From 100+ Inch TVs and Massive Video Walls to Outdoor Entertainment and One-Touch Control, Here’s How Northeast Ohio Homeowners Can Upgrade for Football Season

Football season is almost here.

Across Northeast Ohio, that means weekends are about to look a little different.

Friends and family gathering around the television. Food coming out of the kitchen. Multiple games playing throughout the afternoon. The Browns on Sunday. College football on Saturday. Fantasy football scores being checked constantly. And, hopefully, plenty of reasons to celebrate.

But if you're still trying to fit everyone around a television that suddenly seems much smaller with a room full of people, this might be the perfect time to rethink your gameday setup.

Today's home entertainment possibilities go far beyond simply buying a bigger television.

At Xtend Technologies, we can design everything from a 100+ inch television and high-performance surround sound system to a massive video wall, dedicated home theater, or complete outdoor entertainment environment.

And when these technologies are integrated with a professionally designed smart home automation system, your entire gameday experience can become remarkably simple to operate.

So before kickoff, let's explore some of the ways you can create the ultimate football-watching experience at home.

One of the particularly exciting developments in residential video is the availability of enormous televisions that remain relatively straightforward to integrate into a home.

A 115-inch 4K television, for example, creates an image approximately four times the screen area of a 55-inch television.

That's a dramatic difference.

For the right room, a display of this size can create a true centerpiece for football season without requiring the controlled-light environment traditionally associated with projection.

But don't select a display based on size alone.

We consider:

✔ Viewing distance
✔ Seating positions
✔ Wall dimensions
✔ Mounting height
✔ Ambient light
✔ Glare
✔ Audio requirements
✔ Architectural integration
✔ Installation requirements

The objective isn't to install the largest television that physically fits.

It's to determine the right display for the room and viewing experience.

One of our favorite concepts for a dedicated sports room is moving beyond the idea of a single television.

Think instead about the experience of an exceptional sports bar—but designed specifically for your home.

That might include:

• A massive primary video wall
  
• Additional displays
  
• Multiple video sources
  
• Distributed audio
  
• Bar seating
  
• Lounge seating
  
• Architectural lighting
  
• Lighting control
  
• Motorized shades
  
• Smart home automation
  
• High-performance networking
  

The room could be designed around watching one major event—or following an entire afternoon of games.

And unlike a commercial sports bar, you control the remote.

Great sports viewing isn't only about the picture.

Think about what makes being at the stadium exciting.

The crowd.

The music.

The announcers.

The impact of the game.

Audio creates energy.

Depending upon the room, we can design systems ranging from refined architectural speakers to high-performance surround-sound systems.

A well-designed audio system provides clear dialogue while creating the scale and excitement appropriate for the size of the image.

And when the game ends?

The same system can become an exceptional music system for entertaining.

A television installed outdoors has to deal with conditions that simply don't exist in your living room.

Brightness.

Reflections.

Temperature swings.

Humidity.

Dust.

Insects.

And, depending upon the installation, exposure to weather.

That's why we recommend purpose-built outdoor displays rather than simply taking an indoor television outside.

Outdoor television options from brands such as Samsung Terrace, Furrion Aurora, and SunBriteTV allow us to select a solution appropriate for the installation environment.

The result is a display designed to provide a better outdoor viewing experience while handling conditions associated with exterior installation.

A couple of speakers mounted beneath the eaves may make noise.

That doesn't necessarily create great outdoor audio.

Professionally designed landscape audio takes a different approach.

Strategically positioned speakers distribute sound throughout the entertaining area, while outdoor subwoofers can provide low-frequency performance without requiring excessive volume from individual speakers.

Systems from manufacturers such as Coastal Source can be designed around patios, pools, gardens, and larger landscapes.

The objective is consistent coverage.

People near the house shouldn't be overwhelmed while guests near the pool struggle to hear the game.

Everyone gets a better experience.

September afternoons can be beautiful in Northeast Ohio.

So can evenings in October.

The mosquitoes may have other plans.

Outdoor motorized screens can make covered patios, outdoor kitchens, and entertainment pavilions considerably more comfortable.

Solutions from Progressive Screens can help provide protection from insects while also assisting with solar exposure, privacy, and glare depending upon the screen selected.

At the touch of a button, screens can lower around the entertaining area.

When they're no longer needed, they retract and virtually disappear.

For homeowners investing significantly in outdoor living, this can help extend the usefulness of those spaces deeper into football season.

Now imagine having all of these systems.

A huge television.

Premium audio.

Outdoor entertainment.

Lighting.

Motorized shades.

Motorized outdoor screens.

Multiple displays.

That's great—until you need six remotes and five apps to operate everything.

This is where professionally designed smart home automation becomes particularly valuable.

A system such as Savant can bring entertainment and other home technologies together into a much simpler interface.

Instead of thinking about individual components, you begin thinking about experiences.

It's Saturday afternoon.

