A customer recently requested a multi-disc CD changer. I was a bit taken aback. An analog media player? Discs have become such a novelty as digital media has become the norm. A CD can hold 17 songs, but your iPod can hold thousands. You can take your music with you anywhere you want to go, but can you really? If you have headphones, you can, but what if you want to listen to your music on the speakers in your living room or watch that video your friend texted you on the TV in the bedroom? Digital media opens up a world of possibilities, but the technology still has to be integrated with your lifestyle. Digital media integration must be tailored to the application.
Let’s take the example of listening to your iPod on the speakers in the ceiling in the living room. How does the digital media get from your iPod to the speakers? Even in a wireless world, some things still have wires. In the case of your in-ceiling speakers, they have wires running back to an audio/video receiver. You could plug a Y-cable from your iPod into the back of your receiver, but you would have to have easy access to the back of your receiver and know what you are doing. That would also be cumbersome. You want easy! iPort makes on-wall and in-wall docking stations for your iOS devices. Just plug in your devices and play. Easy! As long as you hire a company to help you out. You’ve probably also heard about Sonos. Sonos makes wireless speakers, but the same streaming digital media player that powers your wireless speakers can be used to integrate your digital media with your central entertainment system. A professional digital media installer can connect a Sonos Connect to that same audio/video receiver, and you can wirelessly stream your digital media from any iOS device or your computer to those in-ceiling speakers. Apple TV works in much the same way. Connect it to your audio/video receiver, and you can stream your entire digital media library to your integrated speakers throughout the room or the home.
That all makes digital media integration of your music easy, but what about movies and TV shows? A lot of the same technology that allows you to listen to your digital media, also allows you to watch it. Both the iPort and Apple TV provide integration of your digital video content. Plug your iPad into your iPort and watch a movie. Buy a season of Game of Thrones on iTunes through your Apple TV and binge watch it throughout the week. What if you have your own video content on your computer, but you want to watch it on your TV? Apple TV solves that problem, too. You can Airplay to your TV, integrated with Apple TV, any video content that you can play on your Mac.
What about integrating other kinds of digital media? Audiobooks? Sure. The same technology that allows you to listen to your digital music library will enable you to listen to your collection of audiobooks or podcast subscriptions. I have rediscovered my inner bibliophile after years of not consistently reading books. Audiobooks make it easy to sit back and listen to another literary world or to learn new things while multitasking. I recently finished reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt on my Sonos Playbar, while sitting on the couch in the living room. I bought the audiobook on iTunes, Airplayed it to my Apple TV, which is connected to my Playbar, and I was listening to a modern masterpiece.
Why digital media integration? Are you or someone you love visually impaired? For you, for anyone, it translates to greater opportunity to consume the information and entertainment that is in the world. Digital media integration brings you closer to the world around you. It makes it easier watch or listen to what you want, when you want, where you want. It is now possible for you to take your digital media with you wherever you go, but with integrated systems, it is also possible to experience your digital media in whatever way suits you best.
What if I don’t have any digital media to integrate? Fulkra can help you with that! We can work with you to convert your existing library of CDs into MP3s so you can listen to them anywhere. We can import the MP3s into iTunes or the media player of your choice. We can even help with importing your home videos.
Digital media integration really is best left to the professionals. I make it sound easy, and we make the end result easy. However, there are wires, cables, ports, interfaces, and configuration. Fulkra will work with you to assess your digital media needs and engineer a digital media integration solution that will best meet your needs and budget. It’s not easy, but we make it easy.
Call 877.738.5572 today for more information regarding digital media integration for your home or business. Fulkra is the United States and Mexico’s first choice for technology services.