One of the fastest growing companies in the luxury smart home market, Savant has become a recognized leader in home integration.  Today its systems are compatible with more than 5,000 products encompassing lighting, climate, entertainment, security as well as an in-home communication system that allows you to talk from your phone to the speakers in the house.  Are you in Metro New York?  Audio Command Systems can design a home integration system that will revolutionize the way in which you interact with your home.

Relationship with Apple®

Savant has formed a strong alliance with Apple and uses its hardware, in particular the Mac Mini, to run the software. Savant also uses Apple devices, including iPhones and wall-mounted iPods and iPads, to control and adjust the various subsystems within a home. Like most Apple products, the Savant System is easy to understand from the get-go and syncs automatically with all your Apple devices. Savant was also the first home integration company to develop an app for iOS, called TrueControl™. The app allows even the most discerning homeowner the ability to customize the way they interact with their home. Ease-of-use and attractiveness are two key features of the Savant system.

One example of how friendly the Savant experience can be involves taking pictures. Snap of photo of your living room using Savant’s TrueImage Control® and it becomes the touch screen to control your home. Press the lamp in your photo and it comes on. Turn on the TV, thermostat, and even your fireplace with a one touch. Using Apple’s iCloud service allows the Savant system to distribution audio throughout the entire home as well.

Total Control of Every Aspect of Your Home from Anywhere

Where should I have 4K in my home?

4K is ideal in the largest entertainment rooms in your home, such as a great room, family room, or, of course, a home theater. Your kids will be blown away by the immersive gaming experience with 4K. You don’t need 4K everywhere. Full HD is still perfectly fine for secondary rooms, such as bedrooms. If it’s your vacation home (perhaps in the Hamptons or Florida) consider how often you’re there and which room is used the most.

What about 4K content? Is there anything to watch?

Until recently, the answer was “not much.” But that’s rapidly changing. Online services are leading the charge. Netflix® already offers several TV series, including Breaking Bad and House of Cards, through their subscription on-demand service, and they’ve announced plans to produce more original 4K content starting this year. YouTube®, Hulu®, and Amazon® have likewise announced their plans to produce more original shows in 4K. 

There’s more. Within the next 18 months, Kaleidescape®, the leading manufacturer of movie servers for the home, plans to release a 4K player and provide access to 4K titles from major movie studios via digital downloads, and then streaming and discs. Sony® is also committed to 4K. They recently launched their Video Unlimited 4K download service, with access to an expanding library of 4K feature films and TV shows. And they’re shipping a 4K Blu-ray Disc™ Player that performs 4K upscaling of DVDs and Blu-ray Discs.

The big buzz in consumer electronics is the new 4K, the common name for the Ultra HD TV format. So what is 4K, exactly, and how do you know when the time is right to get it for your home?

The basics

4K represents the next giant leap in image resolution. How big a leap? 4K creates images composed of nearly 8.3 million pixels, compared to about 2 million in a 1080p image, the full HD resolution produced by Blu-ray®. In other words, FOUR TIMES the resolution of the TVs that you’re likely watching now. These pixels are usually arranged in a 3,840 x 2,160 configuration, compared with the 1,920 x 1,080 for full HD TV, also known as “1080p.”

Is 4K different from Ultra HD?

Though not the same, the two terms have become interchangeable, thereby creating some confusion. “4K” is the most commonly used term. However, some consumer electronics manufacturers prefer “Ultra HD” because it distinguishes between the 3,840 x 2,160 resolution inherent to 16:9 ratio TVs and the 4,096 x 2,160 resolution most commonly used in digital cinemas. For our purposes, we’ll refer to it as 4K.

Would you like to take advantage of the latest lighting control conveniences, shade integration elegance, and energy management advancements without making holes in your walls and disrupting your life?

That’s where ACS and Lutron’s Wireless QS system comes in!  Lutron QS is a wireless, energy-saving lighting control, automated window treatment, and HVAC home control system that gives you the ability to tailor the environment throughout your entire home from simple intuitive devices.

Because QS utilizes Lutron’s patented Clear Connect® RF wireless technology, the system installs easily into existing homes without running any new wires removing the need to make “Swiss cheese” of your walls. It’s perfect for retrofit projects as well as new construction homes.

Standard switches and dimmers are replaced with “smart” lighting controls, old pull cord shades are replaced with battery powered shades, and all without running a single wire. Your new smart devices “talk” to each other to work in perfect combination. Lutron QS is also scalable, meaning you can start with a single room or a few rooms, and expand the system to cover your entire home when you’re ready.

With Wireless QS, you can:

If you are getting ready to construct a new home, putting in major renovations, or creating an addition, NOW is the time to partner with ACS to assist in the design of a centralized lighting control system from Lutron. Why? Besides having complete flexibility with switching, dimming, energy management and shade control in one system, consider this…

Aesthetics- ACS can work with you, your architect or interior designer to minimize clutter on your walls with a well-designed Lutron centralized lighting system. Instead of wiring local switches for each different zone of light in a room which results in an unsightly bank of switches and dimmers, you can have a single, elegant keypad that comes in a variety of finishes to match your décor.

Flexibility- You have the ability to control any one light, shade, and temperature zone from any single button on a keypad, touch screen or smart device. You maximize convenience and can accommodate a multitude of lifestyle applications for you and your family. When your needs or preferences change it’s easy to make adjustments to your settings.

Scalability – Centralized lighting systems offer maximum scalability. Everything from a Manhattan apartment to a sprawling Beverly Hills estate can be accommodated. Get ACS involved during the design phase of your large residence to collaborate with architects, designers and general contractors and ensure appropriate wiring infrastructures is implemented.

Reliability – ACS works with Lutron because their design, quality control and performance are unsurpassed in the industry. Wireless lighting control has proven to be effective, yet nothing can replace the tried and true results of a centralized system using dimming panels hard wired to local keypads via low voltage. In an emergency, multiple redundant systems further ensure uninterrupted operation.