Home Theater

Hire a designer or do-it-yourself? Here are the answers

I've included pitfalls to avoid and an informative glossary to ease the decision process.

Update 7 May 2011
Netflix streaming quality is improving fast. Home theaters achieve excellent bang for the buck because an inexpensive Netflix subscription delivers an incredible catalog of movie choices. Netflix has improved the client software that runs in your flat screen, Blu-ray player or game player to ease selections from the comfort of your couch. You'll select from new releases, a queue of titles you've set up with your computer and a wide selection of genres like comedy and action/adventure. At a cost as low as $8/month in the U.S., you can literally stream movies 24/7.

Not all movies are available to be streamed, of course. The latest releases still require in-mail service to put the DVD into your home. However, Blu-Ray and 3D disc delivery including unlimited streaming starts at a mere $12/month. Not bad for the best of both worlds. Check out the deals here.

Update 25 January 2011
3D HDTV is slowly catching on and price wars are beginning. 3D TVs are also top-of-the-line 2D TVs. 2D is the dominant mode. As prices slide, 3D is likely to catch on with programmers. However, the bugaboo about those necessary polarizing glasses will dog the technology.

Earlier update: Very cool: HDTV's and BD (Blu-Ray Disc) players that connect via Wi-Fi to existing home networks for streaming movies and a wide variety of apps and gadgets to our eyeballs. Instant weather, stock market reports, headlines, simple games and limited surfing are all provided. One app streams all music on a networked computer through the BD player to the home theater. How long will it be before embedded computer chips turn HDTV into full blown computing from the couch, via a powerful browser? Vizio's remote control already includes a slide-out keyboard with Blue Tooth communications to the TV. Internet TV is upon us!

2009's Perfect Storm Juices Home Theater
with a Black Friday Kicker

The continuing global recession is keeping people close to home. It's clear that it will be a while before conditions improve. Even as consumer confidence remains low, home theater is the most significant segment of the projected $183 billion U.S. market for consumer electronics (2009) according to the (CEA)[1]. An extraordinary and growing range of products and wide array of cable, satellite and Internet content providers are slugging it out to gain consumer loyalty and monthly payments.

Several years ago, only deep-pocket moguls could afford genuine home theater. As usual, technology to the rescue! Ordinary mortals can now acquire elaborate theater systems complete with big screen, big sound, better seating and big cinema dynamics... but not such a big price. Of course, if you want the best of the best and have (or will construct) an appropriate space, say a small tiered auditorium for 30 of your favorite friends, price tags with six zeros are easily arranged.

Shrinking prices means that custom design of home media rooms is growing quickly. Because this market is converging with home computing for downloading video and music content via a broadband connection, growth rates are likely to remain high. Moreover, convergence yields the ability to share music and video content throughout the home through the use of inexpensive hardware and software-based servers. Keen competition is pushing consumer prices down and stimulating growth. Theres a dazzling but confusing array of high definition products and services vying for your attention at brick-and-mortar stores and at on-line shopping aggregation sites like Become.com, Nextag.com and Amazon.com, to name a few. Products like the Aios from Avega Systems are being added to consumer electronics hardware to enable full home distribution of high quality music from any source. Similar products on the horizon are likely to commoditize high quality, high definition video and audio throughout our homes.

The global entertainment industry says home theater is a prime market for video and music delivered on DVDs, CDs and streaming download on the Internet or through "on demand" services from signal providers like Comcast, AT&T and Verizon in addition to satellite services like DirectTV and DISH. There are plans to begin releasing some new movies on DVD as soon as they begin showing in theaters. Many of these first-run movies will be in the Blu-Ray high definition format, designed for even greater home viewing pleasure than standard DVDs (thus requiring a Blu-Ray high definition DVD player).

The electronic game industry is another driver. Global game revenue rivals the movie and music industries.[3] Game consoles developed by companies like Sony (Playstation 3), Nintendo (Wii) and Microsoft (Xbox 360) produce superb high definition video and surround sound. These consoles are designed for connection to the same equipment used to build home theaters. The newest game consoles double as high definition DVD players, ready for those new releases.

Adding more rocket fuel is the growing array of ever lower cost digital video camcorders, including high definition consumer units that produce exceptionally good videos (and Blu-Ray discs), plus still photos for playback on today's high-def TV's. "Staycations" mixed with digital video can turn a back yard or hometown vacation into evenings and weekends of family entertainment whether you are in front of or behind the camera. Magazines like Videomaker take the pain and learning curve out of equipment selection and video editing, even the creation of winning YouTube videos.

