Our project manager Robyn like to muse from time to time about today's technology. The below is his take on the new Xbox One. The Cliffs Notes version is that an Xbox One can be a great heart to a home theater...you just want to add GOOD stuff to optimize your experience.

"I just got my new Xbox One and man is it sweet! I am going to build my new system around it. I will start off simple but with the intent of building an awesome theater. It’s easier to build your system when you start off with the right products. The Xbox One is designed to work with really good speakers and Ultra High Definition 4K. The audio video receiver is the key to a great system. I will lay out a good, better, best for anyone interested. As for me I strongly recommend Yamaha Aventage series receivers. I have the Yamaha RXA-2020 which makes my room sound amazing. It allows for the best audio and video I could afford. If I could spend a little more, I would go with Yamaha’s new separates. Their 11.2 channel amp and preamp, the MX-A500 and CX-A5000, take all the best Yamaha has and make it bigger. To stay within a budget for the TV, Samsung's 60” plasma would be very good because it has good response with motion and great blacks and whites. They are also unbelievably priced for an awesome 60” TV. The Xbox One has a built in 4K bluray and will come in very handy when 4K movies start to be produced. I can’t wait to play a 4K game. However, I love projectors because of the movie theater feel so I will be using the JVC DLA-RS4910U 4K Precision projector. If I couldn’t make a projector work and I had to look for a Ultra High Definition TV, it is tough to pass up Samsung’s new 65” UHD TV the UN65F9000 because it just dropped in price $2500.00 and has the most amazing picture you can imagine.

And now for the fun stuff...the speakers. My favorite speaker line right now is Monitor Audio and I am very fond of their Silver series. They can handle everything I throw at them and sound great while doing it. Since I am planning on having a full set of speakers, the Silver line helps me save a few bucks as compared to the Gold or Platinum series in their line (the Silver are 1/2 to 1/6th the price!).

It is absolutely possible to buy just the two tower speakers or bookshelf speakers for stereo and a good matching subwoofer at first and then slowly buy the rest of the surround speakers when you have more money. When you opt to get into full-blown surround sound, I always suggest you utilize Yamaha's presence speaker concept. This idea really fills up the room with sound. I use the front presence speakers to really bring the sound up to the level of the projector screen. I have two towers for a full sound range, the center is for character speech, the front and back presence is to open the sound stage, the surrounds are for when someone walks behind you and the subwoofers (2) handle all bass.

Here's some ideas how to maximize your Xbox One experience:

A “GOOD” system to build around the Xbox One would be:

• Yamaha RX-A730 audio/video receiver
• Samsung 60” plasma television
• Definitive Technology BP-8060ST with built in subwoofer and comes with a FREE center and surrounds (through January) 

A “BETTER” system would be:

• Yamaha RX-A2030 audio/video receiver
• JVC 4K Precision projector DLA-RS4910U    or
• Samsung 65” UHD 4K TV UN65F9000
• Monitor Audio Silver 6 set of speakers

 A “BEST” system would be:

• Yamaha 11.2 channel pre-amp and amplifier the MX-A500 and the CX-A500
• JVC 4K Precision projector DLA-RS6710U
• Monitor Audio Platinum series speakers

http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/aventage/

http://www.monitoraudiousa.com/products/silver/silver-6/

http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/av-receivers-amps/cx-mx-separates/

Want to maximize your new Xbox One? Try some of Robyn's suggestions and let San Diego's leading integrator of audio/video solutions get your Xbox firing on all 12 cylinders.

San Diego Home Theater Installers Aire Theater Designs proudly serves all of San Diego County which includes Del Cerro, Allied Gardens, Talmadge, Kensington, Hillcrest, Mission Valley, Fashion Valley, El Cajon, Blossom Valley, Alpine, La Mesa, Lake Murray, Friars, North Park, Balboa Park, Clairemont, Kearny Mesa, Mission Bay, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, Imperial Beach, Pt Loma and Downtown San Diego. We also gladly serve those in North San Diego County which includes Carlsbad, San Marcos, Vista, Elfin Forest, Oceanside, Escondido, Encinitas, Cardiff by the Sea, Solana Beach, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe, 4S Ranch, Santaluz, La Jolla, Poway, and Rancho Bernardo.

If you are a client of ours you know that we sell good stuff. If you aren't, think of us as your local Mercedes/BMW dealer for audio/video. The products we offer will give you an amazing audio/video experience in the comfort of your own home. To add to this "good stuff", we have added Oppo's heralded Blu-Ray players to our line-up. Why Oppo?

For us, it really came down to performance and value. For someone looking for a higher-end Blu-Ray player, we feel there is no equal at the price point. So do some other manufacturers. So much so that one other high-end audio company (that will remain nameless for legal reasons) "allegedly" took Oppo's player, stuffed it into one of their Blu-Ray players and then sold it for 7X the price! Google "oppo blu-ray scandal" for more details.

We are offering:

Best: Oppo BD-105 reference Blu-Ray player @ $1199.99

This player offers audiophile-grade sound quality, isolated board placement and high-end components throughout. More details are below in the link.

http://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-105/

Better: Oppo BDP-103D step-up Blu-Ray player @ $599.99

Enjoy breathtaking video quality, courtesy of Darbee processing. More details are below in the link.

http://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-103/blu-ray-BDP-103D-Overview.aspx

Good: Oppo BDP-103 premium Blu-Ray player @ $499.99

This selection provides you with audio and video performance that is a cut above the rest of the market at a paltable price. More details are below in the link.

http://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-103/

Everyone in life wants good stuff. If you are a believer in the adage, "Buy best...Cry once", contact an ATD representative today with questions and let San Diego's leading dealer of Oppo Blu-Ray players show you how Oppo can blow you away with fantastic audio/video performance.

San Diego Home Theater Installers Aire Theater Designs proudly serves all of San Diego County which includes Del Cerro, Allied Gardens, Talmadge, Kensington, Hillcrest, Mission Valley, Fashion Valley, El Cajon, Blossom Valley, Alpine, La Mesa, Lake Murray, Friars, North Park, Balboa Park, Clairemont, Kearny Mesa, Mission Bay, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, Imperial Beach, Pt Loma and Downtown San Diego. We also gladly serve those in North San Diego County which includes Carlsbad, San Marcos, Vista, Elfin Forest, Oceanside, Escondido, Encinitas, Cardiff by the Sea, Solana Beach, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe, 4S Ranch, Santaluz, La Jolla, Poway, and Rancho Bernardo.

Samsung Blu-Ray players...what a cool toy!

Our resident geek likes to muse over the latest and greatest that comes into the office. We've gotten tired of hearing him, so we're letting him vent to you.

"Hi friends...Poindexter here. I just got a chance to play with the new Samsung Blu-Ray players. These things are great! Here are a few of the features that I like and that you need to have:

1) Universal player: It plays anything round (Blu-Ray, DVD and CD) and does a fantastic job with Blu-Ray playback. The picture is unreal!

2) Pandora: You can build your own personal radio stations with this feature for FREE! I'm not sure how they do this but it could be magic. I think they include a small wizard inside each player. Anyways, you access Pandora through the player, pick your favorite artist and WHAMMO!...you've got a radio station that is tailored to your musical liking. Love the Eagles? You can have the Eagles and their contemporaries playing on your station all day long! And best...no commercials and did I mention it's FREE!

3) Netflix: You can get Netflix movies instantly through these players. Movies are very important to me as my social calendar is a little light at the moment. When I want to watch a movie, I can access it instantly instead of waiting for it in the mail. NICE!

I gotta go. "The life cycle of the Banana Slug" just came on PBS. Too bad it's not in 3D. See you soon!"