4K Ultra HD video delivers stunning beauty and resolution. But like most new technology, it comes with challenges as well.

For starters, enormous bandwidth (10 Gbit/s) is required to deliver 4K video. This places unprecedented demands on distribution infrastructure. So, how can you ensure flawless implementation for your clients? By knowing how to design 4K distribution systems that address these five challenges:

• Mismatched resolutions
• New frame rate considerations
• Signal integrity issues
• New cable length restrictions
• Source/display compatibility

Manufacturers of 4K sources and displays must take a holistic approach to testing their products to ensure that they are up to
the challenges of an integrated 4K system, liberating system designers and integrators from having to take on this daunting
challenge themselves.

4K technology overview
The term “4K” is used generally to refer to video signals with a horizontal resolution on the order of 4,000 pixels. Previous generations
of video resolutions were described by the vertical resolution (e.g., 1080p refers to a signal with 1080 vertical lines). Had the naming
convention for SD and HD been used, 4K video might instead be referred to as “2160p”.

There are also an increasing number of “tweener” devices that fall between 1080p and 4K resolution. Even if a given system is not
being designed for 4K content, hardware designed for 2K signals will not carry these higher resolutions

Challenge #1: Mismatched resolutions
720p, 1080i, and 1080p video all share the same aspect ratio – 1.78:1 (16:9). Since essentially all sources and displays have used
this aspect ratio, we’ve seen an era of relative simplicity. There’s been no need to make accommodations for various aspect ratios for a
number of years. With 4K, that all changes because it presents the challenge of managing two different standard resolutions

3840×2160 , commonly referred to as Ultra HD, is precisely four times the resolution of 1080p, resulting from doubling both the
horizontal and vertical pixel count of 1920×1080. Therefore, it has the same aspect ratio as HD – 16:9. Most, but not all, 4K display
devices have a native resolution of 3840×2160.
4096×2160, commonly referred to as 4K DCI, is used in movie production and exhibition in commercial cineplexes. There are some
display devices with a native resolution of 4096×2160, but it is not as common as 3840×2160.
Many 4K cameras and source devices can be set to either of the two resolutions. Veteran AV professionals will recall the SXGA computer resolution of 1280×1024, which had a non-standard aspect ratio of 5:4 when nearly every other signal was 4:3. This led to similar problems – displays and sources had to be carefully matched and correctly configured in order to display all of the information without unwanted cropping or stretching.

…To be continued, OneTouch Automation

Credit: Crestron white paper, “Challenges of Distributing 4K Video”

THX viewing angle recommendations for home theater screens and HDTVs

How do you calculate the best seat-to-screen distance for a plasma, LCD TV or projection screen? Divide the size of your screen by .84 (screen size is measured diagonally). For example, a 65-inch TV divided by .84 equals a 77-inch viewing distance (6.5 feet).

If your HDTV is going in a living room with limited space, THX recommends the following:

• 35 inch class TV = 3.5-5 feet away
• 40 inch class TV = 4-6 feet away
• 50 inch class TV = 5-7.5 feet away
• 60 inch class TV = 6-9 feet way

It might seem that THX is recommending a very large screen size for your room. But, it’s important to note two things: 1) THX screen size recommendations are based on recreating an immersive cinematic experience, and 2) the biggest complaint among TV buyers is that they wish they had bought a bigger set.

Vertical Placement

Make sure each seating position in your home theater has a clear site line to the screen. Try not to place the screen too high on the wall – viewers should not have to look up more than 15°.

The THX viewing angle recommendations for home theater screens and HDTVs is written by THX.com, original article is found in

http://www.thx.com/consumer/home-entertainment/home-theater/hdtv-set-up/

Photo and article credit: http://www.THX.com

New digital content protection laws will soon make it impossible to watch the same content in more than one room at the same time.
Remember when you first got your entertainment system?
Remember how easy it was to enjoy movies, TV and music in multiple rooms at the same time?
That’s not quite so easy now. Why?

DM Residential Home Owner

In a word, “digital”. Or, more specifically, hanging onto an outdated analog system in a digital world.

