Saturday, October 30, 2010

Start Home Theater Room Design


For example, our theater system set-up must fit with the size and shape within our home, with the sound likely to be off if this is not done correctly - causing it to be less than the high quality sound system we originally purchased. Without much trouble, the theater design can be created within our home if done correctly. Seeking to reproduce an actual theater or cinema quality environment, the fact is that a large-screen high definition television or projection system requires certain things to work correctly.

Basically, the technical description of a home theater system is a television, VCR, DVD, and a set of speakers. When we are selecting a home theater combination, our first considerations should be about the design elements in the home. If we will be purchasing a theater set-up that is going to fill a larger room, we may need to consider additional elements, such as the amount of speakers that are needed. Quite possibly, a sales person or a designer in the store we purchased our set-up from, will help us with the layout.

This can be the sales person, a professional designer, or obtaining professional services from someone else. We may find that the design aspect of the theater is not as complicated as we originally thought. In fact, many adept home owners are able to do this on their own when they take a home theater kit out of the box in their living room.

Most research have found that when setting up the home theater system within the home, if the homes have a complete home cinema set-up the layout of the speakers is common to use the speakers integrated within the TV instead of playing the sound through the surround sound system. Spend a few extra minutes to make sure that you have the right home theater for your home and it is hooked up correctly.

The design of it should be easy to install, but by far the most important thing is that the quality of the sound system should be as close to perfect as possible. When we take the time to do this, we will have created the perfect theater for our home. If we find we cannot do this, we can work with a movie theater specialist to help us to come up with specific needs, based on our home's shape and needs. The other option is to follow the directions that are provided to us with our movie theater system.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Two Projector Theater

What do you spec as a projector in this beautiful Greenwich, CT. home when you have 18 video sources as diverse as X-box and Blu-ray? Well, Opus AVC of North Haven, Connecticut discovered that just one is not enough.

Two in One

It's the perfect situation – a dedicated home theater and a completely separate room for critical music listening. One homeowner in Massachusetts was able to realize his dream of the 'perfect' audio system, and still provide the rest of the family with their own home theater.

The High Impact Relyea Cinema 1

When we broke ground on our new home in upstate New York my wife Kristie and I each had our goals for this space. I desired a place where I could listen to music, and where the family could come together for a great movie experience. Kristie's priority was for the space to feel like an extension of our home.

Future Deco

Sometimes it takes the combined talents of two professional organizations to come up with a striking, one-of-a-kind home theater. Such was the case with this Florida home. Cinema Design Group is a leading designer, manufacturer, and installer of home theater seating, acoustic panels, and custom home theater environments. Along with Boca Theater and Automation, a premier provider of turn-key, custom-built integration systems and home theaters, these two specialists created a home theater that bears the resemblance of the familiar geometric Art Deco designs of the early 20's, yet, it reveals a distinctive 21st century edge.

The Ultimate Plasma with a Price to Match

Bang & Olufsen (B&O), known for their killer designs, makes their 103" plasma TV available in the United States. The Beovision 4-103 is one of the largest TVs on the market. What makes the Beovision 4 stand out from all the others is that special B&O touch. The motorized floor stand lifts the TV from it's position near the ground, when you are ready to view movies or TV. By resting the TV inches from the floor, it becomes less prominent in the room when not in use, according to the B&O press materials. However, I'm not sure how a 103-inch TV is not prominent, no matter where in the room it is located.

The New American Home

Sponsored by the National Council of the Housing Industry, the 2009 New American Home demonstrates cutting-edge technology, energy efficiency, and jaw-dropping contemporary design. This annual event chooses a premier show home and uses it as a technology laboratory, providing real-world demonstrations of the latest concepts in architecture, construction techniques, new products, and lifestyle trends.

The Tree Trunk Theater

Retrofits always have their unique challenges and Canadian systems integrator Graytek was faced with a highly unusual challenge when designing this basement theater. The room had three tree trunk posts, which were part of the structural integrity of the home so they had to stay intact. Since they were in the middle of the room, it was necessary to work around them while still maximizing the screen size and seating area.

