Over the years many of you have asked us if you can personalize your own Control4 system. The good news is there’s a lot you can do to customize the automation of your home and the interface you use to interact with your system without relying on VHT to do the reprogramming for you.
This newsletter will cover some of the tools available for you to tailor your user experience on your own.
Customize Your Control4 Look & Feel with OS3 Most of you are already on Control4 OS3. If you’re still on an older version give us a call, we’re happy to look at your system and let you know what would be needed to migrate to OS3. This three-minute video demonstrates the key features available in OS3 that allow you to customize the look & feel of the app including room favorites, backgrounds and how to use the new Active Media Bar/Media Sessions functions. This is the most basic level of customization available in Control4 that you can easily master on your own. |
For step-by-step instructions on how to set up favorites, customize a room screen and room wallpaper go to: https://www.control4.com/os3/getting-the-most-out-of-os3, scroll down to the bottom and look for: + CUSTOMIZATION AND PERSONALIZATION Customizing a Room Screen Customizing Room Wallpaper |
Create Your Own Lighting Scenes |
Did you know you can create lighting scenes on your own? This feature was available pre-OS3 but many of our customers don’t take advantage of it. If you have Control4 smart light switches or panelized lighting installed in your home, you can create your own lighting scenes within an easy-to-use interface. |
Scenes simply combine individual lights and dimming levels, and can be named and set up to appear in the user interface for one or more rooms. This basic scene creation capability is also easy for you to learn on your own.
For step-by-step instructions on how to create lighting scenes go to: https://www.control4.com/os3/getting-the-most-out-of-os3 and scroll down to:
+ LIGHTING
Creating Lighting Scenes
Editing Lighting Scenes
Scheduling and Event-Based Programming with When>>Then
“When >> Then” is a Control4 programming tool designed for users who want to take matters in their own hands. The concept is pretty simple. You pick the triggering event; “when I hit this keypad button”, followed by a programmable action; “then turn off all dining room lights”. You can also use it to schedule events and send notifications. Check out this video for examples and instructions:
When >> Then is included with your 4Sight subscription as a web app through the Control4 Customer Portal https://customer.control4.com/. If you don’t have 4Sight you can purchase the license on Portal ($100/year) or email Service@valleyhometheater.com and we’ll get you signed up.
To access When>>Then you’ll need your login credentials to access the Customer Portal, once logged in click the When>>Then link, then click the “View my Automations” button and you’re ready to start! This tool is more advanced than the basic OS3 personalization but still relatively easy to learn.
Voice Control
Would you like to be able to make voice commands to your Control4 system? Voice control is available through Amazon Alexa and works well for basic functions like turning lights on and off and controlling scenes. To set this up just log in to the Customer Portal and select Voice Control:
In this section you’ll see the existing functions that are programmed into your system. You can enable individual functions for voice control and see a list of voice commands you can use to speak to your Control4 system through Alexa. Once this is done you’ll need to learn in the devices you want to control into your Alexa app.
This functionality is more advanced and will require a little more configuration & testing. When in doubt, contact us and we can arrange to have a technician do the Alexa programming for you.
Go a Step Further with Composer Home Edition
For technical users who would like to do more advanced programming on their own, Composer Home Edition is an option. However, Composer HE is a sophisticated tool that can alter your basic system programming and cause problems if not used correctly. If you’re interested in becoming a Composer HE user, please contact VHT to discuss whether this tool is appropriate for you.
Call us today for a consultation to find out what’s possible for your home. Please contact us at 925-828-8741 ext 1 for this offer or any of your technology needs. Stay Healthy and Safe!
Most of us are still looking for ways to improve our quality of life in an environment where we’re spending more time at home. Spring is almost here and VHT is offering an incentive this month so why not look at installing that new outdoor system, or upgrading what you have?
