Exciting Future for Home Entertainment
Predictions from Skip Myers of ReelTime Sight & Sound
by Sandra McClintock

Skip Myers is not given to predicting the future, but he's made an exception in the case of home entertainment. According to Myers, it won't be just TV via cable or satellite any more. It's on the verge of burgeoning into a myriad of choices for home viewers.

He should know. He's been in the business for 32 years and is a member of Home Theater Specialists of America, an elite group of leaders in the home entertainment industry.

"Integration is on the horizon," explained Myers. "That's the new buzzword. In a nutshell, it means that our TVs, PCs, and sound systems will work together. We won't have to buy DVDs or CDs any more. Movies and music will be fed directly from the provider into our homes. We'll be able to download videos through home computers and play them on TV sets.

"Dropping prices for high-definition (HD) flat panel TV sets will make thicker models look as obsolete as the old tube sets. And we'll have real high definition in DVD movies; that means they'll be exactly like the original film, not just an improved quality conversion.

"I predict that we'll have at least five choices of providers by the end of 2007. It won't be just cable and satellite any more. Phone companies, electric companies, and any utility that runs a wire into our homes will get into the act.

"Alliances will become commonplace. Direct TV already has an alliance with the NFL for exclusively broadcasting league games. I can imagine Time Warner Cable striking an alliance with Warner Brothers for exclusive movie rights. There are lots of possibilities.

"Of course, this will lead to having more than one provider. If you prefer your cable company but don't want to miss the NFL games, you'll order service from both. It's simple to switch your TV set back and forth from cable to satellite, as easily as you change channels."

"The only thing that won't change," Myers continued, "is good, old-fashioned service. That's what we still provide at Sight & Sound. When you buy a system from us, our own employees install and service it, never an outsourced crew. Our staff includes contractors licensed to do complete electrical installations.

"The buck stops here, as far as I'm concerned. If you're not satisfied, neither are we, and you won't have to call another company to make it right."

ReelTime Sight & Sound
34174 Pacific Coast Hwy.
Dana Point, CA 92629
(949) 240-0555
www.reeltimesightandsound.com
email: reeltime1@cox.net

(South Coast Magazine - Winter 2006)