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BITS & PIECES50,000For big laughs andlittle-did-you-knowsThat was the numberof cassette tapessold in 2014. CDssold 140.8 million.1% of the population in Nigeria,Ghana, Bangladesh and Ugandaown a household landline60% of USpopulation still hasa landline telephoneResearchers fromRensselaer PolytechnicInstitute found thatHow We Use Emoji“nature-type" soundshelp people in openplan offices regainfocus faster thanthose who heardeither machinegenerated whitenoise or silence (theoffice soundscape).10US ranks #1 inuse of meat andtech emojis. Theeggplant is alsoquite popular.Cold weather emojisare #1 amongstRussian speakers,and warm emojis #1for Arabic speakers.What’s #1 inAustralia, mate?Junk food, alcohol,and drug emoji.IMAGES: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM, STOCKXCG.HU, WIKIPEDIA.ORG, PINSOPIN.COM, EMOJIPEDIA.ORGThat’s how much was spent on building the world’sfirst “Immersive Fitness” studio in Hong Kong, anindoor gym with a 270-degree virtual-reality screen.The Polar Express, directed by Robert Zemeckis,marked the first time motion capture was usedto create a full feature-length film.SOURCES CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: PEWRESEARCH.ORG, IA.ORG, EXPRESSEN.SE, FUSION.NET, THE ATLANTIC.COM, CNN.COM 400,000Before Dolby Stereo, DolbySurround Sound 5.1, and DolbySurround Sound 7.1, there wasSensurround. Developed in 1974for the release of Earthquake,the system was designed todeliver big, booming bass-ysound effects to theaters.Some reports claim thatplaster and tiles wereshaking loose fromtheater walls.Swedish YouTuberFelix Kjellberg, aka“PewDiePie,” made 7.4 million last yearby streaming videosof himself playingvideo games."On my business card, I am a corporatepresident. In my mind, I am a gamedeveloper. But in my heart, I am a gamer."—Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata, whose last appearancebefore his death was as a Jim Henson Company-designedMuppet, at E3, a gaming conference11

HappilyEverAfterAn old-world estateadds modern magicGazing from the lookout tower ofthis enchanting abode, it’s hard to rememberwhere in the real world you are—Tuscany? TheSherwood Forest? Never Never Land?The answer is Orange County, California, where theterrain often resembles the Italian countryside: rolling hills,blue skies, and stately homes, including one whose outerold-school beauty is now matched with an automationsystem that would charm the pants off any nobleman.The 8,000 square-foot home is new, but was built withEuropean villas in mind. The owner and his wife havetraveled extensively in Italy, and their intention was tomake their new home as authentic as possible. How?Details, details, details. The wrought-iron sconces areThe challenge:add modernautomation to adecidedly oldschool residencewith castle-likeflourishes.12Project installation byBrilliant AV13

hand made. The windows areimported from a specialist inItaly. The roof was salvagedfrom a bona fide old villa.It’s no secret that the focusof this property is firmlyplaced in the Old-World—somuch so, in fact, that theowner was reluctant to theidea of adding automation.“I’m not a high-tech personby nature,” the owner notes,“and I really had to be talkedinto the system.” Whenfriends would talk about thebenefits of automation, thishomeowner was intrigued, butskeptical that high-tech wouldmesh, especially aesthetically,with his storybook estate.Eventually, though, he wasswayed into giving it a shot,and approached Steve Stary atBrilliant AV with the challenge.“He wanted all thebenefits of technologywithout any complication14or the unnecessary feel oftechnology,” says Steve.“The owners didn’t wanttechnology to be the star;they just wanted the benefits,because everything in thehouse is Old World, trying tohearken back to an differenttime. The technology in herehad to be somewhat hidden.”“The house needs tolook authentic, not like anamusement-park replica,”the owner says. “And thetech should be incorporatedin a sort of neutral orbackground way.”And so, like the star ofa storybook legend, Steveworked tirelessly to modernizethe property withoutdisturbing the timeless tone.The resulting system featuresaudio and video distributionto over 12 TVs and audiozones, an alarm system,nine thermostat zones, andPHOTOS BY JIM STONEA door stationat the entranceconnects theowner withvisitors virtually,so he doesn’thave to crossthe courtyard toanswer the doorin person.With the techhidden in thedetails, theestate’s OldWorld charmremains frontand center.15

