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
10 Popular Audio Demos
 
 
 

Polk Audio Speakers - Available at Custom Installation Services in Charlotte, NC

Custom Installation Services is Charlotte, NC's #1 Authorized Polk Dealer

Polk Audio shares some of its favorite audio demo tracks.

During a recent visit to Polk Audio, the Baltimore, Md.-based manufacturer gave us a sneak peek at some of its upcoming products.

The speakers were great, and some of the audio tracks were fantastic. As you know, playing the correct tracks during audio demos is essential. It can sometimes make or break a client’s decision.

We recently shared the favorite audio demos and video demos of some CE pros. Now, Polk has shared with us some of its favorite demo tracks and why each works so well.

CIS - Charlotte's #1 Authorized Polk Dealer in The Carolinas!Yello | Fat Cry

The opening to this cut is very recessed and almost muffled with a good bass line then not quite 20 seconds in is like someone pulls a veil away and not only does the music become clear & detailed it also expands in size with bass that just says bet you didn’t know I could go this low.

The voices that come in after this are good and catchy but you just want to go back to the beginning to see if you really heard that.

I find this cut to be a very good test of a loudspeakers ability to show off what everyone is always looking for big, powerful, deep bass along with being accurate.  After the first time one has heard this cut, every time thereafter you are waiting, timing the moment that the veil is pulled away and the power of that bass note that arrives with, oh yeah.

CIS - #1 Martin Logan Authorized Dealer in the Carolina'sCantate Domino | Christmas Song

This cut has so much going on and, like Fat Cry, surprises you with its power and emotion as almost every person I have demoed this for over the last 23 years have experienced everything from a chills to tears. In the beginning it appears that the symphony is being played in a small hall or maybe a church along with a soloist as it builds you begin to realize this symphony is in a very large concert hall as the music begins to wrap around you revealing the immense size and height of the hall. This happens with increased volume and now a choir of voices along with a pipe organ.

Custom Installation Services - Charlotte's #1 Authorized Polk Dealer in The CarolinasCantus | She Moved Through the Fair

Excellent recording of acapella. Listen for the air around the voices, staging, and sense of life-like dynamics even (especially) in soft passages.

CIS is Charlotte's #1 Authorized Polk Audio Speaker Dealer in The Carolina'sMahotella Queens | Nomshloshazana

This joyful, upbeat track features layered instruments that are added in the first minute, demonstrating clarity and the ability to separate instruments effectively. Bass is strong and punchy when played on a high quality speaker.

CIS - Charlotte's #1 Authorized Polk Dealer in The Carolina'sLyle Lovett | Church

Lyle’s voice is front and center with the expanse of a choir across a broad soundstage behind him. Distinct hand claps and voices as they chime in now and then. Piano intro is early on, then the bass comes in with a full bottom end.

CIS - Charlotte's #1 Authorized Polk Dealer in The Carolina'sJohnny Clegg | Akanaki Nokunaka

This is just a great fun, traveling down the road cut with a great beat and Johnny’s amazing voice.

CIS - Charlotte's #1 Authorized Polk Dealer in The Carolina'sJohn Butler Trio | Bound to Ramble

There is tremendous separation of instruments. There is enough air that each instrument stars. You hear the attack on the Banjo. The rumbling resonance of the body of the upright and the overtones of the strings.

CIS - Charlotte's #1 Authorized Polk Dealer in The Carolina'sKevin Gilbert | Goodness Gracious

This track features an up front vocal that is good for testing lateral balance of system. The solid, driving bass line should be even across frequencies. The shaker in the introduction should be placed properly in space and have a natural sound to it.

CIS - Charlotte's #1 Authorized Polk Audio Dealer in The Carolina'sMighty Sam McClain | Too Proud

Impact and dynamic range of blues-man Might Sam McClain. Listen to the detail of instruments in the background such as organ and percussion. Better speakers resolve these impressively.

CIS - Charlotte's #1 Authorized Polk Dealer in The Carolina'sShawn Mullins | Ballad of Billie Jo McKay

There’s something enjoyable about listening to the basics of a vocalist and his guitar painting a lyrical work of art. This track allow you to listen to the natural sound of an acoustic guitar and feel the emotion of vocalist. Listening to music should invoke passion, or at the least, some type of personal reaction.

by Steve Crowe

http://www.electronichouse.com/article/10_popular_audio_demos/

Custom Installation Services, LLC – ”We may be a few dollars more than the competition, but we are a million times better”.

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What You Need to Know About IP Surveillance Cameras

CIS is Charlotte, NC's first choice for IP camera sales and installation

Custom Installation Services is Charlotte, NC's First Choice for IP Camera Sales and Installation

We present key features, components, functions and setup involved in an IP surveillance camera system.

Surveillance cameras are an important component of home security. They can visually monitor key areas of your home and property, record activity and alert you immediately if they notice anything unusual. IP (Internet Protocol) cameras are able to transmit images and signals via the Internet, making them a popular choice for on-the-go families.

