Professional Installers & Expert Support

Some of the Questions We Are Asked The Most:

• Authorized Retailer
• How fast is FREE shipping?
• Order Status - Exlpained
• How is Home Media Pros different from other online stores?
• How do you design your systems?
• How fast can you deliver and install purchased product?
• Home theater installation projects described
• What happens if something doesn’t work?
• Why do you recommend universal remotes?
• Not all cables created equal
• I want Surround Sound but my home is not prewired.
• Installations over fire place
• Installation in an office or business
• DLP HDTV vs. Plasma HDTV Advantages
• Sales Tax - Texas Only

Aurhorized Retailer

Home Media Professionals is an authorized retailer for all of the products that we offer in our store and showrooms. Home Media Professional performs installations in all 50 states. All installations are performed by trained technicians. Your product will contain original warranty certificates, serial numbers, and all warranty registration cards. We have been in business since 1998 and have a outstanding A+ record with Better Business Bureau.  If you ever experience issue with obtaining warranty service on your product we will replace the unit at no charge with a new one.  Some products in our store have “in-store purchase only” displayed.  Per manufacturer agreement we can only sell these items after in-store demonstration.

How fast is FREE shipping?

Home Media Professionals partnered with FedEX Ground and FedEx Home Delivery to deliver fast and reliable shipping and tracking results.  Your package, in most cases, ships next business day. Some items might take 1-2 days to ship due to packaging requirements. Once your product has left our warehouse it takes 2-3 days to reach your home or office.  Good rule of thumb is as follows:  Weekend Orders will arrive by Thursday.  Midweek orders will arrive Friday thru Tuesday of the following week.  If you ever need an expedited delivery just let us know and we will work out a discounted shipping rate for you.

Order Status - Explained

When you purchase from us you will be able to track your order online as it is being processed by our company.   Your order status will change. This FAQ explains each step.

• Awaiting Payment – for your protection we verify your address and card information with a bank. We do not charge your card until we ship the order.  If your shipping and billing address is the same this status should be very brief. If they are different it might take few hours to move to next step.

• Awaiting Fulfillment - this status indicates that warehouse is in the process of locating and packaging your items.  

• Awaiting Shipment – your items are on the dock and are waiting for FedEx delivery truck for pick up. In some cases you will see the tracking number for the package but no tracking information in FedEx system until they receive the package.

• Shipped – This is when your purchase has been transferred to FedEx truck and is in transit to your address. You shall also see a FedEx number that you can use for tracking your order.  At this time FedEx will provide you with estimated delivery date on their site.

• Declined – This status will appear if your bank either declined your transaction or has not authorized us to ship to your alternate address.  The best thing to do is to contact your bank and ask them to resolve the reason for decline.  Once you have cleared this with your bank, please email us and we will resume processing your order.

• Refunded – This status will show up when we have received your return RMA and have processed refund to your credit card.  Your credit card should show this refund within 24-48 hours from the time we changed the order status to Refunded.

How is Home Media Pros different from other online stores?

We don’t just sell our products. We provide installation in all 50 states. Simply stated, when you purchase from us, the end result is a completely installed and working product in your home.  You can purchase your product anywhere, but only with professional installation you are guaranteed to get the most out of your purchase. Besides , who wants to spend a weekend unpacking boxes and messing with wires when you can just press play and watch.

How do you design your systems?

It is simple. Make it simple to use for all members of your household. Your high-tech home theater with surround sound, Blu-ray, Netflix and Satellite are useless if they cannot be operated by you, your spouse  or your kids. More importantly, if all of the components don’t talk to each other in the same language, you are not getting the best sound or the best picture.  One Button operation is what we strive for.

How fast can you deliver and install purchased product?

We operate a warehouse in Houston Texas which is centrally located to anywhere in the US. We use FedEx ground and FedEx express for shipping. In most cases the products ship out the next day. As soon as FedEx provides us with the delivery date we contact you to schedule installation.  Typical project timeline is having your product installed in your home or office within 5-7 days. In some rare cases it might take up to 14 days.  You are informed of each step of the project from tracking, location and schedule.

Home theater installation projects described

Home Theater Projects require a bit more coordination and planning. Key components are to ensure that the screen size is correct in relationship to room size and seating array. The room size will allow for the projector placement that will support the screen size for (big enough picture), Light conditions, Speaker Placement, Subwoofer Placement and air movement.  These are just a few of the planning questions that you will be asked prior to your installation. We then create a room plan, wiring plan and sound reflection plan.  Next we plan your universal remote integration. We then Ship your products, schedule installation, install and calibrate the sound to the room conditions. Once these steps are completed, you are fully trained on how to operate your new system.  Wiring, interconnecting, placement and design are all part of this process.  Speak with our techs to see if we can meet your unique demand or the odd shape or location of your room

What happens if something doesn’t work?

Don’t panic!!! The best way to get service fast is to call our toll free number. You can also use our Contact Form(link)  and describe your problem.  Our customer support staff will respond the same business day with a solution.  Our primary goal is to get you back to working state as soon as possible. If this is an installation issue, we will rush a service tech to your home or office. If this is a product warranty issue we will coordinate with the manufacturer to get you back and enjoying your purchase. In any case, we will be there to work it out to your satisfaction.  Our job doesn’t end with a sale or install. Our job is to keep you satisfied so you may recommend our services to others.