The Outdoor Music Experience This video showcases what can be done with landscape audio. The sensation of being surrounded by clear music outside that can be played at low or high volume is wonderful. If you watch this video with good headphones or desktop speakers with a subwoofer, you can actually hear the power of the bass in this system! All you need to install a system like this is have a landscaper dig a trench for wiring and conduit and holes for the subs and we’ll handle the rest. Systems can be scaled up or down based on the size of the outdoor area and budget. |
New Options for Outdoor Video |
There’s nothing like entertaining friends and family outside with your favorite sports event or movie. Outdoor video has improved with some great new TV options that make installation easier. We’ve been very pleased with some of the new QLED 4K outdoor TVs. They’re available in 55”, 65” and 75” sizes, the color quality is excellent, glare is minimal and they’re ruggedized for the outdoors. They also come with WiFi capability so if you have good WiFi coverage outside, the setup doesn’t require any special wiring. Some new outdoor sound bars are also available that produce clear sound, good base and have a very clean look. |
Outdoor Networks
We’ve had great results with Pakedge wireless access points. For TV, or taking your email and Zoom calls outdoors, weather-proof WAPs are available that deliver fast roaming and improved performance to bring your media and entertainment outside.
March Promotion
For new orders for outdoor audio systems placed through March 31st with 4 or more landscape speakers we’ll include a fifth one at no charge ($511 value). Alternatively, for orders for outdoor TVs, we’ll include a sound bar for $400 off MSRP.
Call us today for a consultation to find out what’s possible for your home. Please contact us at 925-828-8741 ext 1 for this offer or any of your technology needs. Stay Healthy and Safe!
2020 has been a challenging year. There’s some light at the end of the tunnel as we look ahead to 2021 but our day-to-day routines still won’t be the same.
One change is that sweeping closures of movie theaters will alter our movie watching experience. In response, production houses like Warner Bros and Disney have announced that their 2021 theatrical releases will now debut simultaneously on streaming services.
What does that mean for you? It’s a great time to look at building out your home entertainment system! Through January 2021 VHT will help you get there by offering a free Paradigm 10” subwoofer with purchases of a new home theater system. Read on for some inspiration and details about the offer.
What’s Possible - A VHT Theater in Action Here’s a tour of a fun project we completed earlier this year. Most homeowners don’t have a dedicated room or budget for this kind of buildout, but this will give you an idea of what can be done: |
Theater Rooms and Media Rooms |
A more practical approach is to install a home theater system in your living room, great room or rec room. These consist of a video display, a sound system and often include automated lighting and shades. With new technologies these systems can achieve knockout performance without taking up a lot of space or throwing off the aesthetic of the room. |
High performance flat screen TVs are available in larger sizes up to 85” and are more affordable than ever. The latest projectors and screens can deliver a better image than systems we installed ten years ago for about ten times the price. In addition, some very high-performance in-wall/in-ceiling speakers and subwoofer systems are available that will make you believe you’re in a real theater but are almost totally hidden from view. Smart lighting can be easy to install, and automated shades add a cinematic touch. Whatever your aspirations, VHT can help design a system that will exceed your performance expectations and integrate seamlessly into your environment.
VHT Offer
For new system orders placed by Jan 31st, 2021 that include a projector/screen or 65” TV or larger, surround sound system and receiver, VHT will include a Paradigm Defiance V10 subwoofer at no charge. Boom!
Call us today for a consultation to find out what’s possible for your home. Please contact us at 925-828-8741 ext 1 for this offer or any of your technology needs. Stay Healthy and Safe!
