By Rick Moore
The Million Dollar Marching Band for the Alabama Crimson Tide was given its name back in 1922. A million dollars then would be worth over 20 million today. There are rumors that Mark Wahlberg is trying to reboot the “Six-million Dollar Man” into the Six-billion Dollar Man.” Even Dr. Evil had to recalculate from one million to a hundred billion after being frozen for a few years. Keeping up with the times isn’t easy and it can be expensive. Try listening to an hour long podcast about artificial intelligence and smart homes and it can make you feel like your head will explode. Technology does constantly evolve, and that includes the audio/video market. Flagship amplifiers and speaker systems from top brands routinely cost ten times (or more) of what top-tier systems cost 30 years ago, even after adjusting for inflation. Not only has it become more expensive, it seems that technology has made our life more complicated instead of less complicated.
Although I have been involved with high-end professional technology for decades in television and radio, my home audio/video system has remained modest through the years. However, I do like good sounding speakers in my house. Catrina and I had quit listening to the speakers on our TV a long time ago because the audio quality is less than half of what it used to be before video monitors had to be so flat. We also like listening to albums on our turntable. Although we enjoyed the benefits of having a separate sound system, it was too complicated. We had several remote controls in our living room. If we’re listening to music and wanted to watch our TV, we turn off the stereo first, then turn on the Apple TV and then turn on the Samsung TV. That is unless we are watching an app that is only on the Samsung TV and not the Apple TV 4K. Oh, I forgot to mention, if we want to watch a program that is on cable TV, we reach behind the Samsung box and select the “B” button instead of the “A” button. Sound familiar? Does it have to be so complicated?
My wife is patient, but she did threaten to throw the remote controls through the window if I didn’t come up with a simpler system. That’s where Branded International came in. Branded International specializes in high-end audio systems for home and business, but they also make playing movies and music simple. Now we just speak into the remote control and say “Play James Taylor” and a song from James Taylor begins to play. Or we can say “Play You’ve Got A Friend” and that specific song will begin playing (Yes, my wife is still a huge James Taylor fan). Hit a button that says patio and the music is now playing on the patio. It just works. We can have one remote control and enjoy great sound. It doesn’t have to be complicated and it can sound great. Yes, custom installs can get very expensive, but that is why we went with Branded International. They use name brands from France, England, and Italy, for the best value for cutting edge technology when it comes to audio & video. Now, my wife Catrina is part of the custom installation industry representing Branded International on the Emerald Coast. Catrina is like the guy on the TV commercial who said, “I like it so much I bought the company.” I’m just glad she no longer wants to throw the remote controls out the window. Peace at last! Now, if I can only get one of those robotic lawnmowers to mow the lawn.
