Home Entertainment & Automation Services in Matthews, NC.
Home Entertainment & Automation Services in Matthews, NC.
Home audio and Video Services in Matthews, NC.  TV installation, Surround Sound, Home Entertainment Systems
HD Guru: Bad Grades for DirecTV 3D

C.I.S. - Charlotte NC's Trusted Home Theater Experts!

C.I.S. - Charlotte NC's Trusted Home Theater Experts!

HD Guru Gary Merson scores 3D content on DirecTV and the results are generally grim: “Take it off the air.”

Last week, DirecTV flipped the switch on a bunch of new 3D channels. It’s been a long time coming, but was it all worth the wait?

HD Guru Gary Merson has posted his review on the service provider’s first four 3D offerings. He looked at some of the programming from the exclusive N3D channel, which is a joint effort between DirecTV and Panasonic. Some of the content features the awesome power of 1080p/24. Don’t get too drooly, though; some of the content is in 1080i.

So what’s the verdict? Well, you might still be anxiously awaiting new content. Programs reviewed included:

* Wild Safari: An South African Adventure
* S.O.S Planet
* African Adventure: Safari in the Okavango
* Encounter In The Third Dimension

Using a good, old grading system, Merson says the first three programs averaged about a C on content. That sounds kind of crappy, if you ask me. In other words, you’ll watch it because that’s all there is. Even more depressing is that two of those Cs scored even worse when it came to 3D quality—with one getting a big, fat F.

“Safari in Okavango is poorly shot 3D, making viewing a strain, as ones eyes try to compensate for the discrepancies,” Merson says. “At this time we feel it would be best for DirecTV to take it off the air and only rebroadcast it if it can fixed in post production.”

Tell us how you really feel, Gary! He definitely does. Check out his full review at HDGuru.com.

by Rachel Cericola

http://www.electronichouse.com/article/hd_guru_bad_grades_for_directv_3d/

Custom Installation Services, LLC – Charlotte NC ’s Home Theater & Technology Experts!

Posted in 3d movies, 3D TV, Flat Panel TV's, Home Theater, Media Rooms, Music and Movies, News, technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment


Responding to customer demand

Don Miller - Custom Installation Services

 

Don Miller - Custom Installation Services

photo NANCY PIERCE

Startup originated with requests from clients

Friday, May 7, 2010

Don Miller is living proof that customer service can make or break a business.

For five years, he was vice president of sales for a local company that installed electronic equipment in high-end homes. The recession hit the business hard, and it closed up shop.

But one of Miller’s customers urged him to start his own business so Miller could continue servicing the account. Two other customers stepped forward and invested the money Miller needed to go out on his own.

About a year ago, Miller opened Matthews-based Custom Installation Services. It provides audio-visual sales, service and installation at homes of all sizes, as well as at commercial properties such as bars and restaurants.

His initial clients are still sending him referrals.

“I’ve always been driven by customer service before, during and after the sale,” Miller says. “A big part of my success comes from them standing up to the plate for me.” The company is already debt-free, thanks to two strategies: keeping overhead low and using the Web.

The two strategies often merge. Miller has created a strong Web presence at www.cis-nc.com that draws customers but also eliminates the need for a showroom.

“By using my site as a virtual showroom, I don’t have to carry much inventory or pay a lot of rent,” Miller notes. When someone wants to actually see a system, satisfied customers often allow demonstrations in their homes.

Miller also produces a daily blog to drive traffic to his site and to stay informed on the latest technology offerings. He spends about 20 hours per week looking for relevant articles and including links to them from his blog.

“People who don’t stay up to date are left by the wayside,” he says. “If you can’t change fast enough, you get left by the wayside.”

QUICKINFO

DID YOU KNOW?
-To improve cash flow, Miller pays vendors upfront to get a cash discount. He employs two other staffers.

-Miller is a Pittsburgh native who came to Charlotte in 1994.

Charlotte Business Journal – by Bea Quirk Contributing writer
http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2010/05/10/smallb1.html?b=1273464000%5E3307321&s=industry&i=high_tech

Custom Installation Services, LLC – Charlotte and Boone NC’s Source For Quality Electronics From Onkyo, Marantz & More!

