Who would have ever fathomed in 1966 when Barrett Magnavox opened the doors on Lake Street in Oak Park, Illinois we would be once again be changing our name for the fourth time to Barrett’s Technology Solutions.

Yes it is true! We have been Barrett Magnavox, Barrett’s Audio/Video, Barrett’s Home Theater and effective Labor Day, September 2010 we will become Barrett’s Technology Solutions.

You may wonder why the name change? While much thought goes into such a transformation in name, in theory we will remain the same company. We will continue to provide consumer electronics with extraordinary installation services. However, the appetite for integrating technologies has grown steadily to a point where our focus will now be to provide complete technology integration services.

Joe Barrett, president and owner of Barrett’s Home Theater soon to be Barrett’s Technology Solutions had these words to say, “For the past two years, it became very clear that technology integration was what the consumer was requesting and where the direction of the company was headed to better serve our customers in the future.” He goes on to say, “The name home theater was pigeon holing what our image was in the marketplace and did not reflect the totality of services we can provide.”

So the rest is history. Introducing a new company name that is sure to please homeowners and businesses alike; including those who often become overwhelmed by the endless possibilities of technology and to those who wish all the technologies could be integrated to create a more simplified lifestyle. That is our specialty, simplifying your life. Barrett’s Technology Solutions can provide customers seeking full service technology integration.

Contact us today for:  Lighting & Shade Control – Structured Wiring – Networking – Whole House Music – Video Distribution – Home Energy Management

By Dianne Barrett

Part 1: The Audio and Visual Basics of 3DTV

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Part 2: Cost Versus Performance

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Part 3: Just What IS 3D TV?

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Part 4: The Different Types of 3DTV

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Part 5: The Future of 3DTV

Crestron TPMC-3X Home Automation Controller

SPECIALIST IN HOME AUTOMATION

If you are shopping for a company that specializes in design services and custom  installation while providing an array of technologies that integrate with and automate audio, video, lighting and other control systems, the selection of choices is limited.

Because  many competitors have neglected to change with consumer and industry expectations, they are no longer here today. However, Barrett’s Home Theater, located in suburbs of Chicago has survived these rough economic times and stand tall after the testimony of time having evolved into a specialty and systems integrator in the home automation market.

The  system’s integrators at Barrett’s Home Theater are trained to meet your home automation needs. Brian Perreault, general manager of Barrett’s Home Theater believes the design part of the process is the most critical step in having a system that functions to meet the client’s expectations.  Overseeing all home automation custom installations, he  believes the secret to satisfying each client is to understand their objectives and educate them on the possibilities that exist.  “Once the client has an idea of the things they would like to incorporate into their home, our primary goal is to design a system that is functional, reliable, and easy to operate”, states Perreault.

All home automation systems installed by Barrett’s are designed to allow for future upgradeability.  Therefore the amount of things a client chooses to control can grow as their needs grow.

Jerry Krajewski, six year customer of Barrett’s Home Theater, favors his one controller at all hours of the day.  His controller is a hand held programmable remote allowing him to do much more than command the video and audio; he can control lighting, security, and climate. When he has his curtains installed this fall, he intends to have the curtains programmed on the controller.

Increasingly home automation systems are being designed to maximize the home network to pass control information or stream digital media including music and movies stored on the homeowners computers.

As technologies continues to change it won’t be long until every household integrates telephones, computers, audio and video into one home control system device to meet the personal needs of the occupants. If your house is already finished or you are considering a remodel or new construction project, Barrett’s Home Theater is your specialty retailer ready and capable of handling all your home automation needs.

By Dianne Barrett

]]> http://blog.barrettshometheater.com/?feed=rss2&p=158 0 http://blog.barrettshometheater.com/?p=142 http://blog.barrettshometheater.com/?p=142#comments Wed, 07 Apr 2010 18:33:41 +0000 Dianne Barrett http://blog.barrettshometheater.com/?p=142

Geoff Grossett

Barrett’s Home Theater Chicago, is proud to introduce the Bowers and Wilkins (B&W) Diamond Series including the 802’s, 803’s, 804’s and 805’s.  Featured in our Naperville store, we invite you come and listen to speakers made from pure diamond.

