create these little beauties.

Text messaging emoticon dictionary

What if 160 characters is not enough for my text?

We live in a multi generational society where enough just does not work for everyone. That is where a new type of text messaging service comes in. Apple rolled out iMessage to give us the ability to include pictures and expand our horizons. but now there is new kid on the block and his name is WhatsApp.

Who is WhatsApp?

WhatsApp is a new platform of text messaging where you are not limited by 160 characters. With this service you can include pictures and videos as well. Now you can send the most elaborate messages to your friends and family without using any of your text messaging data plan. This is because this app uses the internet data network, not the cellular data network.

Can you hook me up?

We sure can! To learn more about how we can assist you in setting up your smartphone with this App or other useful tools that will simplify your life, pick up the phone and give us a call, or shoot us a text message to +1 (808) 740-8463 to make life a little bit simpler.

Is your art lit correctly?

blog, Design Related, How To

Is your art buried treasure?

Over the years we have toured a number of fine homes here in Southern California and the one theme that stands out, is our clients passion for fine art and photography.

Art if very much like buried treasure and the moment you find it, you can’t wait to show it off. Let’s be frank, the whole point of acquiring a piece is for our enjoyment to have it stop us in our tracks! And give us that opportunity to re-tell the story of how you found it.

How to re-kindle the magic in your art.

So you have a guest over and as they are walking around your home and might ask you about a piece, and you just can’t wait to tell the story. But for some reason they just don’t get the point. You turn on the lights for that piece and you explain to them about the magic behind it, but you don’t get any response. Now What?

Have your framed your art lately?

Fortunately, we are introducing a new technology that can re-create that magic for you with just a throw of a switch. It literally gives you the control of how much light illuminates just the canvas, or photograph. So the surrounding frame that is not part of the artwork ever gets any light.

This creates a 3D illusion and sex appeal to the artwork that you have never seen before. Here is an example from Nora Lighting.

Now your artwork from your journey in africa, or a Peter Lik photograph can really come t life, like never before.

Where can I get this magic in a can?

You pick up the phone today and give us a call or send us a text message to (858) 764-2648 to have one of our art appreciation aficionados show you the way to sexier way share that magic with your guests.

You need this kitchen remote

blog, Consumer Electronics, How To

Got a kitchen? You need this waterproof kitchen remote control.

If you have ever experienced this scenario, where you are busy being creative with those wonderful recipes you just download and your right in the thick of it and you need to change the channel on the TV, or change the music to something else that will inspire you, what are you going to do? You’re gonna get this kitchen remote!

Washing your hands, then drying them off is just too distracting, time consuming and you end up losing your rhythm .

We live in a world of sufficient distractions and as a cook me-self, I love living in the moment. I don’t want something that is going to get in the way when my hands are gooey. The spices are flying everywhere, and I want change now!

That is why you really should give this waterproof kitchen remote control a try. Check out this cute video created by the Universal Remote team.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B16NJcUs4fs

Does it really float?

Of course silly billy, it just won’t come with the kitchen sink. But if you really, really want it to come with the kitchen sink, all you have to do is ask and we will deliver….. The kitchen sink.

If you are thinking of making room for those bigger pots to cook those Lobster that just flew in the East Coast, or you just want to make a good clam bake, then we really should talk.

We can swap recipes and ideas on how to create those wishes in the kitchen to become reality. I think I am getting off topic.

What if I have a restaurant, will it work there?

You betcha! This kitchen remote will work all of your televisions without having to point it at flat screens, or having to do those special yoga poses just to get the remote to cooperate. Let me repeat myself, just for emphasis. You do not need to point it at the Television to get it to work.

Getting back to the topic at hand, the kitchen remote is washable so you don’t have to worry about getting it greasy, slimy, or dirty. Just remember to use good sanitation practices and wash regularly and promise to exchange recipes with us.

We have a great crawfish boil recipe and also some excellent gluten-free dishes that will knock your socks off. Don’t forget to ask us for the Beer-in-the-Rear chicken recipe (My Favorite)

To get these recipes and a demo on how the kitchen remote control can fit in your kitchen, all you have to do is pick up the phone and send us a text message at 858-764-2648 to get together.

If you are looking for a great Mothers day surprise, why not take her to sample some good creole and take her out on the dance floor with some down home Zydeco music. The event is called Gator by the bay.

Is Crestron really worth it?

blog, Consumer Electronics, Home Automation, HOME ENTERTAINMENT, How To

Crestron does it again!

So this client calls us up and she begins to explain, how the only way to watch television is by following this Crestron cheat sheet.

Really? after spending thousands of dollars on a sophisticated Crestron system this is as good as it gets?

Now I don’t know about you, but I would not put up with this kind of programming that requires a cheat sheet. That is just plain wrong on so many levels.

