In the 1960s, it was fashionable to talk about the "Nuclear Age.” In that era, nuclear energy painted a vision of a future with limitless power and even flying cars. The Nuclear Age never quite materialized but what blossomed after that time period was the Information Age.

The Information Age, as they say, changed everything. It has changed the speed of business radically with multimedia communication and telecommunication capabilities that make the 1960s look like the horse-and-buggy era. This means any organization, whether in business, education, medicine, or otherwise, needs to keep abreast of the latest information technologies. Information technology knocks down barriers across states, countries, and borders, so any organization has to stay competitive in our uber-connected world.

One way of staying competitive is with enterprise automation technology. Crestron is a leader in commercial and enterprise automation for organizations of all types. Keep reading to learn more about how to keep your Atlanta business competitive and productive in today's fast-paced business world.

This blog has now been updated; you can view this updated post here.

Soundbars sometimes get a bad rap. Audio enthusiasts tend to downplay these integrated speaker systems as fashion items with inferior sound quality. There are many soundbars on the market, and the bad rap, unfortunately, holds true for a great number of them. 

Soundbars, however, are incredibly popular for a variety of reasons. Some rooms don’t have a great deal of space for separate speakers. In some older homes, it may be challenging to retrofit wires for architectural speakers. Some people don't want to see more than one speaker in their room and prefer only a sleekly mounted speaker under the TV where it doesn't draw too much attention. The soundbar is a neat solution for all those scenarios. 

What about sound quality? The soundbar has benefited from over a decade of refinement in engineering. Digital signal processing, as well as better quality drivers and construction, enable today's higher-end soundbars to rival the sound quality of multi-speaker systems. Last month, we told you about Leon custom soundbars, an excellent choice for minimalist media rooms.  

This month, we have another customizable soundbar to tell you about, from none other than Klipsch. You know Klipsch as a classic American audio brand that’s been in business for over 70 years. Georgia Home Theater is proud to be Atlanta’s only Klipsch Heritage dealer, carrying audio enthusiast speakers like the Klipschorn as well as the affordable Reference Premier line. We’re excited to tell you about the new Klipsch Heritage Soundbar, which offers discreet, elegant looks with the robust sound quality you expect from Klipsch. Keep reading below for the details!

The British seem to have a way with hi-fi audio. Brands like Bowers & Wilkins, KEF, Meridian, NAD, Linn, and others are renowned for engineering and craftsmanship in the field of audio reproduction. Another brand that sometimes doesn’t get as much mention - but should - is Monitor Audio.  

For over 40 years, Monitor Audio has been building a complete range of speakers for home audio, which today encompasses 16 product ranges from custom install to high-end home theater speakers. Like most British audio makers, they have their unique slice of expertise that they apply to their speaker designs.  

Monitor Audio is one of the world's foremost experts in crafting speaker drivers from metal, which is not the easiest material to fashion into an audio transducer. For example, the RDT (Rigid Diaphragm Technology) in the Platinum speaker cones is made from ceramic-coated aluminum/magnesium in the front skin, with carbon fiber in the back. This high-tech combination of materials results in a speaker that responds to transitions quickly with ultra-low distortions, which all translates to better sound. 

Georgia Home Theater is proud to be one of Monitor Audio’s select dealers in the Atlanta area, adding to our extensive collection of high-end speakers for hi-fi and home theater. Read on to learn more about the unique aspects of Monitor Audio speakers. 

Summer is in full swing, and with the warm weather, it's sometimes hard to think about football season. However, both the college football and NFL seasons get underway in late August - only a few weeks away! 

Late August is still summer everywhere in the U.S., and even more so here in Atlanta, the capital of the South. Whether you’re a diehard Bulldogs, Yellowjackets, or Falcons fan - or all three - we have a proposition for you. Don’t retreat indoors to watch your favorite football teams; invest instead in an outdoor TV installation for your Atlanta patio, terrace, yard, porch, pool, spa, or any outside space you enjoy at home. 

So start thinking about what your outdoor space will be like with outdoor TV. The possibilities are endless for audio and video entertainment. Ready for a few ideas? Keep reading below.

If you were of age in the 1980s, you might remember some of the advertising of the era. It was the last decade before the Internet age; a time where the primary media was print and TV, and a time that Facebook, YouTube, and online banner ads that tracked your every online move didn’t exist. Who could forget the famous Orwellian TV spot in the 1984 Super Bowl that introduced the Apple Macintosh?

There was another memorable ad that captured the imagination then. It was an ad for Maxell cassette tapes. Maxell made some of the highest quality tape at the time, and it was prized by audio enthusiasts as a quality way to make the vinyl music of the day portable. The ad captured the excitement of music listening, with a period-hip fellow getting “blown away” by the high-fidelity sound of Maxell tape.

If you’ve read this far, you may be wondering why we are talking about cassette tape; something replaced long ago by everything digital. You see, the speaker pictured in that ad was the JBL L100. A hugely popular speaker in the 1970s and 1980s, to this day it remains the best-selling speaker in JBL’s long history. Its unique foam square design grill made it instantly recognizable, and it was known as a great speaker for rocking out. Maybe one of your friends had a pair, and if that was the case, it likely evokes fond musical memories of your youth.