✓✓True HD video and sound

✓✓Access to all available content, such as streaming media

✓✓The ability to browse, search and play all content from any room

✓✓The ability to watch or listen to the same content in multiple rooms at the same time

✓✓3D video

✓✓Channel surfing, without the annoying delay between channels

You may be living with minor annoyances now. But, soon, stricter digital content protection laws will make your current home entertainment system unbearable.

Upgrade to Crestron DigitalMedia to get the memorable experience from the best entertainment system possible, along with the convenience, reliability, and simplicity that you once enjoyed with your old system.

For an immediate FREE consultation for your entertainment system please call 416 477 2154

Crestron DigitalMediaâ„¢ – When it comes to digital AV networks entertainment system there’s no contest

When HDMI emerged more than six years ago, Crestron didn’t sit on the sidelines. We immediately embraced digital AV as the future of our industry. Introduced in 2009, Crestron DigitalMedia™ was, and remains, the only complete, end-to-end digital AV network solution. Perfection isn’t something you wait for…you work for it.

1.      Proven solution

Crestron is the only company with years of experience, thousands of successful installations and more than 500,000 digital connecting points.

2.      Team of over 10,000 certified support technicians

Crestron is the only company with over 10,000 engineers, designers, installers and technicians – all certified in digital media – who are ready to support you.

3. Complete, end-to-end digital solution

The only digital product line that delivers a complete, engineered, end-to-end digital solution. A complete solution must include wall-plates, table transmitters, HD-SDI, 3G-SDI, DSP input/output cards, receivers with a built-in power amplifier, analog (VGA) support locally in the chassis, and HDMI accessories such as the HD-Scaler. No other solution offers a complete line of products that are designed to flawlessly work together.

4.  Full line of small & large matrix switchers

Only Crestron has a full array of switchers ranging from 6×4, 6X6 & 8×8 for smaller projects, to 16×16 & 32×32 for large scale installations.

5. Integrated copper & fiber outputs on the same platform

Only Crestron provides a fully integrated HDCP compliant fiber solution that also can be mixed and matched with copper on the same matrix. To learn more about Crestron DigitalMedia or your entertainment system capability visit Plug into Crestron Digital Media

The industry-leading DMPS Series delivers bit-for-bit, no latency HD video switching and display, including HDCP-protected content. DMPS makes it easy to seamlessly connect your MacBook® or PC laptops, making presentations from almost any device fast and easy. It integrates an amplifer, audio DSP, mic mixer, multimedia matrix switcher and control system in a single 3-space rackmount system.

Add new AirMedia, the ground breaking device for wireless HD presentation
and collaboration

With AirMedia you can walk into a meeting space and wirelessly present PowerPoint®, Excel®, Word and PDF documents, as well as photos and screen shots, from your personal iOS® or Androidâ„¢ mobile device on the room display. Up to 32 users can connect at the same time in the same room and present content. Using Quad View, up to four presenters’ content can be displayed simultaneously.

The AirMedia console easily connects via wired LAN, so it leverages existing IT security policies. Even better, no software installation is required, making it ideal for small to mid-sized organizations and guest presenters.

Designed to work together seamlessly

AirMedia communicates with the control system in the DMPS to provide important data and advanced automation capabilities. When you walk in the room you’ll see the URL and access code to connect to AirMedia displayed on the Crestron touch screen. Simply connect your laptop or mobile device and then room settings automatically activate for the presentation: the display turns on, light dim, shades lower. On the back end, the system administrator can collect actionable usage information, such as which devices are offline, idle, or in use, and how many people are connected, for how long and how often.

DMPS/AirMedia Highlights

• True 1080p/60 HDCP protected content
• Wireless collaboration and presentation of documents and photos      from mobile devices
• Network managed and controlled – leverages existing IT security      policies
• Choose from different options based on system or room requirements

Credit: Crestron Web Publication

Last week we had a look at a room that is often neglected when it comes to home automation, the kitchen. This week, we’re going to move on to a different space that doesn’t always get the automation it deserves – the bedroom.

Home automation exists to enhance different parts of your lifestyle – security, convenience, entertainment, assisted living, safety, energy efficiency, and lets not forget, fun.

There is an opportunity to take advantage of all of these in an automated bedroom. Let’s take a look at few ways that a modern well-designed system can make your life better.

