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 | Will you want music around the house? If so, will you want room-to-room control of your music system? |
| Will you have one or more computers and will they need to be networked? |
| Will you have high-speed internet access? |
| Will you have TV via antenna, cable, satellite or all of these? |
| Will there be adequate telephone jacks? |
| Will there be a home theater (surround sound)? |
| Is answering your doorbell from any telephone a consideration? |
| Will you want camera surveillance of your property? |
| Would you prefer one set of controls for lighting, temperature, music, video, etc? |
Lots of decisions to be made. However, these decisions are typically not high on the priority list of a new home owner during the early stages of building a home. Thinking about the modern conveniences of home electronics is sometimes put off until it is too late or, at the very least, much more costly. If you examine a few of your preferences before the drywall goes up, your electronic “after life” can be a lot more fulfilling.
The Possibilities
Most people’s thoughts on home electronics are limited by their knowledge of what is possible. Here are a few thought-provoking possibilities:
| Listen to different music sources in every room of your home |
| Answer the door from the any telephone |
| Home Theater Projector and 100" Screen able to retract into your ceiling and become invisible |
| Keep an eye on the house from a remote location such as work |
| Watch the morning news THROUGH your bathroom mirror (see a picture when TV is on, disappears into mirror when turned off) |
| Great video and better sound |
| Share the Home Theater with the rest of the house |
| ONE set of controls…for EVERYTHING |
What is a
Structured Wiring System and why is it important for my new home?
A Structured Wiring System simplifies and enhances a homeowners lifestyle. It offers organized and centralized distribution of today's low voltage wiring (cable TV, satellite, telephone, internet, ethernet, etc.) throughout a home. This is the most efficient and effective way to provide wiring in a new construction home. Basically, structured wiring consists of three elements: the distribution panel, the cabling, and the outlets.
The distribution panel, or service center, works like a sophisticated switchboard. Outside services, including cable TV, telephone, DBS satellite, and internet, enter the panel and are distributed throughout the house. The system is similar to the one used by the electrical breaker panel in the home to control electricity flow.
Certain services such as digital cable, digital satellite, high speed internet, and HDTV require the second part of the wiring system, high performance cables, to allow full access throughout the home. Most systems include RG-6 Quad Shielded coaxial cable for TV and video distribution, and Category 5 or better twisted pair cable for telephone and data. RG-6 Quad Shield coaxial cable provides maximum protection from interference with the TV or Satellite picture. Category 5, 5e, or 6 cable provides high speed transmission of data or voice without cross talk or outside interference.
Each room has third part of the wiring system, the outlets, which can be customized to each users specific needs based on which services they want in each room (cable TV, Internet access, telephone, etc.) Outlets that feature connections for voice, video, and data services on a single plate are known as multimedia or universal service outlets.
One of the reasons why it is important to use a modern structured wiring system is that the older cable and wiring methods used by dealers in years past are not suitable for today's types of services and those that will likely enter the home in the future.
A typical structured wiring system will include data cables for telecommunication, audio, balanced-line video, computer data, and other applications. It will also include coaxial cables for wide-band entertainment, such as satellite television, cable television, HDTV, home-based composite video, and more. You may also include digital fiber optic cables to add additional "Future Proofing" to your home.
Here are some additional FAQ's regarding today's advanced wiring standards:
What is
Category 5 Data Wiring (CAT 5)?
| 4 twisted pairs of high quality copper wire enclosed in an outer jacket. |
| Used for phone, fax, modem, home networking, and high-speed digital computer transmissions. |
| Supports four phone lines with one cable. |
| High immunity to interference. |
| Relative capacity: A garden hose. |
What is RG6 Quad Shield Coaxial Cable?
| Coaxial cable with insulated center wire and four layers of shielding. |
| Supports hundreds of channels and digital data. |
| Used for cable TV, digital satellite, HDTV, cable modem and high-speed interactive video services. |
| High immunity to interference. |
| Relative capacity: A fire hose. |
Types of modem/internet services:
What is a Modem?
| Used to transmit computer data over standard phone lines. |
| Typically packaged in a new home computer. |
| Today's standard computer modems transmit up to 56,000 bits per second. |
What is ISDN?
| ISDN stands for Integrated Services Digital Network. |
| Digital equivalent of standard computer modem transmission. |
| Transmits high-speed data three times faster than today's standard modems (128,000 bits per second). |
| Service provided by the telephone company over high-quality copper phone wire. |
What is DSL?
| DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line service. |
| Transmits high-speed data anywhere from 50 to 270 times as fast as today's standard modems (1.5 million to 9 million bits per second). |
| Service provided by the telephone company over high-quality copper phone wire. |
| Cable modems transmit high-speed data up to 900 times faster than today's analog computer modems (30 million bits per second). |
| Since neighborhood users "share" available bandwidth, actual data throughput speed might be slower. |
| Provided by the cable company over high-quality coaxial cable. |
| Commercial networking standard for transmitting data between computers. |
| Computers typically connected via cables to an Ethernet hub. |
| Each computer must have an Ethernet network interface card. |
| 10BaseT means the computers are connected with twisted pair cable (CAT5) at 10 million bits per second data throughput. |
| With Digital Satellite Service (DSS), video programs are received by a small (18") satellite dish. |
| Signals are decoded at the TV with a set-top receiver. |
| Local channels are NOW available in our area! |
What is Whole-House Video?
| Any video source can be seen on a specific channel on every TV in the home. |
| VCR or DVD programs can be viewed on any TV. |
| Baby room camera allows sleeping infants to be watched over from any room. |
| Front door camera enables screening for possible intruders. |
What is a Multi-Room Audio System?
| Any audio source (CD, Tuner, etc.) can be heard in any room throughout your home. |
| Flush mount In-Ceiling or In-Wall speakers provide aesthetic benefits. |
| Great for entertaining or just relaxing. |
| Capable of playing different sources in different rooms at the same time. |
The History of Home
Wiring...Telephone
The Past:
| Home telephone wiring was designed for voice only. |
| Second lines were a luxury. |
| Since 1910, telephone outlets have been "daisy-chained" together with low-grade telephone wire. |
| Poor quality cable and bad connections are subject to noise, interference and "cross talk" (hearing other conversations). |
| A single problem corrupts every phone outlet. |
The History of Home Wiring...Television
| Rooftop Antennas - Television broadcast were poor quality, and very susceptible to interference from weather. |
| Cable TV (circa 1975) - Improved picture, more channels, but still low picture quality by today's standards. |
| RG59 Coaxial Cable - Small conductor, very little shielding and only moderate bandwidth. |
Today's Modern Home Wiring
| Three Major Components
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| The "Structured" Wiring System
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Home Automation- How does it make my home more intuitive and comfortable?
It’s the same old routine each and every day…and you love it!
7:00 AM
Your ‘alarm’ goes off - a pleasant voice announces over the in-wall speakers in
your bedroom that “It’s time to wake up.” The curtains automatically open. The
room lights come up to a comfortable level. Your favorite music begins to play.
And the Weather Channel, with the sound muted, appears on your TV.
After a moment, you rise and head to the bathroom to get ready for the day where music is already playing. With just a ‘tap’ to the in-wall touch panel mounted beside the sink, you bring up the weather channel as you brush your teeth. Satisfied that you won’t need an umbrella you give the touch panel another ‘tap’ to start watching CNN Headline News.
The doorbell rings. The view on the touch panel automatically switches to the front door camera. It’s UPS with an overnight delivery. Not quite ready to face the world yet, you pick up the bathroom phone and tell him to leave the package at the front door. Turning off the news, you crank up the music and step into the shower.
When you head into the kitchen fifteen minutes later, the coffee has just finished brewing. Two cups later you ‘tap’ the kitchen touch panel before heading out the door. The audio/video system powers down; the lights slowly dim until they’re off, the thermostat adjusts to its ‘daytime’ setting and the garage door automatically opens.
So begins your day when living with in a "Smart Home".
What is High Definition Television and is it available today?
HDTV (high definition television) is the new standard in television technology which provides wide-screen picture quality similar to 35mm film along with compact disc (CD) sound quality.
DTV (Digital Television) is no longer just a mirage, shimmering on the horizon. Lots of people are already enjoying its crystal-clear picture and sound — and raving about it to their friends. Once you've seen HDTV's ultra-sharp detail, lifelike depth, and vivid colors, regular TV seems dull and lifeless. HDTV owners swear that high-def viewing is "like looking through a window."
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The big question everybody asks is: "What channels can I receive in digital or
high definition format in my local area?" The answer is not quite as simple...
There are three ways of getting HDTV content, and all three ways will get you different channels and different HDTV resolutions. These options are listed below:
HDTV over Satellite
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A satellite company such as DirecTV or Dish Network will allow you to get
high definition programming from them. If you go this route, you will have to
pay a little extra to receive local channels if you wish to watch your local
network broadcasts. Even if your local networks are broadcasting in High
Definition, you will only get standard definition signals as DTV and HDTV take
up too much bandwidth. Your HDTV channels will most likely include an east or
west cost feed of CBS, HBO, Showtime, Pay Per View, HD Net and so forth. Look at
the corresponding pages on this site to see which high definition channels each
satellite company provides. If you decide to get HDTV programming from a
satellite company you will have to:
| Get a subscription from the specific satellite company that includes HDTV programming. |
| Buy a satellite dish that is capable of receiving HDTV signals from the satellite company you wish to receive high definition broadcasts from. |
| Buy a Set-Top-Box that is capable of decoding High Definition channels and is compatible with the specific satellite provider you choose. |
| Buy a High Definition TV to view the signals. |
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HDTV through Local Cable Companies
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Cable companies are just starting to provide HDTV broadcasts and almost all local cable companies in Louisiana offer HDTV services. If you decide to do this you will have to:
| Get a subscription from your local cable provider who supports HDTV . |
| Buy or rent a Set-Top-Box that is capable of decoding High Definition channels and is compatible with the specific cable company you choose. |
| Buy a High Definition Television to view the signals. |
Many people are confusing Digital Cable with HDTV and DTV. These are two completely different things. If you get Digital Cable, this usually does not mean you are already set up to receive HDTV signals. (Though it is possible...)