But you don’t have to live on memories, and if you are too young to remember the original L100, you’re still in luck.

JBL has decided to bring the L100 back, aptly naming it the L100 Classic. The new model hews true to the original iconic design both in form and function, but it has been resurrected as a product of JBL Synthesis, which is the high end of JBL and part of parent company’s Harman Luxury Audio group. That means it’s not just the great party and rock and roll speaker which may have blown you away in the 1980s – it is a serious speaker worthy of the HiFi stereo system in your favorite Alpharetta or Metro Atlanta listening room.

Best of all, Georgia Home Theater’s Marietta experience center is currently the only showroom in the Atlanta area where you can see and hear the new JBL L100 Classic. Do you need any more reasons to visit us? Learn more about the JBL L100 Classic below.

Are all motorized shades the same? All cars will get you from Point A to Point B, but they will do it quite differently. It's much the same with smart home products like motorized shades; they tend to all get to the same results, but some accomplish the result with much greater aplomb. With motorized shades, there are many differences, and some are more subtle than others.

Lutron is a company that is almost synonymous with lighting control. The company invented the first dimmer in the 1950s, and today holds 2,700 patents worldwide on lighting technology. Did you know that they also make motorized shades? Lutron's mission is controlling light, both natural and artificial. They produce over 15,000 products, and motorized shading is an integral part of the product portfolio in both residential and commercial applications.

So, the first unique aspect of Lutron motorized shades is that no other company in the smart home space fields as extensive a product line in both lighting and shading control, which is why Georgia Home Theater is proud to be a Lutron integration partner in the Atlanta area.

Now that you know one important facet of Lutron, read on to find out more about their motorized shades solutions and why they’re the smart choice for your home Roswell or elsewhere in Metro Atlanta.

Since our name is Georgia Home Theater, you might surmise that we build a lot of home theaters – and we do. But not everyone’s idea of a home theater is recliner seating, a projector, and huge speakers. The reality for many people is that the media space is a part of a living, family, or game room. And while they want high-quality audio and video entertainment, they also don’t want the space to be overwhelmed by the equipment and the technology.

The good news is that you can have your cake and eat it too, at least when it comes to media room design for your Roswell or Metro Atlanta, Georgia home. Companies in the audio and video electronics industry have understood that design and décor are important, and that technology needs to fit in with the aesthetic. You can equip your room with excellent audio and video, and you can also maintain the style that you want.

Keep reading below to check out three equipment ideas for media room designs that deliver the performance but don’t upset the décor.

For all intents and purposes, home automation technology is mainstream these days. A host of companies are making everything from smart light bulbs to thermostats to video doorbells, and many of them are connected to Google, Apple, and Amazon home automation platforms. While it seems like a recent phenomenon, in reality, home automation has been around for decades, and some companies have been at it longer than others.

Crestron is one such company and the one that practically invented home automation. Crestron started in 1971 building a variety of automated machines, and it began focusing on electronics control in the late 1980s with one of the first wireless remotes for commercial systems. The company's long history and focus on automation have made it a staple of control systems from corporate boardrooms to the largest homes.

As the premier smart home company in Metro Atlanta, Georgia Home Theater has years of experience designing and installing custom Crestron control system solutions for homeowners throughout the area. Read on to learn about three ways Crestron stands out from any other home automation solution.

Summertime is best spent with family and friends in the fresh air with food sizzling on the grill and your favorite tunes wafting through the air. Why not make your backyard the unofficial destination of the season? Today’s weatherproof technology means you can upgrade your Sandy Springs or Metro Atlanta property with an outdoor speaker system and outdoor TVs for cookouts, pool parties, and relaxing year-round; without worry of long-term damage from exposure to sunlight, heat or rain that our area is known for.

But before adding outdoor speakers and TVs to your home, it only makes sense you’ll want to hear and see the quality first. Many direct-to-consumer products claim to be high-quality, but you don’t know how it truly sounds until you experience the technology in real life.

At Georgia Home Theater’s showroom in Marietta, you can look, touch, hear and see our outdoor speaker and TV options before purchasing. To prepare for your visit, continue reading to explore the outdoor entertainment that is on display at Georgia Home Theater’s showrooms.

When you think of a home theater, the first thing that comes to mind is the big screen. While today's flat panels are growing to 100-inch sizes and even higher, the most cost-effective way to showcase a giant picture is still through a projector and screen; as long as you have the space.

What might keep someone from having the projector and screen setup? One common reason is that projectors and projection screens work best in darkened settings, and not everyone wants to retreat to a theater-dark room to watch a Netflix show or the night’s Braves game.

Fortunately, one company saw that problem and invented a solution. Screen Innovations is true to its name, designing innovative screens for media rooms and home theaters as well as unique motorized shading solutions for indoor and outdoor spaces.

Screen Innovations’ Black Diamond theater screens are the first optical projection displays that reject ambient light from every direction, making them the perfect choice for any home theater or media room.

