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8K vs. 4K vs. HD

8k tv is here

What just happened!? 4K now 8K?
Check out the Video Above to see for yourself.

4K TVs may seem relatively new, but there’s another even higher-resolution display technology already here: 8K TV. Should you upgrade? We’ve got the answers to that question and more. 

Why? Why in the world do we need 8K when it feels like 4K just became a thing? Is this a “planned obsolescence” scenario for TV? An attempt to force an upgrade before its time? And what about content? Is there any hope for 8K when we can barely get 4K? Those are all fair questions, and we have the answers. Here’s everything you need to know about 8K vs. 4K vs. HD.

McCormick Concepts is a custom home theatre, home automation company delivering bespoke threatre, media rooms, and smart home systems for over the last 10 years.  We pride ourselves on all things Tech.  We love providing an all-in-one solution for our clients from design, supply, and installation.  

Contact us today to learn more on 1300 795 469 or email sales@mccormickconcepts.com.au
 

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Why Do I Want Multi-Room Audio?

Why would I want multi-room 🎵 audio? 

Multi-room audio, put simply, is the ability to listen to music/audio in several rooms. Depending on the system you choose, you’ll either be able to play different audio in different rooms at the same time, the same audio in all rooms, or just a couple simultaneously. 

Why do our client’s want it? 

Music is an escape. Most of our clients are busy business owners and their home is their retreat. Multi-room audio is a great way to switch off. Our client in the Central Coast has a gorgeous home backing onto Beach.  When we were putting together a scope for his project, he said he wanted to be able to put on the footy in the living room and still hear the audio while he moves between his indoor and outdoor living space. With the help of a multi-room audio system, he will be able to control five different audio zones in a centralised app. Meaning, he could be in the living room watching the game and can continue listening while he is cooking a BBQ on the alfresco without missing a beat.

What systems are the best?

We get it, there is plenty of brands out there.  While some have more awareness than others, we like to focus on outcome rather than specific products to ensure the best result.  Instead of focusing a brand, in our consultation we focus what kind of experience do you want to have.  

Ask yourself the following questions:

  • What rooms do I want to listen to audio?
  • Do I have existing speakers that I want to work with?
  • Do I have a particular atheistic I am after (i.e. flush in-ceiling speakers, invisible speakers, on-wall speakers, sound bar, or free standing)?
  • Do you want to integrate with voice control such as Google Home or Alexa?
  • How do you want to be able to control your music? From an app on your mobile device from a separate remote?
  • Do you have other smart home integration you would like to tie into your audio such as lighting, climate control etc..?
  • What quality of audio do you value? If you haven’t experience concert level audio or THX reference audio.  PLEASE book a demo with us!

Looking for inspiration.  Check out some of the solutions we work with here:

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE?

Whatever your needs, McCormick Concepts can help you design the best multi-room audio system for your home and budget.  

Call us today 1800 429 794 or email sales@mccormickconcepts.com.au to speak to our one of experts or schedule a no obligation consultation.

 

What Can McCormick Concepts Do For You?

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Not all Networks are Created Equal

Why Should I Consider Home Networking?

From maintaining a comfortable temperature, to streaming music and movies and even keeping our homes safe and secure, there is an ever-growing ecosystem of products on which we rely that are becoming smarter and more sophisticated.

Without a reliable and efficient network, even the smartest devices are rendered dumb. Each connected device adds strain to a home network and, ultimately, the availability of a wireless connection within the house. This is why the network has quickly become one of the most important systems in your home.

Many homeowners are accustomed to using networking hardware provided by their Internet service provider or consumer brands found at a local retailer. These consumer-grade commodity products are built for a one-size-fits-all approach and compromise the speed, performance, and reliability of a network.

Consumer-grade networks, built as low-cost solutions, are not designed to meet the demands of modern connected homes. More robust networks are designed from specialized components—routers, switches, and wireless access points—that are built to support smart home, audio and video traffic.

Your smart home needs a network that is scalable, adaptable, intuitive, and ready to perform.

A strong network foundation will ensure that all of your automated conveniences, audio and video luxuries, and security systems are reliable and functioning optimally. With a network designed for smart homes, you can alleviate strain caused by video buffering, missed beats, application freezing, and slow response times.