B&W is a premiere leader in the speaker industry.  With the introduction of every series they guarantee a brilliant sound which will not disappoint even the most astute of listeners.

Made in the UK, the new 800 Diamond series speakers only reinforce our expectations of the B&W Company.

The tweeters are made of pure diamond.  With its combination of lightness and incredible stiffness this precious stone makes the perfect material for tweeters.  It is capable of producing high frequencies far beyond the range of human hearing.

It’s the midrange though where the real musical action is invariably found, and a smooth midband is an invaluable loudspeaker quality.  As always B&W continues to use drivers made from Kevlar.  This bullet-proof material is a staple of the B&W design that eliminates standing sound waves, and reproduces a clean, undistorted sound.

The B&W 803 series features a traditional cabinet design, fits more comfortably into a home environment, and with its three massive 7” Rohacell® bass drivers, it delivers almost as much bass as the 802 Diamond.

Geoff Grossett, assistant sales manager, believes the advantage B&W speakers have over the competition is performance, construction and value. Having visited the manufacturing facilities in London, Grossett saw first-hand how the speakers were constructed. “These speakers are built to last.  I know customers who have owned their B&W speakers over a decade while other parts of their audio video system were upgraded several times.”  He goes on to say, “When customers first listen to B&W speakers they are pleasantly surprised by the acoustics in relation to the high end frequencies, especially when listening to jazz and classical music.”

Joe Barrett, President of Barrett’s Home Theater adds, “They are the most realistic sounding speakers we carry.” That being said, B&W is only one of the many products Barrett’s Home Theater showcases.  The manufacturers we do business with are committed to constructing audio products that are meant to accommodate even the most demanding of audiophiles.

By Dianne Barrett

Bill Kinnavy (left) and Doug Rowley (Right)

Calibrating your TV for best picture performance

There are several reasons why people who watch television should have their television (TV) calibrated:

1. A television that is adjusted or calibrated will have a longer life span
2. Depending on the television you own, with proper calibration and set up the picture will look dramatically better with more vivid colors, better black levels, and overall picture accuracy
3. Energy savings over time can be significant

Televisions are usually calibrated and marketed by the manufacturer to look good on a showroom floor; that includes enticing the customer with a bright picture because TV’s are within close range of one another in the showroom and there is a high amount of ambient light.   However, when you take the TV home, there is no competition from other TV’s and you can control the ambient light; at this point in time one should adjust the calibration to suit the needs of your particular room.

All audio video retailers that sell TV’s do not impress upon their customers the importance of calibration.  At Barrett’s Home Theater, sales consultants recommend to their clients this very important service for optimal efficiency, value, and quality.  As more and more customers are willing to pay for this new service/calibration, we expect the custom installation team at Barrett’s Home Theater which does the calibration to become very busy in the coming year.

John Wettlaufer, custom sales manger of Barrett’s Home Theater, educates his clients from all over Chicago land area and reinforces the need for proper calibration as per his clients needs and wants.  He includes this at the top of the list when TV’s are installed in their respective homes or businesses.

Wettlaufer comments on the importance of this program by stating, “The procedure of calibrating the TV is done as the last step in the set up of the custom installation process.”  He continues, “Attempting to calibrate before the TV is in the desired location would reduce color accuracy and ultimate image quality because of the lighting conditions.”

Regarding energy efficiency, Front Projectors and Plasmas TVs have a tendency to produce additional heat in comparison to LCD or LED due to the way the image is produced.  If you want to increase the lifespan and save energy, Wettlaufer highly recommends calibration upon installation.

Watching nature shows and sporting events  gave me a true perspective of how good the color spectrum can be if the calibration is set appropriately.  If not, you will never know what you are missing. If you already own a TV and have never had it calibrated, now is the time while you wait the warmer days of spring.  If you are thinking of purchasing a new TV from Barrett’s Home Theater, be sure to read more about ISF calibration from our website or Google the words “ISF Calibration” and the technology advancements related the movie and television industry.

By Dianne Barrett

Are you looking for the perfect holiday gift that keeps giving? Well, look no further than Barrett’s Home Theater located in Naperville and Algonquin (west of Chicago) to see firsthand what the latest technology to be integrated into homes and offices include: the Kaleidescape Systems.

