Lyn Perry, CEO of Wilshire Media Systems and Nancy Randak of Randak Interiors discuss the benefits of working with industry partners and their collaboration.

1. Music Apps and Internet Radio

Pandora, Rhapsody, Spotify, Last.fm, Napster, iheartradio, Stitcher SmartRadio, AUPEO!, MOG, Rdio, Slacker… and the list goes on. Anyone using a “smart TV,” connected Blu-ray Disc player, or one of the many whole-house audio solutions on the market today has undoubtedly seen the rapid rise in the number of competing online music applications. While some music purists may scoff at the sound quality afforded by these Internet radio and streaming music services, it’s hard to argue with this newfound plethora of options for discovering new music in line with your distinct tastes.

2. Apple AirPlay

Designed to facilitate the streaming of music around your home, Apple’s AirPlay technology has started to make its way into various A/V receivers, stereo systems, and speaker dock/table radio devices from the likes of B&W, Pioneer Elite, Integra and others. By way of an example, an AirPlay-enabled receiver can quickly and easily be targeted as your destination speaker from the iPhone in your pocket or a wireless laptop running iTunes on your home network.

3. Goodbye, CD (Maybe)

It’s true: You may need to buy the White Album again. Recent rumblings from the music industry indicate that several major labels are planning to dump the compact disc (CD) format by the end of 2012, opting instead to focus on digital downloads and streaming options. For many consumers, this probably won’t come as a shock; however, there will undoubtedly be many folks who are less than thrilled with this new develop ment. In other words, don’t start sending your CDs to the morgue just yet. While it’s true that digital music downloads now account for roughly one-third of total music sales, and CD sales are on the decline, it seems highly unlikely that CDs will exit the scene as quickly as some are suggesting.

4. Vinyl Lives

The compact disc may be preparing for departure, but au-diophiles can take solace in the continuing renaissance that vinyl is enjoying. As most diehard music lovers will tell you, nothingbeats the full, rich sound of a good-condition LPbeing spun on a quality turntable. And because many bands feel strongly that vinyl is still one of the best ways to experience the full range of their sound, there’s a surprising number of new albums being released on vinyl alongside their CD and MP3 counterparts. Don’t believe it? Just visit the “Vinyl Store” on Amazon’s massive online marketplace. If you’ve built yourself a top-notch audio system, either for music or home theater, know that you may be missing out on its true potential if you’re not spinning those Long Play records.

5. Bluetooth

Manufacturers continue to find new and innovative ways to incorporate Bluetooth into home audio components and peripherals. Whether it’s wireless streaming of music from your iPhone to a nearby table radio, wireless communication between a soundbar and its matching subwoofer, or having your handheld remote control your HDTV, Bluetooth continues to evolve and make its way into more and more home audio/ video hardware. For a directory of new products featuring integrated Bluetooth, including those classified as “Bluetooth Smart” and “Bluetooth Smart Ready,” visit www. bluetooth. com.

6. Room Correction/Auto Calibration

Before you can expect to hear optimal results from your surround-sound system, a critical first step is calibrating your equipment to conf orm acoustically to the unique characteristics of the room. Thankfully, automated calibration and room correction technologies, such as Audyssey’s MultEQ platform, have greatly simplified the process.

7. App-Based Control

More and more manufacturers are now giving you the option of controlling your hardware by using a downloadable app on your Apple iOS or Android mobile device. With the appropriate app, many receivers will now allow you to tweak configuration settings, change inputs, and adjust the volume from the convenience of your cell phone, which is probably in your pocket anyway. And the best part? Most of these control apps are free.

8. 3D

Blu-ray 3D and 3D TVs have become popular upgrades for consumers looking to move beyond two dimensions. The thing to note here is that, in many cases, your preamplifier/processor or receiver is standing between your Blu-ray 3D player and your 3D TV. If you’re planning to output that high-definition 3D video signal to your display via high-speed HDMI, your receiver will need tobe 3D-compliant unless your Blu-ray player offers dual HDMI outputs.

9. Audio Return Channel (ARC)

Along with 3D video support, many consumers are now finding a use for another new feature present in the latest HDMI specification the Audio Return Channel (ARC). ARC involves the return of audio information from an end point display device (like your HDTV) to an upstream audio component (like your A/V receiver). This allows the transmission of audio information back to a receiver using just the one HDMI cable. This means that any audio originating at the display, whether it be from a built-in tuner, a built-in optical disc player, or integrated apps such as Netflix or Pandora, can leverage your A/V receiver’s decoding capabilities without the need for an auxiliary optical cable. As an ever-increasing number of HDTVs come equipped with integrated media apps, ARC has become a handy feature for anyone using a surround-sound receiver or soundbar.