Anthem Delivers First Projector

Well known as a leading manufacturer of high-end electronics, Anthem has jumped into the business of high definition projectors with two high-performance three-panel 1920 x 1080p LCOS projectors, the LTX300 and LTX500. According to Jack Shafton, Anthem's Vice President of Sales and Marketing, "The video playback capabilities of the LTX projectors mesh perfectly with the industry-leading A/V processing available on our Anthem Statement D2v and AVM 50v. Our dealers can now offer a high-performance, turnkey video and A/V control solution to their customers

Waterfront Beauty

When it was time for this homeowner to have their third home fitted with electronics they returned to Audio Video Design (AVD) of Newton, MA. After going through the design process two other times, they had a very clear vision of what they desired. Quality installation was, of course, the top priority. However, they wanted the most cost effective, state-of-the-art solutions but not necessarily the most cutting edge products.

Escaping 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

I love the wow factor of themed home theaters and it was the love of old science fiction films and the Steampunk genre that prompted me to design my theater like the Nautilus from Disney’s classic 1954 film, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Rather than try to duplicate any one particular room of the submarine, details and influences from the entire boat were combined to create this one-of-a-kind theater.

Two Projector Theater

What do you spec as a projector in this beautiful Greenwich, CT. home when you have 18 video sources as diverse as X-box and Blu-ray? Well, Opus AVC of North Haven, Connecticut discovered that just one is not enough.

Ultimate Install Contest

This is one of those times when the pictures just don't do justice to the project. The winner of the 2009 Windows Media Center Ultimate Install is Vision Audio from Lubbock, Texas. The Media Center Integrator Alliance (MCIA), together with Microsoft, announced the winner of the 2009 Windows Media Center Ultimate Install Contest during CEDIA in Atlanta, Georgia on September 13. This impressive system uses Windows Media Center at the core of the home's entertainment experience in an extensive whole-home installation.

My Movie Magic on Beale Street

I’ve been an A/V nerd all my life. As a kid, I would take apart my parents’ stereo equipment and make a huge mess. It’s always been my dream to have the biggest and baddest A/V system on the block. Well, it took me 20 years, but I think my newest home theater takes the cake, at least on my block.

Triple Duty Window Treatments

Stewart Filmscreen is branching out, providing unique window treatments designed to improve the overall home cinema experience. While the Acoustishade is a beautiful addition to any decor, available in a variety of colors and any custom size, it also controls ambient light as well as exterior noise from interfering with the viewing experience. The Acoustishade is the most stylish and cost effective soundproofing solution available.

Cineplex Comes Home

Shannon McGinnis is one of the few people who has found that his hobby/avocation is also his vocation. In 1997, he started his Custom Electronics Design and Installation company as a one-person operation; it has grown to include three additional installers at present. Home Technology Systems, Inc., currently provides Wichita, Kansas, and the surrounding areas with a single-source solution for all custom home and small business electronics needs and desires, including home theater, systems integration, lighting control, structured cabling, multiroom audio, and security.

My Engineering Masterpiece

Nine years ago, my wife and I had our home custom-built on an isolated 11-acre lot. The theater room continues to evolve into the vision I had back then. I wouldn’t say that it’s entirely completed, but it’s definitely fully functional and a pleasure to use and entertain in.

Sitting Room Pretty

Constructing a theater from scratch in a custom-built home can be a challenge, but remodeling a room in an established home can sometimes be even more demanding.

That was the case with this 7,800-square-foot home in Siesta Key, Florida. For the second remodel in its 26-year existence, the homeowner called in custom builder, Rick Oswald, owner of OZ Build and Design, based in Sarasota, FL, to fashion a theater on the home’s second floor. Ryk Schoonheim, owner of Sarasota-based Sights, Sounds, and Such then outfitted the room with the latest gear.

Sky’s the Limit

Most 18-year-olds grapple with the usual burning questions, like what to do after college graduation, what career path to follow, or even where to live. But college drop-out Gurbaksh “G” Chahal, an Internet entrepreneur (founder of BlueLithium and ClickAgents), already had several million dollars in the bank by that time. He was also on his way to even greater success. In the last year, he signed a book deal, and releases his memoir, The Dream.

