The very first universal remote debuted in 1985. While the technology was clunky and basic, the idea behind the original universal remote is still true today: consolidating control of your media devices makes using them easier. In modern media rooms, universal controls are a must-have item. With sound systems, media players, televisions, and more, having one remote to manage everything definitely makes life simpler. To learn about the best universal remote on the market today, read on. 

A Design that Everyone Can Enjoy

Bigger isn’t always better. The Savant Pro remote is designed to fit easily into your hand, with all the controls in easy reach. The top portion is a curved touchscreen that helps you navigate the options quickly. For those of us who prefer the traditional button feel, the remote has that option too.

One Remote for Everything

The Savant Pro remote has a huge range of supported devices. Everything from your Apple TV to your Sonos sound system to your Blu-ray player can all be controlled at the push of a button. Of course, Savant doesn’t just do your typical media devices; it can also manage the lights, climate, motorized window treatments, and more!

Preset Scenes

Media rooms often have a lot of different uses, from watching movies to playing games with friends. The Savant Pro remote allows you to “set the scene” for each activity with the push of a button. These scenes are a collection of preprogrammed settings for the perfect lighting levels, temperature, music, and more. So when you want to watch a movie, just select the “Movie” scene. When you do, the lights will dim, the shades will lower to block out sunlight, and all your media equipment will turn on instantly.

SEE ALSO: Top Do’s and Don’ts for Media Room Design

Finding a good home security company in the Colleyville, Texas area can be a challenge. With so many options, how do you ensure that you’re choosing a company that will be able to meet all your needs? Below, we cover the characteristics that set DB Media Solutions above the rest for smart security and surveillance.

Diverse Supported Technology

Watch out for companies that only do one type of security, like surveillance cameras. If you truly want your home to be fully protected, it makes sense to choose a company that can offer a wide range of security products and services.

You may not be aware of how many different security technologies are available, but consider exploring some of the options listed below:

• Alarm systems: trigger audible alarms, silent notifications, etc.
• High-definition video surveillance: view real-time surveillance footage from anywhere.
• Smart entry systems: use fingerprints, personalized codes, geofencing, and more to give access to your property – no physical keys required.
• Central monitoring services: have 24x7 access to monitoring services that alert you or the authorities the moment there’s a problem.
• Smart sensors: track motion, water leaks, doors, windows, etc.
• Fire and life safety devices: stay on top of carbon monoxide, gas, smoke, and more.

SEE ALSO: What Features Should Be Included in Your Home Security System?

Completely Customized Solutions

You shouldn’t be shoehorned into a preset security package. The devices or services that make sense for one home might be a completely wrong fit for you. And often with this approach, you end up paying for products or services that you never intend to use.

The world has changed a lot in the last decade. Before 2007, iPhones didn’t even exist, and technology in the home was far from commonplace. Now, it’s not unusual to have televisions and smart devices in every room of the home. You might think that the more technology you have, the harder it is to manage it all, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Solutions like home video distribution allow you to easily control all your media across multiple devices.

In a previous post, we covered how home video distribution works, but let’s delve deeper into how you can make the most of this system in each room of your home.

1. Living Room

Let’s get the obvious room out of the way first. The living room is typically what comes to mind when somebody mentions televisions, and it’s usually the main reason why homeowners decide to go for a video distribution system. Either they’re tired of cluttering up the living room décor with countless media devices or they’re tired of being limited to a single room just to watch a movie or enjoy the latest episode of a TV show. Whatever the reason, consider the living room a must-have for video distribution.

2. Kitchen

There are plenty of great reasons to add a TV to your kitchen. You can try a new recipe alongside an episode of your favorite cooking show or have reruns playing in the background while you prep dinner. However, a TV in the kitchen isn’t much good if it can’t play the TV show or movie that you want to watch. With a video distribution system, your waterproof kitchen TV can have access to all the same media as the TV in your living room—sans cords or equipment.

3. Home Theater/Media Room

Like the living room, any home theater or media room worth its weight will have a video distribution system in place. A large part of what makes home theaters special is the ability to sit down, press play, and enjoy the immersive cinema experience. That experience shouldn’t involve sifting through different Blu-rays, booting up the Blu-ray player, finding the right remote for the projector, and so forth. Instead, all the devices are connected to one central control system that you can access right from your smartphone or tablet.

New home construction is a busy market in the Dallas, Texas area, especially for luxury properties. If you want to ensure that your construction firm is the one who gets the bid for these homes, you need something that puts you above the rest. That competitive edge could be integrated home security systems. To learn about the value that security technology can add to your company offerings as well as the quick and easy way to get started, read on.

Give Buyers What They Want

Smart technology (home security in particular) is rapidly growing more popular among home buyers. In a 2016 study by John Burns Real Estate Consulting, surveyed buyers stated that smart technology was a significant part of their evaluation of different housing options, and they would be willing to spend more money for smart home technology. Of the nearly 22,000 buyers surveyed, more than half said they would pay extra for security cameras, doorbells with text alerts, and other smart devices.

Given these statistics, when buyers are faced with an average house model and one with all the bells and whistles of smart technology, it’s clear which option they’ll choose. However, it’s worth noting that full smart home automation systems are often completely customized to the buyer’s preferences, which makes it hard to go beyond simply adding prewiring into your building plans. Home security, on the other hand, offers far more opportunity for a standard package included with particular home design models.

SEE ALSO: Make Homes Smart from the Start

How to Get Started with Home Security

The struggle with many construction firms is that they’re builders and architects, not security experts. And that’s okay. The quick and easy solution to this problem is to leave the security and smart home technology to a trusted third party. Let the security specialist partner with you on the homes, then reap the benefits of having more attractive options for buyers in the Dallas market.

Different rooms have different audio needs, and a “one size fits all” music system isn’t going to get you the same level of quality sound that you can enjoy when you take a more tailored approach. At DB Media Solutions, we have more than a decade of experience designing and implementing high-fidelity multi-room music systems. Based on that unique insight, here’s an overview of the best setups for speakers in each room of your Colleyville, Texas area home.

In Dedicated Listening Rooms

The speaker layout and type in a dedicated listening room should be different from your typical media room setup. Believe it or not, the type of music you most enjoy listening to will affect how you set up the space. In fact, the right room size for listening to classical music might not be the perfect fit for enjoying jazz.

The speakers are typically placed on one end of the room, all directed toward a chair or sofa where you would sit to enjoy the music. Acoustic treatments on the side walls ensure that the best sound possible is directed toward your ears.

SEE ALSO: How to Build the Perfect Listening Room

In Common Areas

The kitchens, hallways, bathrooms, etc. are not places you would normally think to put a high-end audio system, but the beauty of multi-room music is that you are not limited to listening to music in one particular room. To achieve this unified sound across the entire home, you’ll want speakers strategically placed in high-traffic areas.