Dallas Home Theater Update | Verizon Teams with Redbox

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Tekmax

Home theater enthusiasts have much to be excited about with the newest merger of feature films and home entertainment to hit the corporate world. Thinking of finally building out your own home theater? Now you have no reason to wait any longer. The just announced partnership of Verizon Communications with Redbox will bring home viewing screen and the great film libraries of Hollywood even closer together than they are now. Check out the latest from HomeTheaterReview.com.

For those not familiar with Redbox, just take a look at how DVD and game rentals are increasingly being made in your area. Redbox has rented close to 2 billion discs to date from their over 30,000 bright red kiosks across the USA. Their company provides these kiosk structures at supermarkets, malls, fast-food restaurants, airports and other transportation terminals. These kiosks rent games for as little as $2 a title, with the most current DVD features renting for as little as one dollar each. Titles can be rented for a day at a time or longer and returned to the same convenient kiosk or location. Kiosk locations and current selections can always be found on their Redbox web page.Verizon Communications will become the revolutionary amongst cable and satellite providers, having the ability to additionally offer its own streaming video services through its television feeds. Services are expected to not just be inexpensive, but to be able to undercut the current prices of either a traditional DVD rental at a “Blockbuster” type retail store or a mail away DVD rental rate with a “Netflix” type provider.

This newest merger will increase the services that both companies already offer. Verizon Communications will be able to combine Internet delivery of entertainment product with the ease and convenience of the availability of the Redbox title library. The monthly service charge is expected to hover at approximately $6 a month, undercutting the current Netflix service charge.

Tekmax Technologies is the company for home theater and home media room installation in Dallas, Texas. Tekmax Technologies is known for offering complete services in both the residential and commercial marketplace. Full installation and equipment for all your home automation and home theater needs are our specialty. Tekmax can create a new media room style home theater or remodel an existing one. Based in Dallas, Tekmax has over 20 years of industry experience in home theater design and home theater equipment installation.

Verizon’s partnership with Redbox will give the home viewer the most advantageous and economical way to fill their home screens. It will combine the current ease of the Redbox DVD rental kiosks with Internet available content. Consider that last minute trip to the video store on a rainy night a thing of the past. Your home theater can now bring the best and brightest of the motion picture world right into your living room without you ever having the leave your humble abode. Please contact us at Tekmax today so that we may help you in Dallas, Plano, Allen, Frisco, Southlake, or anywhere in the entire Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex.

TekMaxTechnologies is a Dallas/Ft. Worth based home theater and media roomcompany. We are an Authorized Control4 Home Automation Gold Dealer and offer complete solutions thatinclude home theaters, whole house audio/video, surveillance, lighting,automation, digital living, remodels and room conversions.

Find out more at TekMaxTechnologies.com and“Like Us” on Facebook and follow on Twitter.

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Home Automation Goes Mainstream

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Tekmax

Siri was just the beginning. Broadband technological innovation and the explosion of smartphones on the market have stimulated the development of affordable home automation products that customers can use to management the home environment from the couch, bedroom, car, office, or anywhere.

The market is still in its infancy, but big-name organizations like Verizon, AT&T, Time Warner, Lowe’s, and Sears have started to create their footprint. 

What’s in the future for home automation? David Pedigo gave us a brief overview at CEDIA.

But here’s the thing, with entry-level products that begin at less than $100 along with service deals priced at as little as $10 a month, professionals estimate smart-home ownership will rise over the next several years.

Home hands free operation solutions help customers keep an eye on their residences or keep an eye on their kids or household pets by viewing video cams on their mobile phone devices. Home automation services can send text messages or email notifications when movement alerts are triggered, glass smashes or even if a senior parent or guardian isn’t able to get out of bed. From a distance, you  can open the door for a home repair technician, turn on/off the lights, turn off the heat, or close a garage area entrance that was incorrectly left up.

Companies see home hands automation as a long-term prospect for new income channels, but many customers don’t yet know the technological innovation exists.

Big-name companies are getting in the home automation game

Verizon rolled out a home monitoring and control program nationwide in October that offers three starter kits ranging from $69 to $219 that it services at a monthly charge of $9.99. A $169 energy control kit includes a switch than can be placed on any appliance, maybe the extra refrigerator in the garage, that will let a homeowner monitor on a computer or cellphone how much energy it is consuming and how much of the household electric bill it accounts for.Lowe’s plans to roll out two starter home automation kits under its “Iris” brand – one for security and another for energy management – in the early summer.