10. Soundbars

Although a full-blown home theater complete with a 5.1 or 7.1 surround-sound system is sonic Valhalla for movie and music lovers, single-housing soundbar speaker products continue tobe an attractive alternative for many consumers; and it’s easy to see why. Whether it’s for a secondary system in a bedroom or family room, or if you’re simply looking to improve the volume and intelligibility of a soundtrack’s dialogue, many of today’s soundbar systems offer greatly improved audio performance compared to the thin, underpowered speakers on the average display —and they do it with far fewer wires and setup than a typical audio/ video receiver requires.

Source: HDLiving.com

Recently Panasonic’s introduced its new line of LED LCD TVs, including the company’s new passive polarized 3D LED TVs. Despite that interesting news, let’s not forget that Panasonic is primarily a plasma company—and for good reason. Plasma is awesome.

So this year, instead of building on the very good VT30 line sold last year, Panasonic says the engineers went back to the drawing board for the new plasmas and designed the current panels from scratch.  The company says it created a new panel structure and pre-discharge control method to increase contrast. Last year the company used a technology it called the Infinite Black Filter. This year it’s the Infinite Black Filter Ultra—I know they thought real hard about the new name.

A new feature called the 2,500 Focused Field Drive is used to reduce motion trailing and 3D ghosting.

To show off the new picture, Panasonic took me to the viewing room behind a curtain where a 2011 VT30 was shown side-by-side with a 2012 VT50, both 55 inches. The images on the screen were colorful kaleidoscope-like fractals and swirls on a black background. Next to the new TV, the blacks on the 2011 model looked almost gray, certainly not the inky black of the 2012 model. Assuming both TVs were on the same settings, the new model blew away last year’s TV. The demonstrator said the new models include 240,576 steps of gray ensuring that gradations in shades looked incredibly smooth.

After this, I moved over to view more VT50s which were showing prepared footage and movie trailers in 3D. Panasonic’s plasma TVs use active shutter glasses, so you get a full 1080p image for each eye. Crosstalk (also called ghosting) appeared to be completely eliminated. The 3D depth effect was not as pronounced as I’ve seen in other TVs, but that may have been the content more than the TVs.

The VT50 lines includes all of Panasonic’s new smart TV features under the VIERA Connect service which places all the smart TV apps or widgets on the cloud.  They include Netflix, Amazon VOD, You Tube, Pandora, Twitter, Bloomberg News, a weather channel, Skype, CinemaNow,  Hulu Plus, Napster, Facebook and sports sites including MLB.TV, MLS Matchday Live, NBA Game Time, and NHL Game Center.

Source: HDLiving.com

Bowers and Wilkins, or B&W, takes its name from two men who met in the British military during World War II and opened an electronics shop after the war. Wilkins’ son Paul still runs the shop. B&W Loudspeakers launched its first model from the back of the shop in 1966. The company then established its own R&D and production facilities, and the famous 801 arrived in 1979.

After the 801 became a worldwide audiophile hit, B&W built several iterations of the 800 Series. The 800 Matrix Series morphed into different shapes and greatly expanded the audiophile fan base. The Nautilus Series was famous for the snail-shaped enclosure of its still-surviving flagship, which banished all straight lines and flat surfaces. The Nautilus 800 followed, reviving some flat surfaces for the sake of practicality. Its successor is the current 800 Diamond Series.

Today, the 801’s progeny are the recording monitors of choice at Abbey Road, Skywalker Sound, and Sony Music NYC. B&W’s innovations include the use of Kevlar fibers in woofer cones, tweeters in separate tapered enclosures, the golf-ball dimpling of the flares on their ports, and the synthetic diamond-domed tweeter—all of which enrich the 800 Diamond Series speakers.

Source: HDLiving.com and Bowers-Wilkins.com

Samsung’s Transparent Smart Window is an LCD panel that not only displays everything your regular computer monitor or television does, but it is so clear that you can look right through it. This exciting new technology lets you keep a close eye on everything on the other side while working on your latest report or checking on internet updates.

