Home theater automation ideas

gpiper14 · June 4, 2013

Hey everyone,

So recently I have been working on trying to automate my home theater setup. Currently it consists of a 7.1 denon amp. 1080p projector. Some game consoles. And an Apple TV for streaming content off a media center. My most recent addition to he system has been a group of insteon light switches to set different lighting patterns in the room. However. The area I have been having a bit of trouble with is trying to find a reliable way of automating the rest of the hardware (the projector, amp, ect). I have been looking into rs-232 control for the amp but need a system that once set up is very stable and easy to use because if anything goes wrong with it when I'm away at college. My parents won't be able to fix it. Anyone out there have any ideas?

nathanhd123 · June 4, 2013

At home we are using a Logitech Harmony remote. This allows us to automate all the processes required by selecting an activity on the control.

For example, if I choose 'Apple TV on Projector' it will tell the projector screen to roll down (Its an automatic one), to turn the projector on, switch the amp on and to the correct channel, and switch to controlling the apple tv.

We also have a light switch similar to yours and the controller can control the lights as well.

Denned · June 5, 2013

I have a Logitech Harmony One. Sweet controller, not sure if it's sufficient enough for your needs. But it covers mine perfectly :)

The PS3 activity turns on my receiver, selects the correct input and turns on my projector. Sadly it can't activate my PS3 without some IR to bluetooth converter.

"Fjernsyn" aka. TV turns on my sat box, TV and selects the correct input.

That's just a few different scenarios. It can even turn on my ventilator, which is very handy :D

It takes some time to set it up right, but when it's done it's awesome! Also if something doesn't turn on properly, there's a help menu that's take you through a small guide to find the problem. :)

Sadly I'm not familiare enough with RS-232 controllers, to say anything about that.