HDTV reception Over The Air
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OTA stands for Over the Air and is when you set up an antenna to get
broadcasts from a local tower. If you get signals OTA you will not have to pay a
subscription to a cable or satellite company and the programming is completely
free. This does, however, limit you to only a few channels and is why most
people receiving HDTV programming over the air also get programming from a cable
company or satellite company as well. If you decide to do this you will have to:
| Buy an antenna that is satisfactory for your location compared to the broadcast towers near you. To find out what type of antenna you might need, visit AntennaWeb.Org |
| Buy a Set-Top-Box that is capable of receiving and decoding High Definition channels over the air. |
| Buy a High Definition TV to view the signals. |
Of course, you can choose to get HDTV from multiple sources at the same time. Many people get both Satellite and OTA signals since OTA does not cost anything except the initial setup! Plus, if you are getting HDTV over satellite that may mean you already have a STB that can decode OTA signals too.
COX COMMUNICATIONS for New Orleans and Jefferson now offer these High Definition channels: HBO, SHOWTIME, Discovery Channel, ESPN, MTV, In-Demand, and most local channels.
Once you've determined which DTV signals are available to you, it's time to think about which type of digital TV makes the most sense. There are two basic paths to HDTV viewing.
| An HDTV (sometimes called an "integrated HDTV") combines an HD-capable display and an HDTV tuner in one package. The tuner can usually receive both digital and analog over-the-air broadcasts. The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) mandated that as of July 1, 2006, all TVs with screens 25" and larger must include an over-the-air digital tuner, and by march 1, 2007, all TVs 13" and larger must include a digital tuner. You'll find that nearly all HDTV sets use the widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio. |
| An HDTV-ready TV (also called an "HDTV monitor") has the high-scan-rate display, but must be connected to a separate HDTV tuner to receive digital broadcasts. Most HDTV-ready TVs include an NTSC tuner for viewing regular analog programs. HDTV-ready TVs can have either the conventional 4:3 aspect ratio or the widescreen 16:9 ratio. |
Both HDTV sets and HDTV-ready TVs are available in flat-panel, big-screen (rear-projection), and tube designs. These high-resolution screens give images more impact. And because the screen's pixels and horizontal lines are less noticeable than on conventional TVs, you'll probably find that you can sit closer than with a conventional TV. Therefore, you may want to go with a larger screen than if you were shopping for an analog TV.
If you're lucky enough to live in an area where most or all of the TV programming you care about is already available via over-the-air digital broadcasts, an integrated HDTV is probably a wise choice. But if digital broadcasts are limited in your area, or if you subscribe to a satellite TV service, you can buy an HDTV-ready TV now, then add a separate HDTV tuner later.
The reason that digital TV — HDTV in particular — looks so much better than analog TV comes down to two words: higher resolution. Conventional NTSC television offers 480 lines of vertical resolution — 480 scanning lines stacked tightly one on top of the other. Each of these horizontal lines is 720 pixels across. So, conventional TV resolution is often described as "720 by 480." Because NTSC TV signals are interlaced-scan, analog TV signals are often referred to as "480i." The only video source that takes full advantage of NTSC resolution is DVD.
