AV and home theatre trends
In order that AV Soul can create the very best custom-made AV furniture and best serve our customers, it is important that we understand their passions and the latest AV and home theatre trends. Many of our customers are true AV and Hi-Fi enthusiasts / audiophiles, so it is important that we are able to fully understand your territory. That is why we make sure we do our best to try and be as passionate and knowledgeable about AV as you are! It’s a tough call – as our customers really know their stuff… but one way we try to ensure we can best serve our customer’s requirements is to ensure we know about the emerging trends in AV, Hi-Fi and home theatre, before… or at least at the same time as our enthusiastic customers. In this blog post we’re outlining some of the AV and home theatre trends which may impact the custom-made AV furniture we can create for our customers.
HDR (High Dynamic Range)
Having already undergone the transition from HD to 4K, the next transition in televisions is the arrival of HDR (High Dynamic Range).
HDR refers to a TV’s ability to display super realistic images via contrast and colour. This means HDR televisions come with a huge range of colours and a broader scope between white and black, producing far clearer pictures, realistic skin tones and sharper dark scenes.
The two main players in HDR are HDR10 and Dolby Vision… and which platform will win-out remains to be seen. Those familiar with the battle of the formats between VHS and Betamax video cassettes will know that a winner can be hard to predict!
Standing and soundbar speakers
AV and home theatre enthusiasts are turning to floor-standing and shelf speakers rather than in-wall speakers. The best sound bar models are rapidly catching up with the quality of full-range speakers and they are a lot easier to integrate into people’s homes. Standard and middle range home cinema setups are being replaced with combinations of soundbars and subwoofers that offer a more efficient way to fill a room with sound.
Multiple screens
For those who have the space for a full home cinema, one of the most popular trends is having more than one TV. The use of dual and multi screens is becoming increasingly popular. Some customers are implementing a TV which gets covered by a large projection screen for watching films and sports. Other customers are grouping flat TVs on the same wall, or different sized screens on various walls in the same room.
In this modern world of information (overload?), video choices have become so diverse that more and more people refuse to be restricted by the old-fashioned concept of simply sitting down and watching TV. They are looking for convenient ways to enhance and increase their entertainment options.
Social networks
Of course, in today’s day and age, multi-screen doesn’t just mean TVs. Tablets and phones are heavily used for viewing entertainment content and of course gaming. But more so – they are used as a way of creating a dialogue with friends around what is being watched on TV. Social network users are tweeting and posting status updates while watching their favourite films, TV shows and sports meaning many smart TVs now come with apps like Facebook and Twitter.
Network media
The Internet is becoming one of the most important factors in home entertainment. 30% of homes are now equipped with smart TVs, networked gaming devices or a dedicated streaming service. While Blue-ray and CDs still have the edge over streaming in terms of viewing and sound quality, the gap will lessen and lessen as higher bandwidth become available to homes.
Wireless-ness
Wireless speaker systems have high levels of convenience and flexibility, so it’s no surprise they are becoming increasingly popular with our customers. Full home and PC integration via wireless solutions are widely available and the set-up is usually just a case of opening the box and finding the nearest power socket. While wired sound still represents the best sound quality, many wireless systems are catching up.
Automation
Smart home automation is a growing trend. With automation, all the sound and visual elements in your setup can be connected into one easily manageable system. For those that have the space and budget for a full home cinema – turning on the projector, lowering the screen, turning off the lights, closing the blinds, and so forth can be as simple as hitting ‘play’… or maybe even calling out to Alexa (see the next item).
Voice control
Most should now be familiar with the various voice control platforms available – be it a call to ‘OK Google’, ‘Hey Siri’, ‘Alexa’ or ‘Cortana’. This adoption of voice control devices like Amazon Alexa mean that our homes and home entertainment will increasingly be wirelessly controlled by our voices.
Are you planning any upgrades to your AV setup? Get in touch.
If you are planning on making changes and upgrades to your AV setup and kit, have you thought about how to integrate the changes seamlessly and stylishly into your home. If you think we could help you in your planning or would like a new AV unit or media wall designing, do get in touch using our quote form or by using one of the methods on our contact page.