Best regards to you and your families from the team at Sanctuary. 2008 was a great year but we’re looking forward to an even better 2009. Despite a rough economy, there’s more demand than ever for a connected home and we’re here to help. Whether it’s helping you through the digital television transition, working through the best way to use all of your digital music in the home, or simply looking for a way to enjoy movies and sports more fully, we’re your resource. There are a lot of exciting new developments in the world of audio, video and control systems, give us a call to find out more.

And most importantly, enjoy this new beginning with your family and friends. Fresh starts don’t last forever!

Best Regards.
Liz

Ok, I’m sorry for the corny title, but it’s for a good reason. One of the things we spend a lot of our free time doing is evaluating new technologies and devices that we might want to offer as part of a solution. The most exciting area we’re looking at right now is video devices, and by that I mean products that can act like a digital DVD player. They range from hard drive based storage devices that archive your DVDs and Bluray discs to Video On Demand devices that allow you to rent or buy videos over the web.

The one we’re excited about right now is from a company called VuDu and it’s pretty compelling. It’s a cool little black box with a stylish remote and a terabyte of storage that connects to your network and your TV. Using the onscreen interface, you can browse for movies ranging from classics to the latest releases in both Standard Definition (think DVD quality) and High Definition (think Bluray in all it’s glory without the disc). You set up an account at VuDu using a credit card and you can download videos to rent (24 hours) or buy for prices starting at $0.99 (special rentals). On our Comcast hi-speed internet connection, even the HiDef movies start almost immediately. You can rent it and watch it later or buy it and store it permanently on the box. Who needs to go to the video store when you can do it right from your own living room?

We’ll have one on display at the Concord Home Show this weekend if you want to stop by!

I think we’re all pretty conscious of the cost of energy these days, whether it’s the $4/gallon we pay to fill our gas tanks, the reports of $100 / barrel oil, or the monthly cost of keeping the lights on. There’s also all the press around “Green” homes, which have become mainstream and popular.

One of the simplest ways the average person can control their electrical costs is to turn off unnecessary lights and to dim others. Do we really need five 100W light bulbs on full bright to watch a movie? The answer, unless you’re scared of the dark, is probably no. Dimming lights by 20% could save 20% or more on your electrical bill. And watching TV or a movie with less ambient light enhances your viewing experience.

One of the nicest touches a home automation system like Control4 can bring to a home is the ability to control lights from the touch of a button. How about turning off all but your outdoor lighting when you press “Good Night” or dimming the lights in your living room when you start a DVD? These are not convenience features, but these days can actually save you some money! So next time you get your electrical bill and it’s higher than you remember it being, think about investing in a lighting control system.

I’m pleased to announce that we’re going to be offering NuVision displays as our preferred television line. NuVision offers an outstanding line of LCD televisions ranging from 22″ (think Kitchen) to 65″ (think Living Room). What separates them from the rest of the thousands of other options out there? Video quality. Their image processors take high-definition viewing to a new level by providing a superior image processing system. What this means to you is blacker blacks, more realistic colors and more detail out of your DVDs, Cable and Satellite.

We’ll be showing some NuVision product off at the Concord Home Show on 9/27 and 9/28 so stop by and take a look!

For all you iPhone / iPod Touch fans out there, Control4 has announced the development of a control interface for their systems available on an iPhone or iPod Touch. You’ll be able to use either device to access the complete system over a WiFi connection in your home. You’ll now be able to carry your Control4 remote in your pocket and control your music, lights and A/V gear from a device you already own. Details on availability and price are yet to be determined, expect it to come out sometime in the next couple of months.

This week (September 3rd – 7th) is the CEDIA Expo. What is CEDIA you might ask? Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association, an industry group related to all things that we do here at Sanctuary. The Expo is where all the manufacturers show off the latest and greatest products that are being released now and over the next several months. Unfortunately we’re not attending this year, but we’ll certainly be posting information on what’s released, especially as it relates to product lines we carry. Stay tuned for more information!!

I’m a little overdue (ok, a lot) in announcing this, but we’re officially partnering with NAD Electronics as our primary supplier of A/V Receivers. I’m really excited about this as I believe NAD rounds out our lineup of premium components, particularly complementing Bay Audio speakers and JL Audio subwoofers. You can read a little bit more about NAD at www.nadelectronics.com.

As a side note, we ARE continuing to work on the Reference Theater, we’ve just been slowed a bit because of some construction issues. And yes, we’ll be using an NAD T175 Pre-processor and T975 7-channel amplifier in the theater. Very exciting!

Chances are that if you’re reading this post then you have experienced a subwoofer in action while watching a movie or listening to music. Hopefully that was a positive experience, one where you wanted to feel the impact of the stand-up bass in your chest or to have the car crash rattle your pant legs. Unfortunately though, there’s an equally good chance your experience was limited to something less positive, a muddy “boom boom boom” that was loud and vibrated the room but didn’t have the effect it was meant to. Well, I’m here to tell you that it CAN be different. Low frequencies can indeed blend with the rest of the soundtrack but still provide that low-end “oomph” that you want to feel. And you can be listening to the quietest of dialog just before the building falls down and have the transition be fast and accurate.

As the title implies, we’ve started offering JL Audio subwoofers recently for all the reasons listed above and many more. Most notably is the ability to tune the subwoofer so that it has an impact without dominating the room (unless of course that’s the effect we’re going for!). The build quality of the JL Fathom and Gotham products is impressive and has to be seen to be truly appreciated. And of course, the sound is phenomenal. We’ll be putting two of the Fathom 13.5″ subs in our reference theater so later this fall we’ll be able to really show them off. In the mean time, contact us if you’re interested in hearing more!

Flat screen televisions, and by this I’m referring mostly to LCD or Plasma sets (not their chubbier cousin, the Rear Projection set) have been a decorator’s dream. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard about how one half of a couple wants a flat screen television so they can “get rid of that enormous TV”. Meanwhile the other half of the couple is smiling (more…)

One of the new products we’re looking to here at Sanctuary is the recently announced 7″ touchscreen from Control4. The 7″ version is the Goldilocks of the touchscreens offered by Control4 (just the right size). It sits between the 4″ and 10.5″ versions and is particularly well suited to the changes in audio control in the latest release of Control4′s operating system as well as the use of network cameras. You can read more about it here and of course, we’ll have one on display in our reference theater when it’s complete.