At a time when technologies seem more complicated and change so fast, the Kaleidescape System will simplify the way a person of any age collects and enjoys movies and videos.  It will store and automatically organize collections for fast and easy access.  As an antidote, if you want to learn about the production of the videos and audio tracks with expert reviews provided by Kaleidescape’s Music Guide Service, one of our sales consultants at Barrett’s Home Theater would be happy to explain it to you.

John Wettlaufer, Custom Sales Manager at Barrett’s Home Theater, integrates the Kaleidescape System into almost all his custom or remodeled audio video systems. One of his respected customers, Russell Massaro, considers his Kaleidescape System one of the most value added discretionary purchases he has ever made.  He admits he is a self described movie and music addict and states this:  “Kaleidescape Systems gives me instant access to my entire library of music and video in every room with the ability to search by title, genre (i.e. Jazz), actor, or artist to meet my mood.”

Speaking of mood, I like to set the mood of a gathering when I have a party.  Depending on the event, (grandma’s birthday party, business gathering, or entertaining friends) the Kaleidescape System makes all gatherings fun with no fuss.  Because everything is simplified, I no longer fumble through CDs trying to organize my playlist; instead, I preset my songs and never have to worry about keeping the music going in the selected rooms throughout the evening. This leaves more time for important things, like friends and family, while enjoying the simple things in life.

By Dianne Barrett

Once not so long ago, I owned a big piece of furniture that housed all my electronics. While in some instances, furniture is a necessity for storing equipment and other audio video incidentals, the day of less is more is here.

Less in the sense of less clutter and more meaning, more centralized control from one location. My family and I have  upgraded to a master control panel. Crestron Home Technology from Crestron which streamlines and simplifies all the technology in our home.  Thus far, not only has my home had a custom installed Creston panel but Barrett’s Home Theater custom installation department has installed hundreds of Creston systems for businesses and homeowners who prefer to control drapes, lights, temperature and audio video equipment from a single touch panel.

While upgrades may not be on your radar these days, Richard Glikes, Executive Director for the Home Theater Specialists of America states, “Despite the down economy, the technologies continue to change for the better and the retailers like Barrett’s Home Theater continue to find solutions for customers.”

One such solution is optimizing the equipment to its fullest. Most customers want the best equipment they can afford to enjoy for all their family and friends gathering or for conducting business.   According to John Cook, Project Manager for Barrett’s Home Theater Chicago, most customers don’t fully reap the benefits of their electronics. Many audio video systems can be integrated, upgraded or if the system is over one year old, maintained.  John’s recent mailing to customers who had installations within the last three to five years offers them what John calls, “a system tune-up.”  He goes on, “installers go through the basic settings-nothing super sophisticated, just making sure things work to their optimum.”   Just like occupants of dwellings who have their HVAC systems checked each year, so too should customers ensure the efficiency of their technologies for audio video.

Please contact us in you are looking for a free consultation or maintenance check.

By Dianne Barrett

When Mark Folkers, lead sales consultant for Barrett’s Home Theater Chicago, introduced me to Kay Mason at her residence in late August 2009, her vitality and zest for life were most obvious. In addition to sharing her passions in life which keep her so youthful, she also shared with me, the long term relationship she has had with Barrett’s Home Theater.

As an eighty five year resident of the western suburbs of Chicago, Mrs. Mason clearly recalls the first television she purchased from the former Oak Park, Illinois location in 1980 for her husband as a gift tied with a bow. Sitting neatly in her kitchen nook, the Mitsubishi television still works and she remembers the day she purchased it from James Barrett, original founder of Barrett’s Home Theater Chicago.

When queried as to why she keeps coming back for more televisions, she stated this, “I feel I am treated important and sales consultants like Mark Folkers have given me their undivided attention.” While mentioning she has shopped at other electronic stores over the years, she prefers the professional staff at Barrett’s Home Theater over the competition.

As far as upsizing the television sizes over the decades, Mrs. Mason just recently purchased a 55 inch Sony LED Television for watching her favorite game shows and news casts in high definition.

Even though Mrs. Mason is still quite active and presides over several companies, she enjoys the company her televisions provides and never misses a beat as she shared with me the latest political, economic and social issues of the day.

By: Dianne Barrett