Renew • Colorado's Remodeling Magazine

Anyone can set up a beautiful, bold multi-media system that will provide incredible audio and video experiences that rival the local theater. But is it easy to use by all members of the family and comprehensive enough to simplify your life?

The high-tech world of home automation reached a new plateau in the last four years, says Brian Richards, president of Precision Media Solutions in Lakewood. Because all home electronics can now be network based through the wonders of the Internet, all systems can be easily upgraded as technology leaps further into the future.

To get started, Richards favors the Kaleidescape System, which easily categorizes movies and music that can be accessed throughout your home. It’s especially useful to those who have difficulty finding and managing their DVD collection. Enjoy the movie experience throughout the home without a bunch of bulky boxes that take up space. Forget about storing your DVD collection. All of your media is loaded into the Kaleidiscape Hard Drive System, which offers some fun features. The Kaleidescape Movie Guide Service provides video bookmarks that let you jump to where you left off, or to your favorite movie scene. And of course there are no trailers, ads or menus to deal with.

Now throw in an Apple TV, which is a cost effective solution for any home. For as little as $229, you can browse iTunes on your television. In addition you can rent high-definition movies on screen for just $4.99. The Apple TV also pulls all of your photos off your home computer and displays them in folders on your TV. Then you can watch a slideshow presentation of your photos with music, which is fun for parties or showing off your recent vacation photos on a large screen.

Richards says the trend toward Apple products has made life easier for his clients, particularly with the iPhone, which can be used to control your in-house electronics system, either in the home, or from anywhere in the world where you have cell service. “We are talking a lot of our clients into switching to iPhone’s, and if they don’t want to switch, we just get them an iPod Touch for about $250, Richards says. “We are finding that our clients love being able to be the mobile DJ in their home wherever they take their iPhone.”

Of course your motorized shades, lighting control, security and HVAC can all be controlled with similar ease. What about a high-tech baby monitor (we don’t suggest monitoring your teenager’s domain though it sometimes seems necessary)? Again, the monitor can be part of the system by using the intercom feature. “Higher end systems allow control of everything in the home from one touchscreen … and it can all be retrofit,” Richards points out. And if you understand the basics of an iPhone, you’ll be able to run systems throughout your entire house. User-friendly is the name of the game. “It takes very little training for the client to run it. And every room operates the same way,” Richards says.

Although the Apple products mentioned above will cost less than $500, it’s easy to spend  $10,000 on a Kaleidescape system with a few accessories. Wiring a large home from the ground up with top-of-line options for every member of the family can jump to $100,000 and up very easily.

Equipment controlling the house can be hidden in storage rooms, basements or in closets.

Hiding flat screens and other components also has become popular, Richards says. A television can fold down from the ceiling, be recessed in a wall, pop up from a cabinet or be found in a nicely framed mirror.

So the next time a home remodel is in order, or you just need to put a little more juice into your media system, consider the advantages of creating a network-based system that can be expanded for years to come. However, there’s a warning: touch-screen control from any room in the house might be very addictive for the movie or music buff that just can’t get enough.