FCS

Welcome to FCS, your first choice in Home Theater & Telecom in the Houston, Texas area. We go beyond the average Home Theater or Telecom installation company because we've combined the two services to bring you everything you need to have the most advanced technologies in your home and business.

Here are answers to some of our most Frequently Asked Questions.

What is the difference between 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1 Surround Sound?
The first number refers to the number of speakers. The second number refers to the subwoofer. So 7.1 would be 7 speakers with 1 subwoofer.

I've heard Plasma Televisions go out with-in a few years, is that true?

No, Most of the new Plasma Televisions on the market have a 60,000 Hour Panel Life or about 20 years at 8 hrs per day.

What is Contrast Ratio?

A high contrast ratio provides deep blacks and bright whites. Contrast can vary depending on your viewing environment and lighting conditions. A dark room with minimal lighting will help maximize contrast ratio.

Why should I network my computers together?
There are many reasons you may want to network your computers.:

* Share you Cable or DSL internet connection without having to pay extra monthly fees
* Share files
* Use one printer for all your computers, saving ink and the need to purchase printers
* Play multiplayer computer games
* Easily back up your files onto other computers

Why should I hire your company for installations and repairs?
Lots of reasons, here are just a few:

* We're Honest
* We offer our lowest prices, saving you money
* Unsurpassed quality of work
* Guaranteed Repairs
* We're always on time
* No hidden fees or charges for wall drops, the price we advertise is the price we charge*
* We stand behind our products and services 100%.

What type of warranty do you offer?
We offer a warranty on all new installations. For detailed warranty information please call or e-mail us.

What is the difference between CAT 3, CAT 5, CAT 5e & CAT 6 cable?

CAT 3 is a more commonly used cable for telephone lines. The cable consists of four loosely twisted pairs of wire.
CAT 5 is a network cable with a capacity of up to 100 Mbps consisting of four tightly twisted pairs of wire.
CAT 5e is also a network cable, but with a capacity of up to 1000 Mbps consisting of four tightly twisted pairs of wire.

CAT 6: The general difference between Category 5e and Category 6 is in the transmission performance and extension of the available bandwidth from 100 MHz for Category 5e to 200 MHz for Category 6. This includes better insertion loss, near end crosstalk (NEXT), return loss and equal level far end crosstalk (ELFEXT). These improvements provide a higher signal-to-noise ratio, allowing higher reliability for current applications and higher data rates for future applications.

Tightly twisted pairs of wire can reduce or eliminate noise and cross talk in the lines, providing you with great quality sound and signal strength.
Although CAT 5 & CAT 5e cables are somewhat more expensive than CAT 3 it is well worth the price, particularly when the new telephone jack will be used as a computer line.

When should plenum rated cables be used?
Cables are either "plenum" or "non-plenum" rated. A plenum is an air space in a building used as an air circulation return. If cables run in a plenum, you MUST use plenum rated cable. This is a fire code. Building engineers can identify air plenum spaces.
Material of the outer coating of the cable is what changes in plenum vs. non-plenum cable. Plenum rated cable will not give off toxic fumes in a fire, non-plenum will.
Plenum-rated cable will generally cost about two to three times more than non-plenum rated cable.

*Call or E-mail us for details.

We accept major credit cards