Picking an AV system for your home can be a challenge, especially when you have trouble verbalizing what you want and what you need. Sure, you can google it but, even then, you need to know where to start.
The big problem lies in the fact that the concept of an AV system can mean a number of things. Everything is audio-visual these days, even just your smartphone. Still, you wouldn’t consider this an AV system, would you? So, in order to help you understand this concept a bit better, here’s a brief guide through different types of AV systems that you should be familiar with.
1. Projection systems
Projectors are amazing as an AV solution because they offer the best cost-per-inch value. Just think about how much it would cost to buy a screen of the same size.
Moreover, projectors are often portable, which means that you can set up an indoor or outdoor screening. This form of portability allows you to use a calm, warm, stary night and organize an event for you and your friends/neighbors.
When making a home theater, even if you have the money for a huge screen, you may want to go with a projector and a projector sheet for nostalgia reasons. As a kid, you must have dreamt of having the whole theater for yourself. Now, you can actually get there and at a small price.
Most importantly, these projectors are relatively inexpensive compared to some other equipment. They can also be connected to your other devices and project the video on the screen.
The most important part you have to keep in mind is the fact that you can start small and scale up. In other words, you can buy a projector and project the image on a clean wall in your home. You can buy a sheet later on. A projector (coupled with a device that you already own) is, more or less, self-sufficient.
2. AV control system
Even if you don’t live in a smart home, your household is probably full of tech. You likely have screens in most of your homes, as well as speakers (sometimes portable, sometimes not) throughout the house.
The reason why all of this matters is that you can combine it all into a singular system and even centralize the controls. With the help of the right AV control system, you have the privilege of controlling all the amenities of your AV system as you move through the house.
This gives you a chance to start watching a long YouTube video in your home office, continue doing so in the kitchen while preparing the meal, and carry on with it in the dining room without exposing yourself to too much trouble.
Another example is listening to some music in your home gym and then keeping the tunes going via a bathroom speaker while freshening up after the training.
All in all, it’s a great way to reclaim your own home.
Most often, you won’t even need a specialized remote; you can do it from your smartphone (which is how most people prefer to do it anyway).
3. Video conferencing system
The next thing you most definitely need is a video conferencing system. Why? Well, because more and more people work from home, meetings are still a huge part of one’s working life.
In the past, roughly 31 hours were wasted every month on various unnecessary meetings. Then, the pandemic struck, and when everyone got a chance to work from home, people realized just how effective video conferences are.
The key thing to bear in mind is the fact that you can start in the simplest way possible. You can just have a microphone on your webcam or just use your laptop’s default microphone and camera.
This means downplaying the significance of these video conferences and how much you actually participate in them. If you had one meeting per month, you would be 100% correct – it wouldn’t make much sense to overspend on your video conferencing system.
However, for someone who trains with an online personal trainer, takes therapy online, is in a long-distance relationship, works remotely, and even socializes on sites like Omegle, things are much different. For them, this is a window into the world. How big and how clear this window will be depends on you.
4. Single-purpose system
There’s a lot of talk about the purpose of the system, but in all fairness, you’ll most likely use an AV system for a wide variety of reasons. In one of the previous sections, we’ve already mentioned the way you can use speakers to add a soundtrack to your daily chores or exercise and how you can use the conference room for business meetings, therapy, or even your love life.
The key thing to understand is that you can also mold a system around a specific room. We’ve already hinted at the development of a home theater system, and the reason why we’re coming back to it again is because it was probably the first thing that popped into your mind after reading the headline.
Corporate meeting rooms are specifically designed for presentations and projections in office spaces (and commercial spaces in general). Designing such a room requires a specialist, and it’s far more complex than you initially assumed. This is especially important for someone looking to renovate a place they plan to rent out (unless you’re taking the real estate crowdfunding route).
Then, there’s the design of educational institutions. If you’re making a lecture hall or a classroom, you need to pay special attention to the acoustics of the place. You need to limit distractions, make sure that everything is visible and audible from every corner of the room, etc.
All in all, you may start by setting the purpose. This makes everything easier and may even give you a way to find the right template to help you get started.
Wrap up
Ultimately, while AV systems are incredibly important as they are, in the future, we can expect their significance to grow further. This is why considering your options early on is important. Some of these require a sizable investment, which means that they’ll require careful planning and budgeting. Don’t let this catch you off-guard.