VHT Upgrade Offer valid through Sept 30. Get peace of mind and save $400 in your first year. Read on for details... |
We hope you and your family are healthy and that you’re adapting to this strange new world. As we continue to work from home and distance learning starts up again, high-bandwidth applications like Zoom, and more connected devices in your home will give your network a workout like never before. Don’t be caught with your pants down! To avoid missing a key meeting or class assignment, it’s important that your WiFi coverage, internet speed, security and reliability are the best they can be. Home network technologies are evolving very fast. We’ve seen big improvements in wireless access point performance; routers have become smarter and more sophisticated, and there are tricks to setting up these systems to optimize them and improve reliability. All of these things matter when your office and school obligations need to be completed on time and without interruption.In addition, increased home entertainment and automation needs because everyone is spending more time at home means families need enterprise-grade networks like never before.Introducing Pakedge After years of experience installing and supporting many different network technologies, VHT has standardized on Pakedge. Pakedge networks are the best in class for high speed, multi-application environments and are the most reliable and secure systems we’ve tested. The Pakedge systems we install are tailored to each individual home and allow us to monitor network devices and control systems to troubleshoot and fix problems faster. We’ve also found that the standard issue Xfinity router-modem and software can cause problems with the management of IP-connected devices on your network. In order to alleviate these issues, a non-Xfinity modem should be installed along with an enterprise-grade router from Pakedge.VHT Offer Start by contacting us if you’d like a no-cost evaluation of your current network. We’ll look at square footage and layout of your home, number of connected devices and performance needs. If you’re an Xfinity customer, through Sept. 30th VHT will replace your modem at no charge ($249 value) with any Pakedge network installation. If you’re renting the Xfinity equipment, the replacement of the router/modem will reduce your Comcast bill by about $170 every year, so you’ll save over $400 in your first year alone. And the peace of mind of having the best network available is priceless. |
Save big and Stay Home! Please contact us at 925-828-8741 ext 1 for this offer or any of your technology needs.
Stay Healthy and Safe!
Let’s face it, these have been hard times for both families and businesses. This month we’ve decided to do a case study about a VHT customer who is overcoming adversity in a commercial environment.
Michael Hobson has seen his share of challenges. Working his way up from a restaurant dishwasher to bar back and eventually GM, he is now the proud owner of Rookies Sports Lodge, one of the most popular sports bar/restaurants in San Jose.
When the pandemic hit, Michael had some difficult choices to make. “It was very hard to tell what was going to happen but we wanted to take a leadership role in the community”. On March 12th Michael sent a letter to his staff informing them that Rookies would close indefinitely.
During the shutdown Michael looked for a silver lining: “I thought about what we could do for our regular clients to make it special when we reopened”. In addition to some repairs they had been putting off, Michael decided to do a major upgrade to their entertainment system.
Michael wanted to increase the viewing area around the bar from an already impressive structure built by VHT that housed eight 65” TVs. For the upgrade, VHT mounted four more TVs inside the existing structure. “Now our customers can watch their sports events from every angle, there isn’t a bad seat in the house” Michael said. The full system includes pendant speakers, subs, smart lighting and full automation and control. “VHT is by far the most professional company I’ve ever worked with for AV and automation. Video and audio quality is fantastic throughout the restaurant and I can control channels, manage music zones, dim the lights all through my cell phone from home.”
Rookies has now re-hired 20 of their employees between the two locations (about a third of their original staff), is open for takeout and Al Fresco dining and is ready to reopen for limited capacity indoor dining as soon as the city allows.
““Restaurants and bars have suffered so much during the pandemic, it’s great to see some that are thinking ahead and still have the confidence to invest. I admire how Michael made the strategic decision to make improvements during the downtime to make their customer experience even better. We’re happy to be part of it” said Peter Nurney, CEO of Valley Home Theater & Automation.
Rookies Sports Lodge is a family owned and operated restaurant with locations at 99 S 1st St and 1535 Meridian Ave #10 in San Jose. https://rookieslodge.com/
Valley Home Theater is headquartered in Dublin, CA and provides residential home theater and smart technologies design and implementation for residential and commercial customers throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. https://www.valleyhometheater.com/
Please contact us at 925-828-8741 ext 1 for any of your residential or commercial automation needs.
Here’s our second post about another project VHT was proud to be involved in.
Last summer, VHT was given the opportunity to participate in a very special project. Julia lives in Berkeley and has Mitochondrial disease, a rare progressive illness that affects various organs in her body. Last Spring Julia was turning 20 and wanted her own private space but still needed to be close to Mom & Dad because of her physical limitations.
