we often become a big movie fan, and watch the show is one of the things we want to do with our children. Couples who could have appointed a new 1200 square foot addition at the rear of their homes as the area of entertainment, but they put the architect suggested a more isolated from the main residence, such as the crawlspace.
As crawlspace, the one in Holmes' house was not in shape to handle the big screen and surround-sound system, let alone a group of people. For starters, the ceiling is too low, which means that space must be explored by three feet. Walls and floors should be added, as well as lighting and ventilation. And the whole area will need to be transferred from top to bottom for all audio and video equipment that will eventually occupy it.
This will be a major effort to change the dark, dreary living room into something friendly, but Jim and Jannette sure that the lower level is the best place for home theater. Located far from the rest of the house, the basement will allow them to entertain friends without waking the children and to design but they were like without having to blend in with traditional decorations on the top floor.
Home Theater Tech Trim Budget Choices
Timing could not be better to call home systems installer to start planning boards. Working with an unfinished area will be like having a blank paper for the team at Media Connections from Teaneck, NJ. "We have a great idea for space," said Duane Smith, director of the company. "We thought about putting in a screen that will drop down from the ceiling and use a high-end video projector."
But the Holmes family is shelling out top dollar to create a habitable basement. "We must be careful about keeping costs down system," Smith notes. Does not mean skimping on quality but rather design a space in a slightly different way than originally planned. "Improving the screen to the wall than it motorizing to lower the ceiling is a huge cost saver, as it uses $ 350 handheld remote control instead of $ 4000 touchscreen controller style." Choosing a single chip DLP projector instead of three-chip models also help to save us more than $ 10,000.
Media Connection complete system with five simple but packed with performance surround-sound speakers from TruAudio, Sony audio / video receiver, Sony five-disc DVD / SACD changer, VCR and Sony high-def cable box.
"When all is said and done, we cut the cost of the room as much as 75 percent of our initial plan," said Smith.
Style, color and tone of the room, however, make it look like something much more expensive. Jannette chose warm colors for walls and ceilings to the rooms comfortable and cozy incorporated sections and two yellow sun many chairs for seating. The cross section sat on 8-inch platform, so that even if the kids are laying on the couch, they can see on the head of my mother and father sat in a chair in front.
Jim and Jannette even get better bang their money with activities other than designing the house to watch the movie theater. "We thought we would get more use out of the room also makes it a comfortable place to hang out in," explained Jim. Swivel chairs so that they can deal with a sofa, gave some good places to communicate with friends. And when they just want to relax with music, speakers TruAudio same movie dialogue and effects of fire into the room can fill the room with songs of their favorite. In the future, they plan to change the other areas in the basement to the gym, a 18-by-20-foot area really versatile.
Audio Distribution Throughout the House
Home theater is only one place where music filled the air. A distribution system Crestron route multidisc audio from a CD changer and radio tuner in the home theater to every room of the house, and outside. "We like all kinds of music," says Jannette. "Rock, pop, Jimmy Buffett, anything."
Speaker planted into the ceiling and walls throughout the home, and weather-hardy unit attached to the outside. "The external speakers to get the most use," Jannette continues. "We use it almost every weekend." Using wall-mounted keypads, family members can sign system, selecting the music source and told where to go-everywhere, or just one room. Some keypads scattered throughout the residence, so there is always one nearby.
If the family in the mood for something special, they can see the song titles on the CD changer from a touch screen mounted on the wall in the kitchen or in the home theater. Touchscreens recently installed in place of some Holmeses keypads that can cross through 200-plus collection of CDs faster and easier. "We found that the keypads okay to turn on the system, adjust the volume and skipping tracks," Jim explained. "But touchscreens allow us to see what songs we wear."
Another recent upgrade is AudioRequest hard disc drive music server. CD families were gradually converted to MP3 and burned onto the drive. After they were all there, the songs can be grouped into playlists that Jim and Jannette can access from touchscreens. The couple also will be able to choose songs by artist and genre. "Plus, I'll be able to put all iTunes to the system.
Tech Upgrades to Family Room
While theater and whole house music system either keep entertaining family, Jim and Jannette know they can also benefit from electronic updates in the family room. "This is a place where children spend most of the time, so it is very important that the room had a good system, too.
The room sports 50-inch plasma TV, a high definition cable box with digital video recording, and Sony VCR and DVD player, providing a lot of family entertainment hissed. On the ceiling audio speakers switch from film to music, such as speakers at the lower level home theater, and the same type used to control remote teeth.
It's a setup that match Jim Jannette and lifestyle to the "T." Although the components that make up their entertainment systems may not be too sophisticated, together they create a comfortable home environment, easy to manage and best of all, fun.
Throughout this process, we've learned that having a good system is less about equipment and more about how you will use the room. For Holmes's family, it is more important that their entertainment systems easy to use and comfortable to live together rather than expensive and complicated. people may not have to spend dollars on the home theater, speakers and controls, but when the projector fires up, or music drifted into the porch, they feel like they've hit the jackpot. Black sofa design from ashley furniture.