Today, G owns a lavish $6.5-million penthouse in San Francisco that overlooks the San Francisco Bay. Three luxury apartments were combined for the residence, which totals 3,300 square feet. G had the privilege of being the first person to reside in the tower since Fox studios filmed a reality TV show about him and this space earlier in the year. To be camera ready, the penthouse got the full red-carpet treatment with an over-the-top budget and a cadre of decorators, painters, electricians, and architects working around the clock.

Two for the Show

For married couples or any two people who live together, life always seems to be a series of compromises. When this Omaha, Nebraska, homeowner built his dream theater, he not only put on an addition to the house for his theater, but he added a room right above it for his wife.

Jim Wichita, of Omaha-based The Sound Environment, handled the install. “Mr. homeowner wanted the ultimate home theater, and Mrs. homeowner wanted a gathering room,” says Wichita, with a laugh.

Integration Made Simple

Los Gatos, California-based cyberManor specializes in the design, installation, and integration of Internet-connected home electronics solutions that enhance the entertainment, communication, comfort, and safety of its clients’ homes. This year, the company won the Microsoft Windows Media Center Ultimate Install Contest for this immaculate and eco-friendly installation at the Kreaden residence in Sunnyvale, CA.

The homeowner desired a centralized, user-friendly entertainment and automation system. CyberManor’s solution was to incorporate a complete wholehouse integration system using the Windows Media Center interface as the central command platform.

Creating a High Tech Haven

Many home entertainment projects are called retrofits, which for all intents and purposes translates as a remodel. An installer needs to have the same skills that new construction projects require. But when a project combines both new construction and remodeling, the challenges intensify.

Audio Video Design (AVD), based in Newton, Massachusetts, is always up for a challenge and so was the owner of this greater Boston-area home. The homeowner used AVD as one of the prime subcontractors on the project. The owner also constantly interfaced with the general contractor, Thoughtforms, and architects Zaras and Neudorfer.

Castle in the Clouds

Outfitting a condo can present many challenges, particularly with space limitations and limited wiring. But for this condo’s owner, lots of extras like motion detectors, lighting controls, and remotes make this space enjoyable whether he’s working from his office or relaxing in the living room.

The 5,000-square-foot condo consists of three units that have been combined on the 18th floor of a 19-story building. The building is one of three towers in the Gateway and South Lake Union complex along Seattle’s downtown lakefront. The North Tower, where this condo exists, also includes the 160-room Pan Pacific hotel, 261 residential apartments, and some retail shops. The project is the handiwork of investor and philanthropist Paul Allen. The famous co-founder of Microsoft developed the property under Vulcan Inc.

Moving On Up

In the past, creating a movie experience at home meant setting up a big screen in the basement and putting in a few recliners. These days, many homeowners are transforming living rooms on the main floor of their homes into home theaters. Some homeowners may even convert a room that’s right beside their kitchen.

This New Jersey homeowner wanted a multiuse, high-performance home theater in a central area of the home where it would get plenty of use. The entire house got an extensive renovation and installation, including an eight-zone multiroom audio system and individual lighting controls for each room. The homeowner did consider the home’s lower level as a location for the theater. However, since it’s a “walk-out” with great views, he felt the room worked better as a playroom or game room.

High Rise AV

Walking into this penthouse condominium in an affluent area of Los Angeles Mark Schafer and Mark Stewart of CustomLA knew it would require just the right control system for this ambitious AV design to meet the homeowner's expectations. They wanted whole house audio and video, yet, they had little interest in learning a complex system that would require more technical savvy than they possessed or desired. It was also critical that the technology blend into the fashionable, yet comfortable, interior created by Threshold Design.

For the Most Discriminating

Rotel, known for their high performance AV components, offers up several new models for the most discriminating user. The 15 Series offers a broad range of home theater and custom-installation electronics including the RSP-1570, a 7.1 Home Theater Surround Processor/Preamplifier, and three high powered amplifiers; the RMB-1575, RMB-1506 and the PB-1572 (all pictured above).

