• Enjoy hands-free technology
• Effortlessly control every aspect of your home
• Customize your system to fit your lifestyle

Total Control of Your Home is Possible with Crestron

Just a month ago, CEO Facebook Mark Zuckerberg achieved his 2016 goal of creating an artificial intelligence system to run his home. Aptly named Jarvis, the smart home technology controls everything from the lights to the surveillance cameras to even a T-shirt cannon. Zuckerberg even commissioned Oscar winner Morgan Freeman to do the audio recordings for the voice control system. If the idea of having your own Jarvis is appealing to you, read on to learn how you can add a voice control system to your Honolulu, HI area home.

Say Hello to Jarvis

Zuckerberg’s Jarvis system has a lot of fantastic elements that make it easy for his family to enjoy life at home.

• Lighting: All of the lights, from the landscape lighting to the bedside lamps, are connected to Jarvis. The Zuckerberg family can turn lights on, off, or to a specific brightness level in any area with a single voice command.
• Climate: They can set the thermostat to a certain temperature, turn the HVAC on or off, or simply request to make the room cooler or warmer.
• Appliances: Zuckerberg’s Samsung televisions, smart refrigerator, and even the toaster can all be voice-controlled.
• Music: To enjoy music throughout the home, Zuckerberg chose the simple yet high-quality audio brand Sonos. To listen to a favorite Spotify playlist, all he has to do is ask Jarvis.

SEE ALSO: Why Invest in High-End Audio?

• Security: When leaving home, Zuckerberg can ask Jarvis to arm the security system or lock the front door. Using Nest cameras, Zuckerberg can also keep track of his loved ones while away just by pulling up his smartphone.

Creating Your Own Voice Control System

The backbone of Jarvis is formed by Crestron, the biggest name is smart home automation technology. Crestron has the largest collection of home control devices, which makes them the obvious choice for a custom system like Jarvis.

Zuckerberg gave a personal shout-out to Crestron, saying “I recommend using a system like Crestron as a common interface to all those basic devices to simplify things.”

You may be thinking that having an artificial intelligence system in your home is only for the likes of moguls like Zuckerberg, but anyone can experience the comfort and convenience of smart home technology through Crestron (minus the dulcet tones of Morgan Freeman).

Pacific Audio & Communications is Hawaii’s top choice for Crestron smart home systems. Contact us today to learn how to we can help you transform your home with the power of voice control technology.

• Get the Best Sound Quality
• Enjoy Music the Way It’s Meant to Be Heard
• Gain Peace of Mind

The Benefits of Getting a Professional System for Home Audio Distribution

Home audio distribution technology has come a long way in recent years, making it easier than ever to enjoy pure, high-quality music in your own home. With the influx of so many “off the shelf” audio systems that you can pick up at your local Oahu electronics store, the question for audiophiles in Hawaii is usually whether a professional system is worth it. The short answer is “Yes.” For the long answer, keep reading.

The Difference in Sound Quality

Have you ever gone to a concert or symphony to enjoy your favorite music, then listened to a recording of the audio at a later time? It probably didn’t sound quite as good. There are a lot of reasons why this loss in quality happens:

• Equipment: A lot of research and innovation goes into the materials and style of sound equipment.
  
  • Material: The rigidity of the materials used in speakers affects how sound reverberates, which in turn affects sound quality. Some high-end manufacturers even use materials like Kevlar and diamond in their speakers to produce better sound.
  • Style: The size, shape, and depth of speakers all have an impact on sound reverberations. Top manufacturers utilize an extensive quality assurance process to ensure there are no workmanship flaws in the speakers that could cause dead spots, muffled sound, or other issues.

SEE ALSO: What Cables Should You Use for Your Home Audio Distribution?

• File Format: MP3s and similar audio files are typically compressed to allow for small storage size and easy streaming. Unfortunately, these file formats use a “lossy” compression that sacrifices quality for size. To improve sound quality, listen to MQA-encoded DSD or FLAC files, which use a lossless compression style. The file sizes are larger, but the increase in quality is more than worth it.
• Acoustics: It’s hard to beat the acoustics of a concert hall, but a common mistake that people make when installing audio systems is to ignore the acoustics in the room. A professional audio installation ensures that you have the right sound equipment in the right locations to make your music sing out with clear, pure sound.

The Professional Touch

• Peace of Mind: High-end audio systems are about more than just sound quality. They’re also about reliability. With a professional installation for home audio distribution, you gain the peace of mind that comes with knowing it will be done right the first time and will be set up to last over time.
• Ease of Use: Tired of fumbling around with different remotes for different speakers or stereos? With home audio distribution, you get one remote that controls every aspect of your sound system. Using your smartphone, you can select a song or playlist from your favorite streaming service, then choose whichever room you want it to play in.

Explore the Possibilities

Ready to enhance the way you enjoy music in your home? Contact Pacific Audio & Communications today to get started.

 

• Give Buyers What They Want
• Start with a Plan
• Trust the Automation Experts

The Demand for Commercial Automation is Rapidly Growing

Smart buildings are the big new trend, and construction firms are starting to take note. More and more businesses are seeking out builders who have experience in constructing commercial buildings with integrated automation systems. Is your construction firm ready for this shift in buyer need? Keep reading to learn about the benefits of integrating commercial automation and how your Oahu, HI construction company can get started.

