A. Briefly describe the objectives in creating this theater.
The goal for this home theater is going to create a great sounding theater, very simple to use and with traditional looks. Initially, client has contacted several numbers of integration company, however when we received the call, the client would like to achieve the same or better result than what the other integration companies proposed, with half the amount of budget. The wife also insisted she wants to get the biggest screen possible that can fit into the theater; plus the husband also insisted he wants to get the best sound and pictures possible. The client has gone to local THX Theater, and requested if possible to get the THX certified speakers for the home theater. The ultimate goal is to get the best and biggest picture and sound possible in this small theater, with some budget constraint.
BUYER BEWARE, WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE HIRING AN AV COMPANY!
B. What technical features are notable in this project (control system, acoustics, video features, audio features, etc.)?
To create the easy to use theater, we settled on using a Crestron wireless 6 inch touch panel that can be wall mounted as well. The challenging is when the client insisted they want THX Ultra 2 speakers with the 2 subwoofers, since the room layout may create a boomy bass. We finally created the acoustic bass trap in the front of the theater and make sure the bass is evenly distributed. We are using Klipsch THX Ultra 2 speakers 7.2 system configuration. We are using the Crestron Digital Media technology to deliver the HDMI switching. Initially, we can’t play the 3D content, until we go back to Digital Media menu and modified some of the EDID configuration. Amplification provided by Parasound Halo THX Ultra2 Certified
C. What decisions did you make to compensate for the room’s layout, interior design, or other challenges in the requirements of the job?
When we start the project, the theater should have 2 rows of seating to accommodate 9 people. However, in the middle of the project, the client would like to make the theater to accommodate 3 rows of seating, to fit in 15 people. The challenge is the room doesn’t have enough depth to accommodate 3 rows of seating. We finally agreed on using the rockers chairs for the first two rows, not the recliner type chairs like what we initially has specified. We had to go back again to our drawing board, and modified it with precision, and make sure the theater can really fit in 3 rows of seating. The contractor needs to modify the stage, since the stage has already built for 2 rows. Other challenge is when we have the client using blue tape to give them idea what the 115 inch looks like, they insisted that it was too small. Now we modify our design again to accommodate 135 inch screen, and since now we need to deal with 3 rows of seating, we want to make sure the front rows still get great pictures.
D. Please discuss the specific audio and video calibrations performed and their results. What calibration was done? What equipment was used to calibrate? What standards were you aiming to achieve?
We are aiming for THX Ulta2 reference which is 85 dB. Initially, we are using standard Audyssey calibration; however we feel that the sound was accurately tuned. Finally, we used Sencore pro calibration tool, and sure enough we saw a lot of the bass was not evenly distributed. We finally had to adjust our crossover from the THX reference 80HZ, to 75 HZ just to get the bass more evenly distributed. For the video, we need to use the SMPTE color bar pattern, because we felt the projector was giving too much red and green.
E. What makes this system worthy of recognition?
We are able to give the client the best and biggest picture and sound possible and accommodate 3 rows of seating in this small theater and still meet the client budget. We had to do all the engineering with precision, since in this application; even an inch or two inch error will make a big difference.
Let us create your next dream home theater!
Please call us (626) 395-9597 or email us to schedule your FREE In Home Consultation!
MONACO AV is specialized in creating Crestron smart home automation and home theater which includes whole house music, whole house video, climate control, lighting , shading, and CCTV surveillance. We are regarded as one of the best Crestron dealer in Los Angeles area and have been in business since 2005. We have done numerous successful smart home automation projects in Los Angeles, Pasadena, La Canada, San Marino, Hollywood and many more.
http://www.crestrondealerlosangeles.com
http://www.smarthomelosangeles.com