Julia’s parents began talking with the Make a Wish Foundation about building a new living space for their daughter. Make a Wish does home makeovers for families in need but has limited budgets for projects. They hired a contractor and word spread quickly. Before long, an interior designer volunteered her services, Restoration Hardware donated furniture, other contractors pitched in and Julia’s She Shed project was born!
For the technology component, a VHT customer donated the TV and VHT wired the network to the She Shed, installed a wifi system and set up the TV & cable box so her media & entertainment would be up and running when she moved in. The project was kept secret until May 2 when the She Shed was revealed to Julia, see 10m 40 sec marker in this video for Julia’s reaction:
Go to the 10m 45sec marker in this video for Julia’s reaction.
Julia loves babies, dogs and cooking. She’s also a strong independent thinker and is involved in a variety of causes on social media as a mentor to other kids with chronic diseases. She’s an advocate for patient-centered care and an avid researcher of medical advances related to hers and other conditions. The She Shed has given her more independence and privacy, and an environment to allow her to continue her social outreach and medical research.
We’re happy to have played a role in making Julia’s She Shed a reality!
Please contact us at 925-828-8741 ext 1 for any of your technology needs. We are always happy to assist.
We hope you’re all healthy and safe. Given the challenging times we’re all living through at the moment we thought we’d publish a couple of uplifting stories about two inspiring VHT customers we’ve worked with over the last year. Here’s the first one.
David Hill got his life back after some very difficult times.
In 2015 David Hill, history buff and author of Hail Inanna, a book about the ancient Mesopotamian goddess, was diagnosed with a condition that affects the spinal disks in the neck. He went in for what was supposed to be a low-risk surgery that tragically resulted in him becoming “C4 Incomplete”. David now has no use of his legs and only partial use of his hands and arms.
“One of the biggest challenges for anyone with an injury like this is finding ways to gain some sense of independence, a feeling that your life isn’t over, and that you can direct your own life. The other challenge is the lack of information about the tools that are available to give you that independence, this can be scary”, David said.
David was able to have his home in Tracy, CA outfitted with ramps, a wheelchair and a harness system to help him get in and out of bed. He also has a part time helper to cook meals, keep up the house and run errands.
In addition to the mechanical aids, David wanted the ability to control the other systems in his home that many people take for granted – door locks, lights, window shades, TVs, security cameras, etc. After some research David decided to contact VHT.
With only partial use of his hands, voice control was critical for David. VHT installed a TV, surround sound system, multi-zone audio, smart lighting, smart door locks, smart shades and video cameras with a Control4 system and integrated it through Alexa using Dot devices for voice control. Now David can open and close his doors, control his lights, blinds and turn off his AV system all with voice commands. This gives him a tremendous amount of independence he would not have had without this level of automation.
“Most people in my condition have to live in an assisted living facility or be cared for in every way. The automation that VHT installed has been a life-changer, it helps me forget my handicap.”
VHT is very proud to have worked with David and to have the opportunity make his quality of life just a little bit better.
Please contact us at 925-828-8741 ext 1 for any of your technology needs. We are always happy to assist.
Smart lighting makes your home more beautiful and can have a positive influence on your well-being, here's how:
Our bodies adjust to the time of day: Our circadian rhythm is dependent on light. The closer you follow the natural day and night light cycle, the better you can feel.
A smart lighting system can adjust the illumination in your home automatically to match natural light. As the sun sets and your body gets sleepier it can dim the lights, and gradually brighten in the morning. This kicks in your melatonin and cortisol levels in your body, allowing you to fall asleep and wake up in a natural way so you wake up refreshed and rested. Timing can be set based on the Atomic Clock, light sensors, or your own time preferences. Your smart lighting control system can be programmed to moods that best suit you for different occasions or times of day.