Nor is this fair to this housewife that if she gets one thing out of sync all you see is snow on the TV.

I mean really? Can you imagine the humiliation that one has to go through each day with this monkey on your back that you are rolling the dice each and every-time you pick the remote.

I gotta say that if your spending $250.00 an hour for a crestron system and some so called programmer, and he hands you this cheat sheet?

I don’t think there would be a whole lot of nice things to do except rip that system out and start from scratch.

And that is exactly what we are going to do to simplify the system.

Is there an alternative to Crestron?

With the introduction of Google home, now being called Nest home, your voice is in control of all your devices as illustrated in this picture. As you can see there are limitless possibilities, but like with any project, we like to take small steps to create a solid foundation for all the devices to play well with each other.

Now that the construction of Race communication that has installed their fiber optic lines in Rancho Santa Fe, gigabit speed is a reality. Some areas in the Time Warner now Spectrum area, and Cox are providing a new wifi service of 1.3 Gigabits not Megabits per second in your area. AT&T has also jumped on the bandwagon of installing their Fiber optic wiring offering faster speeds as well.

Since you are here for the first time we thank you for taking a moment of your time to see if we are a good fit to assist you in the installation of the best Crestron alternative home automation system for your home network without breaking the bank.

What we do is replace that clunky remote control touch screen with their iPad, kindle fire HD, iPad mini and iPhones to be their remote control. Now everyone has a remote control in their pocket using the Leviton bitwise system, that keeps track of what is on, what off and what you want to do. Simple as that.

Leviton Bitwise iPadsThe layout will be simplified with large icons and legible size text so that you don’t need a pair of 3.0 reading glasses.

In addition, you don’t even need to be in the same room, or point it at the television.

But the best part about your new alternative to crestron is that it requires very little to no instructions at all.

way, we also include a great little gadget called Apple TV from the makers of Apple.

This little gem replaces the bulky 300 CD carousel. So no more cataloging and trying to remember what slot the cd belongs in. No more yelling at anyone about who took the CD out of the tray.

Lets face it, we all have a certain way to accomplish what

we want to hear and watch. So why is it too much to ask for having it your way! If Burger King can, then guess what? We can too. We promise to let you have it your way! In a language that you understand and simple to use.

How can I get rid of my Crestron system?

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For more information on how we can simplify your life. Rid yourself of ever having to make that dreaded phone call to your husband on what input is the TV supposed to be. And have the best home automation system that we will cover in a different article in the palm of your hand then….

What are you waiting for? Pick up the phone and give us a call at +1 (808) 740-8463 to resolve these issues once and for all.

Hotmail is dead, now what?

blog, How To

Hotmail is no more as of today, May 2nd 2013

like most of the other familiar names that we have grown up with, like email.com, AOL, me.com, Richochet wireless services and most importantly Dial-up internet, Hotmail is dead. Just like a floppy drive.

Microsoft announced that your hotmail account is now on their outlook.com server and state that you will now have some newer features like SMTP and Skydrive.

But for most of us that have been faithful to Microsoft since the 1990’s that just want a simple email account, we now face a new challenge of this merger.

Here is what Micrsoft stated about Hotmail:

“Today, we’re excited to announce that we’ve completed upgrading all Hotmail customers to Outlook.com. Coupled with the growing organic excitement for Outlook.com, this has pushed us to over 400 million active Outlook.com accounts, including 125 million that are accessing email, calendar and contacts on a mobile device using Exchange ActiveSync.”

The last time Microsoft did cut us off at the knees was with Microsoft Money. This accounting software had all the bells and whistles you needed with a great dose of simplicity. For those of you that have made the journey to transfer your date to Quicken, you will need a third party application to make it work correctly.

What happens next now that hotmail is dead?

For those of you that have configured your email accounts to hotmail and are having a difficult time with the integration of outlook.com you can pick up the phone and give us a call, or send us a text message to 858-764-2648 and one of our technicians can re-configure your computers to simplify this process.

Remote Services available for hotmail

If you are out of our service area and require assistance we now have remote services available to assist you with your computer without having to be physically there on-site. Now there is a solution for every situation that may arise on your PC, or Laptop. One more thing i forgot to mention that we work on Machintosh computer as well.

keyboard symbols

blog, Consumer Electronics, How To

HOW TO MAKE SYMBOLS WITH KEYBOARD

If you ever had to make a legal document, or every try to find one of those special keyboard symbols, here is a short cut that has been created to assist you with your windows keyboard.

By holding down the “Alt” button, then entering the number that is located on the right hand side of the keyboard, it will create that special symbol.