Anthem's AV Master

Anthem unveils the Audio/Video Master 50v (AVM 50v), a state-of-the-art music preamplifier/home theater processor with a built in tuner and independent source selection for recording. This updated version of the AVM 50 combines the latest performance-enhancing technologies with whole-home entertainment control that makes it possible for users to direct audio and video program materials throughout the house.

High End on the High Seas

Themed theaters allow the homeowner to retreat into a sanctuary of sorts. This month's Nautilus Theater even transports you to another time, when hearty sea farthing men (and a woman on occasion) spent months on the ocean in small wooden ships. However, they were never as technologically decked out as this.

The Philharmonic House of Design

19 designers, 19 rooms, 1 installer.

It's almost out of vogue to champion the merits of a hidden install in today's home theater magazines. As technology becomes more and more efficient and form factors shrink, blending interior design and technology has never been easier. At this year's Philharmonic House of Design project, however, sleek flat panels and discreet in-wall speakers were just the first step in creating a home where technology plays as important a role in the overall design as the gorgeous old-world Spanish fittings.

From the Ground Up

Jerry Rice's dream family theater.

It's no secret that Jerry Rice is a man of many talents. The Internet encyclopedia Wikipedia notes that many people consider this man to be not only the best receiver of all time but perhaps even the best football player, period. Ever.

Not only that, but Jerry Rice can dance. A contestant on the 2005–2006 season of Dancing with the Stars, Rice and his partner scored a second-place finish, proving that Rice can not only catch touchdowns while dancing away from would-be tacklers, he can also do a mean cha-cha.

Aspire to Greatness

How to fit 10 seats in a small room and still get amazing sound.

Aspiration and enthusiasm are two of the key things that make a great magazine reader. While many of us read magazines like GQ or Vogue, a lot of us can't necessarily afford the wares we see on those fashionable pages. Why do we read them, then? We read them because we take cues from these highly regarded magazines on what to wear, social issues, trends, and more. We take those cues and we adapt them to our own personal lifestyles, as well as our budgets.

The Illusion of Simplicity

Nothing is quite as simple as it seems in this award-winning home theater.

Don't let this home theater's classic design and clean lines fool you. It may look like a simple rectangular space that houses a high-end audio/video system, but closer inspection reveals that the real technological marvel is the room itself. A tremendous amount of planning, construction, and creativity went into the process of creating an acoustically optimized space that can serve as both a casual reading/viewing room and a thoroughly immersive home theater.

McIntosh Mania

An all-McIntosh system is the apple of this homeowner's eye—and ears.

A room has to be pretty impressive for the president of one of the leading high-end A/V companies to declare it "one of the best-sounding rooms in the U.S." That's what McIntosh Labs president Charlie Randall said about Donna and Ivan Messer's McIntoshed-out home theater in Parkland, Florida. When Messer got in touch with Alan Fromowitz, president of Stereo by Design in Pompano Beach, Florida, his home theater habit quickly escalated. "We put the bug in his ear to upgrade to the McIntosh XRT2K speaker system," says Fromowitz.

Outside of the Box

Room challenges make for an innovative design in this dream home theater, which sounds as good as it looks.

When you think about growing old with your significant other, you probably think of retiring to a secluded community and maybe traveling together. But did you ever consider home theater as part of your future plans? It is for this couple in Chino Hills, California, who had the luxury of building their dream house—the house they will eventually retire in. They fitted it with all the amenities they know they will want down the road. Thinking long-term, they installed a complete home-automation system with lighting control, security cameras, an alarm system, climate control, and wholehouse audio, as well as a putting green and an elevator. Their plan also includes a dedicated home theater on the bottom level of their home, where they can enjoy their favorite movies in a perfectly controlled environment.

Complete Control

With a wholehouse Crestron automation system that controls everything from security to the dedicated theater, this home takes control to another level.