With a custom-designed network, the comfort and performance of your modern home are optimized.

Some considerations when thinking about networking in your home:

Where do you want coverage in your home?

This might seem like a pretty basic question.  But ask yourself, do I have a pool area or a shed that I will be spending considerable time in? Sometimes it is the areas we don’t think of that become a Wifi nuisance.

What are your future plans for your home?

Think in terms of the next six months to two years, will there be users or new smart technology (automation system, smart lighting, security system, etc.) added to the network?

What types of applications are you using?

To ensure the best performance, it is import to understand how you are using the network i.e. email browsing, video streaming, 4K streaming, music streaming.

During peak usage, how many users/devices are typically on the network at any given time.

The number of devices on the network will help us determine the resources required to support the connected devices.

Is a guest network required?

Consider if you will be giving anyone else wifi access that you don’t wish to have access to your main password.  This is great for entertaining areas or separate living quarters.

Do you have aesthetic preferences?

WAP can be hidden, flush mounted into the ceiling, or wall mounted?

Interested in learning more?

Whatever your needs, McCormick Concepts can help you design the best wireless network for your home and budget.  Call us today 1300 795 469 or email sales@mccormickconcepts.com.au to speak to our network experts!

Or checkout solutions we employ here. 

What Can McCormick Concepts Do For You?

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Eliminate Wifi Dead Spots

I HAVE NO WIFI! 

So you have built or bought a beautiful home and settled in.  You have the perfect décor, the perfect view, the perfect furniture, only to realise, your Wifi is non-existing or spotty in areas throughout your home.  McCormick Concepts has a solution to help fix the Wifi dead spots.  We use a networking technology that is wireless that allows the internet to run seamlessly throughout the home without the need for cabling.  This technology is called a mesh network. 

So what is a mesh network? Normally a Wifi network in your home works by having a Wifi router and modem sitting in one spot. This then projects a Wifi signal in a certain radius around itself and allows your devices to connect to the internet.  However, what happens when you get on the fringes of that radius? Wifi Deadspots!

In a mesh network, there is one main router that plugs into your internet modem.  There are other access points/hubs that you can place throughout the house, increasing the range of the Wifi signal.  The best thing about a mesh networking it is doesn’t rely on cabling.  We can connect multiple access points without wires throughout, which is why is ideal for existing homes.  Other practical uses would be where it is difficult to run Ethernet cable, and outdoor applications, or any location that would be too costly to run the cabling.  The end result is seamless, ultra-reliable Wifi network throughout your home in a very cost-effective way. 

Have Wifi dead spots in your home? Call us today 1300 795 469 or email sales@mccormickconcepts.com.au to see if a mesh network is right for you.

What Can McCormick Concepts Do For You?

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Top 3 Questions When Designing A Home Theatre

We wanted to share the TOP 3 QUESTIONS we are asked when someone is considering a home theatre room for their home.

  1.  Is my room the right size?
  2. Should I get a Projector or Flat Screen TV?
  3. How much should I budget?

Is my room the right size?

It is true… size matters, but to what extent? What is perfect ideal space? While companies like THX, have all their specification about the perfect shaped room, the perfect layout of speakers, the perfect ratio of projector to the screen, it creates this idea that we have to have this perfect type of space. In most of our installations, this is rarely the case. Perfect doesn’t exist. However, there is an ideal if you have a specific outcome.  The reality is that we can make your space work irregardless if we know what is important to you. Whether you are renovating or building a home, have an enclosed dedicated space with little ambient light or an open media room, we can make things work.  The perfect space is the one you already have.  Working with an integrator we discuss outcomes, we might find the perfect space is where you just want to have a flat screen on the wall and surround sound speakers.  Or we might find a unique way to design a room to achieve a specific goals like a specific sound level. SO whatever it is that you want to do, and integrator will do the best we can do to optimize your space and maximize it.

Projector or Flat Screen TV?