While 480i is the best quality signal available in NTSC, it's the lowest quality signal in digital TV. Surprisingly, there are a total of 18 possible DTV broadcast formats (see the DTV format chart on our TV FAQ page), which all fall into two basic categories:
| HDTV (High-Definition TV) is a widescreen, near-film-quality format featuring Dolby® Digital audio (but not necessarily 5.1-channel). The two most common HDTV varieties are 1,080-line interlaced scan (1080i) and 720-line progressive scan (720p). 1080i has 1,080 lines of vertical resolution and 1,920 pixels across each line. 720p has 720 vertical lines with 1,280 pixels across each line. |
| SDTV (Standard-Definition TV) offers significantly less
resolution than HDTV. All SDTV formats are either 480p or 480i. Still, even
the lowest resolution SDTV signals produce better picture quality than current
analog broadcasts. That's because digital broadcasts don't suffer from analog
distortion such as "snow" or "ghosting." With digital broadcasts, you either
get a clear picture, or if the signal is too weak, no picture at all. Plus, you'll see some TVs described as "EDTV." |
| EDTV (Enhanced-Definition TV) refers to the display resolution of some plasma and flat-panel LCD TVs. There's no such thing as an EDTV signal or format; it's strictly a type of TV. EDTVs display all signals at 480p resolution — the same as progressive-scan DVD. An EDTV set won't look as sharp and detailed as an HDTV, but is noticeably superior to a standard tube TV. Most current EDTVs are widescreen designs with 480 lines of vertical resolution and 852 pixels across each line. |
Although HDTV tuners (whether they're separate units or built into an HDTV) are capable of receiving all 18 DTV formats, the typical HDTV screen cannot display all of them. Building a TV display that could detect and switch between so many resolutions would be extremely expensive.
Instead, most TV manufacturers build High-Definition TVs and HDTV-ready TVs that display one or two formats, called the "native display" formats. The TV's tuner can receive any of the 18 signal types. But those signals are converted inside the tuner to one of the TV's native display formats. Conventional analog video signals are typically "upconverted" by this same circuitry. Upconversion works great with a high-quality source like DVD, and can significantly improve the look of decent signals from antenna, cable, or satellite. But it can't work miracles for snowy analog antenna reception or a noisy cable picture.
Because 1080i is the most popular high-definition format for over-the-air and satellite HDTV broadcasts, most CRT-based TVs use it as their High-Definition native-display rate. The other common native rate for tube-based TVs is 480p (for SDTV broadcasts and progressive-scan DVD). If you were to watch a 720p High-Definition broadcast, the TV would typically convert the 720p signal to either 1080i or 480p — although some HDTV-capable TVs cannot accept a 720p signal. A 720p broadcast converted to 1080i still looks very sharp, but if you are particularly interested in viewing 720p HDTV programs, you should try to find a TV with a native display rate that is at least close to 720p.
"Fixed-pixel" TV designs, which include plasma, LCD, DLP, and LCoS, have a single native display rate, and all incoming signals must be converted to match that rate. So, for example, a 46" DLP TV with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels (720p) uses a built-in "scaler" to convert every incoming signal — from regular 480i all the way up to 1080i HDTV — to 720p.
Until the transition to digital television is complete, TV stations will continue broadcasting on their analog channels while phasing in digital broadcasts on a separate DTV channel. Several years ago, the FCC established a timetable for terrestrial (over-the-air) broadcasters to convert to DTV. While many stations missed earlier deadlines, most commercial and public TV stations are currently broadcasting digitally at least part of the time.
Earlier deadlines weren't strictly enforced, but everyone seems to be taking the recently proposed 2009 analog shutoff date more seriously. A substantial amount of money is involved — the analog bandwidth that has been occupied by TV broadcasters will be auctioned off and is expected to generate billions of dollars for the government. You should be aware of the following dates:
| July 1, 2006: As part of the FCC's "tuner mandate," all TV sets with screens measuring 25" or larger must include an over-the-air digital tuner. Note: this rule doesn't apply to "monitor" displays which lack any type of built-in tuner. |
| December 31, 2006: This was the FCC's original target "analog shut-off date" when all TV stations would have been required to turn off their analog signals. However, the proposal included a loophole that allowed the deadline to be extended until most homes (85%) in an area were capable of watching digital TV programs. This deadline is no longer in effect. |
| March 1, 2007: The final requirement of the tuner mandate calls for all TVs with screens measuring 13" or larger to include an over-the-air digital tuner. Again, this won't apply to monitor displays. |
| February 17, 2009: In legislation passed in early Feb. 2006, the U.S. Congress chose this date for the "analog shut-off," when all TV stations would be required to turn off their analog signals. The measure is part of the budget bill, which still must be signed by President Bush, but it seems safe to predict that over-the-air analog TV signals will cease sometime in early 2009. |
If 2009 rolls around and you still don't own a digital TV, don't worry — you won't be left staring at a dark screen. Any TV connected to a cable or satellite set-top box should continue to work just fine. Plus, all versions of the analog shutoff legislation proposed so far have included significant funds — at least a billion dollars or so — earmarked for helping owners of analog TVs purchase inexpensive converter boxes that would allow them to view over-the-air digital broadcasts on their old TVs.
Stay tuned for more news on High Definition Television...
Can I incorporate your services into my existing home?
Yes, depending on the age, style, and size of your home. If you would like to set up a free in-home consultation, please visit our contact us page.
What are the different Surround Sound formats (Dolby Digital, DTS, THX, etc.)?
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What are the different TV screen types (Plasma, CRT, LCD, Rear Projection)?
Understanding TV Types
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