cameras throughout theproperty. Not a bad feat,considering much of the houseis covered in stone, and theowner’s strict orders to keepas much of the technologyas invisible as possible.Touring the home today,the dream has been realized.Besides the occasional flatscreen television, it’s hard totell whether the house is oneyear old or one thousand yearsold. Speakers are hidden inplain sight, painted to matchceilings and walls. And behindthe scenes, the Control4powered automation systemis hard at work, providingcomfort and luxury via allsorts of subtle delights. Forinstance, there are a dozen orso speakers in the back yard,hidden in the rocks. “A lot16of technology is just behindthe scenes,” Steve notes.In many cases, Steve and histeam improved upon systemsthat were already in place. Thepool, for example, featuredan alarm that would sound ifanything of significant size fellinto it. But people could onlyhear the pool alarm if theywere in one particular partof the house. Steve sent thealarm through the Control4system so that an audio alertplays through all speakers inthe system. Additionally, theowner now receives a text alerton his phone. Steve built asimilar system to trigger alertswhen the sump pump in thebasement springs to action.Keeping with the castle-likedesign, the front door of theproperty doesn’t open directlyClassic cookery in a castle kitchen, above.The system rack keeps cool in a discreetcloset on the lower level, allowing theItalian-influenced décor to command theattention of visitors, below.The pool’s alarm is automatically distributed through the house’s audio system, top. Guests relaxing in theback yard may not see any signs of tech, but they’ll hear it when music plays through hidden speakers.into the house—instead, itopens into a courtyard. Steveadded a door station to thesetup, improving the owners’and visitors’ experiencedramatically. “Being ableto know that someone’sat the door, being able tosee them, let them in—thatall can be accomplishedthrough a touch screen withControl4,” says Steve.And as complex as thesystem has become behind thescenes, the user experienceis still elegantly simple. Nomatter what room the ownersare in, they can use a remoteor their smart phone to workthe system in the same way.The owner is more thansatisfied with the system. “Ithink what’s really nice forme is the convenience,” hesays. The home smarts get tosparkle especially when theowners are entertaining—afrequent occurrence in thishome. “It gives a lot of peoplea lot of choices, and for guestsit feels like a big luxury, likethey’re in a resort,” notes theowner. Visitors in the “casita”guesthouse, for instance,can play their own musicand video, while the owneris firing up a dinner partyplaylist from a touch screenin the main house kitchen.And, in the spirit of the OldWorld, the owners and theirguests can still gaze out onthe enchanted countrysidefrom the storybook tower.But now, the owner can adda soundtrack of his choicewith a touch of a buttonon his mobile phone.And just like that,another high-tech skeptic isconverted. “To have a fewmodern touches is kind of asexy thing,” this old-schoolowner admits with a smile.17

