Metra Home Theater Group is making it easier than ever for users to “Spy from Anywhere” with enhanced security solutions for SPYCLOPS® Surveillance System owners. The SPYCLOPS mobile app is now available for both Apple and Android smartphone or tablet devices. Users can keep an eye on their home or business from anywhere in the world using the free, secure, and newly updated app.

SPYCLOPS Mobile App Features

The remote viewing application is designed to easily view live and recorded video from your SPYCLOPS DVR surveillance systems. Connect using your 9 digit device ID or with direct IP access. The app can support single or multiple DVR’s. Users can also create custom groups with cameras from multiple locations for simultaneous viewing within the application…

The 2016 CEDIA Show was an impressive experience for the staff of Metra Home Theater Group. This year’s theme to “Think Big” for the future of business was apparent in all aspects of the show, from the innovative products to the training sessions and speaker topics. As the world’s premier showcase for home technology, we were excited and inspired by all of debuting products and news of what is on the horizon for our industry. We met a lot of amazing people at our booth while introducing our newest products and innovations. The enthusiasm from attendees didn’t slow down, as we had a constant flow of traffic all three days of the show. In case you didn’t get to travel to Dallas, here are the highlights of our exciting CEDIA Show:

• Lunch ‘N Learn. Our annual Lunch ‘N Learn event with Jeff Boccaccio, President of DPL Labs, has become a highly anticipated CEDIA tradition. This year Jeff discussed HDR, 4K Deep Color, and fiber interoperability in his two part presentation series, “Making the Jump”. Both sessions had the highest attendance to date with standing room only, overflowing into the aisles.

Metra Home Theater Group has stressed the importance of being educated on 4K technology and explained last year how it was going to impact Custom Integrators, Installers and Home Technology Professionals. Some people were uncertain it would be adopted quickly by consumers, since initial sources for 4K video content were limited. Others felt 4K would be like the 3D TV fad, and may not catch on at all. Then there were those who thought that the high price tag combined with limited content would make mainstream 4K adoption something that happens far into the future, if adopted at all.

Fast forward to Q3 of 2016 and the adoption of 4K by the consumer is now faster than the adoption to HD, as stated in this article by the Consumer Technology Association. Just about every TV over 50 inches and almost half of all TV sets sold are 4K Ultra HDs. While price tags on certain brands or models can still be pricey, they’ve come down quite a bit and consumers can buy a 43” 4K TV for as low as $299. Watching 4K content has also been made easier, with many newly released movies in 4K, along with instant streaming for all of Netflix’s original series and a sizeable selection of content from Amazon Video.

The adoption of 4K technology is no longer coming — it’s here. Which gives even more reason to be educated on all aspects of it.

The Internet has revolutionized the way we shop. Because of the numerous advantages and benefits, more and more people prefer buying things online. One year ago, we launched the new and improved Metra Home Theater Group website, which offers our complete product lineup available for dealer or distributor purchase online. It’s been a huge benefit for our customers, but not everyone is aware of all of the online store features. Below are our top reasons for dealers and distributors to shop the online store:

Convenience to Buy Anytime, Anywhere.

This is by far the best reason to shop online. No need to worry about getting back to your office to browse through a catalog to place an order with a sales rep during business hours. Our office is open online 24/7. Order whenever and wherever it is convenient for you. The new Metra Home Theater Group website is optimized for ordering from any device; smartphones, tablets or desktop computers.

Dealers can also see inventory levels and choose the most convenient shipping locations for their business.

The announcement of HDMI™ 2.1 being released in the near future has raised many questions among custom integrators, and rightly so. As technology changes faster than most of us can even keep up with, changes in HDMI specs could results in outdated accessories or systems.

Since the initial announcement about the jump to 48 Gbps made one day before CES 2017 opened, the final details of this new spec are set to be announced this spring, with products potentially being shipped late 2017 or early 2018. Are you ready for this change? Metra Home Theater Group’s Brent McCall takes us through the top questions (and answers) that every integrator is asking about HDMI 2.1.

What does HDMI 2.1 change from the 2.0 version?

From what we know so far, the HDMI terminal will not change but the data rate will increase quite a bit. In a nutshell, it will allow for a much higher bandwidth, from 18Gbps to 48Gbps, in preparation for higher resolutions of content. Specs are still being finalized, so more information should be coming soon.