Our good friend Rob Sample from Paradigm

Click on the link to see an interview with Rob Sample from Paradigm. Foss-AVI highly recommends Paradigm loudspeakers for your A/V projects. And coming this fall is a new updated line of speaker offerings. You can see them here at the Paradigm booth at CEDIA.

September 14, 2009

News From Foss Communications & Security

The University of South Dakota in Vermillion began construction of their new Beacom School of Business in early 2008. It is a three story, 69,000sq ft building with latest technology and classroom amenities available to students and staff alike. When the progress of the construction allowed our technicians to start pulling cable the deadline was already quickly approaching. Basically, we were facing a nine week deadline to pull 40 miles of Cat6, terminate, and test a total of 1400 individual cables …no easy task.

The majority of our cables were terminated in wall plates much like you see every day in offices and homes. Over 300 data ports were integrated in student seating to ensure every student has connectivity to the internet and the schools internal network. The other portion of the cables (roughly 200) were spread out in cubical style furniture, floor boxes, and wireless access points throughout the building leaving no area of the building without access to the “outside world.”

All of the cables we pulled were routed to one of three data rooms in the facility. Each room has a number of equipment racks where all of the interconnecting takes place which allows the IT Department at the school to make each port in the building “live” with either a voice or data connection. To connect each of these rooms we pulled 12 strands of fiber optic cable and either a 25 pair or a 50 pair copper cable to extend the phone lines. We managed to do all of this work in less than nine weeks and met the deadline with time to spare which is quite remarkable and is a testament to the quality of technicians we employ at Foss Communications. Shown are just two photos from the project which will give you some sense of the neatness and attention to detail that is a standard of our work.

2009 Parade of Homes a huge success

Over 1,600 people toured the Feature Home during the recent Spring Parade of Homes event presented by the Home Builders Association of the Sioux Empire. The 5 bedroom, 7 bathroom rustic elegant home raised $4,194.11 for the Sioux Empire Home Builders Care Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the HBASE.

The 11,500 sq. ft. home built by Deffenbaugh Homes is located just west of Hartford. Valued at over $2 million, this home showcases a 36-ft high ceiling in the great room and tiled deck with a fireplace and a large screen television overlooking a small lake out back. Other amazing features seen by those who recently toured the home were the home theatre, designed and installed by Audio Video Integrations, knotty alder millwork, walk-in kitchen pantry and an impressive water feature above the fireplace in the great room.

Here are two photos showing just one area of the entire A/V installation in this home.

2009 Spring Parade of Homes

Foss-AVI is a featured contractor in this years Featured Home on the 2009 Parade of Homes going on from May 2nd through May 5th, 2009. This spectacular home is a product of Deffenbaugh Homes and comes fully loaded with all the best in custom Audio/Video/Automation and Security equipment. If your planning a visit to the Parade of Homes this year don't miss this one. There is even a special chartered bus to take you there and back. Be sure and look for the advertisements in the Argus Leader and on the Home Builders Association Web Site.

Bigger & Better for 2009

February 23, 2009

Here we are two months into 2009.

The first big event of the year for us and maybe you too will be the 50th Annual Home Builders Association of the Sioux Empire's Home Show held at the Sioux Falls Convention Center, March 6th, 7th and 8th.

This year will be bigger and better than ever for us. FOSS-AVI is partnering with New Interiors Design. Hjellming Construction and Lipetzky's Landscaping to present one enormous and integrated booth for your viewing and listening pleasure. You'll be able to do it all from the ground up. Select one of the best custom builders in Sioux Falls, decide on your interior decorating needs, explore your landscaping and irrigation options and last but not least outfit your new custom home with the latest in Audio/Video technology. Be sure and come see us in Both D-2 for a home show experience you won't soon forget.

Crestron Introduces Green Light Occupancy Sensors

This article is excerpted from CEPro Magazine written by Steve Crowe.

01.26.2009 — Crestron has added seven models of occupancy sensors to its line of Green Light controls.