Keyword symbol list

Alt + 0153….. ™… trademark symbol
Alt + 0169…. ©…. copyright symbol
Alt + 0174….. ®….registered trademark symbol
Alt + 0176 …°……degree symbol
Alt + 0177 …±….plus-or -minus sign
Alt + 0182 …¶…..paragraph mark
Alt + 0190 …¾….fraction, three-fourths
Alt + 0215 ….×…..multiplication sign
Alt + 0162…¢….the cent sign
Alt + 0161…..¡….. .upside down exclamation point
Alt + 0191…..¿….. upside down question mark
Alt + 1…….☺….smiley face
Alt + 2 ……☻…..black smiley face
Alt + 15…..☼…..sun
Alt + 12……♀…..female sign
Alt + 11…..♂……male sign
Alt + 6…….♠…..spade
Alt + 5…….♣…… Club
Alt + 3…….♥…… Heart
Alt + 4…….♦…… Diamond
Alt + 13……♪…..eighth note
Alt + 14……♫…… beamed eighth note
Alt + 8721…. ∑…. N-ary summation (auto sum)
Alt + 251…..√…..square root check mark
Alt + 8236…..∞….. infinity
Alt + 24…….↑….. up arrow
Alt + 25……↓…… down arrow
Alt + 26…..→…..rght arrow
Alt + 27……←…..left arrow
Alt + 18…..↕……up/down arrow
Alt + 29……↔…left right arrow

For more good stuff that you are looking for regarding your keyboard symbols, home computer issues, pick up the phone and call us or send us a text message at +1 (808) 740-8463

Or your wireless internet just is not reaching outside on your patio, garage, or 2nd story, we are here to assist you. Stay tuned for more How to tutorials.

Love, Hate relationship with you new TV

blog, Design Related, Home Automation, HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Love, Hate my new TV

You love the new TV’s that gives you a beautiful picture of the shows you love. As well as offer you netflix and other widgets that you may or may not use.

On the other hand you can’t stand the crummy, tin can speakers that come with the TV. That is where you have 2 options of getting great sound without creating more clutter.

Love, Hate my new TV

Quixel, a national consumer research firm recently reported soundbars have captured the consumers imagination because, “they fulfill a need”. Consumers are struggling to hear dialog from their new thin TV with equally thin sounding internal speakers. The second reason is it’s easy for the consumer to understand the installation process of a soundbar.

Option 1, the thought of someone cutting holes in their ceilings or rectangles in their walls is a bit scary. They also probably conclude all that cutting and wiring will be expensive.

Option 2 which is our preference is to install a soundbar from Leon Speakers that

matches the color, and exact width of your new TV. You just cant get this TV soundbarkind
if quality from picking something up at Best Buy.

The bottom line is when it comes to the sound quality for your new TV. Front staged speakers leave 3 in the ceiling speakers in the dust. There is just no comparison at any price point.

Here is an example of one of your neighbors bedroom TV we installed. At Rancho Santa Fe Home Theater we

have a completely customizable product line that delivers immersive, theater-like experiences to any environment. With limitless custom options and premium sound quality, Leon makes audio integration a fine art.

Call us Today, or shoot us a Text Message at 858-764-2648

So why not pick up the phone today for a complimentary visit to review how we may be of assistance in completing your investment of your TV so that you no longer have a Love, Hate relationship.

Don’t just watch TV. Get up, become interactive with it.

How much effort does it take to move it?

Here are just a few of the benefits with this new interactive mount.

What size mount is available for my TV?

Call today!

How to improve your cooking.

So what is this secret ingredient to improve my cooking?

It was the most delicious taste I ever had.

How does this apply in my kitchen?

Top 5 Mistakes in Wireless Networking

1. Don’t ever use the router that your internet provider issued you.

2. Why is the antenna lying flat?

3. Don’t put a router, or wireless access point on the back of a TV

4. Don’t use your name, or last name as your SSID

5. Don’t use just one device to test the signal strength

Got next generation text messaging?

Text messaging emoticon dictionary

What if 160 characters is not enough for my text?

Who is WhatsApp?

Can you hook me up?

Is your art buried treasure?

How to re-kindle the magic in your art.

Have your framed your art lately?

Where can I get this magic in a can?

Got a kitchen? You need this waterproof kitchen remote control.

Does it really float?

What if I have a restaurant, will it work there?

Crestron does it again!

Is there an alternative to Crestron?

How can I get rid of my Crestron system?

Hotmail is no more as of today, May 2nd 2013

Here is what Micrsoft stated about Hotmail:

What happens next now that hotmail is dead?

Remote Services available for hotmail

HOW TO MAKE SYMBOLS WITH KEYBOARD

Keyword symbol list

Love, Hate my new TV

Love, Hate my new TV

Call us Today, or shoot us a Text Message at 858-764-2648

Share your Email with us

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