I immediatly thought about Control4 as well and have been considering one for my Mother-in-Law who is in a very similar situation.
As an example here’s a screenshot of the Control4 Android interface. In the example I’ve chosen the Shield as the input. Down below you can see basic controls that popup based on the source selection.
What I don’t know is how to easily control TV channel selection without being connected to a distant device. I’m assuming VPN and that has it’s own complications if it goes down.
Interested in your thoughts on your amp future. I was looking for alternatives for my BHK 300’s for my 20.7’s when I fell into the MBL rabbit hole. There are a lot of high current choices out there.
Well. I seemed to be thinking about the pass labs XA series. I am wondering if the xa 100.5 would work. It’s 200 into 4 ohm in class A then moves to class B up to 350watts or so. I am curious about the class A beasts.
Sonos can do this. I have an Apple Watch app that lets me do some basic control of the system remotely away from the house. (App is called Lyd). You can also do smart home control of Sonos via the Ikea Home Smart system by setting up scenes. This opens the possibilities up substantially because you can set up some simple buttons that cost something like $6 apiece to turn things on and off as well as control it remotely via the IKEA app on YOUR phone. As for TV, if you bought her the Sonos Beam (v1 on clearance for $319 here: Certified Refurbished Speakers | Sonos or new one which is better at $450 I think) it will automatically play TV sounds when TV is on and can easily play music too via Sonos app or whatever you set up. It also has Trueplay room correction and dialogue enhancement which is often important for older folks. That’s an easy all-in-one music/TV solution. Sonos has been around long enough to have EXTENSIVE smart home solutions that just a little research might help. I’m only including what I know and have used. There’s also an app that extends Apple Shortcuts to work on Sonos called Soro (Soro - For Sonos on the App Store) that offers automation possibilities. Edit: ikea also sells its own Sonos-compatible speakers to include one in a lamp for next to bed/chair use, or in a picture frame that hangs on a wall. Not gonna lie-the IKEA solution is cheap but not 100% glitch-free. The more professional smart home stuff from the home-automation companies like Lutron are almost certainly more bulletproof. But once you get the IKEA stuff working it generally stays working.
For just music, I also recommend the Apple HomePod mini which uses Siri. An Apple Music Subscription for Siri only costs $5 a month and would let her play music via voice control. And the sound is pretty good for the size and the money. (HomePod is $99 or 10% off if you’re a veteran). This could also work in conjunction with an AppleTV box, but I don’t want to overcomplicate things.
Bottom line-I think a Sonos Sound Bar (Beam) is your best bet because it’s made to be simple. (One plug, one HDMI cable, and Wi-Fi) and it automatically works with TV and offers decent remote control capabilities with a little extra work. Secondary-Apple HomePod mini.
Good luck. Feel free to message me and I’ll try and help more if I can.
Okay. Just checked and with Lyd, I can access all my Sonos speakers at home and play anything in the “My sonos” subset that serves as their “favorites” mechanism. Obviously that could get unmanageable, but if you have a dozen or two things in the list, that would be probably helpful in a pinch. All from my Apple Watch in the Subaru service lobby. And as a TV speaker, it automatically switches to TV when it gets a signal. Plus they have a liberal return policy if it doesn’t work for you. There’s more you can do with HomeKit and the shortcuts app, as well as other home automation bridges, but that needs more software and gets complicated quickly. This is just Sonos and a watch app.
Thank you. She is on her third move and heading into memory care in a month. It has been a brutal run. Will test your solution when she ends up at her new place. Thank you for your wisdom
Thinking about amps now. Just not sure at the moment though