Outdoor Toys for Audiophiles and Media Hounds

Outdoor Toys for Audiophiles and Media Hounds: Every year we check in with Lou Gordon, President of Soundworks Armonk, for a techno savvy discussion of the best new toys and services in home entertainment and home automation. This year we go outdoors and in on a range of topics for audiophiles, cineastes, backyard internet surfers, and mobile media hounds, 

Outdoor TV

Outdoor TVs are the next big thing for your pool, deck, or outdoor kitchen.Sunbrite’s all weather HDTVs are designed for permanent outdoor installation and engineered to withstand harsh environmental elements. The Seura Storm Ultra Bright weatherproof, outdoor television is ideal for your deck, patio, or even your hot tub! The triple lock seal design protects against contaminants to give a reliably sharp picture. And they are designed with LuminOptics so you can enjoy vivid image quality, even in direct sunlight. Pair them with some Bluetooth headphones to enhance the sound experience.

Outdoor Music

Episode Landscape Satellite Speakers deliver high performance speakers with a rich, even sound to fill your entire backyard. They’re built to withstand tough weather and can be mounted anywhere: in the ground, in a tree, the outside of your house or on the deck.

You can control your outdoor media with a Savant home entertainment system. The Savant app can be downloaded to your phone or iPad, giving you full access to your music at anytime. With the Savant app you can cue up all the music and playlists you have stored in the cloud as long as you have Wi-Fi or a cellular signal. Savant systems can also control your outdoor theatre, pool, hot tub, security cameras and outdoor lighting.

Outdoor Internet

If your idea of outdoor media is surfing the web, Pakedge devices are designed to improve the range and speed of your wireless network, while also eliminating any interference. Their high power, high range wireless access points ensure that your devices will always connect with the best speeds possible.

A Flat screen that looks (and sounds) great

Flat screens keep getting bigger and better. Hot now is the Sony XBR-X900B 65 inch flat screen television. It has the distinction of boasting 4K Ultra HD picture with TRILUMINOS display while also providing massive built-in speakers and a subwoofer for richer sound and an immersive viewing experience.

The X900 will upscale HD content but to truly appreciate the television you will need to track down some true 4K content. Netflix has an Ultra HD Streaming Plan. Amazon VOD also has a list of 4K streaming titles that are free to Prime subscribers. YouTube provides 4K content, Vimeo offers Ultra HD for downloads (but not streaming), and Sony Video Unlimited offers a la carte episodes and movies with the Sony 4K Ultra HD Media Player.

And there are some fun extras like a One-Flick remote that gives you access to a shortcut menu of your favorite TV channels, photos and online videos. With Social Viewing you can simultaneously view, Skype and tweet.

For the audiophile

Paradigm’s new Prestige line of tower speakers (shown at top of page) offer 4 driver, 2/12 way audiophile quality sound at a price point well below their longstanding flagship Signature series. And their A2 fully powered bookshelf speakers (pictured here) with built-in input jacks for AirPort Express®, Bluetooth and other wireless receiving devices, allows you to connect to third-party wireless audio devices for streaming music exactly where you want it.  Paradigm products are world leaders in the competitive high performance loudspeaker market. For over 30 years, they have crafted cutting-edge technology with audio research from the National Research Council of Canada. Their products deliver clear, pure, life-like audio from headphones and subwoofers, to surround sound and home theater systems. Paradigm has been voted “Inside Track” Magazine’s #1 Best Price/Value for the past 10 consecutive years.

Lou Gordon is an Armonk resident and the owner of Soundworks, Inc. in Armonk. Soundworks provides a full range of home automation services, products and installations including home theater systems, multi-room music and video, home networking, energy management, home safety, automated lighting and mobile device controls, (Soundworks, Inc., 1 Hunter Ave, Armonk, 914.765.0461; www.soundworksny.com)