During the day, ambient light works as the back-light, but for nighttime use, two traditional edge-lighting sources are used. The Smart Window can also create its own virtual privacy shades.

Although there has been no mention of pricing or availability, this technology of the future is here and it’s sure to find its way into homes and offices soon. Be sure to watch the video below for a full demonstration of Samsung’s Transparent Smart Window:

The McCrea Ranch in the northeastern portion of Thousand Oaks opened its Visitor Center late last year. The ranch’s 280 acres was donated by the McCrea family to the Conejo Recreation and Park District (CRPD) in 2005. CRPD maintains the ranch and its outbuildings, which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

When visitors come to the center, they have the opportunity to view videos on the history of the McCrea family and its contributions to the local area on Wilshire-installed 60″, 22″ and 26″ LCD monitors. Wilshire also installed a projector and drop down screen for an even larger viewing area for showing movies. The system is capable of playing different videos simultaneously.

“The project was eleven months in the planning stages with 10 days of actual installation time,” says Lyn Perry, CEO of Wilshire Media Systems. “We had to make sure our cables and gear was in place before walls were closed and other trades installed their equipment. Another challenge was to create a simple, one button universal remote control program for what is a rather complex AV system. “

Wilshire Media Systems also made a cash donation to the Joel and Frances McCrea Ranch Foundation, which is raising money to open the ranch to the public. Currently, tours of the McCrea Ranch are by appointment only (805-495-2163, www.crpd.org).

“Preserving our area’s heritage can be done both by protecting historic buildings and open spaces as well as capturing history visually through technology,” says Perry. “We at Wilshire are happy we were able to create a state-of-the-art AV system that will tell the McCrea Ranch story for years to come.”

Launchport Inductive Charging and Mounting System: LaunchPort is a revolutionary new way to mount and charge your iPad, virtually anywhere. The LaunchPort system consists of a PowerShuttle and any number of Stations. A PowerShuttle is a sleeve-style case that fits onto your iPad. A Station is the mount and charging unit that interacts with a PowerShuttle. A system requires a PowerShuttle and a Station.

LaunchPort uses induction which means as soon as an iPad with a PowerShuttle is mounted to a Station, charging begins immediately- without a 30-pin cable or conductive elements. Magnets are used to mount and affix your iPad in its PowerShuttle to a Station.

LaunchPort changes how you can use your iPad in your home. To learn more about each LaunchPort product, visit our showroom or give us a call. LaunchPort products start at $149.99

B&W P5 Headphones: Get closer to your favorite music wherever you are with P5, the noise-isolating headphones from the makers of the Zeppelin iPod speaker. Drawing on 45 years of Bowers & Wilkins hi-fi innovation and expertise, P5 brings you remarkably natural and highly detailed sound on the move, and a luxuriously comfortable fit that makes longer listening sessions a pleasure. Think of it as your own personal concert – to go

“Deep” bass. “Enhanced” treble. Sounds good on the pack, but the problem with the gimmicky effects that so often come with other headphones is that they quickly become tiring with extended listening. With P5, you get a far more natural sound, and longer-lasting listening enjoyment. MSRP: $299.99

Sonos Wireless Music System: Stream all the music on earth in every room of your home, wirelessly and control everything from your Smartphone or tablet. Sonos allows you to stream your iTunes library, your favorite music services, and more than 100,000 free Internet radio stations, podcasts and shows.

Sonos is easily expandable, which means you can expand your music system room by room as needed with additional Sonos components. Sonos systems start at $349.99

URC MX-980 Remote Control: Replace every remote in your household with the MX-980 and experience transparent device operation everywhere. Pick up the MX-980 and experience superior ergonomic design and button layout optimized for your ease of use. Your thumb is never out of reach of critical controls.

The MX-980 is much more than a replacement remote. Advanced control tools provided by Universal Remote Control give your MX-980 the ability to orchestrate even the most complex system operation. Control your lighting and other devices you never dreamed possible, and do it all with one button press. URC remote controls start at $149.99

B&W Zeppelin Air: Zeppelin Air is the ultimate wireless AirPlay speaker dock. The best sounding iPod dock yet, it features Apple’s AirPlay technology for high-quality wireless streaming from iTunes or an iOS device.