But how do you decide what type of cameras to rely on in your system? And what types of capability are you after? The answer to one could help provide some answers to the other. Here are some important aspects of IP surveillance cameras, system functions, features and setups, courtesy of Richie Scholl, Worthington Distribution.

CAMERAS
Choose indoor or weatherproof models based on your application.
Fixed, pan/tilt, and pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) models are available. Fixed cameras will always be looking at one specified area. PTZ cameras, by contrast, can be manipulated manually or automatically. For this type of camera, consider having a “home” position that the camera returns to after a few minutes of inactivity.

Cameras differ in their ability to see in the dark. Use a camera with a night mode or a low lux rating if vision in the dark is important. Standalone IR illuminators can provide night-viewing capabilities for standard cameras. They have built-in sensors that activate the illuminator automatically when necessary.

One-way and two-way audio features are available on many cameras. One-way audio allows a user to hear the sound that a built-in microphone in the camera picks up. Two-way audio adds the ability for the user to speak into a computer microphone and have that sound played through the camera.

Form factors vary by manufacturer. Many cameras are shaped as a square unit with a bubbled lens. More traditional bullet and dome styles are now available. Keep in mind that an IP (Internet Protocol) camera will always be larger than standard analog camera.

Most IP cameras require a hardwired Ethernet connection, although wireless WiFi IP cameras are available.

POWER OVER ETHERNET (POE)
PoE capability greatly simplifies the installation of an IP camera because only one wire is necessary to carry both power and Ethernet signals.

Use a PoE switch at the head end, or PoE injectors somewhere between the switch and the camera.

PoE is a standard, which ensures compatibility between equipment from different manufacturers. 

RECORDING
The most cost-effective option for recording is PC software that records video to a local hard drive. Make sure you have plenty of space available or pick up an external hard drive. Video storage eats space quickly.

Another option is a hybrid DVR. This is a device that can record images from both analog and IP cameras.

Some IP cameras have built-in storage or memory card slots. They can store still frames or short video snippets, based on motion.

SENSORS/AUTOMATION
Many IP cameras have motion sensing built in, which can trigger the recording of video for a select amount of time.

When tied to a control system or specialized recording device, remote sensors can perform a number of tasks. For example, they can be used to pan, tilt or zoom a camera to a certain position, or they can trigger the system to send an email or text message when motion is detected.

IN-HOME VIEWING
Look for a TV monitoring adapter that’s compatible with your cameras so that you can view multiple images on a standard television.

Many IP cameras also have an analog video output that can be connected to more traditional video distribution systems.

When tied to a control system, televisions can automatically display images from cameras if, for example, motion is detected. Or the system can be programmed to display a picture-in-picture image from the front door whenever the doorbell is pressed.

REMOTE VIEWING
Some cameras have web servers built in, so all you need is an Internet connection. They are more expensive than their simpler IP counterparts, but for single-camera installations this is an attractive option.

Motion sensing allows some cameras to send still frames to a specified email address when movement is detected.

A port will have to be opened on the website’s router to permit access to the camera. Stay away from port 80, as it is typically blocked by ISPs.

Use a Dynamic DNS (DDNS) service to preclude the need for an expensive static IP address. These services are available free of charge.

Many manufacturers have IP cameras that can automatically configure the router and provide the DDNS.

Many security monitoring stations support video monitoring. They can view your cameras remotely upon sensor activity or some other alarm event.

by EH Staff

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

Posted in Automation, IP Cameras, News, Structured Wiring, technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment


URC to Debut Subsystems for Home Control

URC MX-6000 - Available At Custom Installation Services Charlotte NC!

URC MX-6000 - Available At Custom Installation Services Charlotte NC!

Over the past couple of years, URC has worked hard to reposition itself as a whole-house control company – not just a maker of remotes.

In a symbolic gesture, the company even changed its name in March from Universal Remote Controls to just plain URC, which is what everyone has always called it anyway.

The name-change sets the stage for CEDA Expo 2010, where we’ll see URC’s most ambitious play in the home automation space.

The company promises a “monumental unveiling” of a new line called Total Control, which pushes URC “beyond controlling the home theater and becomes the whole house control company of choice,” according to a CEDIA teaser.

Of course, we’ve heard that claim from URC before. Likewise from virtually every manufacturer of higher-end remote controls.

So what makes this particular unveiling so monumental?

Today, “We offer whole-house control, but to a large extent it’s with third-party products,” URC marketing director Jon Sienkiewicz tells Electronic House sister publication CE Pro. “Now, we’ll have URC-branded products.”

URC-branded products? As in subsystems?

It wouldn’t be a first. With help from Lutron, URC developed its own line of natively compatible lighting controls in 2008. The company did recently unveil an energy monitoring app for its networked controllers. Could thermostats, multiroom audio, IP cameras and other subsystems be far behind? URC isn’t saying.

by Julie Jacobson

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

Custom Installation Services, LLC – Charlotte NC ’s #1 URC Dealer, Installer, Programmer!

Posted in Automation, HAI, Home Theater, lighting control, Media Rooms, Multi Room A/V, News, technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment


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