Articles and whitepapers

Combining Design and Technology for the Home Cinema (1/6/2005)

By Hossam Abdallah, United Media UK

Home cinema is about transforming your experience of DVD and CD in the home, making it bigger, more enjoyable and easy to live with. In order to create a luxury home cinema that is visually and acoustically inspiring, it is important to combine technology and furnishings so that the creative vision includes the right components.

Choosing the equipment

Firstly, you must establish the kind of equipment the client wants to use. If it is a projection system, plasma screen or LCD, do they want multi-speaker surround sound or something less sophisticated? Do they want it set up for one special room, or should the sound and image be distributed throughout the house? If there is to be a dedicated viewing area, do they want to have Internet, games, cable or satellite services incorporated, and is the room primarily intended to accommodate the family only, or is extra seating for friends required?

Establishing a budget and a look

Once individual requirements have been established, it is essential to agree a budget to cover the most suitable equipment and its installation. Apart from function and, if applicable, looks, the equipment recommended should also take into account ease of use, since there is no point providing sophisticated equipment which customers find difficult to operate.

Whilst the technology for most designs schemes is the same, the designer should work closely with the customer in order to establish the 'look' that is required, be it based on a contemporary or classical feel. The designer can advise on factors that can significantly enhance a look. For example, mood lighting can be operated by a scene controller integrated within a single user-friendly control system, and rather than having a standard sofa or three piece suite, comfortable, ergonomically-designed seating can look much better, while still allowing people to relax and put their feet up.

A contemporary look with flat screen and speakers

Creating an ambience

There are two ways of creating the right ambience. One is to have all of the technology on display so as to impress fellow technophiles. The other is to make sure that modern technology does not dominate the living space. Indeed all equipment can be concealed within cabinetry so that an existing room can be adpated with no hint that it also functions as a cinema. We can hide screens behind paintings, in ceilings, within bespoke cabinets or even inside a faux bookcase. Even speakers can be disguised as pictures, leaving only a computerised hand controller on show.

Acoustics

For acoustics, hard surfaces have to be mixed with soft ones to eliminate echo bounce, yet avoid an effect of deadness. In addition, when neighbouring premises have to be considered, thought should be given to installing sound-absorbent materials.

Overall aesthetics

A professionally-thought-out interior design leads to an overall aesthetic where all finishes, such as fabrics, veneers, carpeting, and leather are coordinated, and there is plenty of cabinet storage for DVD, video and other collections, so that the room does not look cluttered. For example, for a roof space in a listed Hampstead home, where restrictions were so controlled that no windows, not even roof lights, were allowed, a comfortable, warm environment was devised. Background lighting was used to create a daylight feel, together with silent air conditioning. All-natural finishes such as wood, wool and leather, together with warm colours and rugs, created an airy ambience, without the room feeling like a totally enclosed area. Slim-line Artcoustic speakers, in which any image - either a painting or a photograph - can be printed onto a framed canvas, were used to give the appearance of normal wall hangings.

Home cinema with dedicated seating and natural finishes

If the client has antiques and wants a classical look, this can be reflected in furniture, wall hangings, curtains and fabrics. For a classical style penthouse apartment in central London for example, all of these elements were brought into play, with all speaker outlets concealed within the furniture and a plasma screen fitted into a classically-designed cabinet. When not in use, the screen was automatically concealed and the room functioned as a normal sitting room.

Conclusion

The benefits of a properly-designed home cinema are manifold. You can use spaces that normally have a limited function, such as basements, lofts and garages, and turn them into areas that will benefit the whole family - adding value both to the client's home and their lifestyle. When the finest home theatre products are combined with the luxury of one-touch automation, clients can enjoy a new dimension to the films and music they love without having to give up precious living space.

Hossam Abdallah is the Managing Director of United Media UK. United Media designs and installs multiroom systems and home cinema, and launched its Mayfair showroom in February 2005.

www.umediauk.co.uk