 Privacy and Security

These are two of the most obvious. Motorized window coverings should now be considered standard equipment in the bedroom of any quality home. When you choose a top of the line product like Crestron, you can order double shades. The daytime shade will preserve your privacy while allowing a view of the outside. Put down the blackout blind and night, and you will have total privacy and no street lights or passing headlights to disturb your sleep.

You will also want to make the bedroom part of your housewide security system. Prowlers come around when you’re asleep. A bedroom, especially a ground floor bedroom, should be protected with window break alarms, and lights with motion detectors outside the windows. Make sure one of your security cameras captures the area outside the bedroom too.

 Lighting

In our stressful world, the bedroom should be an oasis of calm. Indirect dimmable LED lights are not only energy efficient, they also enhance the décor of any bedroom. By adding the lights to your home automation system, you can use the touch of a button at your bedside to turn on the lights anywhere in the house. This is especially good if you have to check on a crying baby or find out what that noise is downstairs.

 Music

Music in the bedroom is overlooked, but should be a part of the system. Whether you use the bedroom as a computer room, a refuge to read in or a place to relax and have a nap, your choice of background music can help. Or, you can hear the latest weather report in the morning as you get ready for your busy day. All the music selections can be easily controlled from your bedside touch panel or from an I-device.

 Entertainment

Another item that has become standard equipment in most bedrooms is a flat screen TV. You could just have a cable signal, but why stop there? In a fully automated home, you can have access to the internet, Netflix, cable and satellite. Why not add a wireless keyboard and surf the internet from your bed on the giant screen? Use your bedside touch screen and you can call up any film that is on your media server. Start watching a movie in the living room and finish watching it in bed. Access all your favourite sports channels. The sky is the limit. You can even put the TV sound through the ceiling speakers for a theatre experience in your own bed.

 Fun

The home automation business is always coming up with new devices. There are many that make for fun additions to a bedroom system. How about a robot vacuum cleaner that is programmed to come out every morning after you leave for work and clean the floor? How about using the touch panel to turn on in-floor heaters in the en-suite bathroom before you get there? You’ll never feel cold tiles on your feet again. What about window coverings that react automatically to sunlight, so that even if you aren’t there they will still close and protect your valuable furniture and floors from sun damage. What about a skylight over your bed with a motorized blackout shade? Sleep under the stars when you want, or keep it closed for perfect privacy.

The possibilities are endless and are limited only by your imagination and the skill and knowledge of your home automation integrator. At OneTouch Automation, our designers and programmers carry the highest level of certification in the industry. Offering only the best products from companies like Crestron, AMX, Pakedge, Tannoy and Kaleidescape, our mission is to provide you with systems that are ahead of the curve and ready to provide years of trouble-free system. Our designs are flexible, adaptable and future-friendly.

Call OneTouch Automation today for a no-charge consultation with one of our Home Automation experts.

Sometimes the most critical parts of a system are the ones you’ll never see. When you’re talking about home automation, the technology that drives your internet access is one of those components. If you want the best performance, you need the best technology. That is why OneTouch Automation is proud to announce that they have been appointed as a dealer for Pakedge products.

 You may not recognize the name Pakedge, but you will definitely notice the performance.  Your home data system is driven by wireless access points, routers and switchers. That is what Pakedge does, and for home automation they do it better than anyone else. A lot of your home automation experience is a result of the quality of these components. From wireless laptops and tablets to high definition video, the signals you use every day are carried by this technology. Many homeowners also count on this for their phone service and off-site access to their security video. You don’t want to take a chance with a component this important. That why you want Pakedge on your side.

 The Pakedge story shows how quickly the best product can rise to the top. Starting from humble beginnings in a garage in Menlo Park California in 2003, Pakedge has continued to develop products that are specifically geared to peak performance in home automation. They have grown to become the product of choice for discriminating homeowners. Not only that, Pakedge has formed alliances with other top quality suppliers to make sure that their technology integrates seamlessly and easily into your system. Companies like Crestron, Kaleidescape and Request are proud to make their products Pakedge-compatible.

 Why would you want this premium product? Lots of reasons:

-Pakedge products are pre-tested for any size of home automation project.

