AV Nerd

03/21/2020

In this crazy time of many of us working from home, schooling from home, and of course, binge-watching our favorite shows to pass the time stuck indoors as a result of COVID-19, is anyone else realizing how important their internet is??? Well, if you are and are also realizing that you really need to find a way to get better speeds to balance more people on your network than ever before, AV Nerd has you covered! Networking is probably our favorite thing to do, followed by home automation as a close second, because it really does make a positive impact on your ability to function in your home! There is something so great about knowing that you can do anything and everything you need to do without worrying about how many people are trying to stream videos, play games, video conference, etc. We specialize in getting the most out of the internet speed you have coming into your house, and helping you figure out why you’re getting slow connections while paying for great internet! So, in this time where we have more extensive digital needs, don’t hesitate to let us know if we can help you make your connection speed the last thing you have to worry about!

01/09/2020

Starting CES off right with Last Gadget Standing!! We're here to find all the best new tech YOU need!

01/01/2020

We want to wish you all a very NERDY Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! We hope you got to spend some time celebrating with your families and that it is the start of the best decade yet!

Sorry we have been a little behind on our posts lately! There is a ton to catch you all up on and we hope to do that soon, but we are confident that 2020 is going to be an exciting year in our AV Nerd adventure! Thanks for joining us! Happy New Year!

11/29/2019

Wishing you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!! We are thankful for your support this year!!

11/20/2019

And this is why Elan is one of our favorite automation systems!

Smart Homes are the future, Imagine walking into a room, and the room knows it's you.Not just anyone, but you. Then the room responds with your preferences: Lighting, temperature, and your favorite music at just the right level. Welcome to the intelligent home.

11/20/2019

This is a nice, sweet & simple article that shares some of the top reasons to consider home automation! Have you been wondering what all the fuss is about?? Get a sneak peek of how automation can enhance your home, and let us know how we can help you create the most efficient and, of course, nerdiest home out there!

Don't give up on home automation thinking its too expensive or frivolous. Here are reasons why you should seriously consider automating your home.

11/11/2019

And now for another installment of "A Note From The AV Nerd Wife": I never knew I needed… good speakers in the bathroom.

I love music! No, really… I LOVE music! There is rarely a song on the radio (aka Spotify, Pandora, etc) that I don’t sing along with. Music gives me energy and fills my cup on a daily basis, and my husband really extended this by being the first person to introduce me to value of a good quality sound system. At our apartment, Rusty slowly but surely began switching out all mediocre speakers for higher quality ones, which was great, especially in our living room. But the day he came in and said he was going to install a speaker in the bathroom, I was honestly a little confused. He is a perfectionist and is unapologetically particular about doing things the right way (one of the things I love about him more each day), so I knew this speaker venture was much more than a single bluetooth speaker we were going to set out on a counter. Of course, he found the best omni-directional speaker with built in sub and proceeded to cut a hole in our bathroom ceiling so it would be clean and hidden. Did I mention this was an apartment and I had never added more than a nail hole in wall before…

Ok, sorry, back to the real story… Rusty started using this beautifully mounted speaker while he was getting ready in the morning - listening to Sirius or music, which led me to start listening to music while I was getting ready. Can I just tell you, I am not a morning person, but somehow, if you give me a little music in the morning, I can get a lot more done! I fell in love with it! When we moved into the house, this was another one of the priority jobs for Rusty as he outfitted our house in perfect AV Nerd style. The speakers in the master bathroom had to be just perfect - great quality, full sound, etc., and boy, did they deliver! Our bathroom speakers are now a regular part of waking up in the morning, going to bed in the evening, and relaxing in a bath while listening to good music or even staying caught up with the movie we had been watching earlier (I’ll have to add another part of this later - I never knew I needed an audio matrix). This sounds like a basic thing, which may be true, but this is another piece of A/V wisdom that my AV Nerd has passed on that I’m not sure I could live without! So here’s to wishing you peace, love and good music… in the bathroom!

11/05/2019

When self proclaimed "Dental Nerds" at Vitality Dental called needing some A/V help, it was a no brainer to put our AV Nerdy powers to work! It was a great day today getting their reception speakers working well again! Thanks for the call !

11/01/2019

Happy Halloween from your local AV Nerd!!!

10/28/2019

One of the most common questions I get from customers is, “Where is the best place to mount my TV?”.

So here’s the thing… I can guarantee if we really went based on optimal viewing height, your TV would be mounted much lower than you would expect. In a perfect world, you want your eye level to hit very close to the center of any TV. This allows for you to see the whole picture, regardless of the size of the TV, without having to strain in any way or adjust the tilt of the TV. However, since that can often be lower than you might prefer, this is a process of finding a good balance between optimal height based on eye level and aesthetics. This is why I always mark off the planned spot for a TV with masking tape before starting the mounting process. I understand that may sound like overkill, but I can’t tell you how many times looking at the masking tape mock up prompted an adjustment…

So here are a few tips:

* Start with figuring out how this TV will be watched - sitting or standing - and then get a general eye level height to work from based on this watching method. In our family room, we watch TV while seated and our average eye level height is around 38”, but the center of our TV sits about 47” off the ground. This was the best compromise between optimal viewing angle and room aesthetics for us.

* If you have a low entertainment stand (approx. 20-24” tall), mounting a TV so the bottom sits about 6” above the top of the stand has always worked very well for larger TV’s (60” and up). Our stand (pictured) is about 22” and the TV sits about 28”.

* Mock it up - as I mentioned earlier - this will save you many holes in walls, I promise!

* Don’t go above a fireplace unless you absolutely have to… However, if you have to, hang it as close to the mantle as possible.

* 95% of the time you don’t need to tilt your TV. I know a lot of people really like having their TV’s tilted, but really, if you can get relatively close to eye-level height, you do not need the tilt. Tilting shows more wiring than necessary (you’ll find I am all about hiding wires), and TV viewing angles have gotten so good that they can be flat and still perfectly clear.

In the end, AV Nerd wants you to have the best TV watching experience possible, so let us know if we can be of any help in your next project.

10/24/2019

Check out a throwback to one of the early "other nerdy activities". This is a Midway arcade I refurbished a while back for a local raffle.