Football season is back (thank you Lord)! One of the most relaxing sounds of the Fall is to have all the TVs turned on to your desired game so no matter where you are in your home you can see and hear the action.  We will pause here for the countering opinions from the wives, moms and girlfriends..........

The challenge is when you have broadcasts of the same show on different devices there are always delays in the video/audio. Even if you have all your TVs and streaming devices tuned to the same channel.  It is not uncommon to hear cheers or groans from one room as they see a play unfold a second or two before you do in an adjoining space. This setup also leads to an echo effect where the sound repeats/echos through the house as the streams are not fully sychronized.

The Solution

There is a solution which we incorporate into our new homes and can also be retrofited into existing homes.  Simultaneous streaming from a center media hub via network wiring.  Sounds pretty technical and Buck Rogers (how many recognize that throwback?) however basically what it means is your receiver/cable boxes/server/device that you are tuning into to watch "The Game" or the finals of Americas Got Talent or Downtown Abby (Mrs. G makes Mr. G watch) you can move through the house and be watching and hearing everything as if you were in one room.

This is the same technology you see in restaurants, night clubs, arenas, stadiums, etc...  No matter where you are in the building everyone is watching the same video and hearing the same audio at the same time.

How do we do this you ask? When we build a new home we locate our TVs and speakers in the rooms where they will be viewed and we then pull the wiring back to a central "hub". This is typically located in a closet or mechanical room. We most commonly use the Savant platform, however Crestron and Nice also have similar capacities. This "hub" is where your cable boxes, Apple TVs, media servers, etc... would be located and connected to your data network. 

Other than wires, the only component that will behind your Television will be a small device which receives the signals. No bulky cable box, Apple TV or wires trailing off to an amplifier in the corner.

You would then use your phone or the system remote control to select which room or rooms you want to view a show.  The system would send the chosen content to the selected device(s) so they all receive the same feed. You and your guests (assuming you are having a big watching party) can move through out your home or outdoor living space and all be seamlessly watching and listening to the same game/show at the same time with no lag, echo or distractions..  You can watch movies, Television shows (might we suggest The Bear on Hulu), movies from a DVD player, streaming services, broadcast TV, etc.... Anything you can watch on a stand alone TV you can stream through your home to share with everyone.

Benefits

This set up also allows so that a family can have different people watching seperate shows in various parts of the home.  Mrs. G can watch Down Town Abby while Mr. G is watching the Texas Game or The Simpsons on the back patio. With addition of hardware modules you can have as many streaming events as you like.  The attached picture shows a home which has 4 different events playing simultaneously in 4 different spaces in the home.  This may be more than you need for your home however it is nice to have that capacity if needed.

More Benefits

With this system you can also do Video Tiling which is where you can have multiple games/shows on the same screen and you can jump around to the audio from the most interesting video feed.  This is similar to what resturants and bars use to show multiple games at one time on the same screen. Here is a video showing how it works with Savant - link.

Even More Benefits

Another benefit of this set up is you can stream music from your favorite sources, Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube or a media server.  The music plays simultaneous throughout your home. You can adjust the volume in each space as well so that where conversations are going on you can have it as background music and where folks are really getting into the music (slam dancing or air guitar) you can have it play louder. The attached picture shows how the interface allows you to select which source you would like to stream.

What Do You Call This?

This type of set up is often referred to Whole House Audio/Video Distribution. Savant refers to it as Savant IP Video. It is best to plan for it during the design stage of your home, however it can be retrofitted at almost any time with a bit more effort. We HIGHLY recommend that this only be done with wired networks. In theory you can do this wirelessly however this opens up a host of other issues and problems. Dedicated high capacity network wire to a central hub will give you the best results.

When Do I Plan For This?

If your family is working to design a new home or renovate your existing home, have this conversation with your Builder early on.  There are some specific items that should be addressed in the design process. If your Builder is not well versed in this type of technology, it may make sense to visit with some other resources. Our Estate Management Services Team has often had to help families remedy audio/video systems which were not designed as well as they could have been.

How Can We Help?

If you are considering building or renovating your home and wish to consider upgrading your audio and video experience, we are happy to visit.

Now back to the game!