Electronic House - September 2010

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ELECTRONIC HOUSE

HOMES OF THE YEAR

43 PART THREE Seekinghigh-tech fun? Four awarrlwinningprojects showcase tabtheme theaters and cleverlunrooms.

eo 44 Theme Theater GOLDeo 48 Theme Theater SILVER610 50 Theme Theater BRONZE

eoo 52 Fun Room GOLDIS 54 FunRoomSILVER

ENERGY MANAGEMENT

0 0 56MAKING SAVING EASY Anew wave Of energy monitoringand managementsystems promise moneysavings will1 ease and convenience.

SPECIAL 3D SECTION60 3DTV Every1tl ingyoo need to know about liaving 3Dinyour home,and sou don't need special grasses to read it

e 61 10Things to Know a!loul 30

IS 64 Where's the Content?e 66 Cool 30 HomeInstalls

HOME OF THE MONTH

610 0 70 BENDING THE RULES Anew LivSyslemprovides Chicago homeowners with everything tlley need atatouchofabutton: audiolvideo, lighting, heating ardcoolingcontrol-and the ability to change the settings on the fly.

ON THE COVER J;.Theme Theaters page 443D Coverage pages 38, 60Energy savers page 56DIY Theater page 78


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ELECTRONIC HOUSE SEPTEMBER 2010

Departments

HOMEFRONT

10 UGHTlNG Getting moreout of your fixtures.12 AUTOMATION Using iPads,iPhones and Facebook.

QUICK HITS

14 COOL THINGS Fine hrllishings, projectors and more.32 ANATOMYLESSONVideoprojection screens.:J4 INNOVAnoNSLEDand

body area networks.88 PARTlNG SHOTS Poolswith home theaterpizazz.

COLUMNS8 EDITOR'SNOTEFindyour

go-to guys.

20 NEAR FUTUREBack tovinyl?22 GREEN TECHWindowtreatment automation.24 INDUSTRY INSIDER TIle

benefitsofpayingmorefor a N.

EHIDEAS26 VISUAL CUES An audiO!video system entertains andpreted'S.28 SKY-HIGHSPEAKERSHorsearena gets a helpingetnnes.

REVIEWS

36 EUTE SCREENS EZFrameprojection screen.37 RBH SOUND83OO-SEIRloudspeakers.:)8 PANASQNIC& SAMSUNG

3D Plasma V$. 3D LCD.

DIY (DO-ITYOURSELF)78 THEATERKick-assvenuercrzz.80 HELPEasy masking for

your projectionscreen.

IN EVERY ISSUE82 Showcase83 Installer Dire<:lory

87Advertiser's Index

16


5. . tELtwtu

.....,'ESERLES

Love at First Sight!

Factors necessary for a healthy relationship: Love, Trust, Respect, Commitment,

and a truly phenomenal music and home theater system that doesn't

dominate the living space. As fans of 'happily ever after: we kept this in

mind designing Special Edition (SE) speakers: Soft edges, clean lines,

refHence quality components, an easy-to-live-with footprint for the

subwoofer and gorgeous real wood veneer cabinets! Sound quality?

"rbese speakers mastered the frequency spectrum, from top to bottom,"

says Home Theater. Price? An SE system leaves room in the budget for

that romant ic vacation you promised.

ParadigmTHE ULTIMATE IN SOUN D fOR MUS IC AND HOME T H EAlE A ~

For more i n f o visit ww w.pa radigm .com

ss S,b " PBK~

R E A D Y

Paradigm penect Bass K~~ Digital Room Correctioo system

Paril<ligm: Rateod t1 Prir:eNalue for Twenty Yea~! The on ly >peake<brand to achoE.>ve l.U<hsua"". In5i<k Track """""I~t natoonWJdeSUrvE'y 0/ consume< electronics Sj'leClaiisl re1a;~ and c...slam instal~


Volume 25 No.5 September 2010

EDITOR Usa Montgomery 269.465.5230

Imootgomery@ehpub ,com

SENIOR EDITOR Steve Castle 978.632.6409

MANAGING EDITOR Arlen Schweiger, x250

EDITOR AT LARGE Julie Jacobson 651.275,9564

WEB EDITOR Steve Crowe, x330

ART DIRECTOR Dorian Gilliitz, x288

ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Katie Stockham , x257

ADVERTISING SALES

NATIONALNP SALES Steve Nesbill, x248

EAST Martin M. Cohn, x235

CENTRAL Gary Schroeder 800.615.3188

WEST/CANADA Ray Lyons , x29 7

AD PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Manuela Roseogard. x226

AD PRODUCTION MANAGER Jason Utch field , x252

CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER Jeffrey Miller, x253

INTERNET

DIRECTOR OF ONLINE SALES Jeff Fox. x324

SENIOR INTERNET PRODUCT MANAGER Guy Caiola. x232

WEB ART DIRECTOR John Brillon, x263

WEB DEVELOPER Peter Smith, x325

AD TRAFFIC KING lauren McDonald , x305

PRESIDENT Kenneth D. Moyes, x222

VP FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION Steve Martini, x328

EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER , CE DIVISION Kevin McPherson, x264

VP MARKETING Christine Ayers

VP AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT Elizabeth Crews, x256

MARKETING DIRECTOR Karen Bligh, x309

INSTALLER DIRECTORY, LIST RENTALS & CUSTOM REPRINTS

Ellen Cotten, [email protected], x240

Subscript ion Inquiries 800,305.0633

www.electronichOllse.com/customerservice

EH Publ ishing, Inc.

111 Spoon Street , Suite 200, PO. Box 989

Framingham, MA 01701-2000

508.663.1500 . Fax 508.663.1599

www.etectrorucnccse.ccm

PROUD MEMBER OF


Perfectly Positions TVEasilyadjust height and level aftermounting with ProSe(P.I technologywithout re-drilling or removing TV

Easy To Center On WallM0011 design allows TV to shift leftand right fO( perfect placement, evenwith on-centerstuds

Model XF228

- Flawless FinishRevolutionary FoliowThru1\lchannel conceals and protectscables, even through the elbow~I

I•

SANUS VISIONMOUN-r' FUll·MOTION MOUNTS PROVIDE OPTIMAL VIEWING

ANGLES FROM ANYWHERE INTHE ROOM. Extend and retract them. Tilt and

swivel them. Move them with smooth, effortless motion. The amazing

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EDITOR'S NOTE

EVERYBODY HAS THEIR OWN GO-TO PEOPLE. They might be the friends

who will lloat you a loan, watch your dog for the weekend and provide good , so lid

advice- and only when you ask for it . I've got my group of go-tos for all that stuff.

.Job related , there 's another group th at includes some (If my favorite custom elect ron

ics professional.. (CE pros). ThL"iC are the guys I cali on regu larly for their input on

stories, to run ideas pa...t a nd to pester for cool projects to profile. They're always

willing to help and are ju...t pla in friendly about it .

Over the co urse of my l;}-or-so years with E/ectn m ic House, I've assembled a

small a rmy of faves. Alter a recent t rip to Chicago, I've added two to the group of

golden boys: Geo rge Velazque'i: and Eric Wolfram. They' re both from Integrisys.

the firm that designed and ins talled the electronic systems for th is issue's 1I0me

of the Month (see page 70).

Their work in that house w a,s impres...lve, but it was the visit to their offices that

convinced me that these guys are the real deal . As proud a.. they were of that home,

th ey were j ust as stoked about their bIL..iness-c-not j us...t the glitzy demo area or the

shiny SL.'lCk of brochures on the rec epuon des k- but th e back areas of the offlce

space , like the garage where they rec eive product shipments, the area where they

test systems before delivery, engineering , storage, etc .

Re markably, it VIa'; t he first time a CE pro had taken me into the bowels or thefr

bu...ines s, and I'm glad I1ll'Y did. It completely changed 111e way I look at projects.

That swanky roll-up screen in a home theater is just surface stuff, now l113t I real

ize there are so many other details involved in getting to that fantar..tic end result ,

a huge percentage of whic h happens before the product even get... to your door.

Simple things like the way Integr isys labels and track... products-e-thete's no way

something will ever gel misplaced or dispa tched to the wrong house. Cu...to nier

problems are dealt with ~wiftly, thank... to a digital stock ticker that streams stanu..

reports 2417 on every system they've installed .

The office lrself is completely automated, with the same syste m and software

I1K'Y use in clients ' homes-c-not just the demo area (which i.. impress ive) hut L'VCry

individual office, the contcrence mom and the bath room. Pluss , they've added some

of their own unique twists U) illustrate the full potent ial of their system and their

programming expertise. For cxampte, each employee has his or herown rard, which

i.. passed th rough a scanner; to gain access into the building. After determining who

111e user b , the automation system sets the lights, motorized shades and nueec in tna t

person'soffice to his or her prep rogrammed pre ferences .

It's all very s liek, but don 't let those smoke a nd mirrors cloud your judgment. My

advice :A..k to see those back mom.... YOU jlL'4. llk"\Y flndyourown go-to h'uys.

-s-Lisa M O"fll [jtfflUflY

8 ELECTRONIC HOUSE September 20 10

Go-To Guys


Audition the new CI 700 Series at your authorized Bowers & Wilkins

dealer soon. Your ears and your eyes will thank you.

www.bowers-wilkins.com

Thin bezels,not thin sound.

B&W Bowers&Wilkins

·VotedI I Over;)NLOIJCispeaker Brand,Inside r,ack~ 2010dei/ler Sllflley.•

-_.~-c -•' I' --.--

Introducing B&W's

revolutionary new CI 700

Series. These speakers

set new standards for

performance, visual appeal

and ease of installation.

Based on technology proven in our acclaimed CT 700 Series theater

speakers, the CI 700 models are our first with fu lly eng ineered

enclosures to assure sonic quality in every installation. The CI 700

Series consists of three timbre matched wall and ceiling models,

affording a wide range of solutions on their own or in combination

with the CT 700 Custom Theater models.


Reduce Cost of camera s . Ughtscan be used to illuminate the area in question following an alarm. This can eliminate theneed for relatively cosily night-vision cameras.- Jason Knott

Fire Escape . When a fire alarm trips,pathway lighting can guide your familyout ofasmoke-filled home.

Remote Keyfob. A' welcome" modecan be activated using a remote keyfob, whichwill illuminate certa in lights before you even getto the door.

Pathway Lighting. The system can beprogrammed to create pathway lighting that islinked to motion sensors. Wllen the systemis in"Sleep" mode,the perimeter security isactivatedwhile the interior motion sensors are off.This al lows you to move around thehomeat night without tripping an alarm.

Programmable Dimmers!Switches .~ ocIivatioo of an aIann,a11dimmersand switchesca'1 be programmed to automatically g::l to "fIJ I00" levels. They can be autornaticaJlykx:ked so the inln.der carmllum off the lights.

BETTERPROTECTION

Timed Lighting When You'reAway. When the system isin "Away"rrooe,vanoos 1i\tTIs can be timed 10 go on andoff rardomly togwe the appearaoce thaisonene is me.

One of the greatest deterrents to nighllime residential crimeisillumination. Ask your security installeror horne systems integrator eoon tying yoor horne'slights into astandardsecurity system.

LIGHTING+ SECURITY

Fla shing Exterior Lights. Whena door or window isopened, selected lights canbe programmed to flash. Lights for landscaping,front porches,garages and front windows not onlyscare the intruder,but make it easier for pol ice tofind the house and alert neighbors of a potentialproblem.

(2 . From Germany comes the OeToma 000aluminumspeakerllq,ts.available inpendant andwall·mounted models. Both wealtler· resislant lJ1itsa~ailalJle n srceeeo or brushed a1umnurn---l1clOOetwo 35·walt amplifiers andaaso-cecee omnidirectional speakerwilhalumirkJrn cone. Included speakercorrection software lets IJSefS corect fnQJercIresponse andother parameters on Itte fly.$2,700 per pair Iwww.detoma.com

•

LIGHTING

~ 4 . Replace rose can li\tl tswith doutPie-duIy kl ipsdl UghtSpeakers,l'hJich screw into ordinary recessed lighting receptacles and matclllhe

otherdownhgl1ts in theceiling,K1ipsdlpacks a1O-walt LED, 20-waltampl ~ier and V>ireleSS tectvJology into thescrew-in speakers From

acontrol base or handheld remote~nduded) cses can seect up totwo sources andzones. andcontrol theaudio volume andlights.SS9!l 1or two-speakerkit Iwww.lightspeakers.com

3 . Thistall, look lorArtison MusicLites.deVeloped in conjunction with OsramSylvania.Like the K1ipsch LighlSpeaker,lheIIltisoo product iearces a lO-wallLID, 70mm loudspeaker,w~eless audioreceiver and remote control ,Price TBA I WNW.artisonusa.com

Double But)'If you're already installing loudspeakers in the ceiling, on thewallsand behind the couches, why not also put them to woocas lamps? With LEOs becoming so inexpensive, small andpowerful, these little light sources make pertect additions 10

sound fixtures mounted just where you want them.

HOMEFRONT

• ...-----.............::1. Place these $oondolief Duo Wirelessspeaker lamps justbehind thesola

10 gM! you readlng lights and rearsurrolIld sound.A3,5mm jack 00

the base 01the lamp can beusedtoadd aSlbwoofer, additiOnaleene

millers.ordirect hookl.4l of your iPod.PlayStaboo,or other hlp ceece.

$JOO plusa $100 wireless lransmitlerwww.soondolier.com

10 ElECTRONIC HOUSE S~pt~mbe ' 20 10 EHlnslallers.CO MScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

•

You won't find a moreengaged buying audience

n r

Control &Automation

AIV Systems &Home Theater

Home HealthTechnologies

Networking &Communications

~~

HomeEnhancements

DIgital MediaContent

EnergyManagement

Security& Safety

Interested in finding out how to advertise in Electronic Houseor any of our other publications? If the answer is yes, pleasecontact Steve Nesbitt at [email protected].


HOMEFRONT AUTOMATION

TAKING YOUR SOCIAL CUESYou've just oownloal!ed agreat song from Rhapsody,You'd like torecommend it toyour circle of

friends,so you jump 011 Facebookand post your opinion. Your kids just got home from school,and theytweet tolet you know they're okay, Social networKing has changed the way we communicate,andmore home cootrol systems are incorporating arcs for it.

CootroI4 offers downloadable appliCatiOnS 10" Facebook,YOuTlJJe,Twitter and AiCkr."Horrleov.Tlers willbeable toaccess these saes direc1ly from their home control oecnsceers andottJer i1terlaces,"says JeffDugan,vice JX'esideot for pro:luct management "On an even higler level, the cootrol system will beable tocmrmncee certain things aIxJul }OO" bene automatically, like sending you atweet when asecuity sensornotices trn.t the kids have arrived heme from schOO. Or there might bean app that allows certain securitycameras to lake smpshots Oike of aparty at your pool) and post 1hem on Facebook."

Control4 expects a number ofsocial networking apps tobeavailable through itS 4Store online appstore this year (www:conlT0/4.com) .

Home control manufacturer Crestron reports that anumber 01 custom electronics professiooals areincorporating social networking features into its high-end home control system."We've seenthem useitso that when,for example,you 've just downloaded The HllrlLocker,the system will automaUcal lysend atweet: savs Crestron design engineer George Tucker.

One manufacturer offering social networking as part of its technolOgypackage is Sonos.The company's S5 wireless whole-house music system integrates Twitter,which enables users tosend thename and artist of the trackthey're playing directly totheir network

Some Good,Clean FunBemotes, Phcoes, iPads and cell

phones are great tools forcontrolling yoor home.00 take pood

care ofthem.

e Jayson Small ofAOObe Cinema

&Autorr'Iatkx1 in Mashpee,Mass.,recommends laying an antiglare

film($15 from thePwiestcre)on

the screen ofyoor iRxl,iPhone,

iPOO1ro::h or iPad. "Th is will

protect thescreen from scratchesand can be deaned with adry or

slightly damp mcrottercom."

e Ever lose agadget towater

damage? Acrocuct called

theBheestie Bag ($20, 1m'W,

bheesIie.ccn1) promises to dry

out elecmnc devices. Just take

out the oottery, drop the deviceinto the bag and let itsitovemight

Water absorbing beads pull out

themoisture.

e Fitaclearcovefoyeryourre

male toprevent abuild-Up of!J.Xlk.

'lOO can effiity wipe aWff'J the

grime with ahousehok:I cleaner.

cOIrO/?5 AUTOMATIONIVI5H L.I5T

I admit it,l'm a nag. But if an automationsystem reminded my kids to pack their back

packs, grab theirband instruments and tie

their shoesbefore botting out thedoor, theymight listen. I'd like the announcement (in avoiceother than my own, of course) to comethroughan in.ceiling speaker planted above~--

the service door.

Have some ideas of your own? We'd love tohearabout them. -Lisa [email protected] -

STORMY liIeATHeR.In Michigan, the weather can tum on a dime-:-and every yearwe losea patio umbrellato thewind because we didn't close it up in time,If theumbrella could be automated to closewhenever it got too windy, we'd save abundle.

PARTY-peRfeCT PICTURes.I'd get a lot moreenjoymentfrom my digitalphoto frame if it wereautomated. The samePARTY button that activates the lights and setsthe music could tum on the frame and start a _slideshow.~_ _

MORNING ANNOUNCeMeffTS.

"""\\\\ \\ \ 1 11111

1'~II"~bV~UVVV6UUU~~ ' ~

..... Weather stations: An elec-

•••• tronic weather station (seewww.weatherhawk.col1t) can measure thecurrent conditionsand feed that information toyour home automation

system. All kindsofcool things can happen: the

windows can shut if it's 100 cold, the sprinklers can

turn off if it's raining,theairconditioning can kick on

when it'shot.

Automate

•Gates: Have your automation system

open and dose the gate (www.mighly

mule.CQIT/) based 00 the timeofday or whenever you

hitthe PAATY button on ahome control keypad.

m Snow Melt: There's no need to flip a

~ switch to melt thesnow off your driveway

and sidewalks. When a weather station detects

snow, it can signal your home automation system,

which in tum can activate asnow-melt system

(www.warmzone.coni) .

.6. Gas Fireplace: Handheld remotes are

U available with many models ofgas fifeplaces

(www.fireplacesnow:coml,butthehearthcanlight

automatically if the room temperature falls below a

certain level. Or have ittum 00 every rTlOO'Iing or night,

then tumoff when~ arm~r security system.

Thefirst items people usuallyconsider automat-

ingare lights and thermostats. This makes a101of

sense,bullook around. You can automate almostanything, from windows and wealhervanes 10 gales

and gas fireplaces.Thoughthemore components

you automate, the more time your custom electron·

lea (GE) pro willhavetospend programmingyoursystem. Itadds up,so be sure there are some real

benefits behind your ideas.

mWindows: Need fresh air? By

adding amotnzeo crank(check cx.rtwww.wintrol.cotrf}to yourwifldolNs,you can take

advantage ofacool breeze without lifting afinger. Your

automation system can open and shutthewindows

atpredetermirled times ofday.Add amoisture sensor,

and they can close at the first drop ofrain.

12 ElECTRONIC HOUSE S~pt~mbe , 20 10 EHlnslailers.COMScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

•


COOLTHINGSTHELATESTHIGH-TECHGEAR

BASIC BEAUTY

The BFVl45 Audio Video Stand isthe first insanus Systems' Foundations Basic series furnitureline. The BFV can beyour mediaroom's BFF atan attractiveprice, and can hold aTV up10 52

inches-or you can start loadingit with electronics and/or centerchannel speakers, because thelop-shelf capacity is150 pounds.The middle and bottomshelvescan support 50 and75poullds,respectively. Thetempered glass ~makes for anice decorative ~

element, and seus says theShelves are shatter resistance.Still, take care when youPlOPthats-cnener amplifier on it.$269, www.sanus.com

•

PROJECTORS FOR EVERYONE

51M2 has added seven projectors In itsMico and C3X lumis tines. Withreenses including 3X [)ar1(. Chi1l 4, PureLED technology, LAN and wireless connectivitv, and dll/ll-prqector 3D, there's amodel tor most luxuryorreeerce theater installs. Pert1aps the mostcompelling model isthe

C3X Lumis 30($79,999). The dll/ll-projectDr nxxIeI brings rejeerce

passive 30tosmall prolessiooal theaters and high-end custom homecinemas. The two projectors are mounted on acustom assembly withmicrometric adjus1menls for op1imum convergooce.. other models incllX!e: lk10 and Hyper-Golor intheLumis; and MiCO 50, MiCO ccorect60

inthe MiCO line. $21,995 to$79,999, www.sim2usacom

TAKING A STAND

PolkAlXlio's An A9 isan example 01how speaker tTlalWfacturers haveevolved their in-room products for aderoogl'llliJiC \hatdemands sleeK deSign, unobtrusive room integration andreasonable prices. Standing just uoe49 inches, the An A9 has acabinet

depth of21 inches and awidth ofaOOUl9 inches. The speakercomblnes three

7-inch JX)Iymer~e wooferS, two5.25-inch polymer-eomposile midrangedrivers andasingle l -inch silk-IXl!ymer,COO1lXlSite dome tweeter. PowerPortPlus technology helps reprodoce afreQuency response 01 18Hz lD 27kHz, andaptions for bi-wiring comectivity will

please audiophiles. $1,69!IIpair,

www.poIkaudio.com

SEISMIC SHIFT

Tllinkilg about retreshillg your Iand&:ape? Rock 0fI with EartIxluake Somd's lnnite-S2 ROCK-onspeakers, apair oI2-way, full-range models that fea!lKe 5.25-inch woofers and halt-inch Mylar

tweeters. The Gr<v1ites can serve as left and rigtI speakers and have afrequency response of50Hzto21 kHz todeliver solid outdoor dynamics. Made with IN-treated, weather-resistant erclosurematerials and durable epoxy resin construction, the Gtanite-52s can withstand demanding outdoor e1ements.l\r(I,ofcourse, their appearance can easJly blend with yolI" outdoor environmentDimeRSiORS run8-5 xas x9inches.$399Ipair, wwwearthquake$OlJf.com

0(

14 ELECTllONIC HOUSE Septem ber 2010 EHlnslallers.COMScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

WEUCONNECTEDHEALTHMONITORINGThere art! many S)'StemS

on the mane! that aJlow

you tomonitor the wel

being ofan aging IoYed

one. HcrNever.aweless Ilea/1h "1)11;101 i Ig

system !rom IdeaI I..ife

isone of the lew thai

can comOU1licate OWl'

suchawide variety of

""""'-The sssren is

compatiblewith ammmication brands i1-- - "'"""'"OnclOOing iPads~AT&T,Cricket.GoogIe,KTG.lG,Nokia, Motorola, RIM,

.........""" '""son,Sprint, T-Mobi le,US Gellular,Verizon andVIrgin Mobile.

The cxmectiYity isrrece possible viaIdeal

U1e's ITKIbilea~1ions <Ild cellu1ar-based

gateway,the Ideal UIeMobile Pod.

The oesce gath-

ers data from medical

devices, including aglOOlll1eter,bocIy weight

scale, andblood pressurereader. The devices trans·mit their readingswire

IessIy tothe Mobile Pod,

whk:tl thefI sees 1hedataout .,COIllPlllers.cell~ <Ild otherITKIbile devices.

The Mobile Pod alsOsupports two-way c0m

munication, so caregiv

ers can sendremindersIII thepatient'sdevice,<n:I the patientcanItspOi lll. For weeessrelated deYices, like

pedometet S, usersClIl Wlltct with their

frien:Is arllI lamilyviasociaJmedia sites ~ke

Twitter and FacetIook.

