About The Writer
Improving home entertainment and home automation systems one step at a time.
Brian Hill
CEO
Brian Hill is a home theater enthusiast who has an extensive background in sales. His interests include music & movies, F1 & NASCAR auto racing, hot rods (he has a '56 Nomad) and hockey – Go Sharks!
He's in charge of sales and installations for Next Step Audio Enhancement. If you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area and are looking for home theater products, advice or help with an installation, send Brian an email or give him a call at (510) 473-2887
Articles by Brian
Fixing a Sony TV dimming problem
Our company recently installed a new Sony Smart TV (model # XBR-75X900F) for one of our clients. While going through the settings to get everything just right for our client, I noticed a Light Sensor setting. I’ve seen this before! This is just like the Eco setting...
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Back to basics: The AV Receiver
You have heard the term AV Receiver. You may have heard it from your kids. Maybe you heard it around the water cooler or coffee pot at work. Maybe you just picked the term out of an overheard conversation at Starbucks. Regardless of where you heard about an AV...
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5 Reasons for Using a Home Theater Integrator
Using a home theater integrator might not be your first thought, but if you're like me, you better understand the value of time as you get older. We cannot put a dollar value on time, and we would be foolish to try. Think about it. No matter how much money you have,...
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Better Router Solves Music Streaming Problems
A new customer’s MusicCast speakers kept dropping Pandora – A better router fixed this annoying issue. She loved the Yamaha MusicCast speakers in her home – when they worked. After one frustrating day of the speakers dropping Pandora about six times, she had as much...
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3 Ways to Hide a Wall Mounted TV
We have all seen flat screen TV’s mounted on walls. It’s a great way to maximize space in a room and free up space on furniture. Aesthetically, however, having a great big flat screen dominating a wall in your house isn’t the most pleasing proposition. If this is one...
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Como Cambiar la Configuración Automática de su Samsung Smart TV para Bajar el Nivel de Brillo
Recientemente, Next Step Audio Enhancement instaló un televisor nuevo inteligente para un cliente (Smart TV-Model #UN48J5500). En menos de hora y media de haber hecho la instalación, el cliente llamó por teléfono y dijo: “El televisor ha bajado el nivel de...
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5 Things to Consider Before Buying a New TV
It’s the Christmas buying season and you want to get the best deal you can on a new TV. Just imagine the looks on the kids’ faces as they open the family gift. There are sales everywhere, but are they the best deals for you? How do you navigate through all...
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Moving a Home Theater System
Getting a new place to call home can be an exciting adventure. The act of moving, not so much. I will be the first to admit that I am not a fan of moving. Because of this, I do everything I can to make the experience as painless as possible. Just to be...
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How To Manage Your Speaker Wires
[Note, This article orignally appeared on April 26, 2014 and was edited on July 21, 2017] One of the biggest complaints about surround systems is that the wires/cables running around the room are an eyesore. There are a number of ways to minimize the visual impact of...
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