Elizabeth kicks ass in the Texas Round-Up 10K

On Saturday, Elizabeth did the Texas Round-Up 10K race. She was 19th in her group (women age 35-39) with a chip time of 55:12.

Way to go baby!

AV Project :: Redbud Trail :: Part 4 – whole house amplifier and outdoor speakers

We used a Speakercraft Big Bang amplifier and speaker selector for driving audio to the rest of the house.

I crimped on RCA connectors to existing coax cables to get the line level signal from the receiver in the TV cabinet to the amplifier in the office.

Then it was just a matter of mounting speakers and hooking up volume controllers.

Speakercraft Big Bang amplifier and speaker selector:

Back porch, two sets of speakers in place:

Back porch: volume controllers. Still need to paint and mount an on-wall two-gang box.

Wish the builders would have mounted in a 2 gang box. Another lesson learned…

Front porch speakers:

Front porch volume controllers: (I’m not happy with this cover. Think I’ll replace it with a nicer Niles cover)

Although, the builders did use a signle gang box in the stone. Not sure why they didn’t on the back porch. Too bad it was a standard depth though. Volume controllers don’t fit in standard depth electric boxes. They require a deep box.

AV Project :: Redbud Trail :: Part 3- Main Speakers

The first round of installation was to hook up the Integra Receiver, the front left & right main speakers, and the REL subwoofer.

Nothing too dramatic here.

There was a small space behind the wooden cabinet, so I was able to drill a hole at the base of the cabinet, and snake a wire up to the top shelf area, where the main speakers will go.

For the subwoofer cable, I drilled a hole from the left side of the cabinet into the closet in the den, and then a hole from the den closet into the living room. In the living room, I cut out a square, added a low voltage box, and added a wall plate and a grommet for a clean look.

Hooked up her iPod to the receiver, and presto, we have sound in the main part of the house.

Receiver and iPod in cabinet: (Boy, do they look lonely in there. Can’t wait to get the TV in place)

Totem DreamCatchers on the top shelf:

REL sub in place:

AV Project :: Redbud Trail :: Part 2 – Product Selection

Jump forward two years to the present, and it was finally time to get some sound in their house.

First, we started with product selection. I shopped around, worked with the great folks at Austin Home Theater, and came up with the following:

• Sony KDS50A2020 LCD HDTV
• Integra DTR 5.6 Receiver
• Totem Dreamcatcher Speakers for Front Left & Right (Cherry)
• Totem Dreamcatcher Speakers for Surround Left & Right (Cherry)
• Totem Dreamcatcher Center Channel Speaker (Cherry)
• REL T-2 Powered Subwoofer (Cherry)
• Apple AV Connection Kit
• SpeakerCraft BB2125 Big Bang Amplifier
• SpeakerCraft 8 zone speaker selector
• 3 pair of SpeakerCraft OE5 Outdoor Speakers
• 1 pair of SpeakerCraft MT6 One In Wall Speakers
• 4 SpeakerCraft VLS60 Sliding Volume Controllers
• Panamax Surge Protector
• 2 Monster Surge Protectors

We got the Sony TV at an unbelievable price: $1750. This is amazing for a 50″ 1080p TV.

This is my first time using Totem speakers. These little babies are amazing! They have an incredible sound for their size. Plus, they look great. Much nicer looking than standard home theater speakers.

AV Project :: Redbud Trail :: Part 1 – wiring

A couple years back, some friends of mine were in the process of building a new house, and wanted some advice on prewiring for whole house audio. We laid out a plan for a 5.1 system in the living room, and speakers and control in every other room.

They used Dyer Electronics in Austin to take care of the pre-wiring.

All the wiring was home-run to the office, including speaker runs, cat 5 for each room for control, and coax for video signals.

In the family room, there’s a custom cabinet with bifold doors, made to house the TV. It has two shelves below for components.

Jump forward two years, when we had to actually wire eveything up. This is where our story is now.

I placed the AV receiver in the main TV cabinet, as this is a central location, and makes the most sense from a control standpoint.