WEB ON THE WAY

natwy? 'lOO C3I view web WIeos 001hego withhe KUa TV nm 5mga11e.1l'sa4.3-i1dlpIget Ilal:I'JeUjes aJ.S-ft:h Y-a*Ir

tl£1WCbL A,e1lae:t3t*:iWf'i bOOStB allle.."sbal\Pll!llS lie wi ' sg-a !:PI alleasI20

potu"1heWI '1"""1 claims. More Ilan 500leleii$iOi Idlalla ale lJUl4llld !:PI lDJ'lIr) tan

!Jaoecn:ItJPiCS \like news, spats, tilIal ICl!j, cn:Ithede'o'ice teatans a1lliII-i1 tetIfry tie fA up .,

bJ InJ'S olW1lirlJcu!> play. 1lJefe'S also 2GB 01i,la lIal menllllY cn:IaMicro SO Cal1I SlOt. $1$

""""""'"••

-I

ETHOS IN SOUND AND ART

Some Wlspeakers CM l:kUJIe as~Iikewort<s 01 crt Mati:t.ogal koowsaI alX:luI:thiS,

haW1g rete I~ alkled allOhl gem III its lXlIIec:tiort

theE\h:ls ITllXIeI, Midll3ries b1Il8SllOCtsoItheCOi ,IJOMr'S IIa!Jship a.x speaket Dei.a i IQ sweetSOU1dS ale teaILm provKied !:PI Mal1it.l:lg<wl'SXStal: elEdloslalicB::h~ Ii!jtisg-a pro

cessilQ cn:IYqtko Q"OS:SOIM networt.The tansace sla'1lIs .u me, is9.2 inctles wile,cn:I isIlOI..tSEd II.,aunrun Ai'flall e.The all)i leerS

deCI : Ihe gauge lIiUJ llSS 01 he sleeI stam

SOtheelEdlc&abt panels pUll avi1uaI V<IIislillOj

actwtlile you're isIei illg.$6,49&pai:,

~

•

niX FOR THE MEMORIES :::------_JNow that you've go!the30TV, it's timetl~ 1he res! 01)00"NVsssen some atlellti:l L~ hasyoucoeee wi1h itsKT-S9DJTHX rome 1heaIer system. The kitcomes wi1h seven Il:lIIlspeakers a12-i1ChSliMOOIe( and a3Ikeady rec:eMlt With II that ilone pad<age, you1 be<de ID recece ITI<I1y 01)00" exist-

ilg WllIXIl!l iIs ilone SIi:Jl Also, this s,'sI£m hasTHX VS Plus tu UficaOOl LAside from 1he VS ri IIee) ated

s,'sI£m1exira, the,eoeioer ilc:Uiesno: SmOlRI EX. 'MiJus THX isleiillQ rnxIes, alii THX I..olmess Pmfou' tIM 1.4aqm willigesl: althe 3D you CM feed t. $1 .099.~

FLY ON THE WALL

NINO Tedl iOb;lieS hasunveiled atwist ifl iPod00d00g Ioonats: theWall-Mcu1Ied NuVoDock. It's001 theusual n-wall or Iable-stMd~ but anon-waU iPod OXking station.The doCk comes IIwired and weeess models. Uke all01NuVo's iPod

docks,thisone uses NINONet smart source communication for control and navigatiOn

from aNINO control pal. Browse you" entire music library by artist, song. allium,genre, .......playlisl or favorites,and put anew spillon you" NuVo Renovia, Grand CorlcefIo or Es- L _sentia distributed audiO system$499,www.~com

ELEC'TllONICHOUSE-com 15Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

BIG·T1MECAMEOS

Part 01 the attraction ofCrestron's cameo wireless dimmers andswitchers, aside from justdoing their job, isthatthe products leabJre Crestron's Inlinet EX wireless mesh networK technology. Thistechnology allows upto 100devices tobe connected toasinglegateway and toact as wireless extenders and keypads within aCres1ron automation system.Thereare pleRty ofcolors available,too. Buttons can becustom engraved so you're never guessingwhat will be triggered when you pressone. Variable-intoosity LEO

indicators give you instant feedback, and thebrightness can be adjusted tosuit your room environment $lBOtoS23O, www.crestron.com

HOMIFRIENDLY, NOT A'KlillR'Have youheard ofHOBaseT? You may llave read that irs an"HOMI killer," asmany in me media would lead you to believe.

tn fact, tile technology-which can deliver HOMI signals overa single cat5 cable----requires an HOMI chipset atbott1 the transmitting (source) and receiving (display) ends, just like any otherHOMI-over·cat 5solution.

Granted, the HOMIstack canbehidden inthe source anddisplay,exposing only a single eat5 connecter rather than anHOMI port.

So, while HOBaseTin itscurrent iteration will not replace HOMI\ethnology, it may end up supplementing the current HOMIcabling options,especially the wide variety ofHOMIextenders usedrcr longer distances.

Inany case, UWe're oottrying tobe an HOMI extender," saysMiclla Risling, VP ofsales and marlleting tor Valens semiconduc

tor, which developed HOBaseT. "It'sonly one segment that we'reafter simply because we cen."

In theHOBaseTuniverse, video, audioand related data signalsare processed by the HOMI chip asusual, and HOBaseTtakes itfrom there.

In addition toHOMI pass-ttrolIgh, thetechnology delivers:

• Uncompressed video including 4Kx2K resolution,HOMIpass-through and 30support + audio + 100BaseT Ethernet+ IRiserial control + power (up to 100 watts) ... alloverasingle cat5 cable

• Extreme transmission cstsrces ofupto100 meters (330 feet)• Potentially astandard that studios and CE manufacturers

can embrace. - JulieJacobsen

MORE UNIVERSAL APPEAL

AIxIut ayear ago, Oppo Oigital released one oftile first universal p1ayers-the very afford

able BOP-83.11 included BIll-ray disc, SAGO and DVD-Audio pla~k, andhas praisedfrom all comet'S. The company recently upped the oewrrerce ante with the BDP-83 seeCial Edition unit.Oppo llP9raded thepower supply before moving on 10 itsdigital-ro-analogconverters (DACs), whiCh eeneo higher performing Sabre DACs from ESSTechnolOgy.

Video fean.es includeVAS byAnchor Bay processing, plus stretch mode for a2.35:1aspect

ratio both sure to attract CinemaSCope fans. $899, www.oppodigital.com

RETURN OF LASER

After halting productioo 01 itsteseae HDTV,Mitsubishi isback with anew andimproved

version--one now ready fIX" 3D, as well. The model isawfJOWing 75 inches (previOuSly 65)and also manages to exceed Energy Star qualifications bymore than 50percent, accord

ing tome company. Itemploys "Cinema Color"to maintaindigital cinema color gamut and

rolor JXlints thatare usually COlnJXUrnised duting the rome video mastering process.Therevamped set also ecos StreamTV Internet Media lorinstant access toVoou,Pandora, Flickrand Picasa S5,999, www.mitsubishi-tv.com

MORE COOL THINGS

LONG SHELF UFE

Ifglass shelVing isn't your style, golorthewooden Cirrus 8158 cabinetfrom BDl. Ithassliding doors andIR-friendly gray tinted glass over twocompartments,so you can still use your traditional remote controls tooperate thegear inside. The top 01 the28.5-inch highcabinet can holdaTV up to60inches,and ill themiddlecompar1ment you can stow acenter-chanl1el speaker. There's also amediadrawer loras many as75ofyour faverne Blu-rays, 0V0s and CDs.The unit's back panelsareremovable lorconvenient equipment access.Comes innatural stainedcAerry or espresso on oakveneers. $1,495, www.lJdiusacom

(

16 ELECTllONICHOUSE Septem ber 2010 EHlnslailers.COMScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

SUBSCRIBING TO HULU?You may be abig fan of popular web video service Hulu, but are youabig fan ofpaying $9.99 amonth for it?

After arecent poll on ElectronicHouse.com, the verdict isfair1yspliton whether you'll bite- when asked "Is$10toomuch forHuluPlus?" 42 percent said yes,only 20percent saidno,and 38percent said it dependson thecontent

The content issaid tobe expanded catalogs oftelevision shows,

pastand present,from the libraries ofNBC, Fox and ABC. This means

"season ticket" access tolullseasons of ccrrent hitslike Hoose,FamilyGuy, The Office and Grey'sAnatomy, inhigh-detll also meanslull seasons and lullseries of older lavoriles like The X-Files, Ar

rested Deve/opmefrt, MiamiV"1Ce, Quantum reeieno Ally McBeaJ.The "richlilKary content" touts more tnen 120 seasons and

2,000episodes, so Hulu Plus members shouldhaveenough to

keepthem busyfor awhile.Plus, members will be able toaccess shows frommultiple

devices. 5amsung will carry Hulu Plusas oneof its5amsung Appsas theexclusive invitationpreview provider for connected TVs. Theservice will also be accessible throughSamsunq Blu-rayplayersand theater systems;Apple's iPad, iPhone 3GS and4,and iPodTouch;and "coming soon" Sony's P1ayStation 3,TVsand Blu-rayplayers; Microsoft's xbox 360; andVizio TVs and Btu-ray players.-Arlen SChweiger

NEW SONG FOR ANTHEM ~~

Wellknown lorits preamplifier/processors andamplifier componeots, Anthem ti1iS"entered thereceiver market The Canadia'l company unveiled fOur receivers il itsMRX series(MRX 300,500,700 and000), with each feal1Jing at least seven Channels Of amplification,fOur HDMI ilputsandone outputThe receivers support 30nwes and TV~ when paired with the appropri-ate gear.They also inch.Kle the Anthem Room Correction (ARC) system equaJizatioo,plus DolbyTrueHD, Dolby Pro logK: liz, DTS-HDMasterAudio decoding, andInternet radio. The MRX 700 andMRX 000 scoootHDRadio. S999 to $3,999, wwwan/flemat,:com

SAVVY IPAD DOCKS

Home automation manufacturer savant isditching dedicatedtoLd1pane1s to locus on the iPad as auser inter1ace loritsApplebased control systems,and is trying tocreate awelcoming homeenvironment lorthem.The company introdoced aDesktop Dockand In-Wall Dock tomake it easier loryou toworK the controls onthe iPad'snearty 1Q- illCll screen.The Desktop Dock comes withacharging cradle andpower supply,while the Ill-Wall Dock hasadocking cradle and magnetical lyattached faceplate. The Ill-wallDock supports landscape andportrait configurations and sendsan alert if lheiPad has been removed withOut authorization.$350,In-Wall;$500, Desktop, WWW.savantal(com

VIEWS GONE WIRE! ESS

VIZio went wildwi1I1 wireless prolIucts Ihissummer, unleashingsoundbars andBItJ-ray players tocomplement its bigger deal,a lineofjnterret-comected,L£D-backlit,30LCD flat panels, Both the 42-,47- and55-inch models inthe XVT rine feature an in1egfated WIre

IessHD receiver to scocotawireless connection to an HDSOlI'Ce likeaset-topboxor Bki-ray player. The30TVsalso feature lED backlighting and active-sl1ut1ef glasses. Vizio's IntemetApps can be tawedinto lorstreaming Netflix,VtKlu,PanOOra and other web ~ies .

$1,199 to$2,199, WI+W.wnCOtn

MP.JORPUU

HomeAutamation Inc. (HAl) isrelyingon an age-old technology loritsWirelessDriveway sensor-the earth's magnetic field. In this case, themagnetism isused to detect metal objects (atasensing range Of 12leet), like automobiles inthe drivewayto helpalertfamily members ofvisitors.Tied into thecompany'sDmni orLuminacontrol systems, the driveway sensor can engage lights,videosurveillance cameras andother components. Plus, because the unit iswireless,your cusicnelectronics pro won't have todig upyour rear estate torun call1ing.$239, wwwhomeautacom

ELECTROHICHOUSE.com 17Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®


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NEAR FUTURE

5 FUN ANALOG ACCESSORIESYou can get carried away tweaking aturntable/vinyl system,from the cartridge tothe cables to the tee-cam audiophile-grade LPs, Here are five ilems 10 consider adding:

o Furniture,Avoidadisappointing, and potential lydamaging, vinyl experience by positioning your turntable 00 anextremelystable surface.

o Cleaningkits, Keepyour records runn ing smooth withan assortment of cleaning fluids, wet brushes,dry brushes,ann-stare wipes and other helpers,

o Infoguides, 21$/ GenturyVinyl: Michael Fremer'sPractical Guide to Turntable set-up DVD,lorexample, featureseverything you wanted to know aboul vinyl but were afraidmask

o Cartridge and stylus. Replacing the needle or the cartridge eattocses the needle may be acost-effective wayto upgrade your turntable's performance.

o Frames. Buy inexpensive square frames to create asweet wall ofalbum artwork to stow off.

by Ao1en Schweiger

Rediscover ormake afresh

start in theworld of vinyl

and hear whatyou've been

• •missing.

New Spinon an OldFormat

ThL" space is usually reserved for discussions about

new te<.:hnology. Recently, t ho ugh, I rediscovered an

old technology tha t s till qualifies as n L'W for many

readers, and one that rrecom mend highly as a "near

future" addition to your audio system: vinyl.

A Sony turntable I bought 10 years ago served

me well at the time but had long been removed from

mytheater :o.y.;tem when I got 1.'lZY about replacing it'>

bum needle. Plus, I'd become enamored with :-'l.UTIlUIld

s ound. But thanks to some electronics and speaker

upgrades , and reading constant vinyl evangelism

from ..'>tnHlphiJe'sthirtysomething (my Uh'C) blo~'Cr

Stephen Mejia.'I, the analog bug began biting again.

But aren't turntables , cartr ldges and needles the

kind of pricey gear that only so..called "audiophiles"

invest in, you're thinking?

Yes, there are many types

of 'tables, and costs can

quickly escalate well into

the thousands.

Thl s time around, I fig

ured I'd start at the very

entry level, Mter a $50

Technics turntable find

on Craigslist and a $ 100

Ca mbridge Audio phono

prea m plifier p urcha se

(yo u' ll need one if your

process or or rece iver lacks

a phono s tage) , I wasn't

out a whole lot of money,

and if I ever decide to up

grade, there arc several

respectable turntables in the sub-$400 range .

A>; much as I enjoyed spinning records 10 yean;

ago, the analog epiphany really cold-cocked me this

t ime, Pe rhaps my job has g iven me a greater ap

predation of sound quality, but nstentng to old LPs

through th is nL'W setup wa s nothing short ofnirvana.

It didn't matte r that some a lbums crackled more

than Rice Krlspies-c-the Instruments also snapped

and popped a whole lot better; to o .

Even while lacking the "golden ears" of some

reviewers, it was easy for me- -and mywife-c-tohear

the diffe rences betwee n cn and vinyl versions of

SOllb"'l. T he vinyl soundstage was wider, instrumenta

t ion w1l>; more defined , b uss was tighter, h i-ha t drum

cymbals were thicker and livelier, and dynamic range

was fuller. ~I wonder how much more music that

people say they hate they would actually love if tllCY

listened to it this way,~ my wife said aner I forced

Yes ' prog classic Rounrtutxnu on her.

And record hunting ls almost as fun as record

playing. I've bought IPs purely for the artwork;some

include fancy lyrics booklets; llooh-etul<; came with a

giant Simon and Garfunkel poster! You can discover

gems at flea markets , tag s ales, the Salvation Army

and, ifyou're fortunate, a localrecord shop.At Divinyl

Revolution in Saratoga Springs, N,Y. , this summer

I picked up 14 albums for $2 4.n9, the m<\jorily of

which cos t S I--or the equivalent of a s ingle com

pressed so ng download fro m i1\mes. EH

M ano y h /{} editor A r len Sduoeiqer yiddily

pa id $6 for a pristine copy of Derek und

tius Domin os' (/ouble-LP In Concert.

20 ElECTRONIC HOUSE S~pt~mb~ ' 2010 EHlnstallers.COMScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

Everything you need.Nothing you don't.In tcdav's technologically driven world, there seems to be no end to new "features." AtPotel, we believe less is more. From the luxurious yet user friendly front panels to thesophisticated circuitry inside, our design approach avoids superfluous or never usedfeatures. We focus on the one essential job of a quality audio component- makinggreat sound that stands the lest of t ime.

For nearly five decades, Ratel's design team has agonized over the details to fine tuneeach new product to exacting standards.

Our meticulous attention to wh at truly matters has won us critical acclaim and thesupport of countless Rotel fans around the globe. Whether your passion is music, film,or both, Rotel components will bring you closer to the original event.

jf you would like to know more about our design philosophy and other pert inentaudiolvideo information, sign up for our Rotel newsletter at www.rotel.com.

"With its killerlooks and killer sound, Rotel's sunounasound receiver is an en.eoma showoff."

-Arlen SchweigerEH Magazine - Jan.2010

Signup for our newsletter onl ine

and receive a free download 01

"Home Theater - What youneed to know".

WWW . RO T E L .COM•RCTe:


GREEN TECH

by Steve CastleAutomate Your Savings

Minimizeheating and

cooling costsby automating

your windowshades.

Right: Don't want toful ly automate yourshades? You can putthem on timers, sothey'll go up or downat certa in times tosave you heating, cooling and lighting costs.Or have your electronics installer programspecific scenes. In thi sbedroom, InnerspaceElectronics of PortChester, N.Y., set asummer evening modethat lowers the shadeswhen the owners want.

Can you lise moto rized window treatments to save

energy'? Sure . In a second home in Michigan 's Upper

~nin."\lla, the motorized shades go up or down to help

healorcool a mom, thereby savingef~ HJfexample,

if it's a sunny day in the frigid winter, the shades will

open to let in some heatnom the SUIl. ~Yi lU can sec the

temperature in the mom rise," tJ IC owner says.

This ran hap pen automatically ifa moto rized win

dow trea tment system is connected to a temperature

senson TIle sensor signals Ole ~ystem to raise or lower

Oleshades depending on Ole temperature of the n xun.

Rut the Michigan homeowner prefers to push a few

buttons to raise o r lower the shades. The system

links to a secure web site , so he can control the

shades remotely-but not befo re checking out the

weather conditions via the same web site.

Why go through all that t rouble if the shades

can adju...t automatically? TIle homeowner actua lly

wanted to automate the shades , but his hea ting and

cu oling ~yst.em was unable to communicate with the

shading system. And , he says, his primary concern

during the installation precess was assuring that

the gas-powered hea ting system didn 't fa il when

he wasn't there in the winter.

We hear the..";e stories all the time. Motorized win

dow treatments a re often ire...taIled fo r reasons other

than energy efficiency, such as to protectartcouecuons

or furniture from fading. Or for convenience.

MA OgrenofOgrulElectronic.,,; in Eagle Imu;W~,

the<-'NO!TI elecconics company that serviced the Upper

Fcninsula nome,says !TIm\)'o f the shading ~ystcm<;she

sells to upscale SL'<."(JIld lomeowrers are USl...,(] to reduoe

the solar glare that reflects offthe takes.

"It doesn't take much to automate them," Ogren

~. ~HJrour area it's a<; ea....y as adding an astrononu

cal dock, outdoor temperature sensor o r sunlight

sensor. All three are pretty affordable or are already

built into your shade or other proc essors."

So what, exactly, L<; the big automation holdup?

"People havej ust started to think about the value of

shading, notjlL<;l fo r al....thetks but to save energy,~ s:tyS

David Weinstein, sales director of shading serotcc..><.; for

Lutron Electronics, which sells lighting and shading

control systems. Homes in the south and southwe.t,

in particular; could benefit tremendously ifthe shades

were automated to block the sunlight. EH

Senior editor Stene Oestle writes the Green

Tech WOO at Elecuonlcfl ouse.com and is the

co-founder ef Green/Iecn Advucates (green

techadvocates.com).

UGHTING, MEET SHADINGAnew technology from Lutron Electronics may generate greater interest in window treatment automation. Thecompany'sHyperion SolarAdaptive Ughting Control technology alters \tie position Of theshades andsettings ofthelights based on conditions such as available sunl igh~ the temperature, and occupancy withinaspecified area. Thetechnology will be incorporated intoLutron products,starting withIDe new HomeWorksOS platform due in september.

Thesystem was recently used inthe NewYorlc Times buildinginManhattan,whereshades open and close depending on thelight levelsand temperaturesthroughout the day. "Bycontrolling shades inconcertwilh lighting,we can reduceglare, manage thermal heat gain,and reduce energy use througha reductioninHVACand lighting electrical ccnsumptcn,"says David Weinstein, sales director ofshading services lor l utron.

"Asolar adaptive elementwill bea feature set in our new homesystemsproducts," headds.

22 ElECTRONIC HOUSE S~pt~mb~' 2010 EHlnslallers.COMScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

t The Ultimate Planning Guide

t Electronic House DIY Showcase

t Electronic House Homes of the Year Issue

t Electronic House magazine

t Connected Home Lifestyle Quick-Hits Series

Ideas, Information and Knowledgefor the Connected Home

Get Started on your Connected Home Projects!Our experts get you up to speed on the technologies and benefits of a connected home.

Order now at www.electronichouseideas.com

The Ultimate Planning Guide is the book with all of the best tips and information you need to plan your own electronic home. Not sure what the benefits are of a home control orlighting system or how a mul tiroom entertainment system would work in your home? We help you understand this and more!

Take a look at some of the best DIY projects featuring big screens,gaming devices, wiring , seats, media servers, lighting, HTPCs, racks, co llectibles-and one party barnsupplied by tech savvy and passionate homeowners.

The Home of the Year 2010 issue includes more than 70pages of stunning photographs and detailed artic les of award -winninq homes, individual rooms and hometheaters that define today's connected home.

2 issues guiding you on technologies, products, trends and benefits ofentertainment and home systems. Our product reviews, equipment lists and "all-about" sections are designed to help you with your purchasing decisions.

Information designed to give you a complete overview ofthe key features, benefits, and details on technology for the home.

www.electronichouseideas.com


INDUSTRY INSIDER

by Julie Jacobson

Playing thePremium Pricing Game

TEST-DRIVE BEFOREYOU TRADE UPTVs, receivers andother critical AN comonerrts are one thing. But what do you say to adealer whO wants to sell you "better" speak

ers, ca1lies or power management proOOcts?

You can say,"Show rne."Many specialty ANretailers will letyou

trybefore you buy apricey HOMIcable ormagical black box. They'll letyouexperience thesplel\dor of premium speakers inyour own listening environment

Here'satrick: live with your originalenoree ofgear for afew weeks.Thenlivewith the dealer's enoreefor afew weeks." YQuexperience more joy wittl Ute bettersetup, men step up.

You wantto chargeme WHAT

for thatlV?!?!?!?

A.." a customer I thi nk the selling of regula r equip

ment (IVs, Btu-rays, receivers) lswhere Cls (custom

integrators) hurt themselves the mos t. l remembe r

when I was buying a Pioneer Kuro. MSRP was, I

be lieve, $6,500 and the CI wanted to sell it to me for

$(),2lX). Best Buy quoted me $5,IX)() for it. You can't

expect me to say, "No problem, I' ll pay you all extra

$ 1,200 for the same exact th ing from Best Buy"

That message came from .lacku vi a CEPm .

com ,our slster websne for custom electronics (CE)

professionals.

CE p ros and specialty NV re tailers w ill give

you all SOIts of r eas ons for paying more for their

wares . Some of those reasons are valid. Others not

so much. Here are some reasons you might be better

ofTpayingalittle more for anAN product thatmay

be sold elsewhere for much less.

Same Product, Higher PriceIt usually goes like this: Why should I buy that TV

from you when I can get the same thing from Best

Buy for $500 less ?

11\<I1's a VCIY good question. 11le;edays , manyCE

pros letyou ~brin*your-own-1V' to the

party. It saves themheadaches of ship

ping, repairand inventory manegemeru

(not to mention client haggl ing).

So if they ' re all too happy to re

linq uish those burdens , a re yo u OK

with taking them on?

Ybu'l! have to source the prod uct ,

I)(~""ibly pay fill'de liveIy,schlcp the dis

play upstairs, store the unn tutti! your

in.'1taIk'f" is n~~ 1«'t'J) the bulky !xIXuntil

the W:UTIUlty period expi res, handle re

turn..and ILV tirs--a nightmare ifthe 1V

isaIrcady rrounted-c-and do all ofthose

other little things you've come to hale

about buying and ma..intaining a Tv

How m uc h would you pay to rid yourself of

those nuisances? Some may pay quite a bit, o thers

nothing at all . If you're in the second group, hunt

for a CE pro th at untt let you BYOT.

Different Product, Higher PriceOften,C'Epmswill try to convinceyou to buy the br ands

they hap pen to carry simply because they make more

money doing so . 11lL'SC TVs may be spL'<:iaIty brand..

thatyou (1111't price-shop on the Internet. Orthey might

be higher-margin products forthe dealer.

Very possibly, the professional installer might

just recommend a more expensive TV be<:au.<.;e

here's a shocker- it co uld be better suited fo r your

space. Pe rhaps it produces br ighte r pictures in a

multipurpose room, for example, or it allows wtder

viewing angles for your buddies to el\joy.

There arc other reaso ns for buying the dealer 's

preferred brands-croasons t hat are VCIY real, butoften

invis ible to the cust omer For example, your dealer

may have an excellent re lat ionship with a particular

vendor that ha..a prov en record for on-time delivery

andaftcnnarket service. DOIl't wl(!t'n':'4imate th e value

of a manufacturer that serves your installer well.

Another biggie: It can he a tricky thi ng to inte

grate a TV or other NY components into a control

system,whatwith the nuancesofHDMl,complicated

power-saving features, and most impo rtantly, the

control protocols that a re unique to every brand. If

you insist on a brund that your dealer does not earIy,

you will a lmost definitely pay more for installation,

integration and serv ice .

\Vhen possible, go w-ith the brand that the dealer

knows best. If you're set on a sped fic brand , find a

CE pro who specializes in that line . EH

Editor at large Julie Jacobson lias heen. con

erin{j tile custom. electronics indnsl ry, und

joclIshtr} on nome o iaomoiion; since 1994.

24 ElECTRONIC HOUSE S~pt~mb~ ' 2010 EHlnslallers.CO MScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

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_ EH.lDEAS

INGAVISUALThis audio/video system doubles as a home security watchdog.

SYSTEM A NDROOM DESIGNHomeTechooklgy SolutionsMatthews, N.C.WHN,hOmetecllnob;jysdutiOOS.co:n

A'" an ex-police offi ce r; SUllY Chaffin is pas....sionate

about home protection. "It' s a really big deal fo r

me,~ he says, "so when we started building our new

house , security was an integral part of its design."

Even the main level is constructed with 14-inch

concrete, creating a virtual fortress impenetrable

to water, high winds and other co nditions.

Then there's the technology. The house is pep

pered with a combinat ion of strategically installed

motion, door, window, glass-break, smoke, fire, heat

and carbon monoxide detectors. The Chaffins ' elec

tronics and security contracto r, Home Technology

Solutions of Matthews, N.C., tiL"CI all ofthe sensors to

an IW (l lomcAutomation lne.) Ornntl'ro IIpr oces

sor and set up the system so the family could easily

a rm and disarm it from any of home's keypads ,

touchpanels, handheld remotes and phones-cor

remotely from a computer or cell phone.