-Streaming media like movies is jitter-free on Pakedge systems

-Pakedge products are enterprise grade. Their reliability and stability result in more up-time and fewer problems.

-Pakedge products provide clear IP video and sound.

-Pakedge products are pre-configured for the best Voice Over IP signal communication.

You don’t have to take our word for it. Just look at the awards Pakedge has won and you will see how the industry appreciates their leading edge technology: The Resi awards, 2011.Electronic House Products of the Year, 2012. Cepro Best for Cedia Expo, 2012. Custom Retailer Excite Award Winner.

But even more important than the quality of Pakedge technology is the level of support they provide. They work closely with custom installers to make sure that every Pakedge component is the right one for optimum performance. They back up their products with a strong warranty and dedicated customer support personnel.

 When the time comes to automate your home, you will be making choices. That’s the time to choose performance, quality and superior support. That’s the time to insist on Pakedge.

 OneTouch Automation is honoured to add this industry leader to its product offering. We specialize in custom design, supply and installation using only the best components. Whether you own a new or existing home, or even a condominium apartment, the experts at OneTouch Automation are here to guide you every step of the way. Call today for a no charge consultation.

 For more information about the Pakedge products, visit: www.pakedge.com

When we quote a system, even to very high end customers, the question often comes up “Can you do anything about the price?” We understand that. Even clients who want the very best in an automated home also want to know that they are being treated fairly. When a home automation system is installed, it is often done at the same time as a major upgrade in home entertainment, and therefore there can be a bit of sticker shock when all the figures are added up.

The answer to the money question is “Yes, there are some places you can save.” But there are also some parts of the system you won’t want to touch, even if it saves a few dollars. Let’s look at a typical system and see where you may be able to economize.

Save on Design

A proper design for the system will save you a world of trouble later in the process. You can pay a designer to do this, but one way to get around spending the money is to use a reputable full-service company that offers design services. If you bundle design, sales and installation with one supplier, you can negotiate a big discount or rebate on the design as part of the package and definitely save money. A warning: If the company you’re considering doesn’t supply or require a complete design before beginning the install, walk away.

Save on Labour

The best way to save on labour is to start with a really good design. A properly designed modern system will use less cable and more wireless equipment. That means a quicker install and less labour to repair any wall or ceiling damage from cable runs. This is one of the areas where paying just a bit more for the wireless option can save you big money on man-hours.

Save on Speakers

All speakers are not created equal. You don’t need the same speakers for background radio in the kitchen as you do for theatre quality surround sound in the family room. As you work with your contractor, make it clear what your expectations are for sound quality from every area of the house. You may find that a $100 speaker is just fine for the foyer and that may free up money for that awesome subwoofer in the home theatre.

Save on Touch Screens

It is important for a complete home automation system to have at least one manufacturer’s touch screen as part of the system. A hand held remote is a good idea too. Once you have those, you may want to look at i-devices for extra touch screens. While they have their limits (including long start-ups from sleep mode), for a few hundred dollars you may be able to get something that will do the job in place of a manufacturer’s panel that could cost in the thousands of dollars. The applications are easy to load and some basic control apps are even free. Tell the integrator early if you plan to use them so they can be properly added to the system.

Save on Home Security

You may have been tempted by the home security systems that offer ‘no money down and a monthly monitoring fee’. It sounds like the equipment is free, but we all know there is no such thing as free equipment. You are locking into a long-term contract that is charging triple the normal monitoring rate. You’re paying for that alarm equipment in the long run. Why not have your security system installed at the same time as the home automation system? It is an economical upgrade, (the installers will already be on site) you own the equipment and most of the system can be driven by the hardware you’re already buying. You may find that a system sending you alerts by text or e-mail is all you need, or you may want to install your system and then subscribe to an economical monitor-only service. It will still save hundreds a year compared to the ‘free’ system.

Save on Equipment

Home owners are always interested in re-using equipment they already have. That may be possible, but it also may not. You may have a big screen television, but the technology changes so fast that even a fairly new screen may not reach the standards of today’s units. It is very important to meet with your home automation integrator and discuss what pieces you may want to keep in the system. They can evaluate the age and condition of the component and tell you if it is worth the risk. This also comes with a warning. If you re-use a component and it fails, that will not be covered under an installer’s warranty. You will be on the hook for a service call. It may be cheaper in the long run to make sure the  entire new system is the same age and quality. Once again, you may be able negotiate a discount with the integrator if you buy a turn-key system that includes all the hardware.

