Through our conversations with client’s and potential clients there are a few common questions we get asked, where is Home AV headed next and how do I future-proof my new home for technologies that haven’t even been invented yet.
There are a number of things going on within the Home AV world in 2016,
the primary one, we believe is the “connected home”. Connection & control solutions run parallel with audio visual entertainment systems. New homes, renovations and extensions will require a bit more thought on behalf of the Architects, Builders or Developers as they will require, solid, reliable and secure networks, to futureproof these builds and ensure they are ready for the home owners needs for up to 5 years from now, thus allowing the home owner to access data and content seamlessly from multiple devices throughout their home with ease.
Ensuring that sufficient cabling for data, audio and video is included when the build is in planning stage is the most effective way to plan for the future. While, we can’t all visualise the changes that we come in the next few years, we can be sure that the pace of change and innovation will only accelerate. Cabling a house for technology retrospectively is always going to be the more expensive option. Building a solid cable infrastructure from the start for data, audio & video will pay off as it offers the home owners the flexibility to up-grade as time or budget permits.
In the coming year and years, we believe that people will expect automated lighting control, heating and security as pretty much standard. We believe that we are fast reaching a point that the cost of these systems will make them much more accessible to the wider public.
As we have stated the need to pre-wire a house for current and future technology is vital, your architect or builder should recognise that, they should also be asking you their client about your entertainment requirements, if not ask why!
The integration of and control of multi-room audio, home cinemas, lighting and entry systems will likely change dramatically over the next five years, with touch-panels and mobile devices supporting new levels of control over home electronics and appliances, as so many people have a smartphones they are already walking around with a ready built controller in their pockets.
Probably the biggest change to emerge in the coming year will be in the area of energy consumption and monitoring. The general public are better educated and more conscious of their individual energy consumption and resultant carbon footprint. With energy-monitoring solutions, LED lighting, lighting control, climate control and smart meters, we are able to build up a profile of our energy usage. From here on in technology consultants and integrators will have to present their client’s with proposals/quotations that not only contains the cost of the system and installation but also the annual operating costs of these systems.
Roll on 2016……