Here’s a couple pics of the built-in TV cabinet:

I placed the whole house amplifier and speaker selector in the office, as this is where all of the whole house audio speakers run to.

I used a pair of coax cables that run from the TV cabinet to the office as audio cables. I simply crimped on RCA connectors to each end. These cables were originally intended for video distribution from the office to the TV cabinet.

Lessons Learned:

I wished we had thought more about product locations. The wiring was done to place all components in the office, but to me, it makes more sense to have the Receiver in the cabinet with the TV. We ended up making the wiring work this way, but it would have been easier if we had home-run all wires to the TV cabinet.

On the back porch, the wires for the 2 sets of back porch speakers and volume controllers come out of a small hole in a limestone wall. I wish there was a 2 gang box built into the wall. This would have allowed a much cleaner look, as opposed to having to do an on-wall box with a box extension (because volume controllers are so deep).

I wish all of the low-voltage gang boxes were either deep, or preferably, backless. As volume controllers are deep, standard gang boxes are less than ideal. And because it’s all low voltage wiring, backless boxes are perfectly valid to use.

The built-in shelves in the TV cabinet should be higher. As they are, the receiver we picked out won’t fit, as it’s too high. The shelves are currently 5 inches high. The receiver is 7 inches high. Doh!

Review – Logitech Harmony 880 remote

I’ve had my Logitech Harmony 880 remote for over a year now, and I love it! The WAF alone is worth it.

One of my favorite phrases to describe good technology is: It just works! And for me, the Harmony does. It just works.

For those not familiar with the Harmony, it’s a universal remote, and it focuses on Activities, rather than devices.

For example, you simply choose an activity, such as Digital Music, and it:

• turns on the receiver
• sets the receiver to the proper input (TV/DBS)
• set the receiver mode to 7 channel stereo
• turns on the cable box
• sets the cable box to my favorite digital music channel (Americana)
• turns on the Technics amp
  • the Technics amp powers my dining room in-wall speakers
  • the Technics AMP then powers on the Sony amp, which powers the two sets of speakers in the back yard
• set the Technics amp to the proper input
• turns off all other devices

So I instantly get my favority music station, in the desired audio format, and sent to every zone in the house. When in this activity, it knows that volume up/down should control the Denon receiver, and the channel up/down should control the cable box.  Nice.

All of this setup is configured by the Harmony website, which then transfers a configuration file to the remote, which connets to the computer via a USB cable. The web interface does a nice job of walking you through the setup, and it’s database contained all of my components. In addition, you can easily add commands when you start or stop an activity, which is how I have the Digital Music activity automatically start on my favorite station.

You can also customize the icons, text, and background of what shows on the LCD screen, so I was able to upload a custom background, as well as icons for all of my favorite channels. Here’s one site that has a downloadable set of icons and backgrounds.

I currently have my Harmony setup for 7 different activities:

• Watch a DVD
• Listen to Digital Music
• Play VCR
• Listen to CD
• Listen to Radio
• Listen to iPod
• Watch TV

It currently controls 9 devices:

• TV – Sony TV (KDF-55WF655)
• VCR – Panasonic VCR (PV-4659)
• DVD – Toshiba DVD (HD-A2)
• Technics Amp – Technics AV Receiver (SA-GX100)
• AV Receiver – Denon AV Receiver (AVR-3801)
• PVR – Scientific Atlanta PVR (Explorer 8300HD)
• CD Player – Technics CD Jukebox (SL-MC7)
• Digital Music Server – Apple Digital Music Server (iPod Docking station)
• Lights – X10 Wireless Light Controller (IR-543)

The combination of color LCD screen, along with “real” buttons, makes it super easy to use, even in the dark.

When you pick up the remote, a built-in tilt sensor takes the remote out of its “sleep” mode, and it does so almost instantly. After a short period of time, it goes into sleep mode, which helps conserve the battery. There is a charge meter right on the LCD screen.

