Len Wallis Audio, Australian leader in audio, video and home theatre systems
The way we access, listen and watch music and video continues to evolve at a rapid pace. In fact, almost everything we would like to listen to or watch is available via the internet. We are witnessing an era where material is less likely to be made available on physical media. The upside of this is that you now have access to an almost unlimited amount of high quality content that is easy controlled, and with proper planning, available throughout your home.
Many recording artists for example no longer release on CD, preferring to go straight to download – although interestingly vinyl records appear be making a comeback. Of course, music streaming has been with us for several years, where for less than the cost of a single CD per month you have access to almost all the music in the world – in CD quality. Similarly, video streaming has also been with us for some time, but we observe an increasing proportion of made-for-TV programs and feature length films no longer being published on disc. The recent advent of Smart TV’s combined with more reliably faster internet speeds in Australia means that services such as Apple TV, Netflix, Foxtel, YouTube and Stan are built in consigning set-top boxes to the past.
Another trend accelerated by the pandemic is a renewed interest in dedicated Home Theatre. Next-gen higher performance projectors, larger TV screens, immersive surround sound and the ability to ‘tune’ room acoustics have turned unused living areas into regularly used areas of entertainment. The impact of a great movie or a sporting event in a well-designed dedicated theatre can be a compelling home improvement. This might be as simple as a TV on the wall with a basic surround sound package to a themed room with tiered seating, acoustic panelling, starlight ceilings and a comprehensive multi-speaker surround system – achieving a level of involvement exceeding that of the best commercial theatres.
Suddenly we have gone from home networks supporting email and the occasional download to numerous and simultaneous streams of audio, video, gaming etc. Office meetings and classrooms replaced with video calls. Cinema outings replaced with Disney Plus and Netflix. Shopping now conducted online. Our new connected lifestyle has outstripped the capabilities of domestic ISP provided network routers. In fact, so much so that networking is now the fastest growing arm of Len Wallis Audio. It is common practice for us to start with the network prior to moving on to other audio, video, or automation related suggestions – in fact it is so important, we introduce it as the first part of any solution.