Jay Basen and Lance David—programming manager and director of custom sales and installation, respectively, of Gramophone in Timonium, Maryland—see several new trends developing in the home theater market. The first is that more and more homeowners are not only putting dedicated home theaters into their homes, but they're putting in more advanced home theaters. "Many more options are available or are coming out. We now have access to new high-definition content, and price points are coming down. These factors, combined with the sophistication of customers, are driving high performance," says Basen. According to David, homeowners are now recognizing the value of systems integration with a centralized control system, and they're paying more attention to acoustics, as well as the less sexy but still very important aspects of proper ventilation and energy management. This gorgeous theater and wholehouse system in a 16,000-square-foot home in Highland, Maryland, embodies all of these growing trends.

Through the Roof

An attic home theater, completely isolated from the master bedroom below, defies the laws of acoustics.

Looking at the images on these pages, most people would think that this extravagant theater in an 8,000-square-foot home in Houston, Texas, was built from scratch with brand-spanking-new, top-of-the-line equipment and under the most ideal conditions. Not so. In fact, this gorgeous residential theater was not only built using primarily the homeowner's preexisting equipment, but it was built in the only room available for the theater in the home: the attic.

Back to Nature

Who says a home theater has to be a dungeon? Inspired by the homeowners' backyard, this theater brings the outdoors in.

In the quaint town of Danville, Pennsylvania, lies a gem of a home theater owned by Rhonda and Robert Seebold. While their 9,000-square-foot home is located in an exclusive development, they are situated on the top of a hill, which gives them access to several acres of pristine woodlands right in their backyard. It also gave Rhonda a private area in which to develop an award-winning water garden, which includes two streams, a waterfall, and a pond with koi fish.

Professional Digital Cinema at Home

A theater in Birmingham, Michigan, straddles the line between professional digital cinema and home theater.

When we talk about home theater, we normally talk about equipment that is readily available and relatively affordable, as well as brand names that are somewhat recognizable to the mainstream consumer. Bradford Wells, owner of Bradford Wells + Associates in Los Angeles, takes a slightly different approach. Because his business is half home installation and half professional A/V installation, Wells takes some of the best concepts he creates in his professional digital-cinema installations and incorporates them into his home theater business.

Listen Up and Play Right

Trying to build the perfect home theater isn't easy, but it sure is worth it.

After 42 years in the business, ListenUp's Steven Weiner is still learning how to put together the perfect home theater—and the more he learns, the more he sees how much more there is to know. But don't hold that against him. So far, he's spent nearly half a million dollars building the ultimate demo room as part of his mission to find out.

Loudpeakers Can be Stylish

Designer-oriented homeowners have steadily been moving away from large behemoth loudspeakers, opting for hidden solutions. However, for those enthusiasts that still like to show off their electronics, even loudspeakers are getting more stylish. With loudspeakers like MartinLogan's Feature, you can put back the WOW in your AV presentation. The Feature is a fully powered, high-resolution, electrostatic loudspeaker designed for use either on or off-wall for center, front, or surround channel applications. Pictured here it is being used as a center speaker with MartinLogan's breathtaking Purity floor standing electrostatic speakers that make their own statement.

Days of Hamlin

A kid who went from racing go-karts at age 7, to becoming the first Rookie of the Year to take home the Shootout victory at the 70-lap Budweiser Shootout, to scoring the highest-points finish ever for a NASCAR rookie in 2006, Denny Hamlin, age 27, is loving life. And with that success has come the means to enjoy his home in a way that suits his ultra-fast-paced lifestyle. For Hamlin, that means technology.


What's Missing From this Picture

Integrating 21st-century home electronics into the architecture of a newly built 18th-century-style Italian villa would, at first glance, appear impossible. After all, about the only thing technological in the 1700s was the nutcracker. Add to this the advanced needs of a tech-savvy young couple who are inspired by the past but make their careers within the computer and video-gaming fields, and you have seemingly irresolvable conflicts. This property's sheer size further magnified the task at hand. It's a three-level, 12,000-square-foot home situated on 2.3 acres in the hills of Southern California. Enter Sound Solutions of Culver City, California, premier systems integrators with a 29-year history and a reception area full of national awards, including Crestron's first annual Biggest, Baddest Home Award and the CEA Mark of Excellence Award, both given for this project.

