It’s no surprise we like to get really into our holidays here, and Valentine’s Day is no exception. That explains the lineup of brightly-decorated, personalized bags lining the wall behind customer service department today. Over the last week, customer service reps spent their downtime decorating the Valentine’s Day goodie bags for each of the 62 (yep, sixty-two!) members of their department. After a hectic Customer Appreciation Sale weekend, the Valentines will be a welcome treat for our hard-working CS reps.
The Big Game is just a few days away, but there’s still time to make sure you’re set up with all the gear that will make Sunday as super as possible. Our resident tech expert, Josh, paid a visit to our friends at WGN News to talk about some must-have products that will make the most out of your gameday.
If you already have all the gear you need for your Big Game party, it’s important to make sure it’s all set up and working properly before the action starts. Soundbars are a popular alternative to complicated surround-sound systems, and though they’re usually pretty easy to set up, it’s not always perfectly clear how to hook them up. Depending on your TV and soundbar models, you’ll use either an HDMI or optical cable to connect the soundbar to your TV. We’ve got a couple quick tutorials that will ensure your soundbar is hooked up properly so you get every bone-crunching hit in perfect clarity.
How To Connect Your Soundbar with an HDMI Cable
How to Connect Your Soundbar with an Optical Cable
Other Tech Tips
Make sure your cable or satellite box is connected with an HDMI cable for the best picture possible.
Set your TV to Sports mode, if available. This setting includes color adjustments for common sports visuals like the green of stadium grass and usually gives a brighter, punchier color, while also optimizing settings for fast onscreen action.
If you’re using an antenna to get an over-the-air HD broadcast, make sure you’re tuned into Fox’s HD channel, which will have a -1 or .1 after it. For instance, in the Chicagoland area, FOX HD is 32-1.
Cord-cutter with no antenna? Good news, you can stream the game this year on a Roku via the FOX Sports GO app, without needing any type of provider log-in
In the consumer electronics industry, the holiday shopping season is just the first half of the fun of winter. Every January, thousands upon thousands of people (177,393 in 2016, to be exact) descend upon Las Vegas to attend CES, the Consumer Electronics Show. CES is the world’s largest technology trade show, bringing together manufacturers, retailers, journalists, and anyone with a foot in the tech industry for a week of new product reveals, technology exhibitions and all kinds of other high-tech fun. And we’ll be in the thick of the action, covering all of the most exciting CES 2017 happenings here on the Abt Blog and on the Abt YouTube Channel.
New Year’s Eve is just a few days away, which brings to an end one of the most fun-filled, eventful years in Abt’s history. As we close out 2016, here’s a look back at some of the notable happenings at Abt, in no particular order:
The Inspiration Studio is the result of Bob Abt’s vision for the ultimate kitchen showroom imaginable. As John Hammond from Jurassic Park might say, “We spared no expense.” Filled with the finest appliances in the industry, in kitchen vignettes created by renowned kitchen designer Mick DeGiulio, the Inspiration Studio is meant to do just what its name says. Working appliances and a welcoming environment are here to inspire customers to discover the design or products that will become their dream kitchen. (more…)
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and we’re celebrating with visits from Santa and his friends, every weekend until Christmas. You can see Santa and have your picture taken with him for free, from 12-4pm every Saturday and Sunday in the Abt atrium.
We are honored to have been chosen as a recipient of the Better Business Bureau’s 2016 Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics.
Presented annually, the Torch is awarded to companies that “exemplify marketplace trust and excellence.” This year, Abt was one of six companies to win the coveted award. It’s our first Torch Award win in nearly twenty years, and we’re proud to accept it on behalf of all of our employees who work every day to make Abt an ethical, trustworthy company. Congratulations to all of this year’s Torch Award Winners:
The holiday shopping season is now officially underway with the start of Black Friday Week. There’s no need to skip Thanksgiving dinner or get up at 3 a.m. on a cold Friday morning just to try and score one of handful of limited “doorbuster” deals. Instead, enjoy your days off this week and get your shopping done from the comfort of your own home. The Abt Black Friday Week Sale is now underway!
If you’ve ever been to our Glenview showroom, you know that things are always changing. We’re always trying to find ways to make the shopping experience easier, more efficient, or more fun whether by adding product-focused boutiques like the Gourmet Shop or one-of-a-kind showrooms like the new Inspiration Studio. Our latest improvement is the new Microsoft gaming room, a space dedicated to Xbox and other Windows-based gaming products.
After a successful turnout earlier this year, the camera trade-in event with National Camera Exchange returns to Abt this weekend. If you’ve got an old film or digital camera, camera lenses, or any other camera gear collecting dust at home, this is a perfect opportunity to get rid of it and earn some cash.
Another Halloween is in the books, and by the looks of some of the costumes seen at Abt, it was definitely a success. The annual Halloween costume contest is one of our favorite traditions, with hundreds vying for the coveted Best Individual and Best Group awards. This year, we want all of our fans and customers to join in on the voting! Head over to the full album on our Facebook page to see all of the entrants, and click “like” on as many of the photos as you’d like. The individual and group costumes with the most total likes will win cash prizes! The final vote count will be taken at 5PM on Thursday, November 3rd. Thanks for voting, and good luck to all of our participants!
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