The Chaffins a lso h ired Home Technology

Solutions to insta ll whole-house audio , video and

26 ElECTRONIC HOUSE S~pt~mbe ' 2010 EHlnslallers.COMScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

___________________ONJliE.W EB For more photos and a full eau ipment Jist. go to www;e/ecfroWchouse,coml4morelsecudtyjdeas

communications sy ...«ems. ThL">C technologiesseem

unrela ted to home security, but just a few software

tweaks a nd hardware additions created a whole

new dimension of protection. For example, the Key

Digital 8x 12 video matrix distributes a var iety of

entertainment so urces to 13 TVs-and with a Hunt

160GB digital video recorder, the matrix aL'I() feeds

real-time or recorded images from four black-and

white Hunt surveillance cameras to every display

By press ing buttons on the ir lIT! touchpanels or

the remotes, the Chaffins ca n choose to view each

camera individually or in a tiled a rray.

There are cameras posit ioned at the driveway

gate, front door and pool, but the one that gets the

most on-screen action Is in the basement fee room.

"TIlLs Ls the area I thought would he most vulnerable

[to break-in... I ,~ says Chaffin. "However, it' s a lso a

place where o m" two I~JYs and their friends hang out.

With th e camera UleI'C, we can always look in to make

sure they're not h'etting into something they shouldn't

be." Later, MOIll and h ill can review the footage. "TIll'

DVR recordrs every camera 24(7 for a period of two

wee ks," says Chaffin.

It the homeowners want to watch the action re

motely, tht'Y can do so through an Internet c onnection

to the DVR. It's a workable solut ion, says Home Tech

l\ol(~Solution..' D avid Robaina , but by swapping the

analog surveillance cameras for IP(Internet Protocol)

mode ls they'll be able to access ea ch camera directly

TIll' h ouse ls already wi red for the upgrade.

In the meantime, the Chaffins will contin ue to

access their-secu rity system remote ly. T hroug hJ-W's

Snaplink feature , they can use their cell phones to

a rm and disarm the sensors, review a log of who

has entered and departed , and set up temporary

access co des fo r those who need to visit the house.

-Li.WI M(mlgomenJ EH

ELECTmlNICHO\)SE.com 27Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®


_EH.lDEAS~I'EAKER",-s _

Goes High Tech16-spe ake r system c reates a soothing atm osphere for special needs r id ing students. photography by J os eph Hifliard

SYSTEM ANDROOM DESIGNEnhanced lMngAurora,Colo.WIWI.enhancedliving,com

Unless you grewup on a farm, the thought ofj ump

ing on the back of a horse stirs up apprehension

in most people.

Words of encouragement can help, but there's

no better form of comfort than music, says Shcry

McDonald-Galbreath. The owner and president of

t he SaddleUp! Fo undat ion and Riding: Academy

(www.sadd le upj uUfula tion.my). a non-pro fit

therapeutic horseba ck riding organiza tion in Parker,

Colo " Shery plays music during every r iding class

she teaches, helping her mostly disabled students

relax and enjoy the freedom of mobility.

"It's particularlygreat for auti....tic students," says

McDonald-Galbreath , who founded the organization

after her daughter Emma's friend was lelt paralyzed

in a car accident.

The audio system that s ounds through the arena

isn't fancy, McDonald-Galbreath operates the com

poncnts inside her well-appointed Middle Atlantic

equipment rack hy hand and streams mostly CDs

burned by Emma . Although basic in control , the

system has the brawn to cover the entire 200-by.

1l)()..foo t arena with sound with "zero dead spot'>,"

says Michael Murdock of En hanced Living, a home

systems installation firm in Aurora, Colo.

Murdock admits that placing the speakers in

a ho rse are na threw him for a loop initially. The

r..ITX outdoor speakers had to he mounted nearly

120 feet high, and the wiring tucked behind the

massive steel beams that span the ceiling . To

reach each o f 16 speaker destinations , Murdock

rented a lift that had tires designed to roll in sand.

"We we nt speaker by s peaker to get t hem posi

tioned correctly, walking around the arena after

28 ElECTRONIC HOUSE S~pt~mb~' 20 10 EHlnslallers.COMScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

___________________ON.JHE.WEB Eormore obol0s and a full eau jpmeolljst. go to www.elecfraWchouse.coml4moreJsadd/euD

each one was insta lled to make sure there were

no dead spots."

Four NuVo Technologies amplifiers power the

spea ke rs, while a Newcastle rece iver distributes

audio fro m a Newcas tle 5-disc CD changer, Pio

neer iPo d docking station and Shure two-channel

wireless mic rophone system. Murdock designed

the audio system so McDonald-Galbreath and her

in st ructo rs could speak to the student... through

a wireless microphone wh ile the mu sic plays in

the background .

-nwas important to me th at the audio be crystal

dear whenwe'regiving instructions,~ saysMcDonald

Galbreath. Parents relaxing in the viewing lounge

arc ahle to hear- everything that's happening in class,

courtesy of two .Iarno speakers. The lounge also

features wireless Internet access. Fo r many of the

parent.s, th is i.. the only time they can catch up on

work or emails. With the recent addition of severa l

on-site theraplsts-c-fur speech, developmental, be

havio ra l and other disci plines-it's common for

parents to hang out at SaddleUp! for the bette r part

of an afternoon, -V.Wl M on1{W lnPl :t/ EH

Tucked inside a MiddleAtlantic rack is everything the arena needsfor music and communications. A few itemsinclude a Newcastles-orsc CD changer,iPod docking stati onand Newcastle andJamo amps.

ELECnmNlCHOUSE.com 29Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

3D RELATED

FULLHD

3D Bursts into Your Home,but Great 20 Still Scores

Panasonic ideas for lifeScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

Movie goers have proven the viability of 3D andPanasonic promises to be in the vanguard in creating

the ultimate immersive 3D in-home experience.

'Avatar; ~ ~A1 ice in Wonderland" and "Toy Sto ry :rare among the hloekbuster a D movies that brought

audiences in record numbers into the movie theaters

in 20 10 . a D movies have been a ro und s ince the

I!)GOs - do any of you remembe r 'The Creature

From the Black Lagoon?" But now we are seeing

the evolution of 3D fro m the movie house to the

consumer's home. a n lelevision is potsod to make a

ma lor impact 011 the entertainment landscape and a..

more aD content bI.-'O Ill\CS available, the next frontier

in home entertainment will provide the consumer

with very high perf ormance. In addition, the tech

nology developed by lunas onlc to insure Full HD

aDwith no crosstalk and to provide immcrsive aDprogramming has the added be nefit of improving

an already exce llent 2D Plasma picture ,

In order to assure the pristine 3D picture qual

ity, Pa nas..s onic engineers were challenged to develop

a Plasma 1V with a very fast refresh rate. This \IIUS

accomplished by deve10pillg new tcchnojogies such

a" faster acting phosphors . An added bonus to th is

revolutionary technology b, tha t in the 2D mode the

Panasonlc VT'25 Plasmas improve the already out-

standing motion resolution and reduces phosphor

lag , Now resolution rem ains 1080 lines re

gardless of whether

the image ts static or

in motion,

Th is te r ri fic 2 D

p ic tu re was rece ntly

recognized by the lnfluen

t.iaI CNE."T s ite and prominent

analyst Rob Enderle , both of

whom praised the VT'25s state-o f

the-art 2D pict ure q uality.

Enderle selected the VT'25 Full HD

aD 11.'i hls product ofthe week. ~Pmmsollic",

h1L>.; done the most to eliminate glare and 1Lssure

the quality of the video image for hoth 2D and a D

ADVERTORIAL

content," w rote Enderle. '"TIlLs is important , bec ause

if you are buying a 1V this year, you are buying it

for 2D, not a D, given there ls very little non-gaming

content yet. In short, you don't huy a 1V this year

for 3 D, you buy for 2 D- and this line is g reat for

2D, with 3D being a potential plus."

The VT'25 Plassma series is Panasonic's to p of

the line and a" such also Includes such features as

lunasonic's internet sol ution, VIERA. CM,i '" , VIERA.

Image Viewer", allov...ing the consumer to view digital

still images and HDvideo recorded on a SD Memory

Card, and it L'i THX certified. TIle F\ill HD 3D series

ls Energy Star qual ified . For 20 10 , the VIERA. CM,i

functionality has added Netfhx , Twitter and Skype

connectivity The Skype application allows the user

to employ the communication service on a large

screen Tv, rather than a smaller computer scree n.

Panasontc also produce s an optional communtca

t ion camera that Increases the field ofvis ion during

the cal l. Another outs tanding feature of the VT'25

series is the inclusion of 1\\'0 USB ports , enabling

the viewer to use a wire less keyboard,

Movie goers have proven the viability of :m

and Panasontc promises to lie in the vanguard in

creating the ultimate lnunerslve aD ill-home experi

ence. Pannsomc's I-UIl HD 3D system is an end-end

solution, from Blu-ray authoring at its Pa nasontc

Hollywood Laboratory facility to its aD Blu-ray DL'iC

players to the VT'25 Pla sma 1V that preserves the

resolution, ....tability, color rendition and contras t of

the best 1OSOp Blu-ray content , a ll in eye-popping

digital a D.

Whether watching content fm m a Btu-ray Di"C,

cable, sate llite , over-th e-air broadcast or expenenc

ilJg one ofthe myriad 3D video games . lunasonlc L>.;

committed to oIfel1ng the finest home ;3D experience ,

one that will fulfill the promise of high definit ion,

helping create worlds of unimaginable darity and

depth. And, the 2D picture is as good a" it geus.


ANATOMY LESSON IPROJECTION SCREENS

The Big Picture

• Fixed screens wor\( well indedicated theaterrooms where it's fine to keep abig portionofyourwall covered atalltimes.

• For multipurpose rooms,considera retractablescreenthat disappears whenit's not inuse,perhaps revealingaflat-panel TV. SCreens canretract from theceiling, floor, wall or furniture.

_ Inaddition 10 raisingand lowering ascreen, motors

often are used toacostthe width ofthescreendepet1dingon the aspect ratioof tile image. Masking the screen from side to side allows viewers toenjoy thelutl heightandthe lullresolutionofthevideo, without seeing those annoyingblack bars.

- Three important considerations when selecting amotor for yourscreen are rnaintenanceJlo.IoudJleSS ofthemechanism andease of integration.

• Motorized screens (up/down) and masking OetVright) can becontrolled inanumber ofways:infrared remotecontrol; low-voltagewall switch;lOw-voltagetrigger froma projector, receiver oromer electronicdevice; or direct control viaahome automationsystem.

• Motorized screens are fairlyeasy to automatebecause they are usually inone of two states:completely up or completelydown.

• sce-ic-soe maskingsonmons can be morecomplicated to automate. Aspecialist can pro

gramyour systemtoautomatically mask yourscreen accordingtothecontent being played. Themask will stretch out for ultra-widescreen movies, glide inwards lor boner stews,and pOSsiblyclose all the way whenthetheater empties.

• Consider these two things when specifying thesizeofthescreen: theresolutionof the imageandns distance trom the viewing area: Thehigher theresonnon the closer vcu cansit; the closer rcusit,the smaller tilescreenshould be.

• For an 1OSOp image, agood rule of thumb isthattheheightofascreenshould be about one-thirdthedistance between the screen and the bestseatinthe house. Forexample, if your bestseat isabout141eet away. select a16:9(widescreen)ears54meres highx96inches wide (110M diagonal).

• Some home theater experts also use a rule ofthumb based on the horizontal measure of thescreen, suggestingtIlat thedistance between thescreen and the seatingshould beabout 1.2timesthe widthof thescreen.

32 ElECTRONIC HOUSE $Ilptember 2010 EHlnslailers.CO MScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

Custom electron-ics finn Convergence Technologiesof Mebane, N.C.,installed a 12-footStewart FilmscreenCineCurve model fMthis theater room. Itcan mask in tandemwith a lens adjustment of the DPITitan projector todisplay movies andTV programs in theircorrect aspect ratios.

SCREEN MATERIAL

• For the best performance, select ascreen material Md colOr opti_mized foryou- sPeCific pro;ector and room conditiOns.

• Amatte white screen istypically !hebest Choice fordark erJViron..meJlts.ln rooms where ambient Iigllt isa !aCtor, agray screen canbe used topreservecontrast

• For the most realistic SU1'tllJld-somd experience, place the centerspeaker(s) behlJd !he screen. This configuration requWes an ac0us

tically transparentscreen !hatallows sound " peroelrale!he fabricvia tiny pel fttationS. Ideally, the speaker(sj shoukI be pushed baCkaboot 12 inches from the screen.

• The " brig htness~ ofa particularprojector mustbe evaluated in!hecontext Of the screen size:The largerthe projected image, thedimmerit wi. b:Ikgiven the til iglilrleSS 01 a gWen pro;eetc(sopIM

"""""""• An important charaeteristic 01 ascreen is itsgain,which measaeshow light reflects off !hesurface. In simple terms, a higher gainequatestoabrighter image; however,ahigh-gainscreen (above1.3orso) may limittheviewingangleandcreate sometimes aninconsistent quality across theentire screen.

• flri!jJterrooms may require aaamatic eceese intil igIllrleSS orttll llrast loran image ID beenjoyable. " may be better" ecreeseee _horsepower" (ANSllumen output) 01!he projector rather thantheblack level and gain 01the screen.

SCREEN FEATURES &CONSIDERATIONS

• Many 01the better hometheater screens have tension tabS alongthe sides tokeep them taut and flat

• Arear-projection system can be an excellent alternative When aroom is too br9rt or the spece SifrllIY ca1I1Ot Sl(IpOI1 atroot-la::ingprojectlr fof whatever reason. Make SlJ1! you select a sPedaI!YJormuIated screen fof thisapplication.

• Larger and wider images have spawned anew class 01screensforrome ueeteecurved screens.Because 01thecurvature, more ofthe light reflects ifItO theseating area, rather thanonto the walls 01

thetheater. Qnoed SCieellS alsO can createa more ooifOrm imagebetweelilhe center Md edges of the SlKfac:e.

. If thehousing for your retractable screen is going tobe viSible,there are several attractiveoeucns beyond harsh rectangularmetal pieces lourld inconfe rence rooms.Some evenprovide LEOlighting SO thehousing can dOUble asa sconce when thescreenis not in use.

• For screen maintermce, brush theSlIfacesotlIy withaClean, softbristled brush ID remove any loose dirtor0JSl 00 not vacuum oruse sharp iIlstruments. For tougher spots, try anon-moisturizing!non-oily detergent (diluted to20% strength), water,and acellulose......

Stewatt Filmscreen contributed to this article. www.stewaltfilm.com

THE PRICE OFPRo.JECTION SCREENS

PRICING ASCRHNTypically,meprice ofavideo screen depends onmesize 01thesurface, the quality 01thescreen material, motorization andahandfulofother fealUres.

SCREEN SIZENaturally, the price otttrescreen increases with itssize. A92-inch fixed screenthat issuitable loratlome theater might retail lorabout $1 ,000and a11o-tneh piece m9Jt selllOr about $1 ,500. Decenthtemet brands and more mainStream screensrrrigtrt rest hat! ttlatamount, and premiumprovid

es can easilydouble the amount The aspect ratio(shape) 01 the screen (16:9,2.35:1 , etc.) does netreally affect the price; geoeraIly, it's the surface area

"'"""""MOTORIZAnONExpect wide SWings in !he priceofmotolization lor

video screens. Be aware that it'snot just lIle motoryou're paying for.The screen design Changes aswen in order tomaintain the shape and inlegrrty 01

!he material Make SlJ1! you- mrtorized screen has

Side Sl.WOf1S tokeep the SIX1ace taut. Adding m0

torization ID agood screen can range from SSOO ID52,500 dependingon thequality, Ioogevity, automatcnteatutesarid loudness 01 the motor,as well asspecial accomroodations ID thescreen ilseIl. You'Upay I1lJCh more, possibly three times !he <I«IOlm,

lora screen ttlat litis from the bottom becao ose d requires add iliooal support. Side-to-sidemotonzatiorllor masking is two to three times more expensivethan up/down motorization. Ooo't lOl{let toconsiderthe eca cost lor installation and integration.

SCREEN MATERIALMost elitemanufactlJ'l!fS charge little orno premium lor dilleretlt colors arid texturesof screenmaterial. Theexceptionisfor acoustically transpar

ent screens that are perforated SO that speekes canbesituated behlJd them. Pel1llIating the screenscan be a hqVy scienlrFIC pi ocess. Expect topaya l Spel celit ID 20pel telltpremium on the IOOfe

modestly priced screens and upto40percent extJaonhigher-end models.

ADOmONAl fEATURESSome ITIal1tIfactl.r make SCi eellS !hatare sudable for covered outdoor spaces. Awea1herlll 001housing might add about 1S percent toascreen.Even in indoor spaces, screen housings canvary,withmore aesthetically pleasing ooitscoming willla20pel tel it premium or so. Ooo't Iorvet ID inQIireabout the costof control, IJcluding special mollJIesand controllers tor automation.

ELE~"om 33Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

INNOVATIONS ILIGHT & BODY NElWORKS

•••••••••••••••••••••••••

clock

••

8'

printer

•••••••

••••••

D•••

~ ~

~ ~~ ~

" \~ ~

wire less \ ~• •

thermostat ~ ~•••••••. :---~

PDA

•••••••••••

~.

••- .. ...

o

,smart LED lighting(

•••••••internet access '

• • •• • •• • •· . '.• • •• • •• • •• • •• • •• • •• • •• • •• • •• • •.. ''. "encoded data• • •

... (on/off)

\ lrJ• •• •• •• •

HD video sireomil:'!9 ....••••••••••

NETWORKS BYBODY AND LIGHT

Body AreaNetworksand VisibleLight C omm un ic ationsare poisedto c hangeour w orld.by Steve nCas tle

TIiE INSTAllATlON OFYOUR NEXThome net\\'Ork

might be as ea...y as screwing in a ligh t bulb. Ifsome

engineers have thei r way, we 'Usoon be transrnlttlng

data-and even audio and video-c-via energy-saving

LED light.<; that modulate, rapidly turning on and ofT

much faster that the huma n eye can detect .

The tec hnology L<; called visual light communi

cations (VLC), and can potentially transmit data at

Ethernet s peed." of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) .

The LED rapidly flashes the data to a rece ive r that

decodes it to intonuation. With VI£ , you could down

loa d helpful information from an LED ~ iW1 to your

smart phone , for example. Or a ear's brake lights

could transmit a signal to the ca r behind it to brake

automatically if it's approaching too fas t. Samsung

L" even loo king to use LED backlight" in U::D 1Vs to

t ransmit product informa tion, web sites and other

da tu to viewers , though a company sp okesman says

the technology L" a couple of years away.

Pll.lponents ofVLCsay ith..~ ml.my adViln!ah'('S, :-.lk:h

as data capadty (much like fiber-optic wiring) and that

it.doesn't interfere Vti th Hl" (rndio freq uency ) used for

wseless nelWlllk".VI£ b llllt inlemllrl 1\';a replaeernent

for Etherne t orWwi or 1nt....J1net works likeZigBee, hut

a" somet hing that can he \L<;t..'CI where and when Hi"

can't be U<o;L'CI, like in hos pita ls a nd on airplanes. VLC

is also point-to- multlpulnt, which means sepa rate

data stream." can he fed to each device .

And whereve r you have LED lamps, you have a

potential network. "ThL" open" up a whole different

34 ElECTRON IC HOUSE S~pt~mb~' 20 10 EHlnslallers.CO MScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

set of posslhllities," says Bob Heile , chairman o f

the Zig&>eAlliance. "People are going to do some

interesting stuff with this ."

Heile says he 's experienced s ou nd transmitted via

VLC, u"ing RGB (red, green and blue) LEIls, in which

t he separate colors tran..mitred audio from individual

instruments. Others envision indoor lighting fixtures

communicating with each other to norma lize l11lors

and provide uniformity LED lam ps at supermarkets

could be used to provide shoppers with information

about product s and to track shopping behavior.

Heile ixalso the chair ofthe IEEE Standard As

sociarion's 802.15 wlreles... personal area netw(lrking

(WPAN) standards group, which is working on a

standard (802.15.7) for visible light communica

tions. Hei le says the final approval of a standard

could come by March 20 I I ,with product s available

shortly thereafter.

Don't look for sPL"L"(b like IOOMhps right away,

though, cautions I lei lc, a" early products are likely

to have lower data ra tes.

But, oh, the potential .

Body Area Networkswe'llalsos oon be seeingsensors tluu can be placed ( Ill

or in your IXXly---lXIOI for medical and entertainment

purposes. TIlt' world ofdigital home healthcare could

take offwith sensors thut report a patient's vital sign..;

and other information to a doctor or hospital.

These body area network" (BANs) could include

wearable or implanted glucose sensors, capsules

for drug delivery, remote control of medical de

vices, retina implant.", and what Heile call" Video

Gatorade-,-a swallowed camera that can take high

def pictures of your insides .

Body area networks can also be used for the

seamles s exchange of inrcrmauon , fromjust a hand

shake, for instance.

Gaming could become even more ,,'.t1i'>tic when

Ixxlysensors are involved----likeWtigarreson slcmids.

Care to pairtlmt Witll :.lD 1V? \h u know it'll happen.

A standard for IxJdyarea network" is also ll(~ing

developed (IEEE 802. 15.6) and could be approved

sometime next year. "Some of these devices exist

today, but they lack a really effective communica

tions network," says Heile. That's what the IEEE

standard aims to provide. EH

ELECTmlNICHQUSE,c om 35Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

REVIEW IELITE SCREENS EZ-FRAME

Projecting Great ValueThis s c reen looks and performs better than its pric e tag s uggests. by Arlen Schweiger

AT A GLANCESpecs:

> AvailableinwhitetensionPVC, high1.8 gain while,tension contrast gray

> Solidor acoustically perforated material options

> Black-backed screenmaterial

> Black,lightweight veloursurtace aluminum frame

> 2-il'lCh flat strapsl idingmounting brackets

> 4:3, 16:9,2.35:1aspect

ratios> Sizes from 84 to 200

diagonal inches> MSRPstarting at $649

Pros:> Priced at abargain> Easy to assemble

and mount> Quality image

enhancement> Looks nice even when

there's no picture

Cons:> SCrew holes won't

always align> Fix plates somewhat

breakable> Nomasking option

As much asyou'd love a$20,000, four-way,motorized

masking, curvedCinemaScopescreen for your theater,

that'sadaydreamfor most. However, for less than a

tenthof thecost youcanstill ownarock-solid projec

tion screen.

TheEZ-Framescreenproducts fromEliteSCreens

look like theycost awholelotmorethan theydo,and

their performanceisonpar with thal lf you're debating

flat-panel TV versus projection,consider that a l OO-inch

EZ-Frameand modest high-def projector combo costs

aboutas muchas aquality 50-inchHDTV-only thepic

tureis quadruple the size.

Totest the installation rigors and pertormance,Elite

sent mea92-inchEZ-Frameregular white matte, 16:9

fixed screen.Youmay get away withdoing theinstall

yourself;I enlisted colleagueBob Archer tomakeit an

easier two-man job.

If you're installingit inabasic theater room like

mine,screenassemblyandmounting will be nosweat.

Elitemaf1(etingmanager David Rodgers says most

customelectronics proscanzip throughit in30 minutes

toan hour. Bob and Iweren't that speedy, but evenas

novices it tookusless thantwo hours.

After unboxingand laying the contents on the

floor- most theaters will have more breathing room

than mine for this- westartedattaching the horizon

tal velour-surfaced aluminum frames, whichcome

in two pieces, and then the vertical sides.Theonly

knock was that in one corner not every screw hole

aligned perfectly; but overall fasteningswere plenty

tight, so leavingone screw out wouldn't compromise

theinstallation.

It took about 35 minutes toassemble the frame,

insert the tensionrods andcarefullyunroll the screen,

andwe were on tothe tensioning.Attaching thefix

plates intothe frameslots forthistask was muchmore

difficult,but the process still onlyrequired about40 min

utes,despiteour breaking ahandful oftheplastic pieces

andfeelinglikeour thumbs were about to fall off.

Wall hangingprovedsimple with the 2-inch flat

strapsliding brackets,andafter measuring, leveling

andmounting, thescreenwas ready for action. I've

used it withaBenamini LEDprojectorandanAnthem

lTX 300v D-ILA model (about $500 and$6,500,reo

spectively).Having projectedtheaenu ontomywhite

wall (reviewed, July/August 2010), theaddition of the

screen made anoticeableimprovement in picture

clarity and brightness, plus framing the image inblack

provideda boost incontrast.

Inhandling themuchhigher-performanceAnthem

1080punit,thisvalue screenhas beennothingless than

achamp-it looks likeareally crisp, really largeLCD.

One of its merits as abargainperformer isthat youcan

put that extra cashtoward abetterprojector.

