Multi-Room Audio and the Mac Mini Fix

Details

I was recently contacted by a woman with an existing multi-room audio system that wasn’t functioning properly, and she wanted to have me evaluate what it would take to get it fixed, and how we could go about making her system work at its best.  Those of us whom have tinkered in the audiovisual industry as long as I have, know these can be the fun ones – not the fun “hey, I get to put together a really cool system” kind of fun, but rather “oh boy, what am I about to get myself into!?”, type of fun.  Lately, the Mac Mini has been an excellent solution for these types of calls.

So, like any good little audio / video guy, I offered her a free consultation and went to check things out.  She lived in a gorgeous custom built home with all the great finishes – I thought ‘alright, there’s probably an awesome custom designed system that just needs a little TLC; in and out and a happy client’.  Well, this wasn’t the case.  Immediately upon entering her home I saw a basic wall installed controller with (4) buttons - Volume Up, Volume Down, Source, and Mute.  It was the lyriQ™Multi-room audio system by On-Q.  Honestly, they don’t get much more basic than this.

If you don’t already know, this is the entry-level of a basic home audio system that supports multiple rooms.  With their standard kit you get up to four source inputs, and its turned on and off from the ‘simple as they come’ room controller.  Source components that are connected to the system can be controlled via the included lyriQ™univeral remote control.  These systems are common in new housing developments with builders interested in offering their customers an audio video solution at an extremely affordable price.  Now, as with most entry-level multi-room solutions, features are limited and ‘control’ is far from the best… but they do work - don’t get me wrong, I am an On-Q dealer… it just wouldn’t have been my pick for this paticular house.

It turned out that my client didn’t only want to fix the On-Q system, but she also wanted to add a TV and high-definition cable viewing in the kitchen – that, and the ability to browse the internet and check her e-mail from the same display.  Perfect, not only could I put together a solution for the kitchen, but I’d be able to incorporate a Mac Mini for the computing features and I’d utilize it to bring her lyriQ™system to life.  Thank you Mac Mini –small in size, therefore easily placed out of site, and now I simply integrate iTunes and streaming online content to her audio system.  We’ll control all of this online content right from the display versus the lyriQ™ remote… a major improvement.  Streaming online content is simplified without upgrading her entire multi-room audio system.

Anyone can accomplish a similar solution in their own home – in many cases even those DIY types can pull this off with fairly little work.  In the solution described above signals are sent from the kitchen to a distribution room where the lyriQ™Music system is located, then to the rest of the house – a little bit more complicated.  But the same technique can be used at a basic receiver and flat screen TV, or to an amplifier that feeds volume controls in most basic of home audio systems.  The new Mac Mini is so small you can literally hide it anywhere you want and use a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard – up to 30 feet away from the computer.  Controlling online content from a display versus a generic universal remoteis much more user-friendly – not to mention it looks pretty cool, too.  Add an Apple iPad and you get wireless touch-screen control throughout the house!  It used to cost serious money to pull these things off – not any more! 

Even in much larger, significantly more advanced installations I get big use out of the Mac Mini computer.  Coupled with a Logitech Squeezebox I can supply my customers with a complete media server like solution – radio stations from all over the world, internet radio, Pandora, iTunes, and more… at a far lesser cost than that of a “true” (but less-featured) media server.  In these installations, the control and feedback is available at touch panels, iPads, and iPhones - from anywhere in the home, or anywhere in the world where the Internet is accessible.

Contact AV Technologies Group to find out how we can integrate iTunes, the Mac Mini, and the iPad into your smart home.  It’s a great feature that keeps getting better! 

By Seth Gatewood and AV Technologies Group | Posted Jan. 10, 2012