Save on Upgrades in the Future

One of the least expensive things you can do is to have your integrator pull extra cable while the job is being installed. For a few cents a metre, you can have extra Cat6E cable inside your wall that could save you thousands in cable pull and drywall work in the future. Technology is coming that will require far more bandwidth than we need today. This is the most economical way to be prepared.

At OneTouch automation, we are professionals with a career commitment the industry. We always make it clear to our clients that a truly worthwhile system is a major investment, but it is also totally fair to expect value for your money. The designers at OneTouch Automation are there ito make sure that you invest wisely in a system that will create the electronic lifestyle you always dreamed of. Call us today for a no-obligation no-cost consultation.

In the world of technology, the only constant is change. Nowhere is that more the case than with video formats. Over the years, we have seen so many ways of viewing and listening to material come and go, and there always seems to be another one just around the corner. You may have already forgotten or never used some of them, but here’s a recap and roughly when they were actively promoted:

VHS Tape – 1978 to 2005
Betamax Tape  – 1975 to 2002
Laserdisc  – 1978 to 2009
HD-DVD  – 2002 – 2008
Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) – 1997-2012
Blu-ray DVD – 2001- ?

The last two are the ones we want to talk about today. There are many people in our industry who believe the year 2012 is the year the DVD was as good as dead. They’re just waiting for it to be buried. Have people stopped watching movies? On the contrary. The movie business has never been so profitable. So, what are they watching? Here are the current trends from last year:
DVD rentals from stores – down 31%
DVD sales – down 20%
Online streaming of movies – up 94%

The pattern is clear. While there are still some videophiles who want the superior quality that comes from owning your own Blu-ray copy of a film, for the most part DVD is your father’s way of watching a movie.
Streaming is now taking over as the way-of-choice to watch movies. Netflix has over 25 million subscribers. Amazon Prime has 10 million. Hulu Plus is now pushing close to 2 million and growing all the time.
The affects of this will be huge, all the way from Hollywoood to your neighbourhood video store to your home theatre. In Hollywood, they have to deal with the fact that half a movie’s profit used to come from DVD sales. That is drying up fast. With the revenue from DVD’s fading, movie studios are now rely on opening weekend receipts and overseas sales. In the past, customers would happily pay $20 to have a DVD in their collection. DVD’s only cost pennies to manufacture, so almost all of the $20 was profit. Now viewers will instead pay $3.50 to watch a download and never think about the movie again. Neighbourhood video rental stores are disappearing quickly and being replaced by cheap rental kiosks in the supermarket. There are even illegal websites where pirated films are openly posted and otherwise law-abiding citizens go there and watch them for free.
So, what are we supposed to do now? Do we throw away our DVD players, sell our DVD’s at the lawn sales and move on to Netflix? The answer is “Not so fast.” The technology may have moved past DVD’s, but that doesn’t mean that people will let go of it right away. There are a number of things DVD’s do that still make them popular, and those features aren’t going away. Here are a few  of the things that people still like about this technology:

Home Movies
It’s very likely that the video of your child’s school concert will still be supplied on DVD. It is a cheap and easy format to reproduce, places like schools have invested in the technology to reproduce them and they will not stop doing that for at least the next few years.

Quality
Because of the heavy bandwidth demands of streaming video, much of it comes into your home compressed. If you’ve spent a lot of money for a home theatre, you don’t want the video itself to be the weakest link. Blu-ray still clearly outperforms Netflix.

Collectors Love Them
DVD is still the format of choice for buying a complete season of your favourite TV show. It’s also how you get a movie you enjoyed with all the extras like the director’s commentary.

You Can Get What’s New
Hollywood is holding back a lot of the really good stuff from the streaming services because they need to sell you those DVD’s. They will continue this for as long as they can get away with it.