Each occupancy sensor has a different coverage range and built-in microprocessors and photocells that "continually" analyze and adjust to changing conditions. Climate and device control can be integrated into the models, which all include wall and ceiling mounts. The sensors feature dual-technology (ultrasonic and passive IR) to reduce false triggering, like electrical noise, air currents, and temperature changes. Passive IR-only models of the occupancy sensors are also available. Each sensor enters "Walk-through" mode when triggered, staying active for 2.5-minute intervals and turning the lights off when a person enters and exits a room. If the room is still occupied after that 2.5 minutes, the sensor enters "occupied" mode. There's also "delayed off" mode that turns lights off after no motion is detected after a specific time. Crestron says the sensors learn occupancy patterns and "delayed off time will change as the sensor intelligently adapts to environmental conditions." Sensor behavior can be customized via the Crestron control system.

If your a reader of this blog you already know that Foss-AVI in Sioux Falls, SD is an authorized Crestron Dealer. As soon as we know of the availability dates of these exciting new products we'll test them and make them available to our customers. Home Automation is already unbelievably great with Crestron products. These occupancy sensors will be icing on the cake.

Best Product of CES 2009 - From Universal Remote Control

01.10.2009 Excerpted from CEPro Magazine, article by Julie Jacobson

Best Product of CES 2009: URC’s Magical iPod Server
With URC's PSX2, you can do unbelievable things with the iPod, like add songs to a playlist on the fly, or shuffle the kids' music at the press of a single button. You’ve never seen a remote-controllable iPod solution like the PSX2 from Universal Remote Control (URC). It waspreviewed at CES 2009, but it debuts for real at the Electronic House Expo Spring, March 11-14, Orlando, Fla.
The product lets you use any universal remote to navigate anywhere on an iPod with the press of a single button – even places on the iPod that you never knew existed.
“Favorites” menu? One button press is all it takes. All albums that start with the letter “J”? Just press a single button. Shuffle the “Kids’ Playlist” with one touch.
Normally, says URC VP of technology Eric Johnson, “You have to press the button a million times.”
To accomplish these PSX2 feats, URC created 250 discrete IR codes for virtually any iPod function imaginable – not just the functions that iPod gives you, but ones that you always (or never) dreamed of.
Then URC built a smart docking station that connects to the TV for on-screen navigation.
What makes the dock smart are the “hooks” (as Johnson calls them) that enable users to do the unthinkable: like add the current song to a playlist – on the fly. Try doing that with an iPod.
Getting Creative with the PSX2
So, exactly what can you do with this thing?
Here’s one example Johnson gives: Let’s say a client really likes Miles Davis. An installer can create a macro that goes to “Search,” types in “Miles Davis,” and hits “Return.” What the heck, throw in a “Jazz EQ” setting on the iPod when Miles Davis is played.
“The iPod has 24 different EQ settings, but no one bothers,” says Johnson. “We’ve put in discrete commands for every EQ. These are things that people would like to do with an iPod but don’t.”
What if you like a now-playing song, and would like to hear more of the same artist or genre? You can do that.
URC even created discrete codes for every number and every letter of the alphabet. Johnson demonstrated a “page” on an LCD remote that lets users select from letters A-E, F-J, etc.
Which Remote to Use?
You can use any remote that can learn IR codes. But you’d be much better off using one of URC’s own remotes.
That's because URC has written "planograms" for a huge number of LCD pages on one of the company's myriad IR and RF remotes (just add hub!).
For example, there's a "planogram" for creating a page that lets users shuffle any of their playlists with the press of a button.
The templates will be available only to authorized URC dealers through the company's URC Control room, when the product officially is unveiled on February 1.
Indeed, this is a custom-only product. "It gives custom installers the best iPod dock ever," says Johnson. "We really need a product that custom installers can take to their customers and say, 'Does your iPod frustrate you? Do you have to press the button a million times … ?'"
The verdict is in: This is the best new product at CES 2009.

And as you've come to expect if you read this Blog, Foss-AVI is an authorized Universal Remote Control Dealer and will have access to all of these custom programming features.