By John Sciacca

Television manufacturers are a busy bunch, continually pushing the envelope with nary a moment’s rest on their technological laurels. In the past two years, everything we thought we knew about a good TV has been completely turned inside out. What was once the state of contemporary cool at 4-inches thick is now morbidly obese as sets are being measured in millimeters. Just as we’ve adjusted to 720p and then 1080p resolutions, we must prepare our eyes for the hyper-realism of 4K resolution. While our ancestors lived for years in the Stone Ages of 60-Hertz refresh rates, we have been shown the benefits of 120, 240 and now 480-Hertz. And where contrast ratios used to be boast numbers like 10,000 to 1, they have now reached infinity, exceeding staring into a black hole and the sun with the Hubble telescope. And, remarkably, while all of these advancements have occurred, prices have steadily plummeted. It won’t be long before you’ll pull a 42-inch Plasma from a box of Cracker Jacks, only to trade it for the rubber bouncy ball that you really wanted.

This means that it’s time to talk about the next trend that will capture your video dollars: 3D. Several manufacturers are fervently pursuing the third dimension (depth, in case you were curious) in hopes of continuing to capture that almighty fourth D, Dollars. Both Samsung and LG see 3D as the major catalyst to jumpstarting TV and Blu-ray sales. Mitsubishi has been showing 3D demos w ith its DLP and Laser TV for some time. JVC and Digital Projection had 3D demos at this past CEDIA, and even Dolby Laboratories is getting involved.

But the most aggressive 3D-ers seem to be Panasonic and Sony. (For the record, having watched demos from all of the manufacturers, I find Panasonic’s version of 3D to be the best. To my eyes, it was the sharpest, with the best focus, detail and depth of image.) Both companies plan on launching 3D sets next year and are already laying on the trash-talk pretty thick. Additionally, Sony is releasing an update that will provide a 3D mode for all PS3 games. Sony says, “The 3D train is on the track, and we’re the ones to drive it home.”

Panasonic countered, “A lot of people think Blu-ray is Sony. We believe 3D is Panasonic.”

I believe the next quote will start out, “Yo’ mama so fat…” but I’ve been unable to confirm.

According to the research firm, GigaOM, sales of 3D sets will reach up to 46 million by 2013 and, as 3D becomes a standard feature, it will have just a slight price premium over non-3D models. With support coming from Hollywood in the form of major 3D releases (including James Cameron’s highly anticipated Avatar), it seems like the transition to the home market is inevitable.

by Lisa Montgomery Electronic House

Home control is all about simplicity. You press a button and a million things happen. If you can’t find that button, though, it’s pointless to even have a system in your house. That’s why it’s so important to make sure the interface (i.e. remote control, touchpanel or keypad) you use to command the lights, thermostats, A/V gear and other devices is well designed by your custom electronics professional.

It’s a difficult endeavor, both for manufacturers who build the interfaces and for the pros who design them. There are a lot of elements to consider: the layout of the buttons; the size, shape and color of those buttons; and the sequence of actions required to launch commands to electronic devices around the house. It would be easy if everyone marched to the same drum, and in many ways, we do. There are certain human factors that apply to everyone: we read from left to right, view lists from top to bottom and associate danger with the color red, for example.

Beyond these reference points, however, there’s little commonality between users, and this is where the design of a user interface gets tricky. Should your collection of music titles be listed on the right side of the screen or the left?  Would you like all of your home control commands presented on a floorplan rather than on separate “room” pages? Would you like access to your entire channel guide or just your favorite stations?

User preferences are bound to be all over the board. What you like will undoubtedly be different than your custom electronics (CE) pro’s previous customers. In fact, your preferences may be drastically different even from those of your spouse and kids.
Obviously, the more your CE pro knows about you and your family, the better prepared he’ll be to design an interface that’s intuitive and suits the needs of everyone who uses it. Think beyond those who live at your house, like the babysitter, your mother and guests who stay at your house occasionally. They’ll need to know how to work the remote, touchpanel or keypad, too.

Here are a few key factors that can help your CE pro determine the best design for your home control interface.

[More...]