The Harmony comes with a recharging station, and that’s been my only complaint so far. After about six months, the remote doesn’t really connect with the charger very well, so I have to place a book on top of the remote when it’s charging, otherwise it simply sets in the cradle, but doesn’t make contact with the charging contacts, so it doesn’t charge.

One of the things I really like is the Help mode. If for some reason, your system isn’t working, you simply press the Help button, and the remote prompts you with a series of questions. Is the TV on? In the Cable box on? Is the receiver set to TV? etc. If you answer no, it will then attempt to send the IR signal to fix the issue, then ask you again. Is the TV on now? Did that fix the problem? Again, it’s a godsend for the WAF factor. Since getting the remote, I no longer have to hear my wife complain because she can’t figure out how to work “the system”.

I was surprised to find that the X10 controller was in the list of known devices for the Harmony. The X10 controller is pretty sweet. I have a CinemaQuest Ideal-Lume backlight for behind my TV, a floor lamp behind the couch, and I recently added rope lights above my window valances. All of these are now controlled from the Harmony.

A while back I had purchased a universal iPod dock (as I have an iPod Video and an iPod mini). The remote for the iPod dock is sold separatly (it’s an extra $29), and I didn’t get it. But with the Harmony, I am able to control my iPods, as the Harmony knows the codes for the dock. 

 

When I got the remote, it was in the $250 range, which to me is a great price. I was previously looking at remotes from Niles and Crestron which cost in the thousands. The Harmony 880 is now in the $150 range.

This is by far the best remote I have ever owned, and at its current price, I think it’s a no-brainer. I’m currently working on a whole-house AV system for some friends of mine, and a Harmony will be the next piece of equipment I recommend that they get.

Initial review: Toshiba HD-A2 HD-DVD Player

My old Panasonic DVD player was starting to show its age (occasional blips, noticeable slowness when shifting layers, etc.), so my wonderful wife continued to fuel my home theater fix by getting me a new DVD player for Valentine’s Day.

I was almost sold on a new Denon upconverting DVD-1930I, but then the prices really dropped on the HD-DVD players, so I ordered the Toshiba HD-A2 HD-DVD player from Amazon for under $350. In addition, there’s a rebate for 5 free HD-DVDs. Throw in Amazon Prime free 2 day shipping, and it’s a pretty sweet deal. Along with the player, I ordered The Departed and King King HD-DVDs.

The format wars are still raging between HD-DVD and BluRay, but with the BluRay players still going for $1000, my choice was easy.

Two days later, my new player arrived. It’s a great looking piece of equipment – very sleek. It was a breeze to setup. I used a Toslink cable for the audio to my Denon 3801 Receiver, and a new HDMI cable to my Sony KDF-55WF655 55″ LCD HDTV.

The player allows you to set its resolution to match that of the TV. I’m currently running it at 720p, although for the next few movies I’ll also try it at 1080i.

The first flick we watched was King King. It was badass! The picture was amazing. The sound was perfect. No audio/video sync issues, no blips. The picture detail was amazing.

We’ve also watched standard DVDs, and the upconversion is a noticeable improvement over my old player. We watched Casion Royale this past week, and it looked fantastic. I’m looking forward to revisiting some of my old standard def flicks, and see how they look. Can’t wait to watch The Godfather I & II again.

The initial load time is a bit long, almost 30 seconds. It’s the one negative about the player, but it’s a minor one.

One of the nice features is an ethernet jack, allowing the player to update its firmware via the internet. I haven’t done an update yet – I’ll write about it when I do.

I use a Harmony 880 remote, which I immediatly updated to control the new player, so I don’t really have anyhing to say about the remote that comes with the player. The harmony has worked perfectly with the new player.

So, the initial impression is very favorable. We’ll see how it holds up in the long term.

Care to drive a Ferrari, AND a Ford GT, AND a Bentley…

DFW Drive Your Dream allows you to drive 5 supercars in a day. Very sweet!

They’re based out of Dallas, but they’re coming to Austin on September 22, 2007.