Home Theater System

Posts Tagged ‘process’

The eclectic Austin home owner wants a theater system that can effectively replace the need for public cinema. Many turn to stores that offer q convenient source of equipment that promises exceptionally high resolution video and surround sound audio effects. Getting this equipment to work, however, requires much more than electronics know-how. It requires an advanced understanding of new home wiring, home architecture, how it creates acoustics in the room, and how to make home theater equipment work within the context of a specific setting to yield superior results.

This is exactly what custom homeowners in Austin can expect from Illuminations Lighting and Design home theater specialists. Our unique combination of consultation, manufacturer relationships, and customized home system intergration services are what differentiate us as one-source vendor of both equipment and installation know-how that ensures the best possible results in home entertainment.

The first step in the process is a consultation with the homeowner and a close examination of the home’s interior architecture. Most Austin home theater clients live in homes ranging anywhere from 10,000 square feet to 25,000 square feet. These homes always have several rooms which can be converted into home theaters. However, each room is unique and has its own acoustical qualities. Homeowners are typically unaware of which room will work best as a high-tech entertainment center, and even electrical contractors are often challenged in this arena due to the highly specialize nature of their training in home wiring.

Our team, however, has cross-trained in many different disciplines in addition to home electrical remodeling. One of the most important skills we have picked up is a strong working knowledge of home architecture and interior acoustics. We have also learned to speak the lingo, so to speak, of the industry, and can quickly add in a consultation with the architect or builder to determine which room will best serve as the media center. We include this service with our complimentary consultation and with no obligation to purchase the equipment we subsequently propose.

Once the room location is determined, we select the appropriate type of projector, screen, audio processor, video processor, amplifier, and speakers to compliment the sound dynamics of its interior. While these components are standard to almost all home theater systems and available at a number of retail stores throughout Austin, our equipment comes straight from the factory and is rated at the highest level of specification grade quality. Our knowledge of residential home theater design enables us to efficiently install this equipment with a number of additional options not typically available through stores. We can integrate a home theater system into the home’s lighting control system, or go one step further and install it as one of many subsystems on a home automation network.

Such integration allows for a cinematic experience even better than the one available at public cinemas. Pre-programmed lighting control systems can be activated with the simple push of a button to set the mood for certain genres of film. Horror movies are exceptionally frightening under low, dark red lighting. Dim, but brighter colour temperature lights, can often add an upbeat tone to comedies and action movies.

One of the most important things that Austin residents can confidently expect from our one-source design, equipment and home automation installation services is a much better sound quality than retail equipment typically provides. Since third party installers who actually setup theaters in homes rarely have the time or knowledge to study the acoustics of interior architecture the way we do, they often tune the acoustics to only a satisfactory level. While this is certainly better than the speakers on any television set, it does not justify the expenditure one makes on such equipment, nor does it offer the truly exceptional experience that justifies home entertainment as a substitute for a night on the town.

If you are going to make that type of investment in a home theater system, do it with experts who can customize every aspect of the system to the home and room it resides in, and who can also personalize it with lighting controls and home automation controls that make it intuitive and user friendly for everything from family gatherings to formal parties and special occasions.

Many people never bother looking into purchasing a home theater through sheer fear of the decisions that may need to be made in the process. Many among these aren’t even sure of exactly which components are included in a home theater or which ones are needed in order to create an effective and entertaining home theater. For this reason, many people simply do not bother going through the process of looking at their options when it comes to these wonderful systems on the market today much less ever bother actually purchasing one.

If you are one of the many who has experienced some degree of confusion when it comes to the individual parts and pieces that are included in a home theater system and what they do, hopefully you will gain a better understanding once you’ve finished reading. The first thing to understand is that there are varying degrees when it comes to home theaters. The following components are the makings of a very basic home theater that will provide excellent functionality. They are not however inclusive of every possible piece or part that could make up a home theater system.

Off to the basics, the first thing you’ll need when creating a home theater for your family to enjoy is a television. It might seem a little too obvious to some but I have yet to find a box kit that includes a television-mainly because the choice of screen is for many the most personal aspect of selecting a home theater. There are essentially three choices in today’s television market: front projector, rear projector, and plasma. There are variations within each of these and the prices fall anywhere from modest to quite costly. This is the component that most home theater owners spend the most time contemplating and it affects the types of components that will be most effective later on in terms of things such as high definition and other choices you can make.

A receiver is another important component. You will probably have a DVD player or recorder of some sort as part of your system; you may have a Tivo and cable box or satellite and will probably have speakers of some sort for your system. The receiver is the box you plug them all into-it receives all of this inputs and correlates it so to speak. This is the ultimate traffic director when it comes to your home theater and I suggest you spend a good portion of your home theater budget making sure that this is a good quality part.

Speakers are where your sound will flow. One of the best things to me about a home theater is the ability to experience surround sound very similar to what I experience in theaters while having the ability to put my feet up or snuggle under blankets (which simply can’t be achieved in a theater). Speakers come in all shapes and sizes and are also quite personal for some consumers while give and take for others. You can purchase these are part of a kit in order to make the selection process easier.

Finally, you have your DVD player or recorder. If high definition is important to you, you now have that option. If your television isn’t HD ready or capable, I’d pass and go for an older (less expensive) model of DVD player until something more up-to-date is called for. These items are a great start for any home theater and you can build, expand, and upgrade over time for an even better system. Enjoy!