Mar
14
This post may not score me any points with my custom installer friends but I’m not here for their benefit, I’m here to make sure you get the best theater possible for your hard earned dollar. For those of you considering going with professional installation for your home theater needs, get a line item (itemized) proposal, without one you’re just comparing apples to oranges.
There are several different formats for custom home theater proposals, I’ll try to be brief by describing the three most common. The first is the “value added” breakdown but about the only person getting any extra added value out of this one is the integrator. In these proposals you’ll see a brief description of the equipment going into each room and sub-total for that particular room, if I were shopping for a custom home theater I’d reject this type of proposal out of hand.
This type of proposal reduces the process into an A la carte endeavor and in all honesty it’s a potential sign of a lazy integrator. Don’t want this? Ok we’ll scratch it off, want to add another room? Just double the price of that last room. This type of proposal might be ok for a few rooms of multi-room audio but the underlying problem remains, we really have no idea what we’re paying for each item, just the bottom line price for the room.
The next type of proposal is often called a “detailed” proposal and when compared to the value added proposal it certainly is an improvement but still not quite what we’re looking for. Detailed proposals list most of the individual pieces of gear in any given room, and often times the major accessories, but rarely do they detail things as small as cables, rack components or individual speakers.
Dec
4
Creating a Home Theater
Filed Under Home Theater Construction, Home Theater Design | Leave a Comment
Congratulations! The renovation came in on time and under budget! The whole country’s going digital, so your timing is perfect. And those new, comfortable chairs—well, if furniture could talk, they’d say “what time is the movie?” You are about to create a home theater, and you and your family can hardly wait.
Only two considerations remain—equipment and a consultation with your lighting specialist. The following tips will help you make good choices to get your home theater up and running.
Choosing Equipment: Home theaters are based on one of two kinds of technology—projection-based and TV-only. Both have advantages and distinctive features.
Projection-based equipment features screens up to 100 inches—this is the real lights-camera-action big-screen experience. Think a bit about your room before you decide whether you want more information on front- or rear-projection units.
If you expect to use your theater room strictly as a theater, either system will work well. If, on the other hand, someone will likely be reading the paper, playing a game, or doing needlepoint in one area of the room, look at rear-projection systems. A front-projection system generates a light stream that can be interfered with by light needed for other activities. A rear-projection system is self-contained, and those who wish to turn on a lamp can do so without conflicting with the show.
Although screens are smaller (50 to 60 inches), TV-only theaters provide a great theater experience. Two types of TV displays are available. Again, issues of light may help you decide which display is best for your room. Plasma screens have a reputation for strong definition between dark and light tones, clear detail, depth, and true-to-life colors. The gas cells of a plasma screen do not permit any light-leaks between cells, giving truer and deeper black levels than LCD screens.
Anyone who owns an LCD flashlight knows that LCD means light and plenty of it. An LCD screen features brighter display and more intense colors than plasma. An LCD screen is the perfect choice for a room with high ambient light, whether from daylight or adjacent areas.
Close examination of both kinds of TV-only display systems will reveal no major differences in picture quality. You may well find that both perform equally well in your room, advise experts.
May
15
Home Theater in the Garage?
Filed Under Home Theater Construction | 1 Comment
From time to time we’re presented with unusual requests for home theater installations and more often than not the two that present the biggest hurdles are in bonus rooms above garages and or in the garage itself. Bonus rooms are fine for rear projection televisions, plasmas and LCD’s but in many of today’s homes the roof pitch is too steep to allow for a proper front projection screen. The garage on the other hand is workable, but presents its own set of problems.
Garages can indeed be transformed into home theaters but there are three (maybe more) areas that will need to be addressed before the space is suitable for use as a home theater. Keep in mind we’re talking about smaller two car garages not a full blown four to five car garage in newer homes.
First we’ll need to address the heating and air concerns. If like most garages the central air is inadequate, to keep us comfortable for hours at a time we’ll need to bring that up to scratch. This may include adding more air returns and or stand-alone heating and air conditioners.