What is Sonos...
...and do I want (need) it?
All the music you (and your family) love, whenever you want!
I love music. I turn it on first thing in the morning, every morning. It's on all day in my office, in my car and when I go out at night, one of my favorite things is live music. I don't buy CDs much anymore, but if you ask me to play just about any artist, album or song, odds are, I'll be able to play it for you, in a matter of seconds! That's all because I have Sonos! Oldies, opera, country, rock, metal, you name it, it's all there ready for me to listen to. If it's been digitally published, I have it! An you can too!
It's all about choices. Sonos give you seemingly endless choices. If you like traditional AM or FM local radio stations, Sonos has them through iHeart Radio. But here's the Sonos advantage; no static, no cutting out, no adjusting the antenna. Sonos "streams" your favorite station from the Internet. Moved here from another city, and miss your favorite station, no problem, Sonos gets stations from across the country, or across the world! This is also FREE through your Sonos system.
If you have an XM or Sirius account, you can add this feature to your Sonos as well. It's just as easy as adding another radio to your account, without having to buy the radio.
Have a large collection of music on iTunes or the PCs around the house? Sonos will find it, organize it by artist, by album, by track or playlist. Finally it will be at your fingertips, in the kitchen, on the patio, all around the house. If most of your music is on an iPod, Sonos has a dock to allow you to play that music all around the house.
Also built in is access to Pandora, a FREE music service, allowing you to create customized stations with the music you like... commercial free! You can even skip a song if you happen to get one you don't want to hear, just like a CD! Give it the thumbs down, and it won't come up again.
Now let's kick up the "Cool Factor" another notch! If you own an iPhone, an iPad or an Android phone, you can use these from anywhere on your Wi-Fi network to control Sonos! For example, you're sitting out on the deck with some friends, listening to music. You pull out your phone and play a song by your favorite artist that was just released that day!
Now that you're curious about how Sonos could fit into your life, and maybe make it a bit more musical. Give us a call and we'll set up a free demonstration at your home, to see just how easy it is to add more music to your life.
If there are any topics you would like to see covered here, or if you have questions about something, please call or write me at:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 440-582-4434
Remember; if you're wondering, someone else is too.
Dan Gawne
President,
A/V Environments, Inc.
The Holidays: Family, friends, gifts & giving
The Holidays at A/V Environments
The Holiday Season is always an exciting time for us at A/V Environments. Many people are entertaining, inviting family and friends for dinner, parties or maybe just a glass of good cheer or coffee. A growing part of that through the years for many has become different forms of entertainment. Playing Christmas CDs, watching football, a video game or two with your uncle and of course, Miracle on 34th Street, It?s a Wonderful Life, Burl Ives Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer, Christmas Vacation and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. It?s all a part of what Christmas is to us. It?s great for us to be a part of making these things possible for you. As we see you getting your homes ready for the holidays, each in your own way, it gets us in the spirit of the season. It makes us feel good to know that your systems are going to work for you when you need them.
Thank you
All of us here want to thank you for inviting us into your house throughout the year, and during the Holiday Season. It?s been a privilege to be there, and Mike, Rick, Phil, Linda, Paul & myself are all grateful for the opportunity to work with you & get to know you.
As we end this year & go into the next, I would like to take this time to wish everyone a Happy Holiday Season and a Merry Christmas. And as we go forward into 2011, my hope is that we all look forward to the new year with the optimistic wonder of a child, and the enthusiasm of someone with a second chance! If we keep in mind that what we think is impossible is just that. And what we believe to be possible, most definitely, can be.
Dan Gawne
President,
A/V Environments, Inc.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
CES Wrap-up
Is the Future Here?
This year's Consumer Electronics Show has come & gone...
and everyone wants to know, "where are we headed?". Or, are we already there. Well of course we never really get there, only continue the journey. After walking many miles on the many show floors, two themes were very evident. First, that this industry, even in this "New Economy", is not sitting back and waiting for something to happen. Second, that where and how we get our music, news and even movies is changing, and changing fast!
Most of us have already started getting at least some of our news from the Internet. And although it's easy if we happen to be on the computer, it's not convenient for the rest of our day. Music is now mostly "collected" from the Internet now. But if you don't want to pay $.99 a song or download from some questionable site that doesn't compensate the artist that created your favorite music (and risk the threat of viruses), this is not your best option. As far as movies, we do pay-per-view, Netflix or head down to the rapidly vanishing local video rental store.
With respect to music several companies, most notably Sonos, have already started changing how we get our music. The music available to us is more diverse and less expensive than ever. For everything from your favorite band in high school, to XM & Sirius radio to AM & FM stations across the country or across the world, it's all available for less than the cost of one CD a month! Much of this is even FREE!
And it?s changing for movies too and changing fast! TV manufacturers have already begun providing Ethernet connections on the new TVs. Features like Netflix (movies), Picasa (photos), YouTube (videos) and even Facebook & Twitter (social networks) are accessed right from your TV. They have over 20,000 movies available. Better still, some of these are free! A little know, but great, service called VUDU is also available. If these manufacturers have their say, much more is on the horizon. Streaming home movies stored on any computer in the house, soon will be just another choice with your remote. Choosing one of your favorite shows from the "cloud" will be just like having a DVR with everything already recorded on it. As I eluded to before, this "future" is already under way, the infrastructure already in place. We are catching up with the capabilities of our everyday electronics. They're getting easier to operate, giving us more information and taking us to more places than we ever imagined.
In some upcoming articles we will talk about some of these new technologies that are coming, and some that are already here. We'll see how they can simplify & enhance your life.
If there are any topics you would like to see covered here, please write me at:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
If you're wondering about something, someone else likely is as well.
Dan Gawne
President,
A/V Environments, Inc.
Reputation and References
Don't hesitate to ask for references, photos or trade affiliations
You're likely going to be spending some money you worked hard for, and having the work done to the largest investment you have; your home. You'll want to make sure the team you choose to accomplish this, has done it successfully in the past. Most of this information can be provided by the firm under consideration. Other sources could be the Better Business Bureau, CEDIA, Angie's List, even the county courthouse. Although the best refence, is talking to someone you know, who has had similar work done already.
Your Vision
You may start with a clear vision of what the end result will be, or just a general idea. Etther way, you should have a good rapport with the A/V designer. The first meeting should be an education for both of you. You will learn about the many new products & services, and your integrator will gain some insight into what you?re trying to accomplish. This meeting should be a relaxed discussion of limitations and possibilities. You both have the same goal for this first meeting; that the integrator gets a very clear picture of what you want, and the budget you would like to work within. If they are not aware of your expectations, they are very unlikely to meet them.
The devil really is in the details
Most projects, large or small, really do succeed or fail based on how the details are handled. If these details are not spelled out in your contract, then ask to have this done. Who is responsible for cleanup? Are all necessary cables included? Will you be billed if more materials and/or labor are needed? Will you be trained on operation of the system when completed? What is, and is not covered by the warranty? There is a warranty isn't there? The quote should be very detailed & descriptive. If it's not, much is open to interpretation. You want to make certain that both of you have the same expectations of the finished project. The chances of disappointment are significantly reduced this way. If you don?t feel that the integrator has the same goals as you do, more discussions may be needed. Never be reluctant to ask questions. It?s your money and you?re the one that is going to have to live with the results. Do what you can upfront to improve the odds that your project turns out the way you would like it to.
Daniel Gawne
President,
A/V Environments, Inc.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Please write with any comments or questions.