Smart lighting for aesthetic design: Smart lighting also plays a critical role in creating an environment that accentuates the interior design elements and improves the beauty of your home. More and more often we’re seeing smart lighting incorporated into the design of homes by architects, homeowners & interior designers to deliver a certain character or style for the house. The ability to group fixtures or sets of lights into “scenes” with programmed dim levels helps to create this character. Getting just the right lights at exactly the right intensity creates a more pleasant and attractive home. Beauty and health - perfect together!
Panelized Lighting
For new construction or remodels we are installing more centralized lighting systems, also known as Panelized lighting. Panelized lighting greatly contributes to a clean design element by replacing banks of switches with a few programmable keypads. Equally significant, your keypads can also control your shades, music and videos when connected to a control system, leaving your walls cleaner and your home more enriching. For more info on smart lighting click here to see our newsletter.
Please feel free to call us if you’d like to discuss smart lighting options for your home.
VHT Support Update
We’ve recently implemented some key improvements to our support process to service you better:
We've been testing the new Control4 Neeo remote for a few months. We're happy to report that it’s a very nice product and we’re comfortable recommending it to our clients.
The Neeo offers a 3" high-resolution touch screen to display music, video source or favorites, and can control most functions through the touch screen such as video and audio, locking doors, turning on/off individual lights and activating lighting scenes. Because it has fewer buttons, you can’t perform certain functions like fast forwarding through a commercial without looking at the remote, but overall we think this is a minor trade-off. It’s well built and when installing a Neoo to replace an existing Control4 remote the programming can be done in minutes.
New look & feel, more personalization, better long term stability
Welcome to the latest edition of our newsletter. Thank you on behalf of the entire VHT staff for your support over the years. We're happy that the fires are over, and to report that we had very few systems issues as a result of the outages. The holidays are upon us and we hope you all are looking forward to spending time with your families. Most of you are probably aware that Control4 has released a new Operating System, OS3 and we've installed it for some of you already. It's a big enough release that we thought we’d feature it in our latest newsletter. OS3 is Control4's most significant update and has a much different and more intuitive UI that allows you to:
• Put your most frequently used items on the main “dashboard” screen
• Configure different menus for each room in the house
• Set up background wallpaper with an actual picture of the room or any other image (very cool)
• Use icons for commonly used functions so they’re front & center on your phone or touch screen
• Hold-and-drag to add, arrange, remove your most used devices
• Set streaming or scenes as ‘favorites’
You can also consolidate devices from across your house into a single screen to view the status of your security, smart locks, shades or lights. OS3 icons represent individual states for devices, so you can instantly see if a door is locked, the fan is on, or the garage is open. See more at https://www.control4.com/os3/
And “Customizing room screens”: https://www.control4.com/os3/getting-the-most-out-of-os3/
Control4's OS3 release is pretty impressive. There are so many improvements to the look, control and access that the user experience has really been transformed. Also the underlying code is more efficient so we expect it will be a more stable and better performing OS overall.
Whether you are using an iPhone or a touchscreen, the new style is wonderful. You can put in your own background images for each screen at the touch of a button making navigating your smart home easier and more intuitive. It has bigger icons, more natural scrolling and logical screen setups for the handheld remote.
We wanted to give OS3 some time to field-test and we’ve now had enough experience with it that we’re comfortable recommending it to most customers on a case by case basis.
Upgrading to OS3 requires a system review to verify compatibility for the upgrade. Some older controllers, touch screens and other devices will need to be upgraded to support OS3. In some cases we can do the review over the phone and for more complex systems we’ll do a remote scan to view devices on your network and identify any hardware that may need to be upgraded.
The scan can be performed remotely but the actual OS3 update requires a technician site visit. For simple system updates the cost to upgrade starts at $399 including install and basic personalization.
For folks who decide to upgrade to OS3, Control4 is offering a 15% discount on any Control4 products purchased for the upgrade. If you have older controllers that need to be upgraded or if you are considering adding any new devices to your system such as lighting control, thermostats or touch screens, now would be a great time to consider enhancing your system. Please call us if you'd like to plan your upgrade!