Blu-ray, HD OVD,cable, and PC content ofvary-

ingresolutionswas rendered smoothlyand brightly,

withnicecolor uniformity andnohot spoiling. If you're

worried aboutnot havinganalways-dark dedicated

theater, I found that even with acanceilinglight turned

oninches in front of thisscreen, the imagewas highly

viewable, so higher-gainoptions ought to work exceed

ingly wellunderambient light conditions-another plus

for thescreenside of thedebate. EH

Men Schweiger is Electronic House s managing editor.

36 ElECTRON IC HOUse S~pt~mbe' 20 10 EHlnslallers .COMScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

REVIEW IRSH SOUND 8300-SEIR LOUDSPEAKER

Packin' aPunchThis speaker's big so und reflects its s uper s ize. by Robert Archer

AT A GLANCESpecs:

> Three-waytower speaker> 1.1-inch ~Ik·dome

fweeter> Two 6.S-inch aluminum

cone midrange drivers> Three 8-inch aluminum

dome woofers> Frequency response:

22Hz to 20kHz> Speaker impedance:

4ohms> Sensitivity: 91dB> Recommended power:

100 to400 watts> Crossover network:third

order, crossover 100Hzand 2.7kHz

> 55.375 inchestall,10.875 incheswide,17 irdles deep

> 115 pounds>Ava ilable in aChoice of

30veneers>MRSP:$8,500/pair

Pros:> Smooth pertormance

from ow to high end> Highsound pressure

levels> Effortless sound with any

type of content

Cons:> Difficult to fit in smaller

rooms> Amp required to feed

clean power> Mid-bass reproduction

couldbe tighter

For years I've admired RBH Soond and hcrN itprovides a

variety of vaJue-priced speakers that perfoon well. The

8300-SEIfI isno exception.Standing 5feet tall, 11incheS

wide and 17ind1es deep, this 115-pounder isno sissy.The

speaker ccopcatesa1tlirtl~r crossover network and

amultiple driver anay thatfeatures two 6.S-inch aluminum

come midrange drivers flanking a1.1-inch silk-dome

tweeter. Low frequencies are handled by three 8-inch a1umi

tamccoe woofers. All ot jne drivers are loaded into apcted

enclosure thatisheavily damped to reduce resonances.

RBHsays the91dB sensitive, a-ohmspeaker is

rated to handle 100 watts to 4(1() watts of power and

that itsfrequency response is22Hz to 20kHz.

After installing metwo 8300SEIR speakers-which

isatwo-person job given 1tleir size----llistened to Steve

Vai's Passion andWarfare album. Thespeakers produced

adeep andwide soundstage with upper midrange,high

end detaillikethe reverb onVai's guitar. Next, I listed to

Steve Morse's cover ofRush's La Villa Strangiato. This

isawell-recorded track, and 1tle speakers impressed

wi1tl their ability to keep up with Billy Sheehan's bass

line, which filled me soundstage with punchyupper

bass. Moreover, mespeakers produced this content with

impressive sound pressure levels,althOugh ftwasn'tue

tightest representation ofme bass line I'veheard.

Transitiooingto tne movieGals, 1tle Blu-ray soundtrack

played back with well-defined richness andclarity.The

speakers also per1ectly matched 1tle performance char

acteristics of my RBH12-SE subwoofer to create awell

integrated system that didn't strain to achieve peak levels.

Givenhow well1tle B300-SEIR performed, it's

easy to overlook itsheft. Although it'ssmaller than

thecompany's flagshipproducts, it'sstill abeast, and

therefore maybe tough toblend intoasmaller room. If

the size of the speakers and theroomaren't an issue,

the830Q-SEIRs aregood candidates for dedicated

two-channel audio,as the front left and right speak

ers of afull surround-sound systemand as the front

left and right speakers ofahome theater that doesn't

have asubwoofer (the speaker's low-end frequency

extension may preclude the need for one).

Other points to consider: Youneedagood amp and

cables tomaximize any speaker's performance,and

that was thecase with thisproduct. Iconnected the

B300-SElRs toaBrystonamp via aset of Transparent

Audio cables. It's also agood ideato give your speakers

an ample break-in period before seriously auditioning

them. In myexperience, RBHspeakers takeabout100

hours to break in. EH

Robert Archer is senior editor and AN guru for sister

publication CE Pro magazine.

ELECnmNlCHO\)SE,c om 37Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

REVIEW I3D SLUGFEST: SAMSUNG 9000 SERIES LCD VS. PANASONIC VT25 PLASMA

PANASONICAT A GLANCE> Screen sizes: SO-inch,

54-indl and 55-inch

> Plasma TV> Panasonic Viera Cast

webapps> Energy Star-certified.

THX certified,lSFccc>600Hz sub-field drive

processing>~ moo: 5,1))),00):1>MSRP: $2,600 to $4,300

Pros:

> Enthusiastswill like inkycolors andgrayscale

> Smooth picture canminimize 3D fatigue

Plasma or LCD:Which Does 3D Better?A side-by-side comparison of two c om pet ing 3D displays . by Robert Archer

Cons:

> Picturebrightness notas vivid as an LCD

> Slightly soft imageQuality> 3D glasses seem heavy

andawkward

SAMSUNGAT A GLANCE> SCreen sizes: 46-inch

and55-inch> LED LCDTV> samsung web apps> DLNA certified> 240Hz refresh rale> CootrasI ratio: 6,(0),00):1> Depth: 0.3 inches> MSRP: $6.CXXl and

$7,000, respectively

Pros:

> Bright picture> Sleekstyl ing> Comfortable 3D glasses

Cons:

> Aggressive picture mayrot be foreveryone

>Motionamtacts noticeable whenviewing sports

Youcan't escape it ... 3Diseverywhere:at themovies,

inthenewsand in yourlocal electronics store.

Drivenbythedevelopment of high-definition tele

vision (HDTV),theBlu-raydisc format,active-shutter

glasses and theHollywood blockbuster Avalar,interest

in30 video isashighas it'sever been.

Today movie fans can find3D at their local cineplex

andcan even experience the technology inthe comfort of

their ownhomes-thanks to companies likeSamsung,Panasonic, Sony, VIZio and Digital Projection, amongomea

Diggingdeeper intothese choices andputting

projection-based systems aside, consumers are once

againconfronted with thechoice ofLCDor plasma.For

acloser lookathowthetwotechnologies compare in

thesameenvironment, Ivisitedelectronics distribution

company AVAO in Woburn,Mass., to watch theUSAvs.

Slovenia WorldCupsoccer match onESPN 3Dand ESPN

HD-usingaPanasonc VT25plasmaTV samsung9000

Series LCDtelevision.

PANASONIC VT25 SERIES Pl.ASMA TELEVISION

IncomparisontotheSamsungproduct, the Penasonic's

industrial design canbe characterizedas modem but

more conservative.

Video enthusiasts mightprefer thePanasonic's

perlormance. lts colors looked more saturated and the

image was abit smoother.The Panasonic image was also

slightly softer,wIlich couldmake longer viewing sessions

more comfortable. Thesarnsungimagewas muchmore

aggressive-with abrighter image andgreater depth of

field,which could lead to viewingfatigue.

SAMSUNG 9000 SERIES LCD TELEVISION

Thefirst thingYOU' ll noticeabout the samsunglCOTV is

how stylish it is.Theset is really thin,andits bezel looks

likebrushed metal. Oneof the designtechniques the

company used tomake the TV so sl im was to placeall of

its connections inthe base.Thisfeature mayprecludethe

display frombeing mounted as close to the wall asother

samsung models.

Thepicture isextremelybright whendisplaying both

20and30content Contrast, black level andcolor ac

curatj' all seemedgood with real-worldvideo. Perhaps

themost impressiveelementisthe imagedepth with 3D

content like thesoccer game and the commercialsfrom

ESPN,Disney,GilletteandSony, among others.

What I didn't like aboutthepicture was the slight

motionartifacts with fast motion andits "noisy" image,

whichwas noticeablewhenviewinglinedetails.EH

Robert Archer is senior editor and AN guru forsister

publication CE Pro magazine.

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-.....- .CONNECTHOME IS THE NATIONAL DEALER NETWORKYOU CAN TRUST TO INSTALL YOUR HOME TECHNOLOGYResidential automation, whole-house entertainment, and networking isa must for the 21st century

home. But thefast changingtechnology can be confusingandthe options seem endless.You need

a professional installing dealeryou can trust te guide you through the process of creating a home

withthe latest technology forconvenience, security and energy efficiency.

Of more than 5,000 companies

reviewed by ConnectHome over

the past 8 years, less than 100

have met ourhigh standards of

quality and customer service!

ConnectHome Isthe answer.

ConnectHome is the nation's premier installing dealer network forthe professional sales and

installation of residential networking, control and entertainmentsystems.Takethe risk outof

choosinga dealer, and make your lifeeasier. Peace of mind is priceless!

1-800-422-4024 WWW.CONNECTHOME.COMScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

HOME OFTHE YEARWINNERSpartIIICheck out our award-winningtheme theaters aud fun rooms.

Entertainment should be a bout fun, right?111e-espaces prove

the point by incorporating fun-loving fea tures to create a truly

unforgettable exper ience-whether your passion is sci-f

or sports. You'll sec a room designed to look li ke a drive-in

theater, complete with refurbished vintage speakurs-c-just

like the ones you used to hook on the window of your ear. If

you'd rather take a step forward in time, go straight to the

space-age theater where visito rs step through a replica of

a time machine before settling into their seats . We didn 't

fo rget abo ut you football fantasy players whe n choosi ng

our winners, either. Mosey on over to the bar in one of our

featured spaces, where you'll he able to watch three games at

once from a trio offlat-panels on the back wall, unless you'd

rather wa tch on the mom's 119-inch prcjec uon screen. Or

if you prefe r, grab a raft, a waterpr oofremote and catch all

the action while you float in an indoo r ....wimming pool (See

Parting Shots on page 88).

ELECTlmNICHOUSE.c om 43Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

light fixtures on poles-and even those crappy

drive-in s peakers.

DOIl't worry. The old d rive-in speakers do n't

provide the main surround sound. But they do play

an important role in the creation of the ambiance.

When the room system is activated via a touchpad at

the entry, the old speakers play 19()(k music from a

DiI'L'ClV music channel. The music is routed through

a second zone on the home theater's Marantz SR{)(X)4

a udio/video receiver. "when another video source

is selected th rough th e Control4 home control in

terface, the drive-in speakers are turned off and the

main 7. I-channel speaker system ta kes over,~ says

Montjoy. And if the family really, truly want" tha t au-

WorldMal!S® - Dil!ifal Mal!azines

THEME THEATER GOLD

REMEMBER DRIVE-I N THEATERS? There was

something speci al about parking your carand wat.ching

a mediocre movie on a giant,washed-out. screen.Then

there were those clunky speakers that hoo ked over

your window. And the atrocious food . Yet all could he

forgiven if you were canoodling with a date.

Today we have home theaters. But even a great

home theater can't match the atmosphere and experi

ence of the drive-in . Or can it?

The owners ofthis decked-o ut, 4 ,SClO-square-f(Xlt

home didn't want any old home theater. They grew

nostalgic and decided to theme their theate r around

the drive-in cinema where they once met.

"The homeown ers really drove th is one (no pun

intended),~ says Glenn Montjoy of electronic insta l

lation company Colorado Media Systems in Colorado

Springs, Colo. "One of their parents actuallyowned

a drive-in theater, and the client" were engaged at a

drive-in. The concept excited everyone involved , and

they got behind it in a real way."

The place even looks like a good-or' drive-in,

with wa ll mu rals depicting drive-in scenes, steel

The good-ol' drive-in theater gets a high-te chmakeover in this prized home. by Steven Castle.

photography by Paul Kohlman

,

THE T EAM

systems Designaoo InstallationCoIoraoo MediaSyslemsCOlorado Springs, COlo.-,~,CQOl

Murals.esam Airbrush ArtsColocaoo Springs,Colo.

44 ElECTRONIC HOUSE S~pt~mbe' 20 10 EHlnslallers.COMScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

thentic (hive-in sound, they can activate the drive-in

speakers and mute the ma in system.

That's not even as bad a.. it smt1/(~'i. The home

owners managed to find a SI.'t oftile drive-in speakers,

and Colorado Media Systenu.. rep laced the old paper

cone drivers in those units with Infi nity car stereo

speakers, which were a perfect fit , says Montjoy.

The real 7. I-channel system includes NHT Four

tower speakers and a Jz-inch NIITsubwoofcr located

behind an acoustically tra nsparent front wall and

scree n. Fo ur NHT IW4 in-wall speakers provide the

side and back surround sound, and are hidden behind

fabric walls that also contain aeons...tic absorp tion and

reflectio n panels. Try that at a drive-in!

But the star of this drlve-tn. j ust as at a real one,

is the really big screen. The homeowners wanted

to have a truly cine matic experience , so the obvi

ous choice was to go with a CinemaScope-wide

2 .35 :1 screen, the superwide aspect ratio in whieh

many blockbuster movies a re filmed. Of course,

other aspect ratios like the more popular 1.85: I

and IIDlV's I t'd) (1.78 : I) are possible as well. ~We

chose to use a [Vutec I VisionX screen because of

the availability of the drop-down mask ing panels

[to change the aspect ratios J and the acoustically

transparent screen material," says Montjoy.

A ,WC DLA-HD750 projector was.. selected for

its outs tnnding picture quality and abil ity to al1.;OITI-

HOME AWAYFROM HOMECONTROLThis home's Control4system isn't just usedat the home. It's alsoused remotely by

the owners, as thisresidence serves astheir weekend retreatEvery system in the4,800-square-loottome isacces-sible fromthe Internetthrough Control4's4Sight service.

According toGlennMonijoy of systemsinstallation companyColorado MediaSystems in ColoradoSprings, Colo., eachweek thehomeautomatically preparesnsemcr thearrival01 the homeowners."An e-mail reminderis sent toalert theowners that the homeis ready forthem toarrive. TheClimatesystem changes thetemperatures, thewater pumps' schedule isactivated, andafew lights are lit 10welcome the lamily.II they decide to notvisit that week, it isasimple task to log intotheir home and put itback to sleep."

THE ffACEMAKER e BY I-'NWMXJNT f'lCTUFES- AU RIGHTS RESERVED ELECnmNlCHOUSE.c om 45Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

THEME THEATER GOLD

Talk about blending the old with the new. The age-old drivein speakers were retrofitted by electronics installer ColoradoMedia Systems with Infinity drivers, and they are used to playFifties and Sixties music when the DAlVE IN button at the entrypanel (above) is pressed. A Control4 system was programmedwith six presets for easy one-touch operati on of the theater.A MQVlE mode dims the lights to start a flick, GAME moderaises them a bit, and KIDS' MOVlE offers even more light. We're

also interested in the HAPPY HOUR button.

SYSTEMS &EQUIPMENTVideo Display: Vote<:Projector:oNeSpeakers:NHTProcessor:MarantzBlu-ray Player: LGlighting:Control4Control: Contr0l4

ROOM SIZE23 x13x10 feet

PROJECTDURATION8 mooths

rnodatc a Panemc rnh moving lens system, which is

needed to produce the superwide Cmemagcope im

ages. The .NC projector and Panamorp h motorized

lens are situated on a custom-made mounting plate to

keep them secure, which is attached above the back

row of old theater chairs that the Ow'ners lovingly re

furbished.

Even the old steel lights, which can be operated

via the Control4 home control system, are tethered

to poles with snakes of metal conduit- another au

thentic touch.

A Blu-ray and OVD player ls tucked inside a nearby

closet for convenience , but the rest ofthc eq uipment

L<; located on a rack in a mechanical roo m.

"We used the Control4 system to insure integra

tion with the rest of the house , and for its easy-to-use

remote and on-screen display" says Montjoy.

The Control4 system is also responsible for one

o f the most important, but underrated, features of

this home drive-in theater: the keypad at its entrance.

"We worked hard to make this easy to use ; says

1tlo ntjoy. "There are th ree buttons on the keypad

that, whe n pressed , set the room up fo r va rious

functions. When the ~10\1E button L" pressed , it allows

the lights to go all the w-ay down for when the movie

is started and for a low-light mode whe n pa used.

For the GA~lE mode , the lights are dimme d hut are

brighter tha n in the WlVl ~: mode , and the PAUSf: and

l'l.AY modes change as well. The K][)S' MOVIE button

gives yet another mode so that kids can have a little

more light."

Yep , we've come a long way from thosc campy

drive-in days of the 50s and 60s.

TIll' picture L<; a whole lot better, as well. The video

system in this home theater ls so good, Montjoy says,

that when the owner watc hL'(IAIJa!11r he emailed Mont

joy and said that it was better than when he saw it at

the commercial theater. EH

46 ElECTRON IC HOUSE S~pt~mb~ ' 20 10 EHlnslallers.COMScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®


PLEASURE

DOUBLE THE

individually from a wireless Cre t ron touchpanel.

The sophisticatedlighting y snom helps the.. room

look and feel it... sci-f best, but it had the Gramophone

team scratching It.<; head when it came to tile layout and

installation of the theater gear. The installers couldn't

hang a video projector nom the l'Ciling as they normally

would, because it would distract visually from tile fiber

optic light show ol\ the ceding. Even lf'thcy could ha ve,

the n...><;!. ofthe room lighting-both artificial, and natural

from tile exposed windows-c-wouklhave \\1\...hOO out tile

image as it traveled from the It'll" of'the projl.,<-1orto the

screen. TIll' bestoption, therefore, was a rear-pmj(.'<-tion

system where the projector would be positioned in an

enclosed space behind the SClL'ClI. Gramophone was

THEME THEATER SILVER

Dr. Who m eets Star Trek in thisfar-out theater. by Usa M ontgomery,p hotography b y Kevin Kelley

ITS HARD TO BEUEVE the original plan for this the

ater was to cart in the own ers' extsttngGO-inch 'IVand

put in a small surround-sound system . The owners felt

the setup would he perfectly adequate for their newly

finished b onus mom ... until they met with the custom

electronics professional" (CE pros ) at Gramophone,

Timonium, Md. 'Aner showing them what was possible ,

they saw the light ,~ says sales manager .Ieff Hudkins .

Soon, the baste plan gIL'W into a ' theme" theater, com

plete with controllable colored LED lighting.

It 's all Sta r Trek in...ide the 2;3·by· ;30·foo t space,

TIle entrance to the room, however, i.. fa...hioned after

the Briti..hTV show,V I: 1:VJw. 111e themes complement

each other-well,says Hudkin..., "We made tile 8--by-4-foot

erararce jcok like Dr. Who's'D\HDIS,tile I.elephollL"-booth

....tyle time machine he would use to go backward and

foJWaITI in time.~ Just as Dr.Who would, the owners step

through tile 'D\HDl'i to be transported to a new world-a

theater that's out ofthi.. world. To emulate the TARDIS

"in flight,~ occupancy sensors setoffa ....'Wirling light show

and an audio dip from tile VI: 1:VJ1O show

A.. it doe s in the TARDIS, colored LE D lig ht ing

plays a big part in the portrayal of tile scl-fl theme in

the theater. Wall sconces, cove fixtures and twinkling

fiber-optic <-'Ciling light.. all contribute to the effect. TIw

mVIICI'S can choose front anyoffivepreset lighting scenes,

or tweak the color, pattern and intensity of the lights

SYSTEMS &EQUIPMENTControl: CrestronSCreen: RurcoProjector: RuncoReceiver: Role!Speakers: B&WSubwoofers: Yeloctynelighting:Crestroo

PROJECTDURATIONSmooths

ROOM SIZEApproltimately30x23feet

THE TEAM

SyStems Designaoo InstallationGramophoneTImooium, Md,wwwgramophonecom

Intenor DesignBetl1any JohnsonGramophone

Ughling DesignJeff NaleGramophone

BuilderSam PeeterBaltimore. Md,

48 ElECTRON IC HOUSE S~pt~mbe ' 20 10 EHlnslallers .COMScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

able to tuck the projector behind a newly constructed

fa lse wall (all o f the aud ioMdeo components , th ree

l3&Wsurround-s ound speakers and two Ve10dyne sub

woo fers reside there, too). A I OO-inch Runco screen

was mo unted directly in front o f the projector cavily.

A.. fo r the windows, Gramopho ne des igned re mova ble

paneling that could be placed over tne panes whenever

the owners wanted to watch a movie in the dark.

1111.' mom can be darkened further by pressing a few

button... on the Cresron touchpanel, PIlL", t hey can press

~'O"IE to activate the appropriate NV gear: Roteland 'kin·

dyne amps, Sony Blu-ray player and high-de f cable box.

In addition to enhancing the room ck~ and movie

viewing, the lighting in this theater helps the family com-

rnunicare beuerand stay uue to its religious

be1ie[..,. When the doorbell ring;, for example,

Rod LED light.. flash. Sinoe the wall.. o f the

mom are stuffed with sound isolation mao

terials, th is.. ts the only wa y the family can

~hcar" thehell.Abo,during Shahhat, thesame

sensorstharset off the light showand audio

clip disable the theacrcomplctely whcnever

someone steps through the TAHDIS.

The time machine may not be real , but even if the

family couldjump forward five years, it wo uld find tm'i

the rred theater still fres h, fun and functional. 1111.' lights

t nev ideo and the audio allwork t01,,'t.'thcr to create a space

that's as timeless a... it is uniq ue. EH

ELECTlmNICHOUSE.com 49Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

THEME THEATER BRONZE

H omeowners corralled plenty of d e sign e lements to create a wild westernthemed theater. byArlen Schwe ig e r, photography by Jay Schirmacher

THE TEAM

systems Designaoo InstallationHHechHomeOOlois, Cald.WWW,hitechhome,oet

General ContractorStephens ConstructionMadera. Calif.

INSPIRATION FOR HOMETHEATER DESIGN can

come tromjus. about anywhere . A restaurant is rare,

but Homer Simpson would be proud of where Kurt

and Kelly Santoro were insp ired: Cool Hand Luke's,

a California s lcakhouse and saloon chain. Mmmm

mmm . .. ....ueak, beer and home theater.

While the flxin's at this old west-style restaurant

might be ta..,t y, it's the decorauve visual feast that really

caught the Santoros' eyes when they were thi nking

abo ut tu rning part of their big garage into a theater.

With a nudge fromJay Cobb of custom electronics

firm Hi-Tech Home in Clovis, Cal if. , the homeowners

circled the wa gons and agreed thata western theme fit

their lifestyle and locale perfectly The result combines

enough steak and sizzle to challenge the Cool Hand

Luke's taghne as "The Coolest Joint in Town."

"He does taxidermy, and he's got a big barn in

the back that he runs his business out of that has a

cool western th eme to it. Originally when we were

talking about design we were dtscussing a more tra

dit ional theater look with the woodwork, col um ns,

colors," says Cobb . "Then it dawned, why go with a

traditional setup?A western theme is more intact with

their casualIife-tyle out here l in rural California] , so

why not carry the business into the home, hut not to

the extreme where they have stuffed animals in the

room. just acomtortable, cozy atmosphere. They were

excited about it, a nd liked a lot of the stuff in Coo l

50 ElECTRONIC HOUSE S~pt~mb~' 20 10 EHlnslallers .COMScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

ROOM SIZE19x17feet

HOW MUCH TO PONY UP?

PROJECTDURATIONDiscovery: 12 hoursDesign:42toersConstruction:160 roesInstallation:42hours

SYSTEMS &EQUIPMENTProjector:PanasooicSCreen: a necSpeakers: soerce.

Sun/ire sut1NoofersReceiver: DerooBlu-fay:samsungControl: Control4seats: BerklineMount sanusPower. Tripp liteVentilation:Activerrema Management

seating .." " , " , " , ", , $5,900cepet,.." " ", " ", , $1 ,750Ughting S600cei ling $1,000General contractor sa,500

Woodwork....",....." " , " , , $7,500

Electronics and design " " " $16,121Total .....""...." ....." ......" " $41,371

Kurt andKelly santoro liked thequality of the home theater they experi

enced at Hi·Tech Home'sshowroom,which contains an affordable mixofproducts. Because their homewas not new constnJctioo andsomeheavy

remodelingwouldbe required to converthalf of theirgarageinto atheaterroom ~ike constructing adivid ing wall, /of instance),theproject expanded

aIlrt pasttheiroriginal $25,lJlJlI bUllget andabout doubled thecoupleofmontlls Hi-Tech Home

had estimated it wouldtaketo complete the job,"There were no majorcatastrophes," notedcustom electronics proJay Cobb, however.Here's abreakdownofwhere thebUllget went

finish and expo-eel brick (Cobb conceded tile latter two

despite aeoustkal eoncems), <UK:! bl'4.'c ca rpet. Hntnres

tiJatcould have enhanced thetheme,s uch as leather seals

dotted with big nail headsand antler-laden sconces,were

tOIK>d down to a more bask de.ign.

How's tile pe rformance ? With a setup that includes

a Panasoruc pr ojector; 92-inch Vutec screen and full

7.2-duumel S onance and Sunfire surr ound s ound, we're

gucsstng Homer would droo l over that , too. EH

Hand Luke 's res taurant."

Aftt'rS<-'o ping out the interio r

of Cool Han d Luke 's , Cobb cre

a ted a ~designer's palette" that

co nsisted of po tential materia ls ,

ideas , color eombinatlons, dcco

rations and more. Stephens Con-

st ruction in Madera, Calif. , was

brought in to serve as general cont ractor fo r the job,

which involved renovating a garage space used for

s to rage rathe r than a car.