Friends are arriving.

Instead of walking through the house adjusting everything individually, imagine selecting:

GAMEDAY

from your smart home interface.

Depending upon the systems included in your home, a personalized scene could prepare multiple technologies for entertaining.

For example:

Lighting adjusts.

Motorized shades move to appropriate positions.

Entertainment systems turn on.

Audio is prepared throughout selected areas.

Outdoor entertainment comes to life.

Motorized screens lower where desired.

The exact automation should always be designed around the homeowner.

But that's the larger point.

You shouldn't have to operate your home like a collection of electronics.

The technology should work together around what you're trying to do.

For gameday entertaining, mobile control can be especially convenient.

You're outside at the grill.

Someone wants the patio television louder.

Music needs to be adjusted.

You want to change what's playing in another entertainment area.

With an appropriately designed home automation system, many of those functions can be accessible directly from an app on your smartphone or tablet.

You remain part of the party instead of constantly walking back to an equipment cabinet looking for another remote.

The most exciting part of a sports entertainment system isn't necessarily the television.

It's designing the entire experience around the homeowner.

We want to understand:

✔ How many people typically attend?
✔ Which sports do you watch?
✔ Do you follow multiple games simultaneously?
✔ Is the primary entertainment space indoors or outside?
✔ How important is audio performance?
✔ Do you entertain around a bar or kitchen?
✔ Would you prefer a dedicated sports room?
✔ Do you also want the space to function as a movie theater?
✔ How should the technology integrate with the rest of the home?

Those answers determine whether the right solution is a 100+ inch television, a 200+ inch video wall, a custom theater, an outdoor entertainment system—or some combination of them.

There's a significant difference between buying a big television and designing a great entertainment space.

The television is one component.

The complete experience may involve:

Video + Audio + Lighting + Shades + Networking + Control + Furniture + Architecture

When those elements are considered together, the room becomes easier to use and significantly more enjoyable.

That's particularly important during new construction and major renovations.

If you're designing a new recreation room, basement, theater, outdoor pavilion, pool house, or sports entertainment space, involve the technology team before construction decisions limit your options.

Not everyone needs to undertake a major renovation.

Sometimes an existing room simply needs the right upgrades.

That could mean:

✔ Replacing an older display with a 98-, 100-, or 115-inch television
✔ Upgrading from a soundbar to better audio
✔ Adding surround sound
✔ Improving Wi-Fi
✔ Adding motorized shades for glare control
✔ Upgrading lighting control
✔ Adding an outdoor television
✔ Expanding audio onto the patio
✔ Creating simpler control

A focused upgrade can make a substantial difference without rebuilding the entire room.

Football has a special place in Northeast Ohio.

Whether your weekends revolve around the Cleveland Browns, Ohio State, your alma mater, fantasy football, or simply watching the best matchup available, your home can become the place everyone wants to gather.

And when football season ends, none of these investments stop being useful.

The massive display becomes movie night.

The theater becomes a private cinema.

The outdoor system becomes the soundtrack for summer.

The lighting improves the home every evening.

The shades improve comfort every day.

The network supports everything you do.

And the automation continues making the entire experience easier to control.

That's what separates a well-designed technology system from a collection of gameday gadgets.

Football season is a great reason to rethink your entertainment system—but the right solution should provide value long after the final whistle.

Whether you're considering a 100+ inch television, massive video wall, custom home theater, premium audio system, outdoor television, landscape audio, motorized outdoor screens, or integrated smart home control, Xtend Technologies can help design the experience around your home and the way you entertain.

Our Discovery & Design Process can help evaluate:

✔ Large-format televisions
✔ 100+ inch displays
✔ Video walls
✔ Direct-view LED
✔ Custom home theaters
✔ Surround sound
✔ Whole-home audio
✔ Outdoor televisions
✔ Outdoor audio
✔ Motorized outdoor screens
✔ Lighting control
✔ Motorized shades
✔ Enterprise networking
✔ Smart home automation

Xtend Technologies designs and installs large-format televisions, video walls, custom home theaters, premium audio systems, outdoor televisions, landscape audio, motorized outdoor screens, lighting control, motorized shades, enterprise networking, and smart home automation for homeowners throughout Cleveland and Northeast Ohio.

We serve homeowners in Hunting Valley, Gates Mills, Pepper Pike, Moreland Hills, Chagrin Falls, Shaker Heights, Bratenahl, Hudson, Bath Township, Richfield, Hinckley, Medina, Brecksville, Broadview Heights, Independence, Solon, Orange Village, Westlake, Rocky River, Bay Village, Avon Lake, Strongsville, Aurora, and surrounding Northeast Ohio communities.

Whether you're creating a dedicated sports room, transforming a finished basement, upgrading your great room, building an outdoor entertainment pavilion, or simply looking for a much bigger television before kickoff, Xtend Technologies can help create an entertainment experience that makes your house the place to be on gameday.