The True Cost of Service
We had a prospective client inform us that he could get a better bottom line price on product and installation from 'a guy on Craig's List'. The price was about $1500 less than our proposal. About a month after he had it installed, he gave us a call to troubleshoot some problems that he had been having. It seems that to get to that amazing price point the 'guy from Craig's list' skimped on the equipment. From a Denon receiver and Canton speakers to a Teac receiver and Bic speakers. The speaker-wire was clear kind from Home Depot and not UL rated for installation inside the walls. Basic RCA cabling used through-out. The universal remote was inadequate and not properly programmed. the system was not calibrated to the room and sounded tinny. The TV was not 1080p, not set-up with HDMI for blu-ray or even high definition. It was S-Video! Also, the client was charged an extra $450 for three service calls. When first approached, the client made it clear to me that he wanted a 'good system' not an entry level one with a lot of problems. We have been in this business for over fifteen years. We listen to what you tell us and give you what you want. By paying a little more on the front end, you will not ever have to worry about the back end.
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Wednesday October 7th 2009
Wireless Video Surveillance
Installed a wireless camera yesterday. Replacing it with a hard-wired camera today. the client has a two story home and wanted to be able to protect his home and be able to go on-line and check on it when he is away. He also wanted to stay within a budget, so he wanted wireless cams or places that would be hard to get lines to. The easiest way is not always the best. He does not like them be because they freeze and there is a unavoidable delay. So now he sees the value in spending a little extra to get exactly what he wants.
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Thursday October 1st 2009
A Great Picture!
The new LG 50PS60 and 60PS60 models have one of the best pictures that I have seen on a plasma TV screen ever! If you are not familiar with them, find one on display that has a true 1080i or 1080p signal and see for yourself. Magnificent! Yes, the plasma does run warmer and it will show slightly more glare if you have direct light on it, but those are the only two distractions. These units are THX certified and are equipped with Netflix, You Tube, 600hz, I could go on. Bottom line, these are a great buy!
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Tuesday August 18th, 2009
ASU Barrett Restaurant
We completed Installation of the Monitors for the restaurant yesterday. Put in some great looking Samsung LN40B750 LCD TV's. They will be used for menu selection. Fox 10 news showed them on in a snippet last night and they really set the place off!
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Wednesday August 5th, 2009
Budget VS Function
I find that most of our potential clientele often say that they do not have a budget. They have specific wants and needs and are quite sure that they are ready to pull the trigger and start a desired project. The problem is that most do not understand that even at one or two steps up, the better quality equipment with up-to-date function and features does cost more. For example, I received a call from a gentleman that wanted to know why his high-definition and Blu-ray DVD pictures were not as good as his neighbors. After a few questions we found that he had purchased a 720P plasma TV and his DVD player 'up-converts ' to 1080P. He paid less than $1000 but now he owns equipment that he doesn't want! If he had paid as little as $300 more, he would be a very happy man.
If you have an amount that you do not want to go over, then you should put it out there. It will save you and your A/V tech time, money and headaches. With a budget in mind, you will be able to define the type of system that you can afford, and it saves you from getting bids from any Tom, Dick and Harry that thinks he can hang a plasma TV. You will be getting the best system for the price instead of the cheapest thing someone can get for you that does not do what you want it to!
Communicate with your tech at all times.
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Tuesday August 4th, 2009
Why Choose A Custom A/V Company
With everyone from the big box stores to the internet offering you 'rock bottom pricing' on consumer electronics, why would you want to choose an independent custom company? Easy! Pricing, Service and Diversity. You get one, two if you are real lucky, of the three with any of the other avenues for consumer electronics. You will get all three with an independent custom company like Definitive Entertainment.
Let's talk about Internet Purchases.
Usually the best pricing is internet. You can find an $800 42" flat screen plasma TV that sells for $600. BUT, there may be shipping costs that bring it back up to $800. There will be NO service if you have a problem with the set and there usually isn't a large variety of brands to choose from. You also have to be careful that the product is not refurbished or repaired. Be aware too of grey market product. Grey market items do not carry manufacturers warranties and the cost of replacement or repair is solely on the purchaser. And trying to return a product is an adventure.
What about Retail Stores?
The Big Box or brick and mortar retail stores sell three or four different same product brands but usually balk at the higher quality product. The service that you get in the store is not always up to par with the pricing and the information that you receive is not always up to date. While you may be looking for a complete solution, you may only receive it in part because these type of retailers will only do certain parts of the project. For example, they will run the speaker-wire but can't do the drywall work.
What Definitive Entertainment does for you.
We offer more brand-lines than any store in the Valley. From mid-level speakers and components, TV's projectors and monitors such as Denon, Onkyo, JBL, LG, Samsung and Jamo to high end product like Sunfire, Snell, Christie, Krell, B&K; and BG, that are the epitome sophistication. We offer service that is beyond reproach. Whether it is a timely phone call or late evening home visit, our time is your time. Communication is the key to any and all successful projects and we offer this hard to find service every day. And finally pricing. Our prices are the same as if not lower than any other consumer electronics store in the Valley. The plus with our company is that you get some things, like delivery, initial consultations and customer service built into the price.
Call us and find out what we can do for you.
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Friday July 31st, 2009
Cheap is not always the way to go!
I did a proposal for a project last month. The client was remodeling and wanted to add whole-house audio and 5.1 surround sound in two different rooms. I explained the procedure, product type and installation labor that he would need and the total project cost. He hesitated and then informed me that his electrician would do the labor portion for half the aforementioned amount. I, in the gentlest way possible, explained that his guy was an electrician. While he may be a great electrician and may know how to pull wire, he probably did not know how to correctly install speaker-wire and/or A/V equipment. Needless to say he went with the lower labor price.
I got a call from him today. his system is not functioning properly. I went over to take a look for him. It seems to save money, the electrician made single pulls whenever possible. Meaning, he ran electrical wiring with the speaker-wire and video lines. A huge no-no, as it transfers static noise to the audio and video portions of his system. He also used un-shielded cables and no HDMI for high definition picture or fiber optic connects for digital surround sound. We would need to undo most of the pulls and re-pull them separately. Also, get him the proper cabling and connect them properly. While trying to save money by using the cheapest available labor, he actually cost himself a lot more overall.
He is going to think about what to do next.