Cheshire Cinema

Residential

The Brief

The brief was to create a dedicated room where the family, particularly the children, could watch TV shows, movies and play music or computer games. As this project was to be above a separate garage building away from the main house, the family would be able to use the room without fear of disturbing others.

The Proposal

The client had specific requirements for the ability to view Sky+HD, DVD, Xbox, PS3 and Wii. The aim was to keep everything simple, without everyone having to understand the complexities of the system or needing to use a multitude of remote controls. As the room was also going to have a pool table, it was important that the system could be used without necessarily having to dramatically reduce all of the lighting. The furniture and interior design was to be minimal without too much furniture on show.

The Technology

We needed to provide a multi-purpose room that could be used for dedicated viewing on a large projection screen whilst other activities such as a game of pool were going on in the background. To achieve this we designed a system utilising both a 50” Pioneer plasma TV and a 100” Screen Research projection screen with a SIM2 Domino DLP projector. Both screens displayed sources in HD (excluding Wii), with video both HDMI and component video switching. An Arcam DVD and AV receiver combination formed the basis of the AV system, with a dedicated Sky+HD receiver and games consoles including a Sony PS3, Microsoft XBox and Nintendo Wii.

The Installation

In addition to these sources, we integrated the clients’ existing Sonos music player into the system to provide audio from their main collection. For safety and practical reasons, floor standing and in-wall speakers were ruled out for this system – Artcoustic wall mounted speakers being chosen to provide the front left, front right, centre and surround channels. Two Linn Sizmik subwoofers located discreetly in the front furniture unit provided low frequency duties. All equipment was housed within the furniture below the plasma TV, with a simple pelmet detail constructed to hide the motorised projection screen. To provide simple one-touch control of the system a hand-held RTI controller and processor were installed. A user could simply select which display they wanted to use and then which source – the system then automatically configured and displayed the relevant controls for the chosen source. The remote also allowed control of the Rako lighting system that was installed to adjust light levels from the comfort of the sofa. When the system was switched off, the lighting in the room was automatically turned on.

The Follow Up

This simple but effective system allowed the family to enjoy movies and other entertainment in a dedicated room.

What our clients say about us

“From design through to implementation, the Sensory team provided a seamless delivery experience. The enjoyment of our media room is one the whole family now experiences.”

Private Client