We often get asked should I use a projector or a flat screen TV.  Although we see all sorts of different application executed successfully, there are two rules of thumb.  First, if you are in something like a multi-purpose open space, most of the time you are going to prefer a flat screen TV.  If you have something that is more of an enclosed dedicated theatre room you are usually going to enjoy the experience more if it is a projector screen.  Second, based on space, what is the biggest size screen you can use?  If the biggest screen that you can put on the wall is 80-90 inches, flat screen makes the most sense, maybe you could have a short throw projector, but more than likely a flat screen TV is going to make the most sense.  If you are in the application where you have the room to have a 120+ inch screen, then a projector screen is going to be the most enjoyable for you.  We often hear from clients, regarding the screen size how it changes the watching experience, how immersive it feels and how it draws you into the movie experience.  That is the idea and what we are after.  Rather than getting hung up on what is going to give you the best visual experience, we believe either a TV or projector can give you a great visual experience.  You just want to make sure it fits the room and the application.

How much should I Budget?

Now the golden questions. How much should I budget? While this is the most common question of all. Budget is outcome driven. We hear a lot of client say I want a good quality cinema room.  I don’t want to have the very best, but I don’t want to have cheap either. However, working off of buzz words like cheap and expensive are often difficult to quote, because there is no defined expectation and no outcome. Someone might be happy to drive an average car or someone a BMS or porche. We need to know where their base level expectation sits. This is why having a discussion with a qualified integrator is valuable.  It will give us the opportunity to learn about what level of quality your after so we can help provide you with advice so you can get the best value for your investment. While we have have rooms that are $50,000 -$250,000. We don’t want homeowners to fall into the trap and think that is what you would have to spend. We have a lot of rooms that start anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 that can be designed to fit the purpose you are trying to achieve. A lot of times clients will say to us, I would love a home theatre, I would love surround sound, but I don’t have the budget for it.  Wherever your budget lies, you can still have a phenomenal experience. Obviously, the more you have to put in the system the better. But any budget will allow you to have a great experience.

We love to speak to you and meet with to discuss your project whether it is surround sound, a media room, or a dedicated theatre room. Call us 1300 795 469 or email us at sales@mccormickconcepts.com.au and we would be happy to help!

 

What Can McCormick Concepts Do For You?

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How to Prepare Your New Home for the Future

Are you in the process of building a new home? 

Well, we all know that the major components of a home include: slab, frame, electrical, water, sewer, walls, roof… the list goes on. 

One comment that we here over and over again is, “I wish I had prepped the infrastructure to support more technology,” or something along the lines of, “Why didn’t I at least pre-wire?” 

While retrofitting can be possible in some cases, if you’re going to invest all that time, energy and money into a new-construction, wouldn’t it make sense to go ahead and prepare the structure to be “smart” compatible before the walls go up?

This process, called prewiring, ensures that your house has the necessary infrastructure to support the essential components of smart home technology – from lighting control to whole-house audio/video and automation systems. With the proper framework in place to support future-ready automation system, we can then add your preferred home control systems when your new property is fully built.

BENEFITS OF PREPARING THE INFRASTRUCTURE:
You may not need to connect all the pre-wire networks in your home right now but may consider future installations like CCTV cameras and outdoor alfresco speaker. This allows room for future expansions with your pre-fixed technologies. Pre-wiring your new house while under construction gives you the freedom to choose where you want things to be which you may not have when it is complete.
 
McCormick Concepts understands that building a house can be extremely stressful and that it takes time to make all of decisions.  Let us guide you through the process.
 
   

CONTACT US FOR A FREE, NO OBLIGATION DISCUSSION ON HOW TO FUTURE PROOF YOUR HOME

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Music In Any Room, Indoors Or Out

 Multi room audio systems allow you to listen to music in numerous areas
of the home simultaneously or independently.

Multi room audio systems provide you with freedom! You can vary volume levels in each room from a control panel or by remote control. You can also have multiple zones, meaning you can play music in your bedroom while the kids watch a movie in the living area! You can even control some system from you iPhone or iPad!

Today’s speaker technology ensures aesthetic integration into your home. Speakers don’t have to be installed on your wall or ceiling, they can be installed into almost every environment and come in various designs and colours!

For example, outdoor speakers in your garden that look like simple low voltage lights or speakers sheeted directly into your ceiling that are completely invisible!

Speaker designs vary from rock shaped weatherproof speakers for your garden to invisible speakers that can be plastered into your wall. Multi room audio systems not only enhance the luxury of your home but can also increase the resale value of your property making it a great long term investment.

Looking to add more music in your home?  

Call us today on 1300 795 469 or email sales@mccormickconcepts.com.au