AirPlay lets you stream music from iTunes or handheld devices such as iPhone and iPad to Zeppelin Air without the need for wires.  Compatible with all current iPods and iPhones. The best sounding iPod dock ever, with new drive units, upgraded amplification and advanced digital signal processing. If space is an issue, also available is the Zeppelin Mini. MSRP: B&W Zeppelin: $599.99, Zeppelin Mini: $299.99

Integra DTR-40.3 - THX® Select2 Plus, 2-Zone 7.2-Channel Network AV Receiver: The latest connections? Check. Sophisticated audio networking? Check. Advanced processing and room correction? Check, check. The DTR-40.3 gives you all this and more, precision-crafted with classic Integra build quality.

The DTR40.3 features THX-Select2 Plus certification, as well as networking and USB capabilities, which allow listeners to connect to services such as Mediafly, Pandora, Slacker, Napster, Rhapsody, vTuner, SIRIUS XM Internet Radio and Last.fm. On the video side, the DTR40.3 features the Marvell Qdeo 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels) upscaling processor for the best image quality possible from today’s and tomorrow’s video sources. Integra receivers start at $599.99

Soundcast Outcast Wireless Outdoor Speaker: Experience audio with no boundaries. The OutCast weather-resistant, wireless speaker lets you enjoy rich multi-directional stereo sound throughout your house, in your yard, on your patio and even on your boat. With broadcast range of up to 350 feet, this powerful wireless speaker receives transmissions through walls, floors, and ceilings without the hassle of running wires.

• Delivers unmatched premium audio quality
• Connect your MP3 player, IPod, computer and even your TV to the OutCast
• Conveniently located controls
• Portable – ready to take anywhere
• Blue lighting illuminates the wireless outdoor speaker for extra ambiance at night
• Setup is simple and straightforward

Outcast Systems starting at $699.99

Sony BDPS580 Blu-ray Player: Watch Full HD1080p Blu-ray Disc movies, plus wirelessly stream a wide variety of online entertainment including movies, TV episodes, videos, music and live sports from Netflix, YouTube, HuluPlus, Pandora, and more with the BDP-S580 3D Blu-ray player with built-in Wi-Fi. You can also turn your iPhone, iPad or compatible Android phone into a versatile remote control when you download the free “Media Remote” app5. Add compatible Sony Network speakers and instantly enjoy multi-room wireless audio streaming throughout your home. MSRP: $129.99

Panasonic VT30 Series Plasma TV: Panasonic’s premiere plasma HDTV line just keeps getting better, with improved picture quality in 2D and 3D models. The VT30 includes Panasonic’s new Viera Cast suite of internet apps, but you’ll be more impressed by the picture quality, which is among the best in the world.

Step into the 3D World. The VIERA VT-series Full HD 3D plasmas create an all new viewing experience by putting you inside the action and creating a new world of TV viewing realism. Available in 55-inch and 65-inch models. MSRP starting at $2499.99

Elite LCD TV: For years, the name Elite has been synonymous with the industry’s reference standard for the perfect HDTV picture.

Blacks so deep, they disappear into the bezel. Whites so bright, they burn your retina. And what seems like an infinite range of colors in between thanks to RGB+Y – the addition of yellow pixels to the standard RGB pixels others are so content with. The 60″ PRO-60X5FD and 70″ PRO-70X5FD from Elite are their biggest and most breathtaking television ever in LCD. They once again have become the standard by which all televisions will be judged. In fact, Home Theater Magazine recently said the new Elite LCD Televisions are the all-time flat-panel champ. The best TV ever!  MSRP: starting at $5499.99

Sharp LC-80LE632U LED TV: The 80-inch Sharp AQUOS LC-80LE632U  is a high-performance large screen LED TV providing more than double the screen area of a 55-inch LCD television. The Sharp Full HD 1080p X-Gen Panel produces stunning picture quality that is second to none.  The LC-80LE632U features Smart TV including Netflix, Vudu and CinemaNow streaming video capability, along with the industry’s leading online support system, AQUOS Advantagesm Live. And, with built-in Wi-Fi, connectivity is easier than ever.

The proprietary AQUOS LED system comprised of the X-Gen LCD panel and UltraBrilliant LED enables an incredible dynamic contrast ratio of 6,000,000:1 for excellent picture quality. Sharp’s 120Hz Fine Motion Advanced technology virtually eliminates blur and motion artifacts in fast-moving video. A built-in media player allows for playback of video, music, and photos via the USB port. The LC-80LE632U features a sleek piano black cabinet and subtle recessed bottom-mounted speakers. MSRP: $4999.99

Whether you’re redecorating a room or installing new energy-efficient window throughout your home, adding Sivoia QS Wireless Cellular Shades from Lutron will complete the look beautifully and provide additional energy savings.

