While consumers have been embracing screen time since black and white silent movies began and the first television was sold, these days people tend to watch even more films and TV shows than ever. Indeed, many adults spend upwards of 30 hours a week watching their favorite shows.
Much of this has stemmed from the rapid rise in the consumer adoption of streaming video services that allow users to gain access to the most popular shows with just a simple setup and affordable fee. In fact, the streaming trend is only set to keep growing, with a report released earlier this year by Juniper Research indicating that subscriber numbers for services such as Amazon Prime Instant Video and Netflix will grow from around 92 million users last year, to more than 333 million subscriptions worldwide by 2019.
If you’re someone who loves nothing better than relaxing on your couch, taking in the latest and greatest movies and television series, then consider getting in on the home automation trend. There have been many technological advances in this market over recent years, many of which can help to make viewing time more fun. Read on for a selection of some of the new tech gadgets you could enjoy in your home.
Philips’ Hue Lighting
One way of setting the mood for your favorite TV show or movie is to dim lights or turn them off altogether using home automation. Try out the cool Philips’ Hue lighting system that you can control using your smartphone, from the comfort of your couch.
The Hue provides a fun and simple way to introduce automated products to your home, as it’s easy and quick to set up, with no need for electricians to install complicated wiring. The technology uses the Internet and Wi-Fi instead to control all the automation you want to setup.
With the Hue system, you can control the color and function of individual light bulbs. All it takes is the purchase of the Hue hub, or “Bridge” as it’s called, as well as however many of the special Hue light bulbs you require.
Simply plug the bulbs directly into your normal light fittings, as you would any standard replacement globe, and connect the Bridge to your Internet router. From there, the LED bulbs will “speak” wirelessly with the hub, and you can control the whole system from your phone, tablet or other Wi-Fi connected device. It’s one of the easiest ways to setup your home automation.
Once you have the lights and Bridge installed, you can control the colors of your lighting from your couch, setting the mood to match whatever you’re watching. You can also control the on/off function, which means not missing a minute of the action to hop up and turn lights off.
Nest Learning Thermostat
Another aspect that you want just right in your home when you’re immersed in a movie or TV show is the temperature. If you suddenly find yourself feeling chilly (perhaps the action or horror flick you’re watching has brought goose bumps to your arms) you don’t have to leave your sofa to do something about it anymore. Home automation to the rescue.
The Nest Learning Thermostat can be controlled and monitored directly from smart gadgets such as tablets and cell phones. The system learns the heating and cooling preferences of the home it’s installed in over time.
This means that it doesn’t have to be programmed constantly, and can, based on your usage patterns, know to automatically warm up your house at night time when the temperature tends to drop down — perfect for your after-dinner TV viewing. Alternatively, if you find your need to change the temperature while you’re watching a show, just update the settings from your handy cell or iPad.
SwannOne Hub
If you’re after a more versatile system, check out the Wi-Fi enabled SwannOne, developed by Swann Security, a leading security industry company. This comprehensive home automation hub uses Wi-Fi and an app to not only control things such as lighting and temperature settings, but many other devices in the home. The SwannOne hub lets users control appliances, alarms, locks and more from their cell phone, tablet, laptop or other computer-based devices.
One of the benefits of SwannOne is that it’s customizable. If you want to start off small you can, and then build up the system as required with additional kits (some of which may require professional electrical installation). Once you’re ready, you might set up the home automation product to turn your oven on when you’re in the middle of a movie and remember you need to heat up dinner, or even set an alarm for when it’s time to eat.
Home Automation – Maximizing Comfort
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