The holidays look a bit different this year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the festivities while staying at home in Austin, TX. Home automation brings a new layer of excitement to an already fun time of year by making life easier and more enjoyable.

We strive to bring trusted technology trends to our clients’ homes so they can enjoy themselves with multi-room audio, private home theaters, lighting control, and more. Read on below to learn two ways Relative Home Systems can incorporate smart home control and help you add a little more pizazz to your end-of-year celebrations.

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Livens the Mood

There’s nothing quite like hearing your favorite holiday playlist for the first time each year. Why not stream your favorite songs from your personal music collection or favorite TIDAL playlists on your whole-home audio system? Colorful LED lighting can also help energize the mood while you’re playing your seasonal playlists, too. Bathe the room in holiday colors—red and green, blue and white, or any combination you choose!

Mariah Carey’s seasonal favorite, “All I Want for Christmas” will get stuck in your head in no time—just tap a button on your Control4 Neeo remote, and the song will stream from every speaker you pass as you walk from the festively lit kitchen to the family room to the outdoor patio.

Are you ready for an automated home? Maybe you’d like music to flow through every room of the house or a security system that protects every vulnerable corner. From one app on your phone, you can access your speakers, security, lights, thermostats, TVs, and more.

But that’s going to require lots of planning, wiring, and careful installation by a smart home installer. If you’re renovating your property or building a new home, you’d benefit from partnering with a technology advisor like Relative Home Systems, based in Austin, TX. But when should a smart home professional get involved in the process?

Ideally, you’ll bring in help from the very beginning. We’ll share every step of the timeline so you can see how an installer helps at each phase of your new smart home build.

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Architectural Phase

In the first phase, we’ll meet with you to design a blueprint of where all your technology will go. We’ll review it with your architect or builder, and if you’re working with an interior designer, we’ll discuss the technology’s impact on design. We’ll provide a budget to you and contract low-voltage wiring services to power your technology.

Staying in? Maybe you’ve decided it’s time to upgrade your home entertainment. After all, in-person sports aren’t an option, and concerts have been canceled indefinitely. If you’re looking for the most lifelike TV experience, that would be in 8K resolution.  

While 4K used to reign supreme, 8K TVs now offer what The Verge calls “likely the clearest digital picture the human eye will ever see.” Brands like Sony now offer 8K screens with High Dynamic Range (HDR), dazzling anyone who gazes at it.

But how does 8K work, and do you really need it for your Austin, TX home? Find out below.

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What Does 8K Mean?

How did we jump from 4K to 8K? Let’s start with standard HD screens, which display 1080 pixels vertically. Moving up, 4K TVs typically include 3,840 pixels horizontally and 2,160 pixels vertically, giving it the shortened nickname 4K. 8K quadruples the total number of pixels in 4K screens, with 7,680 pixels across and 4,320 vertically for a total thirty-three million pixels.

Whether you are grilling on the weekend or having company over to watch the big game, you’ll want to make sure that your outdoor entertainment space is ready to go with a great outdoor TV.

But, not all TVs are a good fit for the outdoors. You don’t want to find yourself having to replace a damaged TV. It’s critical to consult professionals when making a decision on which outdoor TV is right for you so that they can ensure your TV is going to integrate perfectly with the rest of your outdoor entertainment system.

We love working with Coastal Source because they have so many excellent outdoor sound solutions. We’ll help you integrate your outdoor sound system with your outdoor TV so that your backyard looks and sounds exactly like you imagined.

You need a superior product. Our team of experts at Relative Home Systems can help you build the right outdoor entertainment space for your Austin, TX home that includes the perfect outdoor TV.

SEE ALSO: How to Get Audio to Your Outdoor Spaces