The GC worked closely with Hi-Tech Home on

the planning so it could incorporate appropriate di

mensions and aes thetics for build ing the wall s and

ceiling, cutt ing in HVAC duct work und running power

to nec essary kn-at ions , fo r example. Hi-Tech Home

developed a "p ower layout diagram" to specify where

it would place the projecto r, equipment cabinet, two

suhwoofers, four sconces and can lighL<;.

A,;for tile lk..·4.hc'tX.."';, :-« ~neek.1neIlt<; made tilecu, \\t tilc

others made the cuUing room floor. DL'4.n..";.<;L-d w oo d en

bea ms, a heavywood d oor and rustic hun hardware were

in. S owere Cool Hand Luke's details like the bluish, ac id

w ashedtrt'l.Urnenton the tin l'c iling, textnred drywallpla-ter

ELECTmlNICHOUSE.c om 5 1Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®


FUN SPACE GOLD

This proud Montreal Canadiens fan shows his true colors in a sports barand theater. by Arlen SChw eiger, photography by Francis Yap

THE TEAM

Systems DesignallllinstallationHome Conceptscalgary, AB, canada__~_o:m

BuilderBob Leontowidl Homesfled Deer, AB, canacla

Inlefior DesignerPatty Salecalgary, AB, canada

TALK ABOUTAFlSI-I OUTOFWA1ER----t1f, nkll'e3PI1llr

p1iat.ely, a fmzcn pond. I lomlJ( MTICTh.Jon anclTanis Rivard

livein hoekl')'-(1W..ed Canada, S1TLaek betwee n Ed monton

and Calgary in the Alberta to wn of Red Deer; But rather

than mot for the Oilers or Flames ,Jon is fanatical about

hockey's version of the New 'rork Yankee ; the 24-time

Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canndlcns.

Co incidentally, so ts the staffa t Calgary-based cus

tom electronics finn Home Concepts, so when .Ion ap

preached them with the idea to outfit an entertainment

room in Canadicn.'i colors, they were happy to oblige.

"When he has friends over he has to fend for himself ",says Home Concepts' P..J. Aucoin. "There aren' t too

many of us Montreal fans out here . But it was a fun

project for us, even though we 're in Calgary."

The space , which was constructed as pmt of a new

home build, really consists of two impressive media

areas-a theater featuring a 119-inch pro jection SCQ'Cn,

and a bar with three 26-inch LCDs. When fr iends are

over, hockey nights in lted Dee r are fLUI from any seat;

the big scree n is easny viewable from the ha l', and the

b ar Tvs are all on arucutarmg ann mo unts so they can

be extended and swiveled.

A Panasontc 1DSDp projecto r fires a t the Da-Lite

screen and ca n access content fro m three high-def

cable DVR'i and Blu-ray player, or act as an on-screen

52 ElECTRONIC HOUSE $Ilptllmber 20 10 EHlnslailers.COMScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

interface for viewing the front-door surveillance camera

or making selections from the Escient iPod dock. The

projector is virtua lly bidden within the ceiling alcove

above the row of theater chairs.

Wide audio coverage makes Jon and his buddies

feel like they have rink-side seats. A full 7. l -channel

surround-soun d system featuring Klipsch speakers and

a Sunfire subwoofer rock the theater area, wh ile another

pair of in-ce iling speakers selves the bar. 'Acros s the

top of the UTI touchscreen they can select the video

s ource for any TV they want, and then selec t the audio

SOUR"C , ~ says Aucoin. "S othey can have three hockey

games on with radio in the background maybe, or one

game as the main audio choice .~

Another way Jon fee ls like a part of the action is

by surrounding himself with Canadiens memorabilia

and team colors. They're no t as in-your-face as you'd

find at a SIX1!t..., bar, but it 's clear-this b Canadiens te rri

to ry. The backsplash tiles and half of the bar stoo ls are

red , and above the bar a bulkhead area with lighting

forms the shape ofa ~C~ outlined in blue..ron originally

wanted the baeksplash as red , white and blue stripes,

but the interior designer put that idea on ice . There is

some blue , however, emanating fro m all the A/V gear

on display ill the equipment rack, per J on's request.

KID-FRIENDLY, TOOItmay betheultimateman cave lorahockey·loving Dad,butthisentertainment area isalso funlorthe family'sdaughters.One ot thethree HD DVRs contains only Children'sprogramming, and thetouchscreen page lorcontrolling the device

was programmed with alading pink backgrouJlll.Custominstaller Home Concepts also built astage in

front oftile 119-inCh tneater screenso tilegirls and theirfriends can put on Shows orsing along to music. "Wepickeda screen that can be easily wiped and cleaned with adampcloth in case kids touCh it with dirty hands.and we locatedtilespeakers behind tilescreen a little higher thanwe'dnormally,so if kids do bump into it they're not bumping intoa speaker grille ,~ says Home Concepts' P:J.Aucoin.~We

typically like toptltthespeakers about dead center on thescreen [height], but tnese are in the top ttlird of thescreen"Aucoin notes that the K1ipsch speakers hase pivoting tweet

ers that were angled toward the listeners,and 5encorecalibration helped fine-tunethe audiosystem.

Thekids can also plug in a Nintendo Wii to play on thehugescreen,with awireless sensor bar SO irs not tetheredtotheequipment rack, in case Dad's watching the cena

diens and tile girls are elsewhere.

Home Concepts installed it a t the base of the stairs,

with the wiring accessible from a closet .

Montrea l graphics even adorn the mai n pages Au

coin pr ogram med into the 1m touchscreen, whileother

favorite teams serve as background pages on command

pages fo r the rad io (Sas ka tchewan Houghriders) and

Jon's DVH (Dallas Cowboys). The touchscreen also

incorporates a full web browser, perfect for keeping up

with scores and fanta-.ysportsupdates, o r even emailing

some trash talk after a Canudlcns' victory EH

SYSTEMS &EQUIPMENTControl: Elan,AllLighting: LutronProjector:PanasonicDisplays: SamsungSCreen: Da-tneSpeakers:KJipsch,

SonneAAI Components:Dem ,Panasonic

Power: PenamaxNetwork: D·LinkRack:MiddleA~antic

ROOM SIZE60 x20 teet

PROJECTDURATION

6 "'"

ELECnmNlCHOUSE.c om 53Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

FUN SPACE SILVER

s ingle-chip DLP projecto r, along with powerful Triad

speakers and subwoofers in a 7.2·channel army. The

home theater system L'l driven by a Denon AVR-3808CI

receiver. It's not the most upscale surround-so und

system out there, but the Dcnon-Trtad combo pro

vides some power and grace at a reasonable budget,

according to Innerspace.

Des pite their d ose pmximity, the home theater and

game room are separate zones on the wtote-house audio

system, which means music from two SO UJ"{"CS can play

FAR TOO OFTEN WE SEE OLD GAME ROOMS

with ping-pong tables and other rue-room staples be

discarded for shiny new ho me theaters. We like the

home theater part, but if there's room, why not save

the ping-pong, fooshall and air hoc key cquipment

and create a really fun, multiuse space that's perfect

for parties?

That's what this Westchester County, N.Y., family

did with their walk-out lower level. A 52-by-2G-foot

space afforded them plenty of space for a rockin'

home theater and a game roo m to boot. The game

area isn't just a landing spot for the analog air hockey

and ping pong tables. It abo offers high-tech digital

gaming, with its own video screen, video game con

soles and speakers.

"The kid.. have a space that they can el\ioy, spread

out and rea lly use," says Andrea Reiner of systems

installer Innerspace Electronics in Port Chester, N.Y.

"It 's des igned so that the kids, who are avid garners,

can get rnuluscreen vtdco games going.~

Wii, Xbox and PlayStation consoles are available ,

with graphics in Full HD 1080 p resol ution on a 52

inch So ny Bravia LCD. Audio fo r the games comes

through two Triad InWaII Silver/4 Omni speakers in

the ceiling . Although the speakers are made for in-wall

use, Reiner says, "The whole house is outfitted with

rectangular speakers in the ceiling, so we wa nted to be

consistent. Neither the architect no r the homeowne r

liked the look of round speakers ."

Even while gaming, the fam ily has a view of the

home theater, which sports its own 12:J-inch Slew

art Ftlmscrcen and SIM2 Grand Cinema HT Series

Systems Designallllinstallatiollimecsoece EleclrooicsPort Chesler, NYwww.ieiny.com

or K IDand A D U L:

This hometheater andgame roomcomboserves upfun for youngand old.by Steve Castfe,

photography

by Olson

Photographic

THE TEAM

54 ElECTRON IC HOUSE S~pt~mb~' 20 10 EHlnslallers.CO MScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

ROOM SIZE52 x25 teet

PROJECTDURATION2years

SYSTEMS &EQUIPMENTVideo displays: Stewart

Fjrnscreen sowProjector: SIM2NIl receiver: DerooSpeakersarideubwocrers- Triad

Control: Crestrrn

GAME ROOM PREPARATIONWe asked AndreaReinerof systems contractor InnerspaceElectronics in PortChester, N.Y., toshow us how to get our game (room) face on.Hereare herplanningtips:

1. Whowill use the space?If it'saouns,you're going to lay itoutinafardifferentmanner than if onlykids will beusing thearea.2. lf your intent is to make thespace kid-friendly,ask yourchildren for

their opinions. It canreally taketheroom fromanexpensive space that'snever used to thehangoutof thehouse.3. Talkaboutwhat thespaceisgoing tobe used for. If it'sanall glass roomand it's goingtobeused towatchgolf in thesummer, a motorizedscreenand projector isstill doable, as long as thereare window treatments. If thekidsare goingto be using it mostly for gaming, perhaps amulti-display

setup wouldbemore suitable.

panel in the theater.

Whether enjoying a game in the home theater

or gaming in the game room, these homeowners are

always ready for a patty. EH

simultaneo usly Tunes from XM Satellite Radio, il\xb,

and AM/l''M tuners are a few of the option" .

Control of the equ ipment in both a rea" comes

courtesy of a Crestron home control system , with an

in-wa ll touchscreen at the entrance to the game room

and a wireless Crestron 5.6-inch ~"TX- 1700cXP touch-


A new breed of energy management and monitoring systems is poisedto save you money-and you don't have to do a t h ing. lJlI Sleven Ca,lIe

Energy monitoringsystems are becoming much moreuser-friendly, suchas Vantage's EnergyManagement Solution(above) that providesattractive settlnqs andenergy data pages.

THINK ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP with your

electric bill. If yo u 're like most of us , you get it in a

paper-envelope, rip it. open and grimace. Ifyon're really

interested , yo u might compare yo ur e ne rgy lL<;C fro m

one month to another. But if you're still like most o f

us , eve ntually you pay the bill and move on.

Now imagil1(' that expcrienccwith rulbrdahle tl'dmoh

gies that are available today.A simple interface on your

computer or other display s hows you, in real time , how

much e ne rgy you're lLo;ing a nd translates it from those

whatchamacallit kilowatt hours (kWh) to something

you can understand , like dollars and cents. TIle interface

alsohelpsy<M..l KK'IltilYdt.'Vice;(II' appliances iny<M.1I" hlllN!

that are w:as ting e nergy. So by the t ime that o ld-school

electric bill arrives in the mail, yo u already know what

your-elec tricity c osts are-s-and, more importantly,what

you've saw.-d.Whileeveryo ne 1.'1-;1." s electric billsare go ing

up, yours are going down, down, down.

TIle best part is, you achieved real savings by doing

next to noth ing .

ThL<; is what a n energy monitoring a nd manage

ment system ca n do (or your home- a nd your vvatlet.

You can find many types of these systems a lready,

from baste ones that report your to tal electricity use

to those offering more detailed data.

And now the big boys are moving in.

Intel has a home e ne rgy management sys tem. So

does Cisco and Google and Micro.o;o ft (SOIt of). Service

giant<;AIYf (secu rity), Corneas. (Tv, Internet and phone)

and Ve rizon (same) plan on pr ovid ing them as well. AU

56 ElECTRON IC HOUSE S~pt~mbe' 20 10 EHlnslallers.COMScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

of these home energy monitoring a nd management

....yst.ems allow you to sec and react to inforrnalion a hout

your home 's energy consumption-e-m rea l t ime.

What's so g reat a bo ut that? Studies have shown

that peo ple who arc able to receive unmediate fe<.-'dhwk

on the ir electricity usage save 5 percent to 15percent

on their electric bills.

S ome elw.'rgy monitors are being made avallahle only

to electric utilities for their smartgrid 1l11]11Ill s. Othe rs are

already being so ld onl me and th rough custom electronics

(k~.ueffi. Some arc cxpens rce an d some are very afford-

a ble and some are Iree(in a sense).Somemonito r o nly a

home's total e1<-><-'trk ity use,while others meas ure power

consumption at the drl1litkvel.S errecome Ul the form of

software designed to run on a home computet; and others

are combined into ~dashbo;:U'(l..~ that (kJmilch more than

monito r yo ur energy use.

Why this sudden ra..h of e nergy ma nage me nt sys

tems? One reason is that people a re becoming more

awa re ofthe ir e ne rgy use-e-and the amount of ('nergy

wasted in o ur homes. Electricity cost.<; arc onlyexpected

to rise ill the coming years. It makes sense, in th is day

a nd age , to know how much energy you 're ll<;ing , rather

tha n waiting for a bill in the mail.

Withumlll'diate feedback Oil etll>Jg,' U'>C,hl)l\ll~ JWI1l'IS

can identifYwl1l'ther appliances or other devicesare cans

ing "spikes" in the elecrcknd-cend t hen make ch,Ulh'l..... to

be nl( Ire et\l>Jg,'-<.'fficielIt.11ll')'1ll<\Y fjndthat a deluunidifier

is being left on UMl long , or that a space heater is kid ting

o n when no one L.. home. TIll' mtormation imparted by

e nergy monuors c an be surpris..ing-and inspire yOUUl

start be ing smarter about y our e nergy use.

In add ition U) the proliferation of el\l'l-ro' monitoring

dt..'vk:cs,bllllons ofUS. stimulus <kJlI.'U'S are being poured

into e lectric unhucs to ro ll out smart grid programs

(see s idebar). Electric utilities a re conduc t ing t ria ls

on e nergy management services, and big companies

like Intel, Cjsco and Google arc q ueuing up to provide

ut ilities with system<; they can put into homes.

Types of Energy ManagersBask program... like Coogle's Po wcrMete r and bas ic

....yst.ell1.<; like The Energy Detective (TED), which works

with Googte's Powe rMeter software, report .just the

total electricity usage in a hOLL'>l'. Other inexpens ive

e ne rgy monito rs like the Iow ercost Monitor from Blue

Line Innovation...do the same. TIle Co ogle F\)WerMete r

software displays a graph with d ips and spikes, and

it's not difficult to d iscern wha t's ca ll<;ing those spikes .

Be sure the e nergy monito r you c hoose a llows you to

input your uti lity 's rates . T his way, it will be a ble to

tell yo u how muc h energy you' re us ing in dollars-

something you ca n de fi n itely un derstand.

Ifyou want to monitor appliances and lither devices

more delinitively, a ....y.;tem thatcan IH( '(lea.ire core...aunption

at the circuit le.....c lL<; ideal, Someof t hee, likeconurerct..'I1

grade sy.;t.em.. from companies such as Agilewaves and

Ludd Des ign Cr oup, can also moni tor W\-" and water con

Slullption and the etll'mYPIlKhkuon ofa-oaroralternative

energy ~ystL'Ill . TIlL'yare tl ll' R'IT'..u1.<; ofelll'Igy monito ring

sysl('m-.and UII.'y cost thousandsof do llars.

Powerhouse Dynamics is breaking tha t cost ba r

rier, though. Its recen tly introd uced eMo nito r ca n

measure electricity LL'>l' at the circuit k'VeI and costs

$ 499 for 12 sensors a nd $fl99 for 24 sensors (p laced

at yo ur home 's circuit breakers}--with an add itio nal

ELECTmlNICHOlJSE,com 57Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

ENERGY MANAGEMENT

s ubscription package that issues reports and recom

mendations to IL<;CN.

Smart plugs areanother option.TIle dL'Vice you 'd like

to monitor attaches to a plug that measures the electrical

draw from a power outlet. A smart plug can perform

automated functions like turning the device on or ofT.

That 's pretty cool, but the price ofsmart plug.,,; can add

up, and they're unable to measure loa ds consumed by

large energy users like hot water heaters and furnaces,

which are hardwired ruther than plugged in.

TIle same L,,; true of some energy monitoring pack

agesolTered by high-end borne control1..1l111IXUlies. TIley

can monitor what's on the control :.ystem's network,

including all th e audio and video components and lights,

perhaps, but p roba bly not the refrlgerato r or your heat

ing and u )(lling system. Some home control systems,

though , can interf ace d irec tly with energy monitoring

systems like those from Agilewaves and Powerhouse

Dynamics. It's a setup that can res ult in much greater

savings-csomc say up to:30 percent or more.

Us ing information gathered by the energy mont

tonng device, the home control system can react ap

propriately,turning devices on and off, cutting vampire

power that electronics continue ro use when they're

"off ~ dimming the lights , putting the whole home in

a low-power state, and more. The convenient energy

and money-saving poss ib ilities are endless.

Beyond Energy MonitoringEnergy monitoring marketers love to tout the study that

found tluu people~ve5 percent to 15 percentjLN by hav

ing i mmediate fccjback on theire!l..'l.-mdty c onsumption.

But IlI AVthey'rew(lll(k'ring what happens after that initial

twI ......wk pen d whm ]U lIl!e aren mnillg anlluKi tileh:1lr'C

s1lllttillg (lffUlI.'ir big energy h:lg-;. Js it likegtling on a diet,

and soon reve rting back to our old, h'1lt-bu..;ting ways?

~Energy data alone is not enough to motivate con

sumers,~ says Stephen Harper, Inte l's global direct or of

e wirour remandenergypolicy Tbthatextent, Intel's Home

Energy Management System does n't just do energy. It

pmvirlcsother functions, iJl(:hJ(~ a video 1TI(..,.....\b'ehoard

viaits built-in camera. Intel doesn't. think people willusea

(b lia ltL'(!in-home dL<;play en ID)jttt for eneIgy WiC. In f,\{.t,

the fal't' of Intel's dashboard b a dock,with a color-coded

energy forecast for utility plichlg by the hour (seesidebar;

"The Smart Grid Starts at Home," P<"th'e 57).

Control4's EC I(X) energy monito ring dL,>play, too.

will offer-weather and additional functions, becdesju«

information about a home's eleetriclty consumption.

Like Intel's Das hboard, CL'>(:o's countertop touch

screen comes cloaked as a clock. And both 1..111n IXUlies

will first look til roll out their products through utilities

and service provide rs (ADT, Comcast and Verizon)

before offering systems directly til homeowners.

Some energy monito rs are even pushing rccom

mendattons, based on how much energy an appliance

or a device uses. The Energy Management Solution

from lighting and home control company tantage, for

example, can estimate how much money a home will

save by us ing occupancy sensors that trigger light."

and other devices tc turn on and off.

~We 'rc looking beyond energy management ," says

Mart in Flusberg, the CEO of Powerhouse Dynamics.

~A car tells you all kinds of things going on with the

engine and the vehicle. But think of a house, and you

don 't have tha t. We want to t rack appliances and send

AGllEWAVES

lOWW.agilewaves.comType:Measures IoIaI and circuil-ievel

electricity use. ~us gas aod water

Cost: Yaries; starter systems $5.000+

Availability: COmmercial. but wi lldohigh-eod residential

AMX NETlINX POWER

MANAGEMENT POWER

DISTRIBUTION UNIT

lOWW.amxcomType:Tracks usage 01 eeaees on an

AMXnetworilCost: SI.395Availability: Throug. AMXdealers

CINEMAR ML ENERGY

MANAGEMENT PLUG-IN

I\'WWcinemarsolulions-comType: Software. works with ltD aooCinemar MainLobbyCost: S8OIS256 with TED energy monitorAvailability: Dealers. on line

CISCO HOME ENERGY

MANAGEMENTSOUJnON

I\'WWcisco, CIJmfWellIconsumerlJ)flX1IJt;MIem.hlml

Type; Measures Iotal elecbicity only.....Availability: lIIilities aocl service

providers. retamater

CONTROL4 EM5-100

lOWW.cootroI4.comType: Measures lotal electricity only

Cost: Sub S200 {est re1ail)Availability: Uti lities. retail later

CRESTRON GREEN LIGHT

WlW<o-estrm.~J;tl_{PleIlI1I

Type: Software tracks usage 01 oeaces

on aCreslron networil.....Availability:Throug. Crestron dealers

CURRENT COST ENVI

lOWW.ClNrentrosl,ootType: Measures lotal electricity only

Cost: $129Availability: Online

GOOGLE PQWERMETER

www.googIe.coovpowermeterlaboutType: SOftWare

Cost: Free (for use withTED aodCurrent cost monitors)

Availabilily: Online

HAl (HOME AUTOMATION INC.)

http://smattgtid.homeauto.comIsmartGridlsmattgrittasp

Type: MeaslKes IoIaI electricity use

through smart meter, pluglevel withload control modules

Cost: S149 (expeCled)

Availability:utilities first.through

dealers later

5R ELECTRONIC HOUSE S\lpt\lmber 2010 EHlnslailers.COMScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

Energy monitoring displays from Intel peft)and Cisco offer upmuch more than boring energy info. Intel'ssystem features videomessaging, and Ciscolooks to send homeowners energy-savingrecommendations.

alerts, like when a well pump or a sump pump dies ."

Powerhouse Dynamics and others are looking to

read how much power a circuit is It'iing and report to

the homeowner that the appliance isusing an increas ing

amount ofeleetricitgand that it may be time to service or

replace it. 'We've added diagnostics of other problems,"

Fl usbe rg says. "The defrost cycle of a refrigerato r was

kicking otT, so we wTote an alert for that."

~Ultimately, no one's going to be looking at these

things in real time ," Fl usberg admits , "bur real time

allows us to alert people in real time."

The Killer AppThe ability for an energy monitoring system to send

ale rts could be a big crowd plea-en Hut ultimately,

home control will be the killer app by allowing hom

eowners to set their own parameters for devicesaround

the home. For example , when the tem perature of a

roo m ri<.;('S above a predetermined setpo int (measured

by a temperature sensor), the home control system

can dose the motorize d drapes. This integration of

home controland energy management auto mates your

energy use. Acljustmenls throughout your home can

be handled by the control system's processor, so you

save money without having to think about it.

Ultimately, energy monitoring and management

systems will be "set it and forget it.~ Their funct ions

will he transparent to users, and they vvill require in

te raction only when the system sends an alert about

an appliance or the home's energy use.

Remember that little dream sequence we started

with? That you don 't have to do rnuch of anything to

save energy? That' s already happening . Our energy

saving dream is here. EH

VANTAGE ENERGY

MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONAND ENERGY DASHBOARD

www.vanm!/!!COOlJOlS. comType: Measures totaleIeclJici~ use aJldcircuit-level monrtoring

COst $4,000 (avg.), tor use wittI

InFusion systemAvailability:lhrough vantage dealers

URC ENERGY MODULE

www.unM!rsaIremote.comType: App lornetworked controllers

Cost See dealerAvailability: lhoogh dealernetwoI1I

TENDRIL VISIONWWI+: tfJfldriliTJc.comType: Measures total electricity only_..Availability; Utilities.retail in2011

THE ENERGY DETECTIVE (TED)WWl+: ttJeenergydetective. comType: Measures IoIaI elec1Ii<:ity, usesome solarlwindCOOlpatible

cost $120to$456

Availability; O"'ioo

POWERCOST MONITOR

www.tJ/uelineintKNations.comType: Measures totale1ectr1ci~ only:

works with Microsoft Hohm on lineapp

COst: starts at$109Availability: Retail, online

POWERHOUSE DYNAMICSEMDNITOR

www.~com

Type: Measures totale1ectr1ci~ and

circurt·le'lel monitoringcost $49910$669,plus subscr1 pbon

Availability: Electrooics, solar systemeeees

en::iEwI-

~enENERGY MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT

INTEL HOME ENERGY

MANAGEMENT SYSTEMWWl+: ifltel.comIemlJedded/energyl_IType: Measures total elec1Ii<:ityonly_..Availability: Utilitiesandservice

providers, retaiuater

LUCID DESIGN BUILDINGDASHBOARDWWl+: hx:iddesigngroup,comType; Measures total electricityuseand

cirl;u~·level, plus gas and watercostVaries, typically $15.000+

Availability: Commercial, butsomehigh-end residential



WHAT'S

YOURTest your knowledge withour 10-question quiz and seeif you're prepared for theMure of home entertainment .by Arlen Schweiger

1. What electronics component does

not have 3D capability?

A. Television/projection display

B. Blu-ray disc player

C. DVD player

D. AN receiver

Answer: C. RUherthan w tyouoffwith the ultra-simplistk

"What dOL'S3D stand for?" we went with the components

you' ll need for it. Sorry, but your DVD player will not be

in the equation when it comes to 3D home enterta in

ment. Please upgrade to Bill-ray (you can still play your

stan dard 01' Dvl)s} and ditch t he VCR while you're at it.

The latest and greatest com ponent,.. mentioned are hit

ting shelves, and the newTvs ought to unproveon your

current 2Dviewing, too.