Why do you recommend universal remotes?

We don’t just recommend them, we program them.  If you purchase one from us, we will work with you to program not only the equipment you have, but one button for everything the system is designed for. We will also work with you to include your favorite channels and settings. Each family member can have their own experience with the remote.  While making it more enjoyable, universal remotes allow us to hide equipment in cabinets and closets which leaves only sound and vision to be enjoyed and not the bulky components that deliver it.

Not all cables created equal

We would be the last to tell you that two HDMI cables of the same size and gauge are different even if one costs $150 and the other is $25.  However we stress the importance of picking the right cable for the job. Some cables work well inside the walls and some cannot handle the heat and fail. Some work well with long distance runs, some do not.  When selecting cables for your project, it is important to understand what is being interconnected and what is the distance and environment they will be installed in.  One example of such selection is as follows:  In one of the custom installations our technician used a fairly expensive brand of cable to connect components and then ran a 50ft HDMI cable to a 65” Panasonic TV inside the wall and out to connect to the TV. The 50ft cable failed. The heat generated by the TV caused the connector behind the TV to warm up and come loose.  We replaced the cable with same brand cable but with the option of securing it to the TV with the screw.  Our experience is our guide in selecting correct connection cables. We will pick the most inexpensive ones for the application without being cheap or asking for future trouble.

I want Surround Sound but my home is not prewired.

No Problem. Yes it will cost a bit more to install in a room that is not prewired for  5.1, 7.1 and 11.2 surround options. Retrofit Installation is our specialty. Our installers spend considerable amount of time training for such projects. First, they know how houses are wired in construction phase and basic understanding of framing. Second, they have equipment on hand such as Mobile Cameras, Tracers and more to help them run and trace the wires between the walls and floors. Third and foremost, They are simply pros at finding the shortest path from speaker to amplifier with the least number of obstacles.  Worst case, you might need to have few incisions made on your walls to accommodate running the wire. Incisions are small in nature and can be easily patched and painted.   We have not encountered impossible situations but there area few challenging ones out there.  We recommend having our installer do a site evaluation prior to purchasing your system. Best of all, the site inspection fee is credited back to you once you make your purchase.

Installations over fire place

There are certain regulations regarding placing a HDTV or Equipment above fireplaces. They affect the height of installation and how wires can be run to the television. Our installers are trained and updated on all of the changes and enactments of such regulations and will follow them to ensure the safest and most esthetically pleasing position. However, you must make sure that when installing over the fireplace, you will not be constantly looking up to watch your television. This will cause neck pain and is simply uncomfortable. Consult with our staff to make sure the placement is perfect for your room.

Installation in an office or business

After doing lots of them, here are a few field notes:  Please check with your building management for insurance requirements. In most cases we will need to add them to our Insurance Policy before they will allow us to install.  This takes a couple of days and is a good practice. It protects you and your property management in case something goes wrong. Our policy covers all of our installations commercial and residential up to $1,000,000(one million) dollars.  Make sure that the location of your television or monitor is not sharing the same wall with next door neighbor.  The reason is when listening to your television, it will cause thin office walls to vibrate and transmit sound to your neighbor’s location.  If it is a must, we may have to insulate that wall. We do not recommend installing plasma televisions in a office environment. They are heavy and will cost more to install. Select LCD or LED TV’s to enjoy the lightened load and thinner design.  Make sure your model has computer input such as RGB or DVI.  You will be able to display slides and power points should it become necessary as well as advertise your services.

DLP HDTV vs. Plasma HDTV Advantages

Plasma and DLP are two relatively new display technologies, which have begun to compete broadly for their respective shares of the hi-resolution television market. Despite similar target audiences, these technologies differ widely in the ways they process light-source information.

Plasma technology consists hundreds of thousands of individual pixel cells, which allow electric pulses (stemming from electrodes) to excite rare natural gases-usually xenon and neon-causing them to glow and, thus, produce light. This light illuminates the proper balance of red, green, or blue phosphors contained in each cell to display the proper color sequence from the light. Each pixel cell is essentially an individual microscopic florescent light bulb, receiving instruction from software contained on the back electrostatic silicon board.

DLP (Digital Light Processing) technology utilizes a small Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) to tilt more than 1.3 million micromirrors-each of them less than the width of a human hair-toward (ON) or away from (OFF) the light source inside the DLP. This process creates light or dark pixels on the face of the projection screen. The light then filters to a color wheel, which rotates 120 times per second, producing the correct hue. Each mirror can turn on or off several thousands of times per second resulting in a technology that can reproduce up to 1024 shades of gray. In short, the gradations in color that make DLP images stand-out are the result of color filters backlit by just the right intensity of white light. There are 4 main components in the system: the DMD chip, color wheel, light source, and optics. Light from the lamp passes through a color wheel filter and into the DMD chip which will switch its mirrors on or off in relation to the color reflecting off them, producing an image.

Great Review by Phil Conner is available here LINK

Sales Tax

Only orders that are shipped within the State of Texas are subject to sales tax. All other orders are considered out of state and are not subject to sales tax.