Home entertainment goes high-tech
by Joy JordanWhile baby boomers aren’t necessarily retiring and relaxing around the house all day, many still want their homes to be their oasis. That means gourmet kitchens, outdoor living around pools and gardens, and high-tech home entertainment systems that integrate television, movies, music and more at the touch of a button.
Wiring for cable, Internet and Ethernet in every room has become standard around many parts of the country; now, the influx of baby boomers to the Cape is intensifying the same demand here. The technology is even more attractive to second-home owners who want to monitor their Cape real estate investment remotely via the Internet.
“A lot of people coming here are from California and the West Coast and are accustomed to having it, and they will create that demand,” said Bev Comeau, a Realtor with Jack Conway Realty. “Home-theater systems are big, with big screens and surround sound. Buyers are asking for rooms big enough for a big screen TV.”
In the new-home market, the most important thing a builder can add is structured wiring so the home is ready for any components the buyer chooses.
Matt Frias, president of AViX of Osterville, sees a high demand for prewiring and speakers for a whole-home music system. Wireless systems, in particular, are coveted because of their ease and lower construction costs.
“Baby boomers are willing to spend money on really cool technology, but they demand it to be simple,” Frias said. “All systems that we design and install have easy-to-operate remote controls that allow a client to have a fairly complex system, but have it be simple to control.”
Adds Rene McWilliams, general manager of the Hyannis Best Buy: “The baby boomers seem to be looking for more very user-friendly products with their most recent technology. It used to be that it was all about the latest and greatest technology, and customers did not seem concerned about simplicity. Now, when we ask the customers what their expectations of their home theater product is, immediately they say, ‘User-friendly, not complicated.’”
Service providers such as Comcast are addressing this desire as well: “The name of the game for us today is simplicity,” said Zakee Rashid, vice president of Comcast’s South Shore, Cape Cod and Islands systems. “We are ready to set up customers with digital cable, high speed Internet and digital voice services with one phone call.”
In addition to simplicity, customers also want to feel in control of their entertainment options. One benefit to today’s home entertainment systems is that the user can control the schedule and programming in new ways, thanks to technology.
“More and more people are realizing that high-definition TV sets, digital video recorders and digital cable service with On Demand technology provide a better viewing experience in their living rooms than they can get in any movie theater,” said Rashid. “With HDTV, DVRs and On Demand, you now get a better picture and better sound at home and you can hit pause when you want to grab a snack from the kitchen. You don’t have to wait for the next showing, either. Our customers today are in total control of the viewing experience at home.”
Since they are generally busy and active, boomers are highly protective of their free time. “The systems today can offer some forms of automation that can allow them to make better use of their lifestyle,” noted Frias. “For example, a lighting control system with time controls can have your outside lights turn on at dusk and off at dawn, and adjust for daylight savings. Remote controls can allow the client to press a DVD button, and the TV will turn on all of the other necessary equipment with the touch of only one button.”
In addition, one-stop shopping simplifies the experience. Many communications providers are offering a range of service to meet the needs of customers. Comcast offers a Triple Play package of digital cable, digital phone and cable Internet, with a digital video recorder option. Verizon is offering similar packages as well. This allows customers to manage all aspects of their home communications and entertainment seamlessly.
“Already, our customers are checking their voicemail online and looking on Comcast.net to see what’s on TV,” said Rashid. “But we are just starting to tap the potential for convergence. We’re already developing caller ID to the TV, for example, which will let our customers see who’s calling without looking away from the TV screen.”
So what should you look for when setting up a home entertainment system?
Much depends on your personal interests – if you are a music lover and want to listen to your favorites from any room in the house, that will require one setup. If you are a movie buff looking forward to watching the classics in high-definition with surround sound, that calls for a different arrangement of products. It’s also common to go general and create an all-purpose media room.
“To set up a media room, you would need a TV, DVD player (or HD-DVD or Blu-ray), surround-sound receiver, CATV or satellite box, surge protector and a universal remote control,” said Frias. “In many cases with new homes, we will install the necessary wiring to do an integrated-control system, but the client may only choose to install one aspect of it.”
Said McWilliams: “If a customer is building a home and wants a home theater system – and does not have any components – we would suggest having one of our Magnolia installers visit the home to walk through where the product may go. They may need a mount if they decide to mount the TV on the wall, a DVD player, in-wall speakers with mounts if they so desire, cables to receive a clearer picture.”
Integration is the keyword to all forms of home automation. The theme was on display recently at Avix’s open house in Cohasset. A model home was designed with a whole-house music solution in four rooms: family, kitchen, dining and guest suite. Multi-media controls and a black box in the basement included a rack of devices for DVD, CD, amplification and controllers for the multiple-media sources. Wall jacks were the only indication the entire house was wired for phone, network and cable. The installation was completely invisible. That seamlessness speaks to the boomer desire for simplicity and ease of use.
What else is on the horizon?
In addition to more integration of a home’s technical systems, what else is on the horizon that will make the techies say, “Oooh!”?
In a battle that revisits the VHS vs. Beta wars of a few decades ago, the HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray disc debate is starting to heat up, said Frias. “Both offer a tremendous picture, but I think that Blu-ray has the upper hand with its broader reach in the market. It’s too early to tell if both formats will stay around. I have been telling my clients to wait on this one to see what happens. There are some dual format DVD players that are coming out that play both HD-DVD and Blu-ray disks, but it’s not clear if this will work well or not.”
McWilliams noted that laser televisions are the hottest new entertainment product on the Best Buy shelves. “These plasma/LCD TVs will be thinner and lighter, weighing approximately five pounds. Technology should be available this fall.”
LED on DLP televisions currently are being tested, she added. DLP televisions have one giant projector with tiny little mirrors. The LED television will have little lights within the television, which will increase the viewing angles on the DLP televisions. “Overall, customers want LCD or plasma televisions. Tube televisions have taken the back burner,” said McWilliams.
Additional reporting by Kate Bavelock.
Published in Cape Business Health & Wealth July/August 2007
Joy Jordan is managing editor of Cape Business magazine. She has worked in the technology and publishing industries and was chief copy editor for Cape Cod Community Newspapers. 
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