-------------2. Which type of television technol

ogy does not feature "3D ready" or

"3D built-in" capability?

A. CRT (Cath ode Ray Tube)

B. LCD (liquid Crystal Display)

C. DLP (Digital light Processing)

D. Plasma

Answer: A. It's 20 10-why are you still watching TV

on a boxy, space-eating CRT set? Ifyou are, we' II let it

s lide if it' s in a secondary room and not a living room

or media mom used for primary (read: 3D, in thts case}

viewing. The other technologies are fully entrenched

in 3D now, howeve r, so it 's tas te r 's cho ice, Ifyou can't

hang a flat-panel Tv, don't want to spring for a stand

and seek more diagonal display inches for less dough,

Mnsubtsh t has DLP sets up to 82 inches-just make

sure you reserve en ou gh fl oor space. If you prefer

the slickness of plas ma , Panasoruc is the main name.

Fo r bright LCD viewing, Samsung, Sony, LG, Sharp

and Vizio have the category well covered-so me u;n(Light-emitting Diode) displays are starting to surface,

too. Note that in so me cases , like Mitsubish i, you will

need a separate adapter or co nverter box to process

theSlj effer-t Oil your u3D_ready" or "Slj -capable" se t.

(MiL'iubishi plans to upgrade some of iL'i 3D displays

to preclude the need for an adapter, according to Nick

Norton , se nior manager, brand marketing.)

-- - - - - -- - - -- -3. What specification of HDMI (High

definition Multimedia Interface) cable

and input/output do you need to view

3D Blu-rays and TV programming?

A.1 .1B.1.2C.1.3

D.1.4

Answer: D. The evolutlon of our favorite NY cable has

brought with it support for 3D in the latest spec, which

was actually updated to l.4a earlie r this year to ad

dress broadcast content and interoperability between

3D facilitation devices. Without gett ing ultra-technical,

version Ld a supports three mandatory formats of 3D

transmission-c-frame-pa cking (for movies and games),

and side-by-side horizontal and top-and-bottom (both

for broa dcast content}.

Active-shutter3D glasses likethose picturedfrom samsung(below), caeasonic and XpanD(next page)require batterypower for operation , while polarized types suchas shown fromRealO (above)forgo the need.

ELECnmNlCHOUSE.c om 6 1Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

62

3D: Frequently Asked Questions

4. Which of these is not a form of

3D eyewear?

A. Anaglyph glasses

B. Polarized glasses

C. Active-shutter glasses

D. Sunglasses

Answer: D. Ao; in duh. n ut more on the aetual types of aD

gla......es types, hegiruling \\1th the ones that spring to mind

flrst-c-anaglyph. TIlt'SI;' are the ehea pie cardboard g1a....ses

witha red and hlue, Of red and gJ\'t'1I, filter over each eye.

It's common to old-school 3D viewing and also tends to

dilute the image quality. P olarized glasses are what you 'll

find at the movie theater (RcalD is a chiefmanufacturcr),

becaee they're llK>xpellsive ~'t manage to creere a :melTl'(t

without compromising pict ure quality. These essentially

filterlight til pnti!.'(t the same iI1Jab'e to e;ll,:h eye(lillyslightly

illtjw;(ed, for your brain to then rombine and produce the

greeter field depth. A('tive-shutter, or liquid crystal, gl<L~

arc what you 'll receive with the purchase of your new TV

(XpanD L,> a main brand, along with proprietary tedm(lleJID!

from TVmanutactnrers, with average prid llg ranging fmm

$ 100 to S1;>0). ThLs type ofeyewearforrnsSlj by ~yndllg

with displays that rapidly alternate frame sequencing so

th at each eye gets a different pe rspective.

ElECTRON IC HOUse S~pt~mbe, 201 0

s. Along with a rollicking good

time, viewing 3D may also cause

which of these symptoms?

A, Nausea

B. Dizziness and disorientation

C. Involuntary movements such as muscle or

eye twitching

D. All of the above

Answer. D. lk·fOl'c you d l<Ul# the menu setting Oil youn\('W

1" from 2D toSl), make sure you're aware of the potential

medical pitfalls. Samsung has outlined them, including the

aforementioned and other risks, in a PDF download,-vlew

ing tile TVUsingthe 3D Function," ....i nch L,> available Oil its

website .Ifyou'veever been through a 3Ddemonsnanon, it's

ear...yto see why SanN-lIlg(and PR'SJInallly othermanufactur

ers that may J)l1St similar warnings) wants to ensure it has

covered it.'> bases and off ered slK~h surety information. 111e

company goes so fur a'> suggesting that those who have a

hL'>1oJY ofsctaues orsrokowten CX]JOS( 'd to flashing iJl~'CS

or lights should consult a physician before using :m.

-------------6. Gaming in 3D is supported by all

of the following consoles except •..

A.PCB. Nintendo Wii

C. Sony PlayStation 3

D. Microsoft Xbox 360

Answer: B.AlthIlI,lgh the ('( lInpany hasdt:'ve!l,!leda portable

3D gaming device with it." 3DS, Nlntendo has no plan" to

bring the technology to it." popular Wii console. SOllY and

MkTlN 1ft have alUl( )lUI<'('(l n uTln! and future 3DUll1\1 J<l1iI JiJity

for their consoles (the PS:3 will also (Ilay 3D B lu-ray dL'it'S) ,

rum withthe additjon of ted U1oleJID! fmm graphics card giant

Nvidia, your computer can become a:3D gaming machine

with a wealth of availablegames already compatible.

EHlnslallers.COMScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

7. What is the definition of "ghostio oy"?

A. Watching a scary 30 movie

B. An image that "buns in" to you- plasma screenC. Checkerboard images you continue to see

after removing 30 glasses

D. Double images caused by 30 sync issues

A.l$h e••D.GhlNing.Of"~, cIl.,\,uswhellthe~u.ners

flfl aD~'Srnn't~pe...-e\\i1h the nfn.'Sh rnleo( theTV

liH'tTt'<-ti\'-oIy hl:d: images that flllt' eye ShOld(bl't he st.'eing,

and VK1o' WNl. This can al<;() oc cu r with .n.l ;o r flI\-S(Tt'efl

n m!nt<;(.o; between blight ruld dark UIUQ.,'t'S, 1ll'l ll. II 1l.1ng ghl:~

like (kluhle vi.<;jon or slul(klW i1ll:lgt'S . Bt'l.Wt't'1i ll(tiw-!illlltter

gh i .<;('S and higher-re fre..-h-rare p h 'ill l: ( Hmll.CD TVs (like

2101 lz ovt'r 120Hz), this ShOldd bea minimal \\urry, hutat

ku'il. iiC 1I111' folks in the AV St:it,1I.1o' Heum (II'1I1 IUw.'i/im lnl.

COlli) havefotu KIthat updating the- firmware and tweaking

the VK,\\voint~ OIl the lV 1TIl.'l1U 11l'lps d iminale it.

-------------

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?rters the $64.00J IXnJs Q.iZ QI !E!SlO'I, alCI we ViOll rj'fe yOU lIlJtPeecce <VSNefS. be-cause thesirclIe answer is Ihat '" (1ep:!I Ids on I'l::w rTU:I1 yOU w:n klspend. Here's asot1StIi<OiaI1tageS alCI~a een :IISfl4e.

FLAT· PANEL DISPLAYS

POOS; sm:.Iest!D'lll'Jl S2l!S(1aI:II (I~"",,""ilJi,oo 9J h¥1 tI ill'lDt1 <ni sosce aesNi:atllimigCONS: May oeec to sitcosekl get the hAl WSuaI~a 3D; recs to tee the nrm relalro'elyart: J)"eITIitJn~Mr 1U1-30 IIICdeIS k:texample,P<r1ascOC'sVT25 plasmas I'<Vlge

tn:rn so kl65 ilChes <nl $2,599 tl $4,299,am &wnst.rg'S pasta otIerirgs tn:rn $1,999 to$3,799 alSO to 63 ill:hes: mearM'lTile, 5amsurg'sLOO nooes inclooe a $1 ,699 46·incher amLED versiooS rargirlg non $1 ,999 at 40 inches to$6,999 top-ol -the·line 55 rctes.SimilarlySony's LCDs and LEOs runfrOm $2,1 00 fo'" a40·indTer to $5,CXXl f(l( aflagShip6O-irchmooet,

DLPTVs

PROS: Large screen sizes:biggest barg 1(l( the lJo::::k-l(l(example,Mitsubishi'smcoes start at

60 indles eor$1 ,199and \qJ octata~rg 82-indl set mats (IVy $4,499,CONS: can go bigger than 1Ia1-panel ~ys, 9J they'. eat up mresoece.currently requiresaspocO' atJapter~ to corect aBlH3yplayer to\tieTV (newer «ooes 'MIbeupgraded toJ)'"eCWe the reeo k:tooej.

VIDEO PROJECTORS

PROS: PrtM:1e cos il.11tI9'toe 30eeeece albb::Jl(lI teen (1 beO;I <tje tl wattT iT awide--screen~krmatCONS; C'a1 be eJ:Iremet1eoeee.Ike0igltlI f'n4Ediu1's /iw.fgu'e hiJlillllto'll3IlCl!P1~ , l&.IiItI bqTer kl i1slal

BLU-RAY PLAYERS & RECEIVERS

PROS:Best W"J kl Yieo¥ hAl tV30 Inages; use fa"~ SUT'I:lJ'd-SOJId inmersim; ma1y

team web-lYld CQ'l1)JIer'st!nd strel¥llil;l rneOa qJlior:s,

CONS:Extra COO1JXlIeflIS fa" \OJ" system with costs that ao:l up co lSiOOI B1u-ray players

between $200 to$800,amsimilar~ on mid·1eYeI receivers. ~us tDMI ceres; I'(Jl menmenl available 00 B1u-ray yet.

S. What kind of sound system do I

need to complement my 3D TV?

A. Just use the TV's speakers

B. A single soundbar should cut it

C. Couple of bookshelf speakers

D. FuIIS.1- or7.1-channel surround sound

A.l$wer: D.OK. we're not by ing to 1)(' S(imtifit~ abolll this

'.Ie,hut there's a reason SOllie ffiruluf'II:'I lf\Offi tn.1l SlIlTOlUld

S( I!.UKl as":JD sOlUKF-it's far Illt lll;' inUllt'lN Vl' a nd eewelop

ing than Inllii tional z-cbannel stereo. Yt'S, iiC llUldbars have

impnwed in quality and some even otfor 'virtual surround"

e Xp t'rit'III 'l,"S, hut don't ('Illmt 011 tiU'1II or the lV's internal

Sl)t -aker!'>y..;t l'm to matt~h one that ul("!lldl'Srenter; front lefi

Iud rlWlt, rearor side k'ft ruld M 1l, rud slllMlll. lft'IThannds

t1llil m ITydi.";erete audio uuonrullioil .

-------------9. Whtch sport looks the best in 3D?

A. SoccerB.Golf

C. Baseball

D. Auto racing

AnswEr: A.OfCDJN.', ttlli f.;rllT/y!'lia:,ml:it thtil:WJirt, bi aD

h ..ctth.N.,~lt llt.o; ro..'l'ain'c1 il :.IDttlli~'ara-dtheWrki Cuj)

Sf K'C't'!" Irnl.dlt.'Son E};PN ao~unt.'f"t'd a bit more pratie than

t' ''''fiIgt.,.t11te ~fa'il.ers, I\tlJi'sAlh.'brG.Ulle and NA'iCAR's

O:>ke 7.1.'", 100. Golfand ba'it>balllk't,d iiC lIllC bt.'ttt,. t'allk-'11I.

m~'S, Iud we'd liketo~'e FhmllliaOnl," 1'11111:1 md ng (" ,,. the

NNiCAH f" 'a!for more exd tellk'llt Ull.>re, Mulliple mJglt'Sand

dOSf....ll pS workt..'<! weUao; tilt.' fOl1\ull. !:wl\\,, 1for so(:(:('r,and

we're gtlt'Ssillg Anll'l ltan flKllhall will folk" ... Sl.llL

10. Which movie sequel is not planned

for theatrical release in 3D fonnat?

A. Cars 2

B, Transfonners 3

C. Pirates of the Caribbean 4

D. Star Wars 5

A.lSwe4. D_Al:'ttt'r knoYon, of COl1I"S£', a.o; f.),b;otlf' Yo' TIle

Em"h" .<;t,i },r.; [kIck. UnfOltWlale!y, \\10' \mn't he st.'t'ing

it in ao ... yet. But thanks to lhl> SlJ("{"I.'SS of blockhtNl'rs

SlK'h asAI '(liar, nnnhiingiofGec-lfge Lurao;' plh'iihle3D

l'OllVl'rsion of all six Slur m.r.s films abound. In April ,

Lura...,fllm dill.'('lill'" uf fan rl"latiolls Stl'\-eSrul.'>'\\'l.-'t't~ed:

-C;eurge !llLo; pu bl icly expn'ssed an illtt'l"l~ ill c1ningStar

Wars :JlJ. Right nnw then>are a n Wllht: r nf di tTel"l'Ilt tech

nnlng!es , tht'n'' s S(11ll{' CrttiCL'iIll out tITt'n' a bout S()llle of

till' muvit'S thaI. haw quickly (:ha.llgl"l! to ao,so yml have

to pil'k the righ t tt'Chnology, yo u have to gt·t it to a (:tJst

that makt.'s st'IL'il' , I hnpe it will happe n SO$llt, lliY ill the

not W O dis tllll t. flil ll re.~ Ao; fo r the other tlln "l' lillSW t.'TS ,

t lwy 'U Ill.' l'oming at you ill aD next year. EH

KEEPINGSCOREAre you readyb:l)

I'one i!i lleitli • •elt?NuT1Ierw.ecto-2tv isiTaD now, yOU

krow; 3-Spertlaps

you'reready b .......screen HDTV, 6-8you're<11 tf)lVe:q:leIt, tUT.lime toilstaJI aenernaScope smen; 9-103D, yeOO, bring iton!


64

3D: Content

UN' ESSYOU'REASERIOUSSOCCER FAN or your

child really loves Clo ud y with a ChanceqfMeatlXllls,

you're pr obahly wondering what's the point of all these

3D products for the home? It seems like a new 3D

moyie is hitting the local Cincplcx every week, but

your local cable provide r still hasn't added any 3D

channels to the 700 you're receiving.

The manufact urers seem to be taking a Ficul qf

Dreums " if yo u build it , they wi ll cornu" approach to

3D home entertainment. The televisions, and even

some projecto rs, are arriving swiftly with the requisite

eyewear, as well a.. Blu-ray players and AN rece ivers

that support the for mat. Yet t here were only a handful

of viewing cho icer-not induding the many PC gaines

rkvelopod to l ie ;31)-n !lli1y-av<lilahle tlm llJgll traditional

manners, as of our early AUh'1.1st p ress time.

DirecTV Leading the Charge"Everyone L.., talking about some fonn 0( :3D, and it's all

driven by the interest of consumers,~ noted Pnnasonlc

ElECTRON IC HOUSE S~ptembe' 20 10

era Elsuke Tsuyuza ki , on the eveorptrec'Iv'sJuly I

launch of it" Ik3Dc hannel PC: M'CI't-'<tbyIu res onic. 'A.., I talk

to networks and hmadcasters, at lea'>! a dozen networks

are very interested, in my personal opinion."

TIle n;m debut colncldcd with two more DirecT\' :.ID

offering.'i-DirecTV Cinema and DirecTVon Demand,

both of which promised movie selections. But simply

because the channels exio;t doesn't mean there 's content

to fill them. On the day ofthLs arude's writing, Din 'clV's

IbtiJV..,.,,> for n:.lD and Ctnemashov..ed n3DPlfv ieuA")and

[MAX: NASCAR 3D respectively-looped all tkl,lJ.

Thuyuzaki predicted the rollout of 3D programming

to work it."! way from sate llite to more cable channels

and finally to tJIC major broadcast networks, with similar

naming to tha t o f high-definition alte rnates, like NBC

:.JD or TNT 3D. TIle n3D channel arrived a little less

than a month after &';;PN became the first to bes tow 3D

pr ogramming upon us, a" its&~I'NaDchannel launched

in conjunction with the opening ofthe 20 1aWi)l"\d Cup.

And similar 1.0 the Direc1V;Htna';(JIlic partnership, DL....

EHlnslallers .COMScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

covery announced earlier this year that it was teaming

with lMAX and Sony to start a :31)network, hut not until

2011. "TIle new 3D network will feature high-quality

premium content from genres that are mos t a ppealing

in 3 D, including natural h isto ry, s pace, exploration,

adventure, enginee ring, scie nce and technology motion

ptct ures and children 's pr ogramming from Discovery

Sony Pictures Entertainme nt , 1J\.1AX and o ther third

party pr oviders," the co mpany said .

Mixed ReviewsTha t's in line with Ole main categories that are earning

the bulk of 3D focus fo r the home, espec ia lly sports

and children's programming. ESPN broadcastod the

aforeme ntioned World Cup, baseball's All-Star Home

Roo Derby and Ole X Games in 3D, and ito; college foot

ball coverage in the format begins th is mouth. During

the summe r, tenzon's FlOS service a ired a New York

Yankees-Seattle Manners g ameon Ole YES Network in

3D; naD aired the J\.U1~AlI....Srar-Garne; ruldTNT de livered

NA.~ (live, not the ThlAX movie) .Reviewshave been

m.ixed, at bcs-c-tr omvery good enha ncement, when the

:m teleca'>!. dearly to pped 2D in showing a hard-to-see

s occer goal, to poor, such as noticeahle artifatt .., apPlw ing

on the a D version ofthe same socce r match.

TIlt' broadcasts al';( ) featured more 3D content that's

to be expetU>d---<."()mITll.'rt:L:11s!F.sPN pr oduced one ofits

popular "TIll'> ls Sport-Center" spots fo r the fon nat, and

:m gave Sony another reason 1.0 (Md.'>!. Peyto n Manning

and Justin Timberlake fo r more fun ny busines s.

~1iI1, the content most viewers arc damoring for are

a D Rill-rays ofthose blockbustermoves they saw in the

atersThe first Blu-my relea...c ofA vatar in April did not

indude a 3D vers ion; ne ither d id Aliw i n l-Vrnuiell'llnd .

In term s of native 3D re leases (Tnc Pola r Express, for

exa mple, was released with old-school red/b lue gla,,<;t'S),

Mm~<;/elsvs.Aliens,OmlJIfJwl~h fl alJma~qfMaltJxlIL,;,

Comline,IceAye:Daum q{ thBDinosanlS,and IMAX's

Un der the Sea and Gr and Canam Aao mnoe were

available at pre.....'" time. 11\e Shll'k series,A Chrisnnus

Caml, Ava/a r, Open S!U<;(m and M(m!i/n 'H ouse were

upcoming on :m Blu-my.

The Road to AdoptionMany are compa ring this early adoptio n period to the

beginnings of HDTV-a few channels ex ist, including

some s atellite-only offerings with names such as E..'iPN,

Discovery a nd DiI'L'CTV again leading the way. Rut is

Ole adoption of 3D rea lly going to he like HDTV? You

didn 't need 20f2 0 vis ion 1.0 notice the quantum lea p

from standa rd- to high-definit ion.

A.., much as Hollywood studios, major networks

and cable stations wa nt to encourage 3 D viewing,

co nsumers will be the ones who answe r whethe r :3D

is as s ubstantia l an improveme nt as hlgh-def Do we

need a D to enjoy House o r evenH{)W;f~ H I/l iters? Oh,

a nd a decade removed si nce high-def has been avail

a ble , my cable provider is still adding HD channeb

that have existed on other cable and satellite services

fo r years. Hmmm . EH

HOLLYWOOD'S

1Yffi\~~While we wait for more 3D con

tent to air on our TVs, some are

simply waiting for better 3D fare

to come out of Hollywood fi rst.

seems that for every Toy Story3, there's a Clash of the Titans

or The Last Airbender . Judging

by what's been said by some

important Hollywood di rectors

and movie reviewers, there's a

definite sp lit on embracing the

3D format. Some director (and

one reviewer) perspectives:

TIMBURTON:"Getting

CHRISTOPHERto do [Alice in Wonderland]in 3D fitsthematerial Quite ROGER EBERT: "3Dis awaste 01a

NOLAN: "I'mnot awell. SoI'mexcited about. perte1::tly good dimension. Hollywood'scur-

hU{lll fan of3D.... II's allmaking it anew version,but. rent crazy stampede toward it issuicidal. It

based on all thevisual-also have the elements that adds nothing essential to the moviegoing

effects technology,people expect whenthey experience. Forsome, it isan annoying

you know,thatwe'rethinkOf thematerial." distraction. For Others, it. creates nauseaand

currently most engaged headaches.•• . For moviegoers inthe PG-13in with matchmoving, and Rranges, it only rarely provides an ex-so forth,and rendering perience worth paying apremium lor."2D imagery into a3D FRANCIS FOROspace. On atechnical COPPOLA: "I feel that

level, it's fascinating, until you can watch 3Dbut. on an experiential without. glasses,it'sthe JAMES CAMERON: "We're going to

level, I find the dimness same thing we know. I have 3D TVsall around us ... and we're

ofthe image extremely personallydo not want going toneed thousandsof tJours of

alienating." towatch amovie with sports, comedy and music and all kinds

~.I) qasses.trs tiresome." 01 entertainment~

.:<:'


3D: Setups

What will it be? A flat-panel Tv, a DLP set or a projector? Welook at three very different, real-world 3D home spaces to

help you make your choice. by Lisa !tIouJymun y

3D com E5 i1many shapes a'1d tlaYors. You can buya fIat-palel TV with the capabllity. orgo forthe Ia-ger SOW Isizes ofa DLP Tv. 1heotheroption is a video proiectoI. All havetheir merits,

asyou'. hearabout in the following profiles. After re IU lQ about them. youshoUd have a better

ideaof wOCh 3D technology winwork best in you- han leo

Of course, noTV is worth a grain of satt without speakers and source equipment, sowe've included a list of components used ineach profiled3D setup. This,combinedwith

each homeowner's impressionsaI:x>ut 3D viewing, will help you put together your own3Dentertainment system.

66Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

Control the light

folly light in the roomcaninterlerewitha30presentation. Imageslosedimensional-ityand lighthits thescreen.Also, light frombehind call reflect offthe backsideof theglasses.

Tipsjrama3D Famity

-g r-••

C' o o o o o o oo

--

Plasma tits in homeo wner s ' living room bette r and takes vid eo up a notch.

Space-Saving 3DFor three yean; Gabe Montemurr oand his wife , Eliza

beth, had been using a Sony SXRD rear-project ion

Tv-c-qulte ha ppily. But the thought of being a ble

to view content in 3D was too compelling for these

early adopters to ignore. Plus, since the Monte mur

ros' baby was now walking, they thought it would be

bes t to buy a slimmer flat-panel display that could

he pushed inside the ir entertainment cabinet and

beyond the toddler's reach.

Galle had a few other prerequis ites for a new

display besides it being flat: it had to he on the higher

end of the performance scale, it had to be a plasma ,

and it had to he somewhat affordable. Samsung's

high-defPNf>8C7000 lV lit the bill , comi ng in at under

$;],000. ~A" a bonus, the 58-incher carne packaged

with a :m Blu-ray player, two pair of 3 D glasses and

a :}O Blu-ray disc of Monste rs liS. Aliens,

After a fewvir.......ingsotthe movie, the Montemum,.;

were hooked . "3D L<; much more immersive than 20,"

~ysGall('. ~Yi )IJ find yourself leaning f()lW&TI, sitting un

the edge ()fyour :-;(..at," Unfortunately, there are onlysc

many limes you t-anwatch the same movie."M on <;/eJ'S

vs. Aliens L<; theonlytrue3D s ourcewecwn,and when

we purchased the system in March there simply wasn't

much content available,"Gube laments.

Ev en with the lack of a D programming, the fam

ily still gets to ex perience bits and pieces of :.JDjust

by press ing the 3D button on a remote co ntrol. The

PN5HC7000 features proprietary 2D-to·a D conver

sion tech nology, which when activa ted renders 2D

images to near 3D quality. "If it wasn't. for the con

version technology, ;lD for us wou ld he extremely

disappointing," says Gabe .

The best way to describe the conversion, says

Gahe, is f w o; .'JD. "It's rea lly hit o r miss . Some

things you watch, you say, 'wow, that really added

so me depth.' Other things fall completely flat." TIle

Montemurros have experimented with all so rts of

programming and co ntent: movies , sports, d igital

pict ures and PlayStation3 video games.

Theywere most. unpres sed with how their collec

tion of digital pictures looked when displayed in 3D.

"SUddenly, there WaS so much depth a nd dimensional

ity, so much so that Iwent. through my favorites and

created a special :.JD playlist," Gabe says .

The Entire System

1. URCMX-980 remote; 2.PeachtreeNova preamplilierlDAC;

3. 5amsung 58-inch PN58C7000 kit (includes Blu-rayplayer,2

pairs 01 glasses and Monsters vs.Aliens;4.TotemAcoustic Forest

freestanding speakers; 5. Integra Research ROA-7.1 emonner

Boost the brightness.

When switchingfrom20 to30,the imagescanappear dimmer.You cancombat this by

boosbnq thebrightnesssetting01yourTV.

