Entertainment Upgrade Complete

Just a short post to describe my upgrade. I enjoy listening to music and watching some sports. I wanted the music system to be very flexible, top notch sound, and the TV HD and big. I also wanted music outside with total control without running back up the sprial steps :-)

I was in good shape with the TV as it was a new HD Plasma with HDMI installed by Newell in '04. Most everything else needed upgraded.

The new amplifier/receiver is efficient, powerful, and bluetooth capable. Connections are simple with just three HDMI cables - Out, In from DirecTV and In from Blu-Ray DVD. There is a provision for an IN from my PC when I stream movies that way. Speakers are 5.1 surround sound with the sub-woofer in the space behind the TV. Outdoor speakers are Bose and easily unplugged and stowed for traveling.

Music is provided by a 15,000,000 song library maintainted by Spotify. If you want a Spotify invite just let me know. My Playlists are maintained by them and available in the cloud and wherever I login. I pay $10/month for the ability to have the system run on my smart android phone and to have access to 33,333 songs offline in the event I have no WIFI or phone network coverage.

Now the cool part - I wanted control of all this from my phone. I did it and here is how it works. Spotify is loaded on my PC and it integrated my existing playlists and songs from iTunes - an owned library of about 35,000 songs. I added a BlueTooth adapter to the amplifier and easily established a wireless connection between the PC and the amplifier. The last piece was an android app called Spotimote. It loads on both the phone and the PC and is free. I have WIFI and a router and use Verizon MIFI 2200 for net access anywhere I am. I added a small WIFI booster so I have very strong WIFI even outside the coach. I put the phone on WIFI and launch Spotimote and it fires up the server on the PC which connects with the amplifier wireless and I can totally control the system from my phone. Any song, any volume. You walk up to my campsite and "name that tune" and I'll play it for you without leaving my chair :-)
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Russ White
1999 Coach #530 Factory Upgrade 2004

Wow sounds way kool...I mite wanna do sumptin like dat to mine...Where are you located in case I wanna see your upgrade???

The time is still flashing on my VCR.

I can shoot you some pictures if you like, or I can be found on the banks of the Tennessee River on Tellico Lake in the summer and with my front tires lapping the water of the Atlantic near Key West in the winter. Russ

What's a VCR?

I paid $1600 for my first VCR. How could anything ever get better at home watching a movie. Start /stop anytime and if you did'nt understand just backup and repeat.

Liv-in large

I paid $1600 for my first VCR. How could anything ever get better at home watching a movie. Start /stop anytime and if you did'nt understand just backup and repeat.

Liv-in large

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BoaterAl

I paid $1600 for my first VCR. How could anything ever get better at home watching a movie. Start /stop anytime and if you did'nt understand just backup and repeat.

Liv-in large

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I must have gotten a bargain...I only paid about $1400.00 for my JVC. Big, heavy and you could hear the motors run and the tape squeaking sometimes, but like you said, it was the only game in town and it was neat to backup to watch something again. Mine had a WIRED remote...about a 30' cable on it to reach where you were sitting! Ahhhh...those were the days!

Hey Jon, a quick fix for your flashing VCR clock, just put some black electrical tape over it. Problem solved!!!!!!:)

Charles,

I think you have me confused with someone that cares. I let stuff like that flash because it drives the techies crazy. I know what a VCR is, but what is an HDMI, a Blu-Ray, a Spotify, android app, Spotimote and a WiFi? Wait....don't tell me, because next week it will all be obsolete.

We still have 78 RPM records (the kind that break), vinyl records, cassette tapes, etc. We don't have Beta or four track because that fast paced technology passed us by.

Russ:

FINALLY! Someone after my own heart!

When the financial batteries are recharged from the purchase of our rig, something like this is what I would like to do. I really like the Crestron system and want to keep an updated version of it, but after so many years of HDTV watching a BluRay via RCA to a Standard Def TV is painful!

It's just good to know that you aren't alone!!!!