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Home Depot offers exclusive line of $20 energy-efficient lighting.

LED light bulbs are known for being extremely energy efficient. While we’d all like to be green, at $50 a pop, replacing every incandescent for an LED equates to one costly home improvement.

Home Depot, along with the Lighting Science Group, aims to make it more affordable to go green, with the introduction of its EcoSmart line of LED light bulbs. The first product in the line, the 9-watt EcoSmart A19, will retail for $19.97.

The A19 uses approximately 80 percent less energy than a standard 40-watt incandescent bulb and is expected to last more than 22 years. Plus, it’s dimmable, which means it can cut energy costs even more.

The dimming feature also makes the EcoSmart bulb ideal for use with a lighting control system. Per commands from the system, the light output of the LED bulb can be altered to set the mood for any number of activities: watching TV, entertaining guests, relaxing and meditating, for example.

Some facts about LED … if the $20 price tag isn’t enough to persuade you:

LED lights contain no mercury
The bulbs don’t get hot
They can last a long time – 10 years or more when running 8 hours a day
They require no warm up time to reach full intensity
They come in colors, making them a decorative option

by Lisa Montgomery

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

Custom Installation Services, LLC – Charlotte and Boone NC’s Source For Lutron RadioRa2 Sales, Support & Design!

LG and Panasonic are trying to revive plasma displays.

CRT TVs. Laserdisc. VHS. Beta. CED (bet you have to look that one up).

All of these once represented a state-of-the-art technology, but have since made their way to that big home theater in the sky.

Many consumers think plasma displays also are dead, or are on their way out. But plasmas shouldn’t be relegated to the book-ends of the display market just yet, at least not as far as LG Electronics and Panasonic are concerned.

LG is releasing eight new plasmas, including its INFINIA line. Trying to kick the stereotype that plasmas are thick and heavy, the INFINIA series includes a 60-inch model that’s only 2-inches thick and only 95 pounds. These models will feature:

-LG NetCast for access to Internet streaming media like YouTube, Netflix, Pandora, and more
-“Wireless Media Hub” design that allows components, such as Blu-ray players, to be connected to a hub that wirelessly transmits the signal up to 90 feet
-THX certification
-Light-sensing automatic calibration
Panasonic will release more than 20 models, including four 3D-capable TVs that range from 50-65 inches. The 3D sets, which won both “Best In Television” and “Best In Show” at CES 2010, will include one pair of 3D glasses. Other features include THX certification, NeoPDP picture enhancements, and Viera Cast network streaming.

Plasma won’t take back the middle of the flat-panel TV market, but it will look to continue to be the meat of many high-end display lines and an important part of the push for 3D in the home.

by Stephen Hopkins

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

Custom Installation Services, LLC – Home Theater, Audio and Video Services, Home Automation in North Carolina and South Carolina