Move forward,30 begsfor thebiggest

screenyou callbuy. "you can' afford oneor havenoroom forsomething supersized,pushyour seatscloserto thescreen.

ELECnmNlCHO\)SE.c om 67Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

speakers. (Even if there were no speakers in place,

the new Mitsubishi model would have been able to

create 111e effect on its own; see sidebar.)

~All we really had to do was program it into the

home's existing Co ntro!4 home automation ~'Y....stern,"

says Dutton. This tie- in allows the DLP to display

menus for operating the home's audio/vidL,() eq uip

ment , lights and other ....systems. Pri metlme also ere

ated a sPL>eial 3D button thnt switches 111eDLP from

2D mode to 3D. Mark navigates to the command by

using his il'ad or a handheld remote .

111at same command kick-starts a So ny Blu-ray

player, another rece nt addition to the entertainment

....y ....«ern. The combination of the 3D butto n and the

Sony Blu-ray player makes the t ransition between

2 D and 3D seamless, a nd eve ntually so will the

so urces in Mark 's well-stocked eq uipment rack in

the basement . Wired to the 1V through a Control4

video distr ibutio n processor are a Vudu BXl 00 set

to p hox, Dish Network VIP!)22 satellite receiver and

Sony BDP-CX70ooES Blu-ray player, among other

components. These content providers have already

started to offer 3D prog....amrmng-c-with much more

to come-so Mark's as..sortment of 3D choices is

hound to keep growing.

The Enti re System

1.Mitsubishi 3Dstarter pack; 2. OefinitiveTechnology speakers;

3. Control4TSM10GBtouchpanel;4. Integra OTR 7.9receiver; 5.

SonyBOp·S570 Blu-ray player;6.Mitsubishi 73-inchWO..73837

e

oe

3D: Setups

Asa 100~'tirne fan ofMit"1.lbbhi pr oducts, Mark Capriola

is benefiting from the manufacturer's commitment

to the new viewing tec hnology 11l(-' audio and video

enthusiast recently traded in his 65-inch WD-65833

Diamond DLP1V for a 73-inch WD-73837 Diamond

DLP unit. In the pr oce ss , he got a full :30 upgrade,

"something he loved the idea of," says custom elec

tronics professional Dirk Dutto n of Pnrucume Audio

Video in Rockford, Ill.

111e fact thut the new screen wa s much larger than

theh~'L",," 3D flat panel available,)'Lt cost significantly

le ...-..;,WdSone more plus. Prime..time sold the set to Mark

for $2,400 {plus $3BB for a starter kit .which Includes

two sets of g1~l<;'>;CS and an HDMladapter); a (>: l-ineh 3D

Samsung flat-panel, w-hich Pnmettme also sells, would

have l "CN cl oser to $3,(0), s<-WS Duson."Yilll<-<..an't really

beata DLP in terms of price and SCI'L'C n s ize."

Although his loyalty to Mitsuhishi had a lot to do

with his choice, Mark says he was willing to give flat

panel options a fair shake. ~I v isited the Primetime

showroom to compare five or six diffe rent displays

before I bought anything. The DLP 1V had the horse

power I was looking for."

Aside from making room for the larger set, there

was little Primetime had to do to Mark's living room

to make it suitable for the new display and it." 3 D

presentation capabilities. Even the audio was good

to go, thanks to their existing 5. 1 surround-sound

setup ofan lntcgra recctvcr mid Definitive Tec hnology

3D Trade-upHomeo wner goes larg er with a 73-inch DLP and g ets 3 D t o boot.

With all thehoopla

about3D,peopletere toforget abouttheaudiopart oftheentertainment experience, saysTom PriolaOf PrimetimeAudioVllIeo in Rock

ford,III."Audio isparamount

and liasabigplaceina3Dsystem" nesresses.

T11eengineers atMitsubishiagree. Built

into themanufacturer'slineof 3DDiamond838Series DLP TVs (andLEDTVs) are 16 tinyspeakers cesmeo to directsoundwaves besideand behind viewers toreproduce fully imrnersiveDolby Digital 5.1

suoccnc-socno.The exclusive Mitsubishi tech

nology,called ImmersiveSound Technology(1ST),accomplishes thisby

delaying thesoundbeamsarc projectingthem indepelldentlyfromthe16 speakers atvarying intervals.

"With ourhugescreensizes, we're able10 deliver theclosest

home entertainmentexperience to an actual3Dtheater,"says Nicf(Norton,Mitsubishi senormanagerofbrandmarketing. "Now,with

the integrationof Im

merslveSoundtecnrctogy,wecansaythat our3DTVsalso deliver a 3Daudioexpenence,"

Don't.ForqetAbout Audio

6R ElECTRON IC HOUSE S~pt~mb~ ' 2010 EHlnslallers.CO MScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

This projector is now a serio us 3D contender.

Private 3D Demo

The latest 3-chip3Dproje<:torsuseadvanced tecbrerogy capableOf supportingfull Active3D.A120Hz signalisfed tothe projector (full

1920x1080 60Hz,lett; full1920xl OBO60Hz,right),and the leftand righteyesare displayed sequentially.High-speed LCDshutterglasses are used and smchronizedwith theproje<:torviaen IR emitter, blockingtheright eyewhenlell eyecontent isdisplayed, andvice versa.

Youeither need ahighspeed dual link DVl cabletotransmit 120Hzfull HDsignalstotheprojector fromthesourceortwo standardDWHDMI cables-onelorthe left eye content, 0 00 lortheright eye content

HDMI 1.4 looks to reducethistoasinglecable.Duetothehigh speed Of the1920 xl OBOsignal at120Hz,em-acare must be takenincab lebanchNKtth,connections,crimps and bending so asnot tointrOduce biterrors.

There areseveral DLPtwo-piececonsumer projection systems and flat-paneldisplays that advertise3Dcapability,but they do soonly at reduced resolutions.By reducingthe resolution,theelecnonlcs and responsetimesare greatly simplified.Most gaming flat panels areamaximum 1680 x1050,and many of thesingle-Chip3Dprojectors presentamaximum of1024 x768resolution.- George Waffer

Active 3DProjectors-«An I mprooement OoerPassive Proj eclors

A" part.ofits SI30,OCKl 3D package, DPI includes

a Dimens ion server from Mechdyne with the Titan

project or. The server co mes preloadcd with a variety

of 3D material , and although the content L-; designed

more for demonsrenon purposes than for serious movie

viewing, it left a la...ting i mpression on the homeowner

'wewatched everything from cartoons and advertise

ments to v tdco games and movies, and it all was so

milch more immersive than th e 2D content I typically

w'atch. TIle difference is almost comparable to (the

switch from I black-and-white television to color"

What made the biggest im pact, says the hom

eo wner, were the active shutter glasses that came

with the system. "I've used po la rized glasses before,

and i t just doesn't compare to the anquality you get

from active shutter Wa.....'It-"S. You 're able to see the fu tl

1080p high-def resolutiononhe image. With polarized

gla.....ses the resolution isn't ncar a" crisp."

TIle gatheri ng was a huge hit, especially for the

homeowner, who was able to experience 3D from a

$ 1:10,000 projector in the comfort of hi" own home.

Wa" it enough to convince him to upgrade? "Not yet,"

he says. "The cost is still too high a nd there's not

enough content available." Uut when things change,

~ I'I I be seriously looking a t a new pr ojector;" EH

The Entire System

1. CrestronTPMC-8X; 2. MonitorAudioPlatinum300 speakers

and GSW-12 subwoofer; 3. Digital Projection30Titan; 4. Stewart

Filmscreen Luxusaecmscreen StudioTek; 5. MarantzAV8003

receiver;6. Me<:hdyne Dimension server

o

The owner of thiss high-end theater had just a .....tandard

video projecto r in..stalled when :m started to get hot.

Uns....ure ofwhether he should trade in his recently pur

chased pmj('(tor for a 3D model, he agreed to let the

company that designed his theater demonstrate a unit

in he.... home first. ~We to ld him we'd give him a deal on

the installation o f the new prqj(>(t or ifhe'd host an 0IX'1l

house fo r builders and client" in the area ," s,'1)'S Shawn

Hansson of Logic Integration, Denver, Colo.

TIle Logic Integration installers tem p orarily stah't..'(!

the Digital Projection International (Dl'I) 3D Titan

projed o r on a table (shown below), leaving the exist

ing DPI lOROp Titan projector mounted to the ceil

ing. Ab o left for the demo was.... the 180-inch Stewart

Fl lmscrce n-,e perfect. size for 3D viewing , according

to th e homeowner. "You really need a big screen in

order to get the full effe{tof :m,~ he says. "It really L-;

a better visual experience if you see nothing but the

screen image in your vision."

ELECnmNlCHO!.JSE,c om 69Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

HOME OF THE MONTH

Friendly software lets Chicago homeownersreconfigure their home control system

with ease. /).11 Lisa Mon1[Jfffllem, ph%(Jmphy by John Fuier

v

/// /

that usually means additional labor charges. The

owners of our home of the month never worry

about that expense, though.

ONCE MOST HIGH-END home control systems

are programmed and installed, there isn't much

homeowners can do to reconfigure the settings

other than call their electronics contmctors---and

70 ElECTRONIC HOUSE $Ilptember 2010 EHlnslailers.COMScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

Outdoor entertai n

ment abounds

in this Chicagobrownstone. The

family has twospots to catch avideo: a roonopdeck (opposite

page) Of a patiooff the secondfIoof sitting room.Each area featuresa weatherprool

42-inch Runcodisplay and con

tent from morethan two dozenvideo sourcesincluding threeKaleidescape

media setveI'S

that can bestreamed to them.

THE TEAM

SyStems Design

...."-"_~c:om

....dli""'"

"""......"""""-"Wderior D!f'lel....OIicago,"

~"om 7 1Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

HOME OF THE MONTH

---l- __

In the kitchen area, the 70-inch SonyBravia TV (above) provides one of thebiggest views in the house. In the

adjacent doorway, the owners can docktheir iPod to access as part o f the

home's audio system.

Each AMX touchpanel (left) offers thehomeowners a way to peruse andchoose something from their massive

ente rta inment library, as well as control

the lights, security system, heating andcooling system, motorized shades, andother electronic amenities.

72 ElECTRONIC HOUSE $Ilptembe, 2010 EHlnslailers.COMScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

Tha nks to a web..ba sed software application

provided to them by their custom elec tronics pro

fessionals (CE pros), they' re hoe to modify their

system whenever they please, and without flnan

cial repercussions. Called LivSystem, it 's given the

homeowners a simple set of tools to manage and

maintain their own home co ntrol ;')'l'>tem from their

computer, iPhone and other Internet -connected de

vices. It's abo savedthe CEpros at Chicago-ba-ed

Integrisys hundreds of hours of manpower.

11)(' software res irk.."ion an AMX NeUinx home

control processor; but can be accessed from any of

this 7,OOO-square-foot home's 14 touchpancls.

Beta TestersAs cne or tntegri....ys' first clients to use LivSystem,

the owners ofthis renovated home have al ready

done their fair share of tweak ing. Take the Sl'OIITS

button found on any ofthe home's wall-mounted

and portable touchpancls. The button was origi

nally programmed by Integrisy s to signal a high

defs atellite DVR to route prerecorded GlL'Cn Bay

Packers games to L'VCry flat-panel LCD and plasma

display in the house, However, the family can

always log on to their online LivSy:o.tem C ontumra

tor tool to have the SI'OIITS button do something

completely different-like send the game to the Tvs

only in the kitchen and home theater; "Orrllnartly

The 50-inch Sony display in the masterbedroom can be swiveled toward the bed orthe seating area, giving the owners multipleviewing options,

an adjustment like this might require th at we roll

a t ruck to the res idence," says Integrisys founder

and owner Geo rge Velazquez. Other program

ming adjustments in the residence could involve

the light.., thermostat.., moto rized shades, audio

eq uipment and security functions.

Big-Time VideoTIle controloption.. in thi.. tricked-out house SL'Cm

endless, given the number of electronics t ied to

the AMX p rocessor and LivSystem. The video

distribution network alone couldentertain a small

village, High-defvideo from 2:3 DVRs , four Apple

TV players and three Kaleidescape med ia serv

ers are transmitted OV1!r a network of high-speed

cabling to any of 14 flat-panel TVs and the home

theater 's Runco I080p video projecto r.

1111.' family didn't hold hack on the size of their

displays , either. There's a 9-f()( lt motorized screen

in the theater, a 60-inch plasma in an upstairs

media roorn and a 70-inch Sony Brav ia LCD TV

in the kitchen. EV1!l1 the two guest r oomsare well

appointed, each with its own 42-inch di'iplay,

HOME OF THE MONTH

TAKE ATEST DRIVEHoweasy,really, isahome control system touse?Mosttimes,it's impossibleto know unlilyou try it TheOWnef$ ofthishigh-tech Chicago homehad

the luxUly 01 test driving ahomecontrol systemat the nearby office of Integrisys.

The entire 16,DOO-squarelOOt building,whiCh encompasses laciHties lordesignandengineering,software development, system assembly andshipping and warehousing, isautomated fromlop 10 bottom.Integrisys emplayees use thesame systemand software asits clients to manage everythingfrom music tomotorizedwindow shades.The systemeven keeps track of whO's entered the building---via acard

scanner-and if it's during business hours, itwillautomaticallyset tile Iigh1s, heating/coolingsystem andblinds in thai person's office.

During visits 10 theIntegrisys headquarters,thoUgh, mostcustomers interact with thetechnology in an"experiencecenter" designed to resembleatypical condominiumhome.Usingtouchpanelsand remotes,customers can control TVs,music, lights and motorizedwindow shades.Simple on!011,up/down commands arewellrepresented; however,Integrisys inchxled some slicklifestyle modes to "reallyshow011 thepotential 01 our systems,andto demonstrate how easyit is lortileclientwilhoul anyassistance fromustochangeevery aspect ofwhat the modedoes," says company founderandowner George Velazquez.Acooking mode, tor example,runes tile kitchenTV toacookingchannel, putsthe phonesystem on "do not disturb" andbrightens thelights aroond thework areas.

ELECnmNlCHO\)SE,c om 73Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®


HOME OF THE MONTH

74 ElECTRONIC HOUse S~ptembe, 2010 EHlnslailers.COMScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

HOME OF THE MONTH

Operat ing thi s dedicated theater is a piece ofcake, thanks to a carefully sc ripted menu ofco mmands accessible via a portable AMXtou chpan el. Button s such as WATCH TV and WATCH

MOVIE are present ed on the panel's main screen.The AMX NetLinx home co ntrol system setsup the room and AN co mponents different ly,depending on which button is engaged. A Runcoproj ector fi res the video onto the a-toot motor

ized Stewart Filmscreen.

While video is a family favorite , the screens that

pepper the res idence are remarkably understated.

They had to be , says Velazqu~.l, given that the tu rn

of-the-century brown stone sits in a protected hi"to ne

landmark district . Integrisys employed seve ral clever

in....talla tion techniques to prevent the big displays from

marring the home's architec tura l character;

A 26-inch TV in the master ba throom, fo r example,

was mounted behind a SCum vanity mirror. TIle image

from the TV appears through the glass only when it's

turned on; otherwise it 's invisible. In the den, which

features originalwood p aneling ,a TVwas tucked into an

alcove above the doorway so it's only noticeable when

the owner is s itt ing at his desk. Even the mammoth

screen in the theate r is undetectable a t t imes. It ro lls

up into a L"Ciling cavity on command from a handheld

remote , touchpanel o r iPhone--or it can disappea r

automatically, bused on the time of day.

Simple ControlsThe M IX touchpane ls , however, were le ft out in the

open. A.., the owners' d irect link to LivSystem and all

the electronics in the house, the control pan els needed

to be easily accessible, expla ins telazquez,Therefore,

nearly every room has ns own wall-mounted unit-and

most areas a lso boast handheld remotes .

Integrisys used its Livsyst em softwa re to ensure

that the most relevant controls a re at the ready. Fo r

example, the I().inch wall-mounted panel in the garage

defaults to commands that pertain mostly to the security

system. "This is the area where the family enters and

leaves the home, so having security controls up front

and center made sense," Velazquez says .

TIle menu on the screen in the theater presents

a completely different set of opt ions: WATClIlV, WATCH

Mom : and 1.1-:"\\1-:. Of course, the fam ily can a lways dri ll

deeper into the offerings to access commands for


- ,

L.qrting control keypads were mounted Ow on the

walts, just as traaitionaIli(;rt SWitCheS were ill the,""'-

Aat-pMel TVs were placed 00 cvticuIatilg arms sothey coukI be pulledfrom thewaIand pivoted toward

viewing loCatiOnS. Ihen retlmed f\Ish agamt thewaIwhen ootin use.

Home t\lillrolprocesSO's and aooio and video COOl

pOllel1lS were tucked ifIto haJlway closets, proyilling

quiCX and easy ;ness tothe equipment withool: merferi'lg with the arcI1itecllre anddecor.

WHEN CENTURIES COWOEIt takes acareful haIlll to integrate electrOniC components into a histork: home. Here aresome of the tech

niques thecustom elccb ones pros at Int~ usedIII downplay the appearance of technology;

An original WOOllen radiator (now non-tunctionaI)

provided a good hilling spot for speakers in the dining room.


HOME OF THE MONTH

The homeowners can soak in plenty of video inthe bathroom, too. By the bathtub, a Samsungflat-panel set was mounted and recessed intothe tiled wall. At the vanity (below), a 26-inch TVmounted behind a specialty designed mirror isonly visible when it's on.

other roo ms. And they can enact global commands

that impact the entire house. M OI1S IJ\G, t:VENIS(i, ( iOOD

NIIaIT and coon ),;lGIlT\\IDl (]Uf;;'LS all arrange the hghts,

thermostats , motorized shades and security systems

uniquely. The ho meowners can use the scheduling

feature ofthe LivSystem software to program a whole

house mode to activate at a certain time of day, or

they can override the internal timer and activate the

mode on a whim.

All Mapped OutIf the owne rs need to do something specific , like

brighten and dim the lights on the Lutron Ho me

Works system, they go to a prcconfigurcd lighting

page on any touchpanel. Command" can be issued

from a touchpenel, but in a house where hundreds of

fixtures arc tied to the system , it's eas ier for the family

to hit buttons on th e lighting keypad" that re placed

old light switches.

The intens ity IE.Nel" and fade rates of every tight

were programmed into the Homeworks system by

Integrysis , but again, the LivSystem software is there

for any adjustments the owners wish to make. In the

case of lighting, this L" pretty milch a given, says Ve

lazquez. A new piece of artwork or a rearrangement of

furniture, for example, can call for a different lighting

setup . To cha nge the settings, the owners call up a

map that identifies the position of each light w-ithln a

roo m. From there, they to uch the lighting icon and

lL'>C simple tA MIL" like sliders and d ock timers to change

the inte nsity, add it to a group of light", or put in on

a schedule.

Automatic UpdatesHaving lived with the AMX NctLinx system and Llv

System software for more than a year, the family has

molded the operation of their electronic component."

to fit thei r lifestyle. That's 1I0t to say that things won't

~'C, though. TIle engineers at IntL'gJi.'>ys are conunu

ally refi ning and adding new features to thc software

and the updates can be pushed to the owners ' system

remotely from a server at IntegrysL,,' office. TIle family

doesn't have to do a thing other than give Integnsy s

the go-ahead.

A" tricked out as this home L", it doesn't appear

UII.'rewould he milch to add, but ac<:o rding to Inu.'gri.,>ys,

in the world of auto mation there's always something

new to explore, such a" the Livb'yWm's energy manage

ment application. The homeowners haven't expressed

a need for it yet, but it's th ere when they'd like a way to

monitor and manage their energy 1I.se, says Velazq uC".l.

Rec ent downloadable upgrades include the ability to

control the house via an iPad, as well a" through the

keypad of an IP-enabled telephone system. EH

EQUIPMENT LISTHome Control:NIoXHeating/Cooling:

GallierWhole-House Audio:

AMXfl.utO;)atchWhole-House Video:

AMXfl.utO;)atchUghting&Shades:umn

Home Theater: Runco,Stewart Filmscreen,Integra and Sonance

Displays: Runco.sees.Sony, lG

security; ElkProducts

ELECnmNlCHO\)SE,com 77Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

This impressive room packs in seating for 22, a starlield c eiling,rich fabrics and a massive 212-inch homemade projection screen.by Rachel Cericola , photography by Chris Ricketts

EQUIPMENT LISTCAVS C0098E Kar~ PlayerEpicenter Media GenterHAl Qmni I Panel.NC 0lA-RS1Pr()jOCltYKl ipschKA·' 000-THXSubwooferAmplifiers(2)

Kl ipschIQ·650·THXSpeakers (5)

Kl ipschKS-525-THX""_(2)Kl ipsch ',(W-120-THXSubwoofers (2)Un~ 0MA2200 Media

Extenders (2)MicfO&)ft Xbox 360 (2)Pmeer taseoectvn PlayerOnkyo TX·SV909THX ReceiverSony PlayS1ation 3Sony 200·0VO Changers (5)Venfurer HO DVO PlayerCustom 212-irJCh SCreen

HOUSE BEAUTIFUL isn 't just a magazine; it's a

way of life for .loon Lee. Hi.. stunning Silicon Valley

home hass an equally stunning home theater. It did

cost him a pretty penny-a lot of them, actually.

Despite a few hired hands and plenty of free ad

vice , .Ioon war.. able to tackle much of this massive

project himself.

When it came to construction, .loon called in a

pro. His contractor buijtthe semicircular l 6-foot-wide

stage, the soffits and the columns . After all , Jcon

needed to sleep at so me point. By day, he was busy

launching a vineyard and his busmes.., Cora Vina

Wine. Most of the work would need to be done at

night and on the wee kends.., and that war..n't all that

ea..y, since he and wife, Claire , were dealing with a

newborn. Yes, his screen, seats, receiver; and the

rest of the lot weren' t the only new bundles of joy

in his life. Cora was.. a new addition to the fam ily

a nd a.. fa r as we know, she had no knowledge of

running wire, calibrating eq uipment , or installing

acou..tic treatments.

Tha nkfully, Joon does. At times, he did need

advice and a bit of nudg ing , so he would post ques

tions and progress report.s in his lengthy, heavily

followed AVS Forum bui ld thread. It made sense

that he would need help here and there. This was n't

just a huge financial investment; it also took up a

lot of his time and living space.

.Ioo n actually started work on thi.. room back in

200 :3, when the home was.. being built. He worked

with an architect to make sure that the theater wass

designed perfectly. The room war.. built about 1.5

78 ElECTRON IC HOUSE $ Ilpt llmbll ' 201 0 EHlnslallers.COMScan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

feet lower than the others on his ho me's second

level. Al'l(), the way the space w'as designed created

natural seating risers . By the screen, the ceiling is

12 feet high ; atthe back, it's 10 feet. ThL<; allows for

three rows of seating. for a total of 22 guests . In an

effort to make the seats a throwback to old-school

theaters, .loon asked Claire 's aunt to upholster 20

ofthem by hand. Each one is adorned with crushed

red velvet and reclines for co mfort. However, ifyou

want the real VIP treatment, ask to sit in one of the

two "money seats" in the center of the second row.

That's not to say tha t each scat isn't a good one.

The 24 tactile transduce rs in the flo or- seem to shake

out any complaints.

One of the advantages to building a thearer dur

ing a home 's co nstruction is that.Joo n could keep

three ofthe room's fou r wal ls away from the house.

TIle one that's actuallyconnected features three sets

of walls and doors to buffer- the noise from the living

space. Other acoustic treatments include columns

with fabric faux-painted to look like wood. Speakers

are hidden ins ide those columns, as well as in the

soffit.". There 's a lso strategically placed reflectors

and abso rbers in the walls , which are hidden by the

rich brocade fabric. ':At. THX reference volume, you

ca nnot hear the so und from anywhere else in the

house," Jcon says.

Naturally, the room includes a lot ofANgoodies,

such 3.<; a custom-built 2.:35: I SCl1..'Cn that measures

a w' hopping 212 inches (diagonal). Hi" home theater

PC (HTPC) can hold 2TB of content, which allows

Joon to stream about 200 DVDs, music and photos.

That content runs th ro ughout the house via Win

dows 7 netboo ks, Xbox 3GO consoles , and Linksys

DMA2200 Media Extenders, a." well as 40,000 feet

orwtre.roon ran through the house, with help from

his fa ther. Five 200-disc DVD changers are da isy

chained to the HTPC.

Also, if the room isn't dazzling e nough, you

can look up at the starfield ceiling, which featu res

about 1,000 point." of fiber-opt ic light. The Milky

Way, multiple constellat io ns with the ast rological

s igns of his family, and two shoo ting s tars st retch

acmss the width of the ceiling.

Of course, the fun doesn't stop once the projcc

tor goes off. Outside of the roo m, there 's a lobby,

complete with a ran dy counter, popcorn maker and

poster marquees. The re 's a lso an adjacent game

room, with a bar, poo l a nd foo sball tables, video

games, and two 10-perso n poker ta bles . EH

Because the hom ewas new construct ion , J oon Lee wasable to build theroom exactly theway he wanted, w ithperfect line of sightfrom all seats.

Adjacent to the theater, Joon Lee has amassive game room,which measures 23by 33 by 10 feet .The room inc ludesa wet bar, pooland foosball tables,two poker tables, a47-inch HDTV, speakers, and more.