FIVEWAYSto HomeEntertainment BlissTired of the same old, same old in your music andmovies? These high-res boosts will raise your roof.First the bad news: Chances are, you could begetting a LOT more out of your home entertainmentsystem. The good news? Today’s advances in AVwill add some snap, sizzle, and pop to your movies18and music, programs and sports, dinner parties andbashes. Get ready to boost the quality and resolutionof your home AV and almost blow the ceiling off ofyour entertaining limitations.GO 4K ULTRARAISE THE ROOFHIGHER FIDELITYLIGHTEN UPHI-RES LOVERWant to see stunning andcrisp you-are-there realism,from nature scenes to sports?Ultra HD—also known as“4K” because it delivers fourtimes the resolution (in totalpixels) of “full HD” 1080p—is available in flat-panelTVs, super-thin OLED TVs,projectors for home theater,and even video distributionsystems for the whole house.(Control4 can deliver UltraHD to up to 10 locations withit's leaf branded 4K videodistribution systems.) Here’sa nifty tip: 4K projectorswith motorized lenses “shiftand zoom” can be used tozoom in and fill a super-wideCinemaScope 2.35:1 screen.Just program your Control4remote to use the lens memoryon the projector, says ScottVarn of Harmony Interiorsin Asheville, N.C. With thesuperior resolution of 4K, thezoomed image is still betterthan 1080p.The most exciting innovationto come to home theater inrecent years is Dolby Atmos,which adds “height” effectsto movie soundtracks. Itseems to push the boundariesof a room skyward, so youcan experience the soundsof a downpour in a tropicalforest or airplanes whizzingby. Expect to witness moremovies with height effects totake advantage of this. You’llneed an Atmos-capable audioprocessor or receiver, andadditional ceiling speakers orthose that bounce the soundoff the ceiling for effects. Anddon’t forget a control systemwith an appropriate ‘Wow!’button to floor your friends.If you love hosting dinnerand pool parties, try servingup your favorite tunes withhigh-quality, digital-to-analogconverter (DAC) that bringsout the richness and nuancesin your music. Audiophileslove the dramatically improvedsounds from quality DACs,which can vastly enhancestreamed audio from serviceslike Pandora, Rhapsody,SiriusXM, Slacker, Songza,Spotify, Tidal, and Beats (nowowned by Apple Music)—allof which are supported by thelatest Control4 OperatingSystem, as well as musicsystems from Autonomic,Fusion Research, Sonos, andVideo Storm.Lighting is the finishingtouch to a well-designedentertainment space, yet a lotof home theaters have controlswith lighting presets that areeither all on or all off. You wantsomething in between if you’regoing to get up in the middleof the movie. Add presets tobring LED rope or string lightson stairs or baseboards to alow level, allowing viewers tosee where they’re going. Alsoinclude an entry mode thatshows off your cool space, thewall art, interesting pieces andcollections. And don’t forget afull-brightness cleaning modefor later.Want to love music again?Last year wireless musicsystem giant Sonos introduced“high-definition” audio fromDeezer (it is CD-quality,which is better than mostcompressed music streaming).And now more and morehigh-resolution audio (betterthan CD quality) is available.You’ll need something thatcan play one of the “lossless”formats like FLAC, WAV, DSDand AIFF. Hi-res players areavailable, and you can choosefrom plenty of hi-res servicesincluding HDTracks, Naim,Linn, Tidal, Bowers & WilkinsSociety of Sound, Neil Young’sPonoMusic, Technics Tracks,Super HiRez, Pro StudioMaster, iTrax, Native DSD Musicand more.TIP:Support for the latest copy protection standards is an important consideration when choosing a4K system. Make sure everything, from the TV to the Blu-ray player, has the right encryption technology(HDCP 2.2) or all you’ll be enjoying is a black screen when you pop in your favorite 4K Blu-ray Disc.19

Movies and video games in thisMassachusetts cinema room are pausedwhen the doorbell two floors down is pressed.In this Ontario"library," automationoperates invisibly, allowing the finewoodwork to remain smooth and sleek.Project installation bySounds Good CorporationProject installation byCinema Systems CorporationThe classic “He-Man Hideaway”gets updated with automation20PHOTOS BY JIM STONEMODERN MAN CAVESSince the dawn of time—or perhaps just sinceman lived in caves, actually—the alpha maleof the family has desired a place of his own.A room where he can get away from it all,have a sip of a little fermented-something,and entertain some fellow cave dudes. Thus, the mancave was born. Ever since, the concept has grown andevolved, and now, with the help of automation, mancaves have experienced a complete overhaul. The ManCave 2.0 boasts all the elements of your classic manspace, but now includes tantalizing technology that isso cool, the caveman might even invite his woman andchildren in from time to time. The best part is, with allthe choices in automation, every man (or woman) cancraft their cave in their own style and scope. In short,even though they’re often subterranean, the sky’s thelimit! Here we highlight two very different, but equallyawesome, examples of the modern man cave in action.21