Happy Thanksgiving!
The VHT team
Next week we'll be doing an internal review of the new Control4 Neeo remote. Control4 has been overdue for a new remote and we've been waiting for a touch-screen version. That's what they've done and so far it looks great!
At a glance the Neeo has:
As always, we want to test the remote before recommending it. We've received some test units and will have more feedback shortly, stay tuned!
Control4 OS3 updates now available. If you’re interested in upgrading to OS3 please contact us at 925-828-8741 ext 2.
Whiskytree is a visual effects and content creation company that is equal parts agency & post-production company, as well as a computer graphics powerhouse. Founded in 2007 and based in San Rafael, CA, Whiskytree employs more than 60 artists, staff and production personnel, and has produced visual effects for dozens of blockbuster feature films. Whiskytree’s credits include Skyscraper, Thor: Ragnarok, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, The Big Short, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I, among many others.
Whiskytree designed and had been building the company’s new 7,000 square foot facility in downtown San Rafael since October of 2017. The company moved from its former location at the end of April 2019. A central feature of the new facility is the screening room, which is used for daily internal reviews, client visits for screening work-in-progress material, screenings of features and other completed projects, and special events. Whiskytree sought to create a comfortable and relaxed home theater environment for the space, but with the best professional-grade audio and video equipment available for their budget.
After extensive research, Whiskytree settled on the JVC DLA-RS4500 4K laser projector with its highly advanced laser light engine, reference-quality optics, superb brightness and unparalleled color quality. To create a true cinematic experience, Whiskytree wanted a 160-inch screen capable of rendering the high quality image that the projector can produce. Whiskytree had existing surround-sound speakers but needed to upgrade their amplification, electronics and interface to showcase their creative work just as it would appear in the theater. They also added two 75” and one 82” flat screen TVs to their facility for less critical viewing stations and work areas.
“We contacted several other integration companies and they were either unable to get the projector we wanted in our timeframe, or unwilling to install it,” said Jonathan Harb, CEO and founder of Whiskytree. “One outfit actually asked us to sign a waiver because they were confused about the relationship between screen size and throw distance. Glenn, Peter and Josh at Valley Home Theater were extremely responsive, able to get what we needed within our timeframe, and assured us that VHT would handle the job without issue. That is exactly what happened, and they were also able to provide solid recommendations on the right screen to compliment the projector, and a higher quality receiver to give our sound system more clarity and punch, all while using our existing speakers.”
“Jonathan and the team at Whiskytree designed and built the company’s new facility from the ground up” said Peter Nurney, CEO Valley Home Theater. “Upgrading to this beautiful new location and building out their ultimate screening room is a big milestone for the company. They were able to create a unique aesthetic for the screening room, and for a commercial location, it has a surprisingly comfortable and lounge-like feel to it. The system is larger than life and the image and sound quality are stunning. It’s amazing to see a local Marin County business producing so much world-class work. We’re very happy to be a part of this project.”
Valley Home Theater is headquartered in Dublin, CA and provides residential home theater and smart technologies design and implementation for residential and commercial customers throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
About the system:
JVC DLA-RS4500 D-ILA Laser Projector uses a true 4K D-ILA chip with a laser light engine and a massive 18-element all-glass lens. Since laser engines are far more stable over time than traditional lamp-based designs (keeping most of their original brightness until failure), it can light up a larger screen for a much longer period of time without having to worry about replacing a bulb as it dims, or performing frequent calibrations. JVC specs the life of the light engine at 20,000 hours at full laser power in High mode.
Stewart Filmscreen Studio Tech130 16 X 9 Fixed 160" screen
Athem Receiver 11.1 Pre-Amplifier & 7 Amplifier Channels.
Bowers & Wilkins floor standing speakers, center channel and dual 10” subwoofers
Control 4 controller running OS3 and remote