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Sony Whole-House Audio/Video System for builders
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By Bob Gatton
At the 2007 International Builders Show I almost walked right past the Sony display. It had only been about a month since the Consumer Electronics Show, and I had looked at most of the new products in Sony’s huge booth there. What new products could they have so soon after the largest consumer electronics show in the United States? I had a couple of minutes before my next appointment and decided to take a quick look. I'm glad that I did.
Sony was showing their new line of whole home A/V systems specifically designed for home builders. The customizable home entertainment systems have a 7.1 surround-sound system for the home theater and can distribute audio and video to other rooms throughout the house. Three of the systems offer music storage and management servers, while two also offer a DVD management system with a 400-disc changer.
At the top of the line, the Sony NHS-3030 system has an A/V receiver and five sources built in. Among them is a DVD manager with 400-disc changer, along with a music-storage and management server. The remaining sources range from XM Radio to secondary DVD players. As many as three additional HD or standard-definition components, including cable boxes or satellite receivers, can be added to the system. Audio and video can be distributed to 13 rooms from this rack.
Supporting six rooms with audio and video content, the systems models NHS-2030 and NHS-1030 are also available with a similar range of source components. Finally, the NHS-330 system provides audio and video support in up to three rooms with independent volume control. The rack for this system includes a receiver and three sources, ranging from XM Radio to a DVD changer. All of the systems can be expanded to support additional rooms.
Each system includes a choice of 1080p high-definition televisions; the options include Sony’s LCDs, rear projection sets or a front projector.
A pre-programmed LCD touch-screen remote for the home theater and in-wall LCD keypads with a separate remote make the system easy to use for the homebuyer from virtually any room in the home.
All of the systems are programmed, pre-wired and built into a
Middle Atlantic rack, ready to incorporate into a home.
Completing the systems, Sony also launched their new Sposato line of in-wall and in-ceiling speakers for home theater and other listening environments. Each of the speaker models within the line has been acoustically matched, making them interchangeable and letting them conform to different room designs and acoustic characteristics. An in-wall 8-inch passive subwoofer is also available.
The systems will ship this spring with an estimated installed consumer price ranging from under $10,000 to $50,000. Sony provides a one-year limited warranty with in-home diagnostic service and advance exchange when necessary, along with a dedicated toll-free hotline for consumers to call with operational questions.
The bottom line
What advantages does the Sony system offer?
The equipment rack comes in a large (think refrigerator size) box. All of the components are installed and already connected to each other. The labor savings can cut the cost of the installation, according to Sony, by as much as 50%. This number seems a bit high to me, but it does take a considerable amount of time to configure a multi-room system.
Not all of the equipment is Sony’s. For instance, in a few of the systems they use
Escient media managers. But Sony’s dedicated service for this line of products includes support for these non-Sony products. If a homeowner does have a problem with a Sony or non-Sony component, the servicer can switch out the problematic component if necessary. The homeowner just needs to make one call.
These are well-thought-out systems that can help you differentiate your homes from the competition. More information about Sony’s NHS systems and Sposato speakers is available online at www.sony.com/newhome.
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