This trend away from DVD does mean some interesting changes for home automation. In the past few years, a cornerstone of a very high-end home system was a media server. Some companies offered hard drives with memory in the multiple terabytes as they imagined consumers saving huge libraries of Blu-ray and DVD (as well as uncompressed audio CD’s, another format on life support). There will still be big demand for this kind of media server for a few years, and probably a small market for it forever. But it is now just as important to know what your system will do for you in terms of streaming, rather than storing. You need to know that you will be able to use the system to find what you need on line, and then make it easy to watch it streamed live or make sure it is easy to store temporarily to watch later.
That’s all the more reason to work with a home automation specialist. No-one wants to invest big money in dead-end technology and this is one area you need professional advice. You should also look for someone who represents the major brands like Crestron and AMX. They are future friendly companies that make sure their technology is always ready for the next format the industry throws at us.

Talk to the home automation specialists at OneTouch Automation to make sure the system you buy will be an investment that is format proof and ready to give you many trouble-free years of service.

One of the words that gets thrown around a lot in home automation, and many other electronic systems, is “wireless.”
There is no question that people want wireless technology. They associate “wires” with clutter, confusion and trip hazards. They think of wireless as cleaner, more up to date technology.
The problem is, wireless can mean a lot of different things, especially in home automation. It can mean a signal travelling by radio frequency or a signal travelling by infrared. It can mean a system that actually isn’t wireless at all, but hides the wires so you can’t see them. It can also mean a system that depends on a strong internet signal to function, or it could mean a system that operates completely independent of the internet.
There’s a reason you should care. The type of wireless system can have a major affect on the cost, performance and reliability of your home automation system.
How do you make wires disappear, and what is the best system for you? Time to learn a bit about the different ways to make the wires go away.

Hidden wires

This is wireless in so far as you don’t see the wires, but they’re still there. A perfect example of this is in-wall and in-ceiling speakers. In almost every home automation system, they are wired, but you don’t see the cable. The reason they are wired is twofold. 1. It gets them a strong reliable signal. 2. If they weren’t wired, they would have to be powered somehow, and that would mean there would still be a wire running to them, but a much more expensive one. There are wireless rechargeable speakers, often used outdoors, that accept signal from a radio frequency transmitter or in some models, a bluetooth signal. (Bluetooth is simply a different form of radio frequency in the short wave band that needs no license. It is intended for Personal Area Networks – usually personal electronics at close distances.) But rechargeable speakers are not practical in your ceiling. Wired speakers will still be with us for the foreseeable future.
In some home automation systems, the video signals are also carried on hidden wires. Current technology allows huge amounts of data to travel on a single Cat6 or fibre optic cable. This is often the best way to carry many signals to a television. The small single cable is hidden in the wall.

Wall mounted touch screens may also be connected to a single cable to give them power and to send control signals, but once again the wires are hidden. It’s the same for powered shades. They require only a small low voltage cable to power and control them, and it’s easily hidden.

Infrared

The oldest of the home wireless controls is infrared – which is simply light at a frequency too low to see. Since 1950, it has been wirelessly controlling home devices. It is cheap to make and virtually every home entertainment device from projectors to TV’s to Blu-ray players has an infrared sensor in it. While it may be inexpensive, it has its drawbacks. The major one is that is has to see the device its controlling. If you don’t have line of sight, you can’t use it. Think of the times the TV remote didn’t work, and you had to wave it around (and maybe slapped it a couple of times) before getting it to function. Oddly, the most popular work-around for this problem is to use a wire. The technician puts a wired InfraRed probe on the device you want to control, then patches it into a radio frequency system. Infrared will be with us for a long time, but it isn’t practical to base a whole-home control system on it.

Radio Frequency

This is still the go-to wireless technology for home automation. There are a couple of variations on this signal, and they each have their problems and benefits.

Proprietary wireless

This is the method that turns your home into a completely independent broadcast and receiving system. Used by top-quality manufacturers like Crestron and AMX, it receives and broadcasts the signals on a frequency that is completely separate from cell phones, computers and your neighbour’s garage door opener. The advantage is the strong signal and the obvious fact that as long as you have electricity, you have control of the system.