So if you have a media setup with a projector – or you are looking into a new home theater installation and would love to watch with the lights on or the shades up – a Black Diamond screen might be just what you need at your Roswell or Metro Atlanta home.

Keep reading below to learn more about Screen Innovations and its Black Diamond screen material!

Since 2003, Control4 has been an innovating force in smart home automation. Their systems have always been intuitive, easy to use, and designed so that novice and experts alike can control their home environment effortlessly.

Smart home technology is moving ahead at a breakneck pace. Control4 understands that, and they have not stood still. They’ve listened to Control4 installers like Georgia Home Theater, their customers, and paid attention to the latest advances in the smart home world to build an even better version of the Control4 platform: OS 3.

In OS 3, Control4 made a huge leap forward to make its system even easier to use for homeowners like you. Over 1,000 enhancements have gone into the software to enable the ultimate smart home experience.

What do you need to know about OS 3 for the Control4 home automation setup at your Sandy Springs or Metro Atlanta property? Read on to learn more.

The audio receiver is the do-it-all hub for many home audio setups. It is the anchor in most multi-channel home audio-video installations, deftly managing video switching, decoding all audio formats, amplification, room correction, and more.  

Yet the receiver is sometimes not entirely appreciated by some audio enthusiasts. While the receiver is a convenient one-box solution, some think only separate components will deliver the sound quality that will satisfy them. 

Anthem begs to differ with that notion. Anthem is part of Paradigm, the Canadian speaker company that is well-regarded in audio circles for delivering excellent sound quality at prices that won’t break the bank. Anthem also makes separate processors and amplifiers, so they know how to make high-quality components that prioritize sound quality. 

The majority of today's receivers from mass-market brands tend to load up on features at the expense of quality. Today's receivers feature Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, built-in audio apps, multiple surround modes, web and app-based control, and many more features that are all convenient – but they do not necessarily improve sound quality. 

Anthem receivers eschew “feature bloat” for delivering what a receiver should first and foremost: excellent sound from any source. That doesn’t mean that their receivers are missing key features; they focus on the ones that matter and building the best quality product for the price point. 

So if you’re an audio enthusiast looking for a new receiver for your media room, home theater, or listening room in your Atlanta or Florida home, read on to see why Anthem should be on your list. 

Have you ever driven a BMW 5, 6, or 7 Series or Volvo XC60 or S90 with a B&W sound system? Or perhaps enjoyed the glorious soundtrack of a Maserati Levante Ferrari-built engine along with the equally sonic Bowers & Wilkins sound system? If you’re fortunate enough to have a McLaren 570 in your auto collection, you also have the audio system that is a match for that supercar.

The common point among these high-end auto companies is that they all partnered with Bowers & Wilkins to offer the ultimate car audio system that matches the performance level of the car. In car audio, sometimes a famous brand name is attached to the sound system to add brand cachet, but underneath the system is not differentiated from others by any unique engineering. Not so with Bowers & Wilkins. With each of these companies, B&W worked directly with the auto interior design teams to tailor the sound system specifically to the car’s acoustics, while incorporating unique technologies of their home audio products for the best possible sound reproduction.

Georgia Home Theater does not sell car audio, but of course, we sell high-end home audio. If you are looking for high-performance speakers for your Sandy Springs or Metro Atlanta home audio system, Georgia Home Theater is an authorized dealer for Bowers & Wilkins speakers. So, if you happen to have experienced the excellence of B&W in a car, you are in for a treat at home.

If you have moved to Midtown Atlanta in the past few years, you have seen tremendous growth and improvement in this urban enclave. The Olympic Games in 1996 helped accelerate that growth, and the area boasts amenities like the Woodruff Arts Center, Atlantic Station, great restaurants and so much more.

You enjoy living in your modern urban high-rise, but come summer the hot southern sun streaming in your floor-to-ceiling view windows makes your air conditioning work overtime. It's easy enough to draw the curtains or shades, but you don't want to block the view. And continually opening and closing drapes and shades gets tiring. What's the solution? Motorized shades.

You might think that motorized shades might be limiting in style, too modern, or challenging to install in your space. We'd like to politely dispel all those notions here and show you how motorized shades will enhance your urban Atlanta living spaces.

Ready to learn more? Just keep reading.

Paradigm is a company well known to audio enthusiasts for its focus on performance, but always delivering exceptional value regardless of the price point. Lately, the Canadian company has moved into the higher end of the speaker market with the Persona Series, a beautifully crafted line of speakers that offer striking aesthetics and performance. But even at the high end, the value proposition compares favorably with the competition.

With the Defiance subwoofer line, Paradigm continues to deliver excellent performance at various levels to accommodate most any bass-lover’s wishes for both music and movies. Of course, you know and we know that there are a lot of quality subwoofers in the market. What sets Paradigm apart?

That’s what we’re here to tell you. If you are looking to outfit or upgrade the listening or media room in your Smyrna-area home, you would be wise to consider Paradigm speakers and subwoofers. We sell a lot of these at Georgia Home Theater, and with good reason: They deliver top value for your audio performance dollar.

Let’s take a closer look at Paradigm Defiance subwoofers.