After tapping the “All Off" button,guests have 15 seconds to finish theirdrinks and exit before the lights dim.TOYS IN THE ATTICJust outside of Boston, on aquiet residential lane in Lexington,Massachusetts, one family has turnedtheir top floor into an entertainmentepicenter. After the kids discoveredautomation at a neighbor’s house,the father was convinced to addit to their own place, with just oneguiding rule: It had to be just a littlebit cooler than the “Jones's” system.The homeowner brought in GregoryBrett of Sounds Good Corporationto add smarts to the third floor, and22Gregory knew from the get-go thatControl4 was the right solution. “Inthe Boston area, a lot of projectsare retrofit projects, like this one.Control4 works great with retrofits.It’s the largest control system thatwe use today,” Gregory says. Hestarted by adding a simple lightingsystem to the theater space, butthe owner enjoyed that so much,they quickly expanded automationacross the entire third floor. By thetime they were finished, Gregory andhis team had built a stunning spacewith all kinds of fabulous features:the theater room, a billiards room, awet bar, and fully integrated lighting,audio, video, intercom, and cameras.It’s the sort of space you could easilyhole up in for hours on end.One essential element of the mancave is security (after all, a mancave shares many characteristicswith its closely related cousin, thekid fort). In this top-floor version,the automation system keeps thehomeowner keenly aware of anyonetrying to access the inner sanctum.If someone rings the front bell, thedoorbell will interrupt whatevermovie or music is playing upstairs. Theowner can see and talk with visitors,and decide to let them in or not. If thevisitors pass the test, the owner grantsthem access by unlocking the door froma touch screen or mobile device—allwithout leaving the top level.Other convenient features of this funzone include lighting scenes to set themood for any specific activity—moviewatching, drinks at the bar, or a gameof pool. And, as an added convenience,the “All Off” button includes a 15-seconddelay, so people can head down thestairs before the lights begin to dim. Nicetouch!Another system favorite is theintercom. If the kids have taken overthe man cave, the parents can tap atouch screen in the kitchen and seewhat the little ragamuffins are up to,as well as remotely control what thekids are watching or what game they’replaying. As an added bonus, the parentsno longer have to yell up two flights ofstairs just to tell the kids that dinner isready. “It just makes the smart homemore accessible,” Gregory notes.Is this modern man cave a success?The owner’s future plans prove it: He’sadding automation to the basement,which will sport a workout room, asauna, and a wine cellar. They’ve alsoadded audio and video automation totheir outdoor deck. The owners love theirupdated space, and Gregory couldn’t behappier. “It’s a great example of how youcan start with just one small project andyou can just keep growing with it overthe years.”Originally installed to controljust the lighting, this system nowcontrols audio, video, securitycameras, intercom, and more.CANADIAN CLASSICMeanwhile, in Toronto’s Beach district,a lawyer has built the rec room of hisdreams. It’s a very classy affair, featuringa leather couch, vintage (working!)telephones and typewriters, and adistinctively Canadian scotch bar. But,while this swanky space sports all theessentials of a man cave, the owner Jasoninsists it has a different name. “We callit the library,” he says with a smile. “My23

When the librarybecomes the"whiskey andcigars" room,silent fans kickon to keep theair circulated.wife was absolutely adamant we weren’tgoing to call it a man cave.” Located onthe lower level of his Ontario home, theroom began as a basic TV room. Jasonand his wife were interested in findinga way to cover the television with apiece of artwork when the TV wasn’t inuse. “We didn’t want to have this blackhole staring out at you from above thefireplace,” Jason notes. So, they foundMorgan Millward, president of CinemaSystems Corp., and soon discovered alarger world of automation possibilities.And, while they eventually embraced allsorts of automated aspects, they wereinsistent on preserving the clean andelegant look of the room.24“They wanted AV in the room,"Morgan notes, "but didn’t want tohighlight it—they wanted it to disappearas much as possible.” Morgan went witha Control4 system, as he often does.“Control4 is the right solution for everyproject we do. It has a lot of features, it’sreliable and at the right price point, andthat’s a winning combination.”By getting in on the room renovationearly, Morgan and his team savedthemselves a heap of headaches. Theywere able to pre-wire the room withoutdisturbing the luxurious woodwork.“Having everyone together at the earlystages was really important,” Morganrecalls. Morgan was even able to hideequipment racks behind the craftedmillwork of two different cabinets oneither side of the fireplace.Today, this man cave—ahem, Library—is automated to the hilt. “We’veintegrated a lot of technology into asmall space, and made it disappear asmuch as possible within that space,”Morgan notes. If the room is off, themoment the door opens, lights comeup to greet the guest. When someone’sready to watch TV, the system revealsits hiding place. The painting of PebbleBeach golf course disappears into aslot as the lights dim for proper screenviewing. Another elegant touch is theabsence of wall switches; smooth andstately woodwork remains unblemishedwhile the owners turn lights on and offvia their Control4 remote, smartphoneor iPad. Meanwhile, motion sensors alsomonitor movement. If the AV systemis off and 20 minutes go by with nomotion, the system shuts down.This ordinary lower-level room is nowthe ultimate entertainment den, whereJason and his wife can cuddle up andwatch a movie by the fireplace on awintry Toronto evening, or, where Jasoncan gather with his buddies to sip scotchand smoke cigars. A hidden extractor fanquietly keeps the room nice and clean.“My wife’s happy about that,” Jasonlaughs. And now, instead of lugging aboom box into every room, Jason andhis wife can access their music from theiriPad tablet.But the frills don’t stop there. Anotherawesome automated element is themotorized window blind, which drops atthe touch of a button to dim the roomfor television time. The blinds also workto protect the woodwork from get

Control4 has also made it a has also made it easier for dealers to integrate third-party security panels and those settings and features into the home control system. MOCKUPANCY Some lighting control systems have vacation settings that learn your lighting patterns and repeat them when you’re away fr