Sears Holdings Corp. has introduced a garage door opener through its Craftsman brand that can be used to operate the door from remote locations and let someone know if it was left open. Craftsman also is rolling out lighting controls.

Time Warner Cable launched its home automation system, IntelligentHome, in Southern California on Oct. 31, and by mid-December more than 700 households had signed on. With a $99 installation fee and monthly rates that start at about $35, IntelligentHome offers 24-hour home security monitoring along with remote access through smartphones and other web-connected devices to lights and thermostats, and to live feeds from cameras mounted around the home.

With home automation – everything is connected

Industry professionals estimate home automation programs like home protection, home theater audio control, wireless lights, and temperature control will be the services that customers turn to first. Down the road – remotely controlling blinds, appliances, entertainment centers and swimming pool pumps, or linking devices to one another so, for instance, the garage door opening at the end of the work day will cause lights inside the house to turn on and the television in the family room to flip to the sports channel.

Over time everything will be connected at the click of a button. Get ready for more and more home Automation in 2012.

Got an iPad?Check out the top 5 home automation uses available from your tablet.

TekMax Technologies is a Dallas/Ft. Worth based home theater and media room company. We are an Authorized Control4 Home Automation Gold Dealer and offer complete solutions that include home theaters, whole house audio/video, surveillance, lighting, automation, digital living, remodels and room conversions.

Find out more at TekMaxTechnologies.com and “Like Us” on Facebook and follow on Twitter. 

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Wireless Home Security System – Top Thing You Need To Know

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Tekmax

With an uncertain economic future and the connection this has to crime, a growing number of people are turning to the latest in wireless home security to provide safety for their families. The old alarm systems are too easy to bypass by simply cutting electricity and the phone line to the home. Newer home security systems are available now to replace the obsolete ones with wireless technology and battery back-up. There are a lot of options out there, but there is one important phrase to keep in mind when searching through them for the best wireless home security choice for your home.

Video Surveillance Systems
Once upon a time, these systems were only for the very wealthy. Videocameras, closed caption, and off-site monitoring were common features on high-rent office buildings and mansions, but they were simply not affordable for other applications. This has changed, and home security has expanded beyond the simple alarm system to warn of intruders. Though the alarm will still go off, intruders can be positively identified even when they get away.

Beyond this, such systems can be used to remotely monitor children after school, via connection with mobile technology, and even an oven left on or doors left unlocked can be remedied without the need to turn the car around. Outdoor security cameras can extend protection for family members with medical issues that require immediate attention.

The Mobile, Digital Home
Imagine being able to control lighting, heating and air, and any lock in the home with the touch of a button, even from an off-site computer or phone. Home automation is the wave of the future, and it is already here. The tools contained in a package like Control4 make it possible to link all the appliances and security features of the home together. Whether it is for added comfort and peace of mind or to save on energy costs, the digital home can be outfitted to serve any home-owner’s particular needs.

These technologies have been available for several years now, but they have lacked coordination and generally remained too expensive for even many professionals to enjoy. This is changing fast, however, and systems can now be purchased to perform multiple duties from one company with one installation. After installation, the choice is up to the individual. Software has been created that makes programming macro-functions a breeze.

If you are sitting down to watch a movie, one button can dim the lights, set the surround sound and cut off noisy appliances. Kids coming home from school can bypass the alarm system with a code, but parents can still receive a text that they made it in. The pesky table alarm can be dumped too, as the home may be programmed to open the drapes, start coffee and begin playing favored music in the morning.

How to Get Started
First is finding an authorized Control4 dealer. TekMax is prepared to supply the technologies and install them. View the options on their website and choose the right package for your needs. The smart home is no longer something that will be available someday. You can enjoy the benefits of a wireless home security system and so much more today. TekMax is a one-stop shop for the smart home, providing automation, lighting/video, room remodels and everything else required for creating the perfect digital living space.

For more information, follow us on Twitter or connect with us on Facebook. You can also find us online and sign-up for a free estimate at www.tekmaxtechnologies.com/contact-us.

TekMax Technologies is a Dallas/Ft. Worth based home theater and media room company. We are an Authorized Control4 Gold Dealer and offer complete solutions that include home theaters, whole house audio/video, surveillance, lighting, automation, digital living, remodels and room conversions.

Posted in Dallas Home Theater, Tekmax Technologies Blog, Wireless Home Security | Leave a comment