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Backyard Music System Pricks Up Ponies’ Ears

CIS: Installing Outdoor Speakers in Charlotte, Boone and Surrounding Areas

CIS: Installing Outdoor Speakers in Charlotte, Boone and Surrounding Areas

This three-zone system’s horsepower covers the pool, patio and the owner’s two ponies.

The ponies have their own music, 24/7. It could be pop music, classical or even talk radio. 

They also have their own security system. Cameras inside and outside of their barn are visible on touchscreens and TVs in the main house. And when their gate is opened, a voice prompt over the security system alerts the homeowners.

“They wanted to do something really nice outdoors. Then we found out they wanted to have pony barn out there,” says Netzer Martinez of Sixth Avenue Electronics, the installation firm for this northern New Jersey project. 

“They wanted to make sure ponies had music,” Martinez says of the homeowners. Apparently, the two Shetland ponies, Summer and Autumn, like company. The family also wanted to option of what the ponies would listen to.

So the ponies have their own independent audio zone, one of three that is outside of this home, delivering a constant stream of an FM station. (We just hope they don’t really have to endure talk radio.)

The other two zones cover the pool/patio area and the cabana, which features a 50-inch Panasonic plasma TV.

The cabana is enclosed with glass doors, making it a four-season entertainment retreat. There are no independent speakers in the cabana, however. The family just uses the audio from the TV. Though if they’re watching a baseball or football game, they can route that audio to several hidden speakers in the pool and patio area.

The ponies, however, don’t have to listen to the big game if they don’t want to. They have their music. (We hope.)

The pool and patio area get their sound from Rockustics OmniPlanter and Rock series speakers that—you guessed it—are designed to look like flower planters and rocks. The two pairs of Planter speakers fire their sound downward and out of ports on their bottoms, while flowers bloom merrily on top. One pair is on the patio, while assorted Rock speakers surround the pool, spa and waterfall area.

All of this audio comes from an Elan System12 multizone audio system, with the homeowner’s music collection is stored on an Elan VIA!dj hard-drive-based system. Elan also provides control with a 4-inch N800 touchpanel remote outside and touchpanels in the house.

One of the challenges faced in an extensive outdoor electronics project such as this is planning and running the cables to all the speaker and video locations. (See sidebar below.) Sixth Avenue used separate 2-inch conduit for each of the power, security, and audio/video wiring to the pony barn and cabana. From a closet in back of the cabana, connections to the pool area speaker locations were added later. 

The carefully planned prewire allows one more TV in the offing outside. Guess where? Yep, the ponies were smart enough to wire for video ahead of time. They may end up with a better A/V system than that in the cabana. 
 

Outdoor Plans

What to think of when you’re planning to have electronics systems outdoors? 

Have an idea ahead of time. “The best jobs I’ve done come from the customer’s ideas, and if you really want to do something, stick with it. The end project much is usually much better than what I envisioned,” says Martinez.

Run the wires now. This is a good idea, even if you’re not going to do something for years. The pony barn on this property is already wired for video, for instance. “We went back and forth on this project several times, and ran several different conduits to the barn, pool and cabana,” Martinez says.

Be flexible. The pool in this project got moved, and Sixth Avenue had to be ready for it. Not knowing quite where the pool area speakers would be located, the electronics installer ran conduit with speaker wire to a closet behind the cabana and later made connections from there to the speaker locations in the mulched garden areas. 

Protect your electronics. The Rockustics speakers in this pool and patio area are made to be outdoors. Make sure any electronics that will exposed to the elements or even splashes from the pool are weatherproof or waterproof (there’s a difference). The plasma TV is not made for the outdoors, but Sixth Avenue made sure it would be protected from the weather.

by Steven Castle

http://www.electronichouse.com/article/backyard_music_system_pricks_up_ponies_ears/D2/

Custom Installation Services, LLC – Charlotte and Boone NC’s Source For Outdoor Speaker Sales, Service & Installation!

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Custom Installation Services, LLC | P.O. Box 132 Matthews, NC 28106 | 704-400-8701 | dmiller@cis-nc.com
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