I recently helped a client with what I would have considered a high-end audio/video and remote-control system when their home was built about five years ago.
The system was designed around a single remote that controlled everything. One button would watch TV, another would display cameras, and several commands would happen automatically behind the scenes. In the hands of the original installer, I’m sure it worked exactly as intended. In fact, it worked in my hands too. Once I learned that the remote needed to be pointed slightly to the right toward the equipment rack, it worked perfectly every time.
The real issue wasn’t the installer or the equipment.
The client had rarely used most of the system’s features. They had never really used the surround sound speakers in their living room and rarely got the whole-house audio system working. Over time, the system became something that felt too complicated to use. The remote and controls became so “precious” that nobody wanted to touch them for fear of messing something up.
Did the original installer do anything wrong? No.
For the technology available at the time, it was a good solution. The challenge is that technology has changed significantly over the last few years.
Today’s smart TVs, streaming devices, and audio equipment integrate much better than they once did. In the past, solving a problem often meant adding another piece of hardware. Today, you may already have everything you need—you just need the right setup and configuration.
In this particular home, a few cable changes and some reconfiguration allowed us to retire the fancy universal remote altogether. The homeowners can now use their Roku and Apple TV remotes to control both the television and the surround sound system they had never really enjoyed before.
Sometimes the best technology isn’t the most complicated technology—it’s the technology people actually use.
If you have an audio/video system that feels overly complicated, need TVs mounted, want help integrating your existing equipment, or simply need some advice on your setup, give SatCom & Computers a call at 318-256-1213 or schedule a consultation.