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At AV Specialists we do audio video installation in the Clearwater, Tampa at St. Petersburg, Florida area. As the owner of an AV design and installation business, I am often surprised by the amount of really bad workmanship I see in my travels. Sometimes it amazes me that contractors actually get paid when I see what their jobs look like.

It's not uncommon to see cables hanging from the TV instead of being neatly zip tied together. I also often see TV's that are not hung straight and you can obviously see that they are mounted on a tilt. 

There are a few things to consider here. One is how far you are going to be sitting away from the display. That's pretty easy to figure with a simple formula. It's also important that the TV looks good, wherever you decide to have mounted. A large screen TV can be made to look very small on a long blank wall. The opposite of this is also true. A relatively small 32" TV can look monstrous and out of place on top of a small dresser or cabinet. If you have enough room and can sit a reasonable distance from the display, buy the largest screen size you can. I have never had a single customer want to switch to a smaller TV. I have had many that later wished they’d have gone larger. This rule does not apply the same when applied to projector.

When it comes to your business, your office workplace is a direct reflection of who you are and how you conduct business. To that end, you will always want to project the best possible appearance to current and prospective clients. This means giving your staff the tools they need to excel if you want your business to grow.

It's not a Boardroom (too elaborate), it's not a Conference Room (too big), it's a Huddle Room. A huddle room is the name that's been given to a small meeting room where a lot of the "real" work at the job actually gets done.

Gone are the days of the traditional dry erase board. Electronic whiteboards are increasingly making their way into boardrooms and conference centers. The touch screen technology found in most interactive whiteboards on the market today allows the meeting presenter to capture feedback and update meeting content with the touch of a finger. Today’s whiteboards are far more useful and allow you to enhance your conference room audiovisual experience.

The medical field demands the very best technology. While this need is most pronounced in diagnostic and treatment equipment, it is also crucial in the area of communication. The right cath lab and operating room AV can provide a host of specific benefits that will help ensure that the patients receive the very best of care. Here's how:

It’s been a long time since we’ve been this excited about a new product around here. However Control4 is one of those products, that the more you learn about the Control4 system the more you love it. I know you’re probably saying to yourself, what’s the big deal there certainly is no shortage of remote control products out there. Especially these days. And.. if you said that you would be correct. These days there are apps for smart phones, there are cheap poorly conceived products (ie ones that begin with an H or L), and then there are the big names that have been long established in the AV industry. However in many ways Contro4 is different and it’s different than each of those categories list above in different ways.

Your music collection is a long standing thing - you curate it, it defines you. Because you aim to keep your music collection a long time, it's worth investing in making it more usable, maintainable and secure.

A couple of us here at AV Specialists, were recently were given the opportunity to take a trip to Binghamton NY and tour the McIntosh Audio factory. Being able to see how this product is made as well as formal training on how the circuits work was eye opening indeed. Also valuable was the explanation on why they have so many different models.

The home network has come a long way from it's simple beginnings. From even as recently as a year or two ago, the AV related data we move over the network has increased significantly. At first, the home network was used mostly for accessing the internet or downloading music files. Then as time moved on and technology progressed we started seeing streaming music and video services such as Pandora and Netflix.

There are as many opinions about what constitutes a good audio speaker as there are music listeners in the world. Still, some audio technology companies have significantly differentiated themselves from the rest of the industry with their dedication to providing the very best speaker lines. Here are just two of our favorite brands and a few of their products:

Home theater technology keeps improving whether you are ready for it or not. TV technology is no different, with the latest innovations coming in the form of OLED TVs. With new models becoming available on a regular basis now, it's safe to say that OLED display technology is here to stay.

So you've got your home theater set up perfectly; impeccable surround sound speakers, first-rate audio receiver and amp, and integration with all of your input sources. But with every high quality component that you've purchased comes a remote. It's not uncommon to have more than five electronic components that are remote controlled, so if you're using five different remote control devices, you’re likely feeling frustrated and annoyed.

Rain & Heat Are No Match for These Outdoor AV Solutions 

Wouldn’t you love to enjoy movie nights and music-filled dinners on the patio or lawn? Imagine music wafting through the evening air—or catching the game while you cool off in the pool. 

Accomplishing this goal, however, is not as easy as just installing the equipment and hoping for the best. As Floridians, we know that any outdoor event needs a weather contingency. But, if done right, your outdoor AV installation in Tampa can withstand the elements.

I came in early today to meet one of the crew for a job they had to start early. Once I got them going for the day and because I was already here at 5:30 a.m., I decided to stay and get some work done. Also, because I knew the phone wasn’t going to ring at that hour I could turn up the music and get lost in it.

When you want to use your brand new home theater system at its fullest potential, finding some good movies to take advantage of your surround sound is a great place to start. With a professional quality receiver from Marantz paired up with some Totem speakers, the only way to totally experience the system is to find a movie that was designed for thrills in the theater.

With all the new TV technology trends out there, it's easy to get caught up in the hype. When you're looking to get the most out of your home entertainment system, having the ability to stream content can be convenient, but there are several options from which to choose.

With the birth of some exciting new TV technology trends and the likely death of others, 2014 is set to be a year of great flux for home entertainment. The AV industry is shaking off dead weight technologies, such as 3D televisions, that didn't end up being as revolutionary as some manufacturers expected, and replacing them with some truly innovative technology.

When purchasing a TV, you want to educate yourself on the latest TV technology trends, so you can invest in the features that will get the most use in your household, and will be compatible with your favorite content, programming subscription(s), and devices. In our last blog post, TV Technology Trends: The Death of the 3D TV, we discussed a TV trend that we believe is on its way out. Now, let's talk about two trends that we expect to gain popularity in 2014.

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Imagine being able to control every electronic component—this means lights, music, appliances, and even the “smart” locks on your front and back doors!—of your home whether you are there or not.