In the ever-changing consumer electronics industry, retailers are beginning to face a number of overwhelming challenges. Steve Gorton of Synergy Audio Video, based in Orange, Calif., explains his situation. “Our clients are pushing the limits of conventional entertainment needs,” he says. “Some of them just aren’t satisfied with a simple plasma mounted above the fireplace. Today, the sky is the limit.”

Over the past several years, it has become increasingly popular to have audio and video distributed throughout the home of today’s modern families. Gorton and his team have been working to design HDTVs and audiophile-quality sound throughout homes, often in unusual places, while maintaining a pleasing aesthetic. Gorton explains, “It’s becoming popular to have more than one flat panel in a single room. Recently, we’ve installed TVs in almost every room of the house.” Between the creativity of the clients and project managers, Synergy has completed several impressive multi-display projects with as many as 17 high-definition, flat-panel displays in a single home.

As the flat-panel television technology improves, it is becoming easier to mount a TV in almost any location imaginable. “My project managers and installers are always looking for new ways to wow their clients by hiding TVs in places they never dreamed,” Gorton says. “Putting greens, foyers, bathrooms, patios and garages are just a few of the places we’ve mounted TVs.” Whether it be for entertaining or just another way to one-up your friends, LCD and plasma televisions can be found in just about any room of the affluent Orange County homes that Synergy services.

The implementation of Gorton and his team’s ideas can be quite challenging at times. “When you are mounting a TV outside in the elements, or in the midst of a meticulously designed formal living room, you often run into a few challenges,” he says. Foresight, creativity and planning are required for many of the projects that Synergy tackles. Gorton and his team must ensure that the electronics are protected, well ventilated and aesthetically pleasing in order to satisfy their clientele. “TVs are one thing, but when you throw in a 24-zone audio system, home automation and lighting control, you are introduced to a whole new assortment of problems,” he says. In a system with so many components all working together, a large number of man hours must be allocated for installation and programming. Many systems are so elaborate that they also require custom sound proofing and finish work to ensure the final product is flawless—all of which play a part to the extremely complicated nature of the custom installation process. Gorton states, “The fun part is making it all simple to use.”

Gorton and his team are learning new ways to improve the process everyday as they work to create the “Synergy Home.” Gorton boasts, “I want to create a home that encompasses all areas of custom installation and operates seamlessly at the touch of a button—from mutli-display game rooms and theaters to custom automated lighting and shade control.”

Regardless of the challenges and opportunities that these large-scale projects provide, Gorton admits, “It doesn’t matter how entertaining one job may sound, we still enjoy the occasional ‘simple plasma above a fireplace.’ We like to stay in touch with where we came from.”

Related: Distributed Audio, Distributed Video, flat panel TV, Synergy Audio Video, TV hd flatpanels, Steve Gorton & Audio Video

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