The Balancing Act

A wild theater with a sonic edge shows you how to balance acoustics, design, and living space.

Building a home theater is a balancing act. It could be interior design and A/V equipment going head to head, or acoustics and building materials, or the desired number of seats versus available space. It could be all of the above, but, in the end, something's got to give. In this California project, the opposing forces were optimum acoustics, along with excellent A/V, gorgeous interior design, and ample living space. The homeowner wanted to eke out as much elbow room for entertaining while giving up nothing on sound quality—all under the watchful eye of a discerning interior designer.

Total Isolation

How one couple pulled off a home theater that is completely independent from the house in which it resides.

When Bob and Nancy Malone broke ground on their dream home in Lake Arrowhead, California, in 2002, they had no idea just how challenging it would be. Nancy's lifelong desire to have a home theater called for the help of Aaron Andrew of Audio Video Design (AVD), based in Mission Viejo, California, to design a home theater within, but structurally independent from, the 14,000-square-foot house. Aside from the three-hour round trip between Mission Viejo and Lake Arrowhead, Mother Nature threw her best at them, as well. After "the old fire" of 2003, which destroyed 350 houses in nearby Cedar Glen (and approached within feet of the back of the Malone house before a wind shift sent the flames east), the Malones faced a tremendous flood in December 2004, and then snow. As if that wasn't enough, the house's location on a mountainside presented a whole new set of logistical problems. After all was said and done, the project took three-and-a-half years to complete.

That's Dedication

Driven by his passion for movies, this homeowner truly went the distance to create his ideal home theater.

So, you think you're a hard-core home theater fan? You read the A/V magazines, you can recite the performance differences between plasma and LCD in your sleep, and you constantly upgrade your system to make sure it features the hottest new technologies. That's admirable. But, until you're willing to build an entirely new home to accommodate your home theater, you ain't got nothing on this homeowner.

Keeping It Simple

In this brand new condo, the homeowner required something simple, primarily to watch TV and DVDs. He had a complex automation system installed by an inexperienced integrator in his previous residence and found it too cumbersome and complicated to operate. "Simplicity and high quality components were the client's two main requirements", said Chris Abbott, the Project Manager for Abbott's Technology Design Group of Las Vegas, Nevada. "Normally we don’t do 2-channel systems but this was a long time customer with a very specific wish list."

Palisades Paradise Design Over Technology

Homeowners love what technology provides but many prefer to keep its presence at a minimum. Such was the case in this beautiful Southern California home in the upscale Pacific Palisades area. "This project had a good sized budget of $100k to provide whole-house distribution of audio, video, phone and data," said Mark Schafer, President of Custom L.A. "Still we all encountered a few challenges such as the family room, where the client wanted a completely invisible Home Theater in a wide open space".

The Savant Experience Center

Located in the Soho district of lower Manhattan, the Savant Experience Center is an actual living space complete with a media/living room, home office, master bedroom, kitchen, dining room and a dedicated 800 sq. foot theater. Close to the Apple store, the Experience Center showcases the latest technologies in home entertainment and control to dealers, architects, designers, industry associations, and prospective clients.

Panama City DIY Theater

Ever since my college days, where I graduated as a Mechanical Engineer at Texas A&M, I have been a golden ear audiophile with a very sophisticated array of electronics, speakers and turntables with hand-made cartridges. I currently live in Panama City and this self-proclaimed audiophile has turned into a videophone, too. I conduct my own research to find the greatest possible sound and image for a sensible amount of investment. I have read a lot of technical publications and industry dedicated magazines, attended CEDIA and CES shows, thus feeding my knowledge on home theater design and installation.

Let Us Entertain You

Who needs to go out when you have your own theater and sports bar? This high concept theater and entertainment center is the vision of Spiro Razatos, an action film director and former stunt man who has been in the entertainment industry for over 25 years. The Spirovision Theater was intentionally designed to have the vintage look and feel of theaters that Razatos enjoyed as a child with his father. Yet, his theater is state-of-the-art with the latest technology and equipment.