WST e ABC STUDIOS. AU RIGHTS RESER'IiEO ELECnmNlCHOUSE.com 79Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®Scan: worldmags® & avaxhome®

How one DIVer c rafted a succ e s sful CinemaScopescreen m asking system for under $20.

Put on aCheap Maskfoam, and a utility knife to

cut the foam ."

• He got home and

projected a 2.40: I Blu-ray

image onto the SCR'Cn and

measured the bars . They

were about 5 inches tall,

so he cut the mas ks to 5Y4

by 77 Y. inches (the inside width ofthe frame).

• He USL>rl ma sking tape to pull the velvet tightly around the

foam and secured it to the back of the mask. A test fit proved the

mask to be about a quarter of an inch too wide , so he opened till'

ve lvet and cut off a tiny amount of foam and recovered .

"It fit like a champ, and no Velcro was needed because the

friction was more than enough to ho ld it in place," he says.

"How did it turn out? Amazing! I w as g iddy when I projected

my first 2.40: 1 movie on it. Beyond belief, the improvement

that the masks made."

Total co."t? About $7.50 for th e foam, $2.50 for the masking

tape , $ 1.96 for the utility kn ife and the original cost ofthe ve lvet.

"I guess I spent about $20 total including the velvet, but I think I

am overestimating ," Doc t'rego says. -Al'hm Schweiger

AV SciCIK'e Forum (WIL'IWw.'!fim un.Clm l ) poster Doc l'rego is an

inspira tion to any DIY theater enthusiast, He's already on the third

incarnation of his "Ridiculously Inexpens ive Ded ica ted Kick-Ass

HomeTheater;" having rece ntly gone from an S9-im:h to 12o-inch

screen. One th ing he 's realized with every version is that screen

masking is key to max imizing pr ojected images.

Masking involves covering the unused , dark gray bars pro

duced on the to p and bottom of the screen when showing a movie

whose aspect ratio is wider than the SlTL't'!1'S . You'll find that the

co lors o f "Cinema-Sco pe" 2.:35:1 or 2.40: I aspect movies pop

more and that the image generally seems sharper when the ba rs

arc masked to match a common Ifi :9 screen's conventional black

fabric border. Here 's how Docl'rego ac hieved it in a "rid iculous ly

inexpensive" manner for his Ss-Inch screen:

• He started by using leftover black velvet material from the

screen he built.

• At Lowe's he found a 2-by-8-foot sheetof sturdy foam (after

looking at several flimsy types) to wrap in the fabric. "But how

would I keep these masks in place?" Doc l'rego wondered. "My

first thought was that it would be great if they fit inside my screen

frame tightly by fr iction alone. I grabbed so me Velcm ju,>t in ca <>e

and then got a roll of masking tape to secure the velvet onto the

_D1Y~.l- -Ir;::=i===+=;-

Tech Talk-Theater Building Lessons from DIVers

DIVers are no stmnb'L'I'S to ll'l.U1l.ingfrom their

mistakes.TIle folks at theAVScience Fbrum

(n'wIIWI~JI70n.('mn) havea thread t oslwe

Oil this topic {usemames malntamed]:

b1ipszyc: Make a shopping li...t IK-:fine

going to Home Depot or Lowe's . I'm sure I

wasted numerous hours, days, wee ks {plus

gas) because 1forgot to g<t something at the

store and had to 1,'0 back or Jtothe next day.

Once I started making Ibt.s , I z ipped through

tIteUlfi'1tnKUlI1 phase.Anda'> MLllphYWl lI.t1d

have it , a big Home Depot vvas built right

around tile corner from my neighborhood

six month'>afu'r my theater was done.

budk: I can't stress enough how im

portent it is to draw everything to scale. I

initially started t.o draw my room by hand

and that worked for the initial plann ing.

Rut then Ilaidout the mominAlrtoCad to

cxactdimm SKlIs. ~1A'I)'tl l.iJ.lgfnlln wiring,j Ji'lt

and stud placement, INAC, and furniture is

drawn t osca le. It has b..'en extremelyvaluable

as there have been many times that I had \:(J

go back rum reference thedrawing. Once you

start putt ing up layers of drywall it's ea....y to

forget where tile stud,,; are, for instance.

ac cts4mjs: It's defl nltely helpful to

take real ly good pictures of a ll you r w-alls

be fore the drywall got'S up. I left. a few

power lines and speaker lines behind the

wall'> for future expansion, and it wa sn't a'>

ear...ya,,; I thought to lind t.hem again. The

pictures helped me narrow it. down better.

Isecord budk's sugg<.."'lti< lIl to dr<l'N{-'vt'l)'tl"ling

toscale (uySketdlUp fromGt)::Jgk.'---it'sow ).

Turns out st.ud finders aren't very handy on

double %·inch drywallwith Greon Glue.

K-Spaz: Go check out what others

have done, even ifit. takes you a few hours

t.o drive thoro, So many people here [on this

forum I have offered others the opportunit.y

t.o come check out. their a rrangement. for

Ideas; take 'em up on it .

If I wished for one thing diffe rent , I'd

have run conduit in t.he walls and planned

better for IlL'W technologies. S omeday I' ll

want I l .2-cha nnel surround, and I'm not

wired for it.. EH

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t The Ultimate Planning Guide

t Electronic House DIY Showcase

t Electronic House Homes of the Year Issue

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t Connected Home Lifestyle Quick-Hits Series

Ideas, Information and Knowledgefor the Connected Home

Get Started on your Connected Home Projects!Our experts get you up to speed on the technologies and benefits of a connected home.

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The Ultimate Planning Guide is the book with all of the best tips and information you need to plan your own electronic home. Not sure what the benefits are of a home con trol orlighting system or how a mul tiroom entertainment system would work in your home? We help you understand this and more!

Take a look at some of the best DIY projects featuring big screens,gaming devices, wiring , seats, media servers , lighting, HTPCs, racks, collectibles-and one party barnsupplied by tech savvy and passionate homeowners.

The Home of the Year 2010 issue includes more than 70pages of stunning photographs and detailed artic les of award -winninq homes, individual rooms and hometheaters that define today's connected home.

2 issues guiding you on technologies, products, trends and benefits ofentertainment and home systems. Our product reviews, equipment lists and "all-about" sections are designed to help you with your purchasing decisions.

Information designed to give you a complete overview ofthe key features, benefits, and details on technology for the home.

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Total Control SystemsP.O.Box2180Land of Lakes, FL 34639815-913-6520Fax: [email protected]'s.com

Wireless Home, I/IC.660 9th Street NorthNaples.FL 34102800-995-9434239-774-9434Fax: [email protected]'MW.wireless-home.com

GEORGIAAtlanta Digital Homes, lie.950 Herrington Rd.Ste.C-1 47Lawreoceville,GA [email protected]'MW.adhllc.com

Georgia Home Theater20Years DesignirfJHomeAutoma/i(JI andLighting Central2516 Cobb ParkwayAtlanta, GA 30080770-955-8909sales©GHTNet.comVNNI.GHTNetcom

Horizon Home Theater &Automation, Inc.The Automation Specialists321westminster Dr.Ganton,GA30114770-490-2676horizoohcmetheater@ccrcastret

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sawyers Control Systems NEWYORK HTE (Home Integrated Electronic NORTH Integrated Home133 County Rd,513 Adirondack Audio & Technology Experts) Solutions CAROLINA Solutions Inc.FrenchiONn, NJ 08825 aceo. ue. 1152 MontaukHwy., Ste. 0 731 Nor1!l Broadway Custom ElectriCal $erving Ncr1h carolina008-996-6903 1048 State Rte.9 PO,Box 1353 WMe Plains, NY 10603 Systems,Inc. 211 S. Tradd St.Fax: 008-996-6958 Queensbury,NY 12804 Watermill, NY 11976 914-422-0071 3625 Stratford Blvd. Statesville,NC 28677~ 518-792-3528 631 -771 -3199 Fax: 91 4-422-0075 Wilmington,NC 28403 704-872-3133VNrN.sawyerscootrols.com Fax:518-792-3527 Fax: 631 -771 -3100 inlo@esav,net 910-793-3006 Fax:704-973-9624

jmiller©adkav.com info@h!efly,com VNrN.iesav.net Fax:910-794-1820 sales@integraledhomeS9nIiJeSolnl &Vkleo,n. W'I'N/,adkav.com lI<WW.hteny.com ceseecrrccn sootoosret7Autumn Ridge Dr. IntelligentSystems VNrN,custoolelectrical VNrN,integratedhomeGlassboro,NJ 08028 AmbianceSystems imersoace Electronics 150 Motor P'Kwy. ,Ste. 401 esiems.con souoosret877-EZ4MYTV 1650 Route9 74 Fox IslandRd. HauppalJge,NY 11788 EIectn:x1ic I-kJIJSe2010Fax:610-717-0010 Cliftoo Park,NY 12065 Pat Chesler, NY 10573 877-4-Fun-Tek Electronic Home Home of the [email protected] 800-694-0770 914-937-9700 Fax:631-928-7846 Solutions, LlCW'I'N/.Sigsv,com Fax:518-373-0871 Fax: 91 4-937-3374 sales@inl~ligentSyStems.us 572 n.seascare Bf!I<I,SW MHSTeC/mologies

marc.leidig@ambiance lI<WW.innerspace lI<WW.inlelligentsystems.us HOllen Beach,NC 28462 430 Pineola Sf.NEW HAMPSHIRE estenscon eecmncscon 910-880-0412 Newland, NC 28657XtremeAudio &Video W'I'N/.ambia~ems ,com Electront I-kJIJSe 2010 limitless sssems,Inc. [email protected] 828-733-01417Rita Ave. Home ofthe lillrWmner 91 Brennan St. e-tome-scotons.con Fax:828-733-9064Pelham,NH 03076 AufuVdeoeceeceLlC HuntingtOO,NY 11 743 lechinfO@mhS888-XTRMAV1 17 Gramercy Place INSTALlS nc,LlC 631 -739-7644 Hannony Interiors tecnrooqes.ccnFax:603-635-7102 Thornwood, NY 10594 241 MainStreet,Ste.500 [email protected] 235 Montford Ave. WIWI,mhsfechnologies,[email protected] 914-747-1411 BuffalO. NY 14203 II<WW.Umit\essAV.COOl Asheville, NC28801W'I'N/.x1reme -av.com Fax:914 747-5171 716-332-1 460 800-942-5955 TheIntegrated Home

[email protected] Fax:716-852-2488 -"""""- Fax:828-232-1500 2401 'MlilehallPark Dr,NEW MEXICO WIWI,audiOvideOex.COOl jOhn.nettina@install$.com 17 Roosevelt Blvd.,Ste. 1 SV<ITl@harmorIyter'l:Js,com Ste.850ASound Look lI<WW.installs,com Massapequa,NY11 758 W'I'N/,harmooyinteriors.com crerone.NC 28273502 cerrillos Rd. Cyber Home Networks,Inc. 516-729-39J6 866-535-0908santa Fe,NM 87501 P.O. Box10 Fax:516-798·1480 Fax:866·535-0908505-963-550 Stormville, NY 12582 mtyzeidy@aol,com inf(@jntegratedllemellC.comFax:505-983-5642 845-223-1628 1WM'.Ilest9lintegratas.com lWM'.integraledoomelt.comIeonard..J)ascual@ Fax:845-223-7030esoncccs.cm [email protected]

lWM'.asoondlook.com WIWI,cyberhooleinc,com

c>ppc>® BLU-RAY DISC PLAYER

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110\11 11I 1\rl~

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2009I\EST Of ,\ \VARD

Products and reprints of reviews areavailable from www.oppodigital.com.

OPPO Digital, Inc. 2629 Terminal Blvd. Suite Bwww.oppodI9Ital.com(650}961·1118MountalnVlew.CA 94043


INSTALLER DIRECTORY

OHIO PENNSYLVANIA Wasserson Design TENNESSEEAudioVideo Interiors, Inc.. CtJTenl Concep~me 1433 Flat gox Rd. KDaudiO!GentElectric2753-lMedina Rd. AutomaliOn Specialists Narberth. PA10072 525 Spil 91lle Dr.MelJna. ()i 44256-8284 4610PIeaml'hNt Dr. 610-668-acm Brista, 1J.j 3762033O-m-6696 ~.PAl8036 Fax: 610-667·7373 423-646-3532F<L1I::330-722-6548 610·791-4458 wassebl@cu,lCdSlnel [email protected]~ Fax; 610-791-6539 wtffl.wassE!I:nldesigI.COTI kdaldo netYNNf.~net gIei0Cdlo:JS.CXJTI

EhtolJ:«:fbJse2010 _.QItt!l' tJJI~ es.can SOUTH Phoenix IileQuaIedIt:me fX Ie lt9" KbItJ' CAROUNA Home Entertaimleflt

KOli Media Des9l.n:. Audio PerIectiol..1nc. 0049~Fa-rr6Pkwi

Custom Automatioo ;D11\mCln:J 1kt..~ 4l) 701Gefvais St..se. 150 file.101Tedl lUkigies, n:. ~PAl5235 Pt.e'2Ql12678a)txro Dive an .fffi-KOlJ CWTtia. SC 29201New /ll:Jinj.G14n:l4 18n-746-5694) 803-926-4878614-939-4228 724-334-4695 ~dq)e!'kdoI i c.a:mFax: 614-939-0614 Fax: 724-334-4006 VNNIa·Il l ehbiuxm cop.emcIdlO'oskma.UnalilJl WI¥W,kozillO)jad: : "'I.lXIIl It'OOiolwl.n....con """""'" """'"'lWM'.amnautrnalion - """""' 1799MeetiI~ St.enem Home Theater P.O.Box 21750 TEXAS

4928Sm8 .ee St. OI3I1esb~SC 294ffi Act"""BiteSystems Sl*rtions f'lllsI:u't!,PA 15201 B43- sn·5644 2317""*1Vlew().19879G.n Ad. 412-362-1273 Fax:843- sn-5645 Ceder" HI. lX 75104~,()t45896 Fax: 412·362·1273 ilk@9ilf!SP;1CeSCOTI 214·212·9071419-568-9:93 ~ _.~f'SI '" es.cm i'lto@a;t lhOne.COOlFax: 41 9-568-41 82 _.--..... \wNucllhane.ccm-- ~s.a.rty

~ Yeager seecee & SCood, Inc.

- """""'" P.O.Box 2Q267 ZiXlDedterBML,Ste.A- '

-"'" 'lbrk. PA 17402 cooma. SC 29206Ekbn tbJSe2010 717-75]..6714 803·788·1299ftxnea lheYew~ Fax:717-840-1 945 -~COO1 seconccn

'tNNI,Iegerm;ea.fiIy.COO1

Advanced HomeTheater Systems3209 Premier,&e. 11 2Pm:l,TX 75075972-516-1849800-414-1849"""""'"-""""."'"Austin's Collection

""""'"9632 New Fa.rdin! CideAISin. TX 78758512-400-2222COi e:tit- !dit1[(DTl_.aJSli6Xllillldio LCO'T1

Oomino, Desi!JI &nlegration16161C'.aIege~S¥1 Art:no, TX 78249210-4/)4·9838Fax: 210-493-8228i ilO@lb,liu ,tuDnwww.oo.liiOltx.con

Krunal AudioVideo u eam_enPIaoo, TX 75025972·757-7860_."'"VNffl ,k/1..IIaIal..O(con

Home Theater Gallery26250klDenllri P£I #330CarraRon.TX 75007gn-956-(((()inatthew.malhis@

""""'""""""""''''...,."",Plelliei liOrTei::d.. '.jes•11 707 South sen tb.fitJnPcrtwaywest. Ste.Att:lI.Q)n, TX 77lJl281·530-79XlFax: 281-530-7930-tmftdi d::Jgies conWW'W-P'elliellolleteehd::Jgies con

UTAHAI",r.",,,,,,,iOIl"[)"~,,......,.....472N215OW,Ste_7ceca CAy,UT 84721866-381·7657Fax: 866-775-0788irJIo@NfTn:.us

_AIi1'oc-"


Fe CRESTRON ELECTRONICS, INC.crestron.comIfIashguidemo

11 PHILIPSwww.prortc.pbilos.con

6 STRAIGHT WIRE800·683·4434, www.straightwire.com

7 SANUSsanos.com

47 SALAMANDER DESIGNSWNW.saIamanderdesigns.com

25 VUTEe CORPORATIONwww.vutoc.com

2 1 AOTElv.ww.rotel.com

23 AUTON MOTORIZED SYSTEMS66 1-257-9282, W'N\I\',aulon.com

1 BELL'Q INTERNATIONAL CORP.732-972-1 333, W'N\f\',bebcom

9 BOWERS & WILKINSWNW.bowers-wilkins.com

18-19 DIGITAL PROJECTION770·420·1365, www.digilalprojeclion.com

GUIDE TOTHE

ADVERTISERS

82 EH MARKETPLACE800-375-8015, eecircocrouse.com

13 ELANgbyelan.com

39 ELITE SCREENS INC.www.eiitescreens.com

30-3 1 PANASONIC

5 PARADIGMWNW.paradigm,com

40-41 FIRST IMPRESSIONS800-305-7545, CineLoungers.com

me Gf FENwww.gef8()toolbox.oom

Be LUTRON877-258-8766. W'NW.lutron.com

85 OPPO DIGITAL, INC.650-961-1118. W'NW,oppodigital.com

3 PANASONICpanasonic.comlviera

8 THECINEMASHOP866-243-100 1, CinernaShop.com

42 CONNECTHOME800-422-4024, WMN,connecthorne.com

~S~~.~~~2~;~CoonectHome isthe nation 's premier installingdealernetwork for the professional sales and installation ofresceona netwonling,control and entertainmentsystems. Take the risk outofchoosing adealer,andmake your life easier. Gall to talk to aConnectHomedealer neervcu...the brand name yOU can trust.

AlABAMA -Home Integration Automated lilesty1es, Inc.

Technology Special ists KANSASCA!JFORNIA Digital Solutions LLC

ATSS Automated MASSACHUSrnsTechnologies Interactive Home Systems I

Convenient Systems, Inc.

Elite Entertainment Sys- NEW JERSEY

terns, Inc. elnteractive Homes

Nanlow-Dunn,Inc. Signature Sound &

Parijs Communication Video,lnc.

Integrators, Inc. NEW MEXICO

Sound Environments ASound Look

Twilight Solutions NEW YORK

COLORADO Intelligent Systems

HomeTalk NORTHCAROUNA

DELAWARE Integrated Home

Beyond The Studs Solutions, Inc.

ELDRIDA PENNSYLVANIA

AtlanticSmart Yeager services

Technolog ies UTAHAulogy,Multi·Room AHT TechnologiesMusic &Movies

H.DAV. LLCWKi!NIA

Total ConIroI SystemsExecutive 411

SCiRHomes, Inc.GEORGIA

WASHINGTONlink Your House,Inc.

StreamlineIntegration,1rK:.Sight &Sound Contracting

WISCONSINHAWAII

WestsideElectric,LLCInnovative Systems, Inc.

logicalHome Technology

See individual state listings in the InstaiterDirectoryfor contact information.

List your company in theInstaller Directory!

Call Ellen Cotton today at508-663-1500 x240

or [email protected]

INTERNATIONALTed1WOrX11913 MoolSamuiTCM'I1 teueBophut, Koh SamuiSUrt Thani, 84320Thailand+66(0) 8444 39863Fax:+66(0) 77 961913inlc@techwco:-prqocts.C01lwww.techwOrx·ll"qects.C01l

CANADAShowcase HomeTheater&Automation Inc.3412 11 41h Ave. S.E.Galgary,Alberta,Ontarioceaoa T22 3V6403·254-5820Fax:[email protected]:aseav.ca

VIVID FIXCustomInstall services2021Grantham CourtEdm((l\on,AlbertaCanada T5T [email protected]

Logical HomeTechnology,LLCN1465 weoe rt c tGreenville, WI 54942920-757-1300Fax:920-757-5756info@b;jiCalhOme

techrr<:Mo;jy,comwww.logiCalhOme

techrr<:Mo;jy,com

Smart InllOVations164 EFairlield Ct.Milwaukee,WI 53154800·200·[email protected],net

Futuretecnnctcees, Inc.By;Jppointment Only4218 Willcw Brook Rd.De Pere. 'M 54115920-337-9058sa [email protected]

WIWI.fuluretechoologiesinc.com

Innovative Systems, Inc.9880 S.Ridgeview Dr,Oak Creek, WI 53154414·761·7350Fax:414-761 -7355riChj@inOO'lati'le1 ,comwww.inOO.lative1 .com

Sight anll SoundSystems,IIlC23430 Rock Haven W<fiSte.15ODuIIes, VA201 66703-802-6443Fax:703-631-64432sa1es©sightandroundesems.ccn

WIWI.Sightandsoundesiemscon

SCiFiHomes, Inc.P.O. Box 308MickllellM'll, VA [email protected]

Theatron15967WennefFarm tarePurcellvme,VA20132703-883-0970rick®thtva.comWIWI.gethometheater,com

Executive4115799F Burse centre Pkwy.Burke.VA22015(Showroom byAp(x)intmenO703-239-1500Fax:[email protected]

VIRGINIAAudio Sound12418 GedarLakes Dr.Fairfax, VA22033703-740-0543sseseaccsocmeacmWIWI.audiOSOundusa.com

WASH INGTONStreamline Integration, InC.P.O. Box 8S2BotWl,WA98041800-976-9193Fax:800-969-7035seesesueensnewconWIWI.streamlioenw.com

WISCONSINDigilek Digital5erving Sootheaslem

W"""""Pewaukee,'Ill [email protected]

EJectronic House prov'des this index as aservice toadvertisers. We assume no responsibility flx errorsoromissions.


PARTING SHOTS

",ese installations earned ourHome of the YearBestFun Roombronze award. See other winners sf11Jting on page 43.

There'smore todoinapool housethan swim.Tileowners of these twoall-seasonstructures can walchmovies,listen to muse,or just floataroulldmetountains and waterfallsthatspi lt into their heated pools.

There's noneed to carry in adisc or boombox. Each pool houseis lied toan audio and video distnbunon system, which canbeaccessed andcontrolled from asingle Control4 tcucncanet Thepanel also lets the owners operatethe lights, water features, heatingand cooling and security.

For theprojectpicturedon top,the customelectronics pros (eEpros)at simpleHome in Westborough,Mass., designed a separatecontrol page for each system. Fromthemainmenu on thenatatoriumscreen,tne family simplypicksapage, like POll. ANDSPA,

and the appropriate control options appear.Other pages provide eccess totwo Sony ES 400-disc OW d1arg

es Ioc:ated i1 the main mee and ab::aI iPod OOddng station.Thefamily can coose adifferent roovie for eenof\he rXXJI lnIse's5G-inCh plasma1'JSor have \he SMle ShOw I1aY on tom EadllVisattachedtoan articulati1g wall rn:urtat0JlIXISite endSol\he wildng, <rid isview.ilie In:m either thepea or thesitIi1g area.

Hearingmusic involves sliding an iPod toudl or iPhone intoatabletop docking station. Or the family can go to thetouchpaneltoChoose FM,XM or Rhapsody.The nnes are piped tonumerouslOudspeakers by \he swimming pool, in \heatrium,andne courtyard between 1he original house and newly w itt sbUcture.

Theowners of 1he pool house pictured tome right haveplentyofaudioJvideo choices, too,but 1hey took video to 1henext level byincorporating aprojector and flat-panel 1V. lmagesfrom aBena projector are simply displayed onawall. According to CEpro Mike Fallert from 1M Sound Shop in cooraocSprings, Colo., tilecream-colored wall serves well ."It'sabigenougharea toaccommodate a130-inch picture and doesn'tinterfere wi1h 1he interior design like astandalOne screencouldhave," An automated pool cover contributesto1he viewingesnenence, The owners onlyopenit to swim----by pressing abuttononaControl4remote, keypad or touchpanel. It usuallyremainsclosed to prevent 1he room from becoming too humidand 1he projector lens from loggingup.

f.l9cttmi: Itluse (ISSNWl6~. "*""ol 25issul 5. 111~ 51. SIa. 200, PO Box 989, f,a",; ¢a"" MIl 01701 .2OC(I, is(l.tJIis/>Ild 8 lmeS per;M'''''' o:wrtined _ il ..laovf«l,MarIJ\p', May/!.oIe a>;j li'hIg byEH~Irl::. 508·663·1500.0 201O. ilmJaI Sltrop;oo Irate ill$24.95 i11hillt3.C3nada ...m$39,95 i1LSD b- prllllnl dgilaleooiXls Inl S1495 i1USO lor dgiIaI_ orIy 11I_ i1tema1i.nll...m $14.95 i1USO b- . 1_ <lrt1.Pe<ixkaIs p:tSIage paidat Fnvninijl;.vn, MIl Inl ao.WonaI maiIilg olfi;es ,~ GSl ''-'!IislratJ(:n 1R132182800, POSTMlSTER: SerrI ao.tless dIir"oges I:l ff8t:lJr;ni; 1Wre.PO Box 420235. Pam Coast fl3214Z-<1235 Ekmnt IWreisa reg.stered~<JEH f\tlishng~ /II reptICidIon,~~. is prctiI:iIed wiIhoIAvomen peli lossio,~ i1USA.


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Electronic House - September 2010

Documents

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