Most smart home glitches have a dull cause. One device freezes, and everything that depends on it stops working: the TV won't load, and the music cuts out. A restart usually fixes it, but the hard part is knowing it happened and tracking down the right device. All of this can take a phone call and a long wait for a technician.

OvrC, the remote management platform Encore uses, shortens that wait. We’re capable of monitoring your network gear and connected equipment in your smart home automation system. Our team receives alerts when something drops offline, and we can often restart the device from our desk. 

Keep reading to see how it works, and what it means for a professionally installed system compared with a do-it-yourself setup.

The best-sounding rooms rarely come from a single impressive purchase. They come from a series of decisions, each made with the others in mind. A speaker that sounds brilliant in a showroom can fall flat behind the wrong amplifier, and a powerful amplifier can't fix a subwoofer that booms through the floor. 

Building a high-end audio system one component at a time isn't about spending more, but about making sure every piece does its job and hands off cleanly to the next. Keep reading to learn how that works, and why the order of those decisions matters.

Sony's new RGB TVs go after a limit most screens share: the backlight caps how much color the picture can show. A standard Mini LED set lights the screen with blue or white LEDs and relies on other layers to create red and green, so colors can look slightly diluted, especially in a Portland-area living room with big windows. 

The 2026 Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II change the backlight itself. Their True RGB design places separate RGB LEDs behind the screen and controls each one individually, so you get more color and more punch than the TV you bought five years ago. 

Encore started as a Sony retailer in 1981, so we pay close attention when the brand changes its approach. If a new screen is on your list before the holidays, keep reading to see what changed and which model suits your room.

Kickoff is ten minutes away, six people are on the couch, and someone asks which remote turns on the surround sound. The lights are too bright for the screen, the afternoon sun is bouncing off the glass, and the game is on the wrong input. Whew!

Home automation fixes all of these issues by tying the room to one-touch control, so game day starts the moment your guests arrive. College Saturdays are underway, and the NFL playoffs are not far off, making now a good time to see what a game-day setup can do for your home’s entertainment potential. 

Keep reading to see how it comes together.