Available in 3 styles and a huge selection of colors, these wireless shades are designed to provide superior insulation, and feature a 3-year battery live.  The supplied remote control easily operates the shades, which are also compatible with most home automation and control systems such as URC, Savant and Crestron.

Here is a short video on the benefits on Lutron Cellular Shades:

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Benefits

Add Convenience

• A single press of a button from a remote control can set multiple shades in motion, making it convenient to open and close hard-to-reach window treatments, all while reducing glare and increasing privacy.

Enhance Your Decor

• Distinguished cellular design, offered in a wide range of styles, give your room a crisp, clean look that is sure to enhance any decor.
• Cord-free operation makes this a safe solution for homes with young children.

Save Energy

• Innovative air pockets trap heat to provide superior insulation for enhanced energy efficiency

Easy to Maintain

• Unique patent-pending battery technology ensures long battery life for hassle-free maintenance,
• Exclusive Tap n Tilt technology makes changing batteries a breeze.
• Dust resistant fabric reduces cleaning.

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Style Options

Lutron cellular shades are as functional as they are beautiful. They come in varying opacities from sheer and translucent to room darkening, allowing you to achieve the optimal level of light control and privacy for your space. In addition, all cellular shade fabrics have a white backing that acts as a reflector, to help keep your space cool and comfortable. With these dual-sided fabrics, you can give each room a signature look while maintaining a uniform appearance from the outside.

Light Filtering Single

Light-Filtering – Single-Cell

• Transform harsh daylight into a soft, filtered glow
• Provide varying levels of privacy from the outside
• Save energy with insulating fabric and design

Light-Filtering – Double-Cell

• Allow some light to filter into the space
• Save even more energy with double-cell insulating design

Light Filtering Double

Room-Darkening – Single-Cell

• Block light from entering into a space
• Create complete privacy from the outside
• Save the most energy due to aluminum lining

Source: Lutron

Room Darkening Single

A homeowner had been working with a landscape architect and had asked Wilshire to integrate multimedia throughout the backyard and media room. This included an outdoor living room, outdoor bar/lounge and pool area.

Wilshire took it all to the next level. First, they installed Clark Synthesis Aquasonic Underwater Speakers so the music doesn’t have to stop when you dip your head under water.

In the outdoor living room, they mounted a 50-inch high-definition plasma TV that featured a motorized door to enclose the TV and shield it from inclement weather, and then they put the TV on a Chief articulating arm so it could be extended and viewed from the spa and pool.

“Our goal was to conceal the systems and have everything blend seamlessly with the landscape architect’s design theme for the backyard,” says Bill Sanchez, Project Manager for Wilshire Home Entertainment. “The project far exceeded the homeowners’ expectations. They were particularly impressed by the ability to hear music while underwater.”

But the project didn’t end there. In the outdoor bar, Wilshire installed a 32-inch Sunbrite weather-resistant LCD TV, selected as to not overpower the space, turning the area into a destination not just a pit stop on the way back from the pool. “The television at the bar was a huge success, as it has become a gathering spot for family and friends,” Sanchez says.

Finally, they finished off the project by installing Niles outdoor speakers, carefully selected to blend in with the landscape. Not only are these some of the highest quality speakers available, you don’t even know they’re there unless you’re looking for them.

The biggest challenge was that the products selected had to be reliable and remain protected from the elements, as well as be user friendly and exceed the homeowners’ expectations, a staple of Wilshire projects. This was done by carefully programming all of the settings the homeowner wanted into a Universal Remote Control.

“The project completes the backyard design and allows the homeowners to enjoy a stable system that is simple to use,” Sanchez says. “It extends their indoor media room to the outdoors, effectively increasing the size of their living space and allowing them to enjoy all the comforts of the indoors while being outdoors.”

Wilshire Home Entertainment prides itself on its professionalism and great customer care, especially since referrals play such an important role in helping Wilshire obtain additional customers. In fact, this project was referred to Wilshire by another happy customer. “That being said, we take great care to make sure we exceed the expectations of all our customers,” Sanchez says.

For more information, please contact us at (805) 497-7536 or visit us online at WilshireHE.com.