Enhance Your Offerings

• Personalized Solutions: Today’s business owners don’t want cookie-cutter buildings. They want buildings that are perfectly tailored to their business image and needs. Automation technology offers an easy way to provide that customization while still keeping initial construction costs low.
• Everything in One Go: Builders often work with many different contractors, bringing in companies for A/V, security, lighting design, networking, etc. When you work with an automation company, you’re able to knock out many outsourced aspects of construction in one go. Everything from the digital phone systems to the business access control can be handled by the same skilled and experienced company.

 

How to Get Started with Commercial Automation

Partner with an Automation Company

Builders and architects don’t have to take on the task of automation on their own. When you partner with an established automation company, you can rest easy knowing that they have the skill and experience to weave the technology seamlessly into your building design.

• Collaborative Effort: The automation contractor will work with your construction company from start to finish, offering guidance on everything from the initial plan through to the final optimization of the audio video system or lights.

Start from the Beginning

A common mistake that builders make is waiting until construction is complete before they bring in someone to do the automation. However, many elements of automation design and implementation are best accomplished before the building is finished, such as:

• Pre-Wiring: Automation often requires different wiring than your typical commercial building would have, especially if the building needs to support a large number of high-definition televisions or have completely reliable wireless signals throughout. To keep the building design clean, it’s best to do the wiring before walls are closed up.
• Equipment Placement: If the building is going to have hidden equipment, such as Wi-Fi boosters or control panels, it’s best to start planning on where those devices will need to be installed early.
• Lighting Design: Placing and programming smart light fixtures and sensors is an art in and of itself. With the right lighting design, commercial buildings can promote a unique ambiance while also saving on energy costs. If the automation comes after construction is complete, the possibilities for specialized lighting design are significantly restricted.

 

Take the First Step

Is it time for your construction firm to embrace commercial automation? Pacific Audio and Communications works with builders throughout Hawaii to provide superior automation systems in both new construction and remodels. To learn more about starting a partnership with Pacific Audio and Communications, contact us today.

• Pick the Right Type of Equipment
• Design with Acoustics and Viewing Experience in Mind
• Gain One-Touch Control of Everything

Create the Full Cinematic Experience in Your Kauai Home

What’s the difference between an average home theater and one that immerses you in the sights and sounds of your movie? There are a lot of different factors—everything from the lighting to the seating needs to be carefully planned out. If you’re considering adding a dedicated home theater system to your Hawaii home, keep reading to learn about must-have features that will transform your theater into a luxury viewing environment.

High-End Equipment

The quality of the equipment you choose for your home theater goes a long way toward creating that immersive experience.

• Screen: There are several screen types and materials that are optimized for different room environments.
  
  • White screens are best for traditional theater rooms without much ambient light.
  • Dark screens are designed to deflect light that isn’t coming straight from the projector, so they’re great for multipurpose rooms or outdoor cinemas.
  • Acoustic screens allow you to hide speakers behind the screen without muffling the sound.
• Projector: Make sure you consult with your home theater designer and installer about the best option for your space.
• If your projector doesn’t have the appropriate amount of lumens or resolution for your chosen screen, you could easily end up with a grainy or warped image.
• For the clearest picture, choose a projector with native 4K resolution.
• Speakers: Surround sound is absolutely essential for home theaters.
  
  • Choose a system that allows you to adjust sound levels and base frequencies to be optimized for the space.
  • Speaker material and design have a big impact on sound quality. High-end speakers use the best quality materials and innovative designs to create pure, clear audio.

 

Acoustics and Layout

Home theater equipment and your room’s layout go hand-in-hand. The care and planning that go into where equipment is placed are what set luxury theaters apart.

• The size and shape of the room will impact a lot of different factors.
  
  • Screen Size: Sometimes bigger isn’t necessarily better. The screen needs to leave room for the A/V equipment and provide enough distance between the screen and the seats.
  • Seating Amount and Positioning: The larger the room, the more flexibility you have for how many seats are included and where they can be placed.
  • Speaker Placement: Depending on where the seats are located, speakers are lined up to ensure that there are no acoustic dead spots.

Full Room Control

The best part of a luxury home theater is that you don’t have to put any effort into getting the room ready to start the movie. With a smart home automation system, you can control everything with the push of a button:

• Movie Selection: Get access to all of your movies, music, and streaming services right on your smartphone or tablet. Simply pick the show you want to watch and press play!
• A/V Equipment: You don’t need separate controllers for your projector, screen, etc. It’s all connected so that when you want to watch a movie, your equipment responds to your command.
• Lighting: Need to pause the movie to grab popcorn? You don’t have to fumble around in the dark for the light switch. Your home theater system can automatically dim the lights as the movie starts and brighten the room after the show finishes or pauses.
• Sound Levels: Even with the room’s speakers optimized during installation, sometimes it’s nice to turn the volume up or down. Just pull up your control tablet or phone and set the sound level wherever you want.

 
The thought of designing a personalized home theater system may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be! Pacific Audio and Communications can handle everything from the initial design to ongoing optimization and support. Contact us today to learn more.