Internet Control

There are some less expensive systems that leverage the wireless internet signal that many people already have in their homes. In some cases, this is contolled by a PC using software by companies like HAI Controls, or Thinking Home Software for Mac. The obvious advantage is the lower cost. The downside is that you are completely dependant on your Internet Service Provider to make your home function. If you’ve ever had an outage from your ISP, you know the risks involved in trusting the operation of your house to this technology

Gesture Technology

This is the next generation of wireless control. Crestron is one of the companies on the leading edge of this technology. They worked closely with Microsoft to find a way to make Kinect-style motion sensing system practical for home use. That means no remotes or touch panels at all. Simply gesture with your hand and control your home. Some people are a bit uneasy with this technology, but this year at Infocomm, expect to see hundreds of new devices that work with the wave of your hand.

When deciding on the right technology for your application, there is no substitute for expertise. When it comes time to automate, contact the experts at OneTouch Automation to make sure your wireless system, and every other part of your smarthome, is exactly what

In the home automation industry, you often hear the word “convergence.” It’s a very important concept. It’s that place where many different technologies come together and interact with each other. Sometimes it can change our entire lifestyle. Television did that in the 1950’s. It wasn’t just radio with pictures. It changed the entertainment industry, the way our houses were built, the schedule that people operated on and our world view. Sometimes, it got the whole world watching something like a moon landing at the same time.

Now, television is about to take on a whole new function. We are especially aware of this in industry, as it will mean managing many different types of signals and making them accessible to everyone, including people who have no technical skills. But to understand what TV will be,, you have to understand what it was. We used to think that TV was something that showed a broadcast signal, and groups of people watched it from a distance of more than three feet. That was not the same as a computer. It showed on-board software or internet signals, and was viewed from closer than three feet. All that has changed. The television is now merging with many technologies that will make it a very different experience. Here are some of the many things your TV is about to do:

TV as the telephone

The emergence of Skype has been a game-changer in communication. In the future, you will answer the phone with your touch pad and, if you allow it, it will not be a voice call, it will be an internet video call. Psychologists tell us that video images cause almost as powerful a connection as seeing someone face to face. Seniors are among the fastest growing group using this technology as they realize they can see far off children and grandchildren face to face.

TV as the shopping centre

At a time when retail stores are lucky to grow 1% a year, on-line purchasing is growing at a rate of 8.6% a year. The pace of this may increase as gas prices rise, big box stores go under and delivery systems become more sophisticated.

TV as your classroom

Your television is the lecture hall of the future. On line education is growing at the rate of 12.9% a year, far faster than classrooms. Even the oldest colleges and universities are now offering degree courses on line. Some are offering the chance to do courses on line for free that would cost thousands of dollars if taken in a classroom

TV as your cinema

Home theatre was once a toy for the wealthy few. Now, home theatre is affordable for virtually anyone. The movie industry may be making more money than ever, but it is because of up-charges for things like 3D, not because they are selling more tickets. The new place to watch movies is in your own home. Four-K TV will rival the cinema experience, and the new models will be in wide distribution by this Christmas. Add in Netflix, and your home is your movie house.

TV as your doorbell

Why jump up to answer the front door? Just switch the TV to the video door phone, see who’s there, talk to them and then, if you choose, unlock the door.

TV as your arcade

This one is already here, but it’s changing. Cloud gaming could soon make the console obsolete, but will require huge bandwidth. Gesture control will mean you’ll have to design your room to make space for golf, baseball and martial arts in front of the screen.
Games with look-around 360 degree technology (think full motion Google maps) will mean surround video – a screen on every wall.

TV as your computer

As people time shift by watching streaming video, watch new programming on YouTube and follow player tweets during the big game, the line between TV and Computer has become increasingly blurred. With wireless keyboards now an inexpensive option, why move to a desk to surf the internet?

All these functions are either here now or just around the corner. So how to you control a device that does this many things, plus regular cable TV and satellite? Simple. You call the professionals at OneTouch Automation. We are the masters at making remote controls disappear and replacing them with touch screens that are easy for anyone to use – from kids to seniors and all ages in between. Replace all the buttons and hassles with a touch pad that has simple buttons like “shopping,” “Cable TV,” “Games” and “YouTube.” We give you the power to take this incredible technology and do what you really want to do with it – enjoy it. Talk to your OneTouch representative today. We’ll make TV, and your whole home, into a place where technology makes your life safer, simpler and better.