Summer is the perfect time to start thinking about an outdoor entertainment system upgrade for your Southlake, TX home. But when you move your entertainment outside, there are special considerations you have to take. In particular, you have to consider how natural light will affect your video display visibility. After all, you don’t want a washed out picture every time you decide to enjoy a movie or game in the backyard. In this blog, we’ll show you some ways you can enjoy a sharper picture outside. Read on for more.

See Also: 6 Must-Haves for Your Outdoor Entertainment System

Ultra-Bright Television

Some homeowners prefer TV displays over projectors. If you’ve decided to go this route, you should know that your average Sony flat-panel probably won’t withstand the elements. Everything from a light rain to a wayward football can easily damage it. And, of course, you’ll need to consider how the TV will combat ambient outdoor lighting situations.

SunBrite TVs are the perfect solution. Capable of ultra-bright images that will stand up to even the harshest sunlight, they’re the ultimate outdoor TV. Plus, they’re super durable. They’ve been tested against the toughest of outdoor elements – rain, sleet, snow and even Frisbees. In fact, they’re even rumored to have been tested against bullet impact!

On average in the city of Keller, Texas there are 235 sunny days per year with July being the warmest month. That being said, what can homeowners do to protect their interior finishes and keep HVAC units from working overtime? The best ideas are those that keep the heat from entering a home, think motorized shades that block solar heat gain or taking your cooking outdoors. Read on to learn more about how you can combine the latest smart home technology with common practices employed by homeowners before central AC was en vogue.

SEE ALSO: Which Type of Motorized Shades is Right for Your Home?

Cool Down, Block Out Sunlight

During the sunniest parts of the day, you may find that sunlight streams into your home, and while the natural light is welcoming, it can also have an adverse outcome, quickly heating up your indoor spaces. The result: your AC unit is forced to work harder to keep these rooms cool and comfortable. Improve the cooling performance of your HVAC system by adding motorized shades made of UV-resistant material. Each solar shade type has a UV rating, which measures the shade’s ability to restrict harmful rays from passing through it.

Automate Operation, Restrict Harmful Rays

When you think about installing an outdoor sound system in your property, you’re probably concerned with how it sounds and how it looks. But one of the most important considerations you can make is how long it will last. Choosing the right materials, placement and construction for your outdoor audio components can mean the difference between enjoying it for years and replacing the whole thing next summer. You want a system that will last, and this blog will show you how to achieve that. Read on for more.

See Also: A Quick Guide to Outdoor Sound Systems

Durable Materials

The speakers you have in your house wouldn’t work for your outdoor spaces, right? The sleek wooden cabinets that make up the free standing units in your listening room would quickly sustain damage and eventually rot if you put them in your backyards. That’s why you need to invest in speakers specifically designed to handle just about any kind of weather with the most durable materials that still offer great sound.

Outdoor speaker units can be made of any kind of plastic or metals, but often brass is one of the best choices. Not only is brass rust-proof – meaning the unit still remains serviceable for long periods of time – but it usually looks great and blends in with your backyard landscaping perfectly.

In the world of smart home control and automation, you probably know that there are two routes you can take: DIY or professional installation. For some homeowners, DIY may seem like the better choice. After all, aren’t smart devices easy to install? Won’t you save time and money by turning your home upgrade into a weekend project? The answers to those questions may not be as simple as you think. In this blog, we’ll show you why it may just be in your best interest to seek professional help, even when you think you can do it yourself. Read on to learn more.

See Also: Frequently Asked Questions about Smart Home Automation

Plug-and-Play?

Many smart devices tout their simplicity. Not just the way you interact with them, but their easy set up. And if you just want the very basic functions of your system, you can enjoy them with minimal effort. However, if you’re interested in integrating those devices as part of a complete smart home system, one that offers more functionality of each device while also simplifying the controls of all of them, you’ll need help.

Put it simply, smart devices are easy, smart homes are complex. At the end of the day, your integrator will take many complicated functions, including lights, shades, AV, security and more and give you one controller for everything. You won’t have to worry about useless buttons, or complicated layouts – your integrator will show you how to use everything on the user-friendly interface.

So you’ve decided to upgrade the media room in your Dallas, TX home. Instead of the standard 1080p HD you’ve become accustomed to, you want a video display that truly pops. You want to upgrade to 4K. But now that you’ve chosen to make the move, there are some questions you need answered, like: what exactly is 4K? How do you achieve full 4K picture? In this blog, we’ll answer your questions. Read on to learn more.

See Also: 4 Unique Uses for Your Brand New Media Room

What Is 4K?

By now you’ve probably heard the term 4K so much you might think it’s a standard feature on most TV displays. But actually, 4K has only become popular over the past couple of years. But do you really know what it means?

Also known as UHD, 4K is an image standard that’s four times the picture resolution of 1080p HD. Think of picture resolution like thread count on bedsheets: if 1080p equals 400 thread count, then 4K equals 1600. And, typically speaking, the higher the thread count, the better the quality.