Tech trends in consumer electronics sometimes produce tipping points. In the past, aggressively priced new products like color TVs and DVD players caused order avalanches that obsoleted black and white TVs and VCRs, respectively, within a relatively brief period. In addition to electronic games, the trend is visible in portable music and video players. Its an instant gratification market and much of it wants to hook up with home theaters. HDTVs are mirroring the trend.

DiY: Home Theater in a Box

When a Box Solution is Not Enough

These signal issues notwithstanding, will "home theater in a box satisfy you? If cinema-quality experience is your ideal, probably not. You'll want far more than plug and play installed by a retailers minimally trained employees, or yourself. Growing numbers of sophisticated customers want an immersive home theater experience that feels like going to the cinema without leaving home.

How do you get it? You need an expert who can navigate the technology and explain unfamiliar terms like Blu-ray, 1080p, 7-dot-1 and tactile simulation. You want one-stop home theater design. Your chosen expert will provide advice on equipment, features and benefits, acoustics, soundproofing, enhancements, remodeling, lighting, even new construction.

When professionally designed home theaters are installed, owners fuel new demand as friends and neighbors savor the experience, appreciating the not-so-subtle immersive differences. Demand for design expertise gets a push with every installation. In an accelerating trend, the custom home theater market passed the $1 billion annual sales mark just in North America.

Finding a home theater designer is easier than ever. The Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association is the gold standard, providing designer education and certification. Membership in CEDIA is over 3, 500 companies worldwide. CEDIA-certified home theater design companies are found nearly everywhere in developed nations. And CEDIA offers a free on-line service to locate designers by ZIP code in the U.S. (http://www.cedia.net/). Other professional organizations provide similar access. The "Yellow Pages" and Internet work as well (Google the following in your search engine: Home Theater Designer + zip code or postal code).

Services offered by home theater designers

Home theater designers are one-stop experts, serving customers interested in achieving something beyond plug and play. These customers want darkened media rooms, comfortable seating with excellent sight lines to a large screen, the highest quality video, immersive surround sound and ease-of-use. Also sought is integration with other entertainment sources, such as Karaoke, video games, portable music players and digital cameras and camcorders. And the Internet is a fast growing entertainment source, merging computers with consumer electronics (and adding vast choice and immediacy to the concept of pay-per-view). In 2008, Netflix subscribers

These capabilities appeal to home owners willing and eager to invest in custom design to achieve the immersive goal. At the high end, large media rooms (often with 5 to 7 figure price tags) are being constructed. Remodeling is also increasing, converting family, living or a spare bedroom, even a basement or attic into a media room.

Heres what you can expect home theater designers to do. If it sounds like general contracting but for a specialized purpose, it is. A home theater designer...

• Interviews customers and characterizes objectives in terms of equipment and space
• Answers technology questions (see the glossary at the end of this guide)
• Evaluates the current environment and recommends appropriate video and audio solutions, providing information on trade offs, features, benefits, pitfalls etc.
  
• Establishes realistic budgetary goals
• Conducts acoustic tests to determine audio needs; recommends products like the retrofit Walldamp system picturedon the right (http://www.asc-soundproof.com/)
• Discusses special interests such as Karaoke, Internet connectivity and tactile simulation
  
• Designs an appropriate theater, including the physical space
• Recommends furnishings, automation, lighting, insulation, air conditioning etc.
  
• If required, recommends architects who specialize in elaborate media rooms
  
• Provides detailed plans, including construction requirements and a full equipment list with pricing
  
• Helps select contractors, offering advice and knowledge regarding building permits
• Supervises the acquisition of materials and equipment
• Supervises the work

The Budget Rules

CEDIAs member companies handle home theater design projects at all budget levels and some of them specialize in key market segments. To select a home theater designer, establish a rough budget in order to find candidates with the most experience in your price range. Ask yourself these questions:

• Will you remodel, adding space?
  
• Convert the basement, attic?
  
• Use the current family room, living room or a spare bedroom?
• Do you want your seating to move in response to low frequency sounds, or tactile simulation, also referred to as a butt kicker from products like the Aura Sound bass shaker, pictured?
• If the selected room is suitable, does it need soundproofing? (Most existing rooms need it).
  
• Do you want to be able to press a single button that sets up the home theater scene by closing drapes, turning on the equipment, adjusting the lighting, setting a preferred volume level and starting a movie when a DVD is inserted?
• Does your lifestyle depend on a time-shifting video recorder or DVR?
• Are you thinking about a system with a disappearing screen?
• Would you like Internet connectivity to access streaming media? Of course you would.
  
• Is network access to digital photos important?
  
• How about a Karaoke mixer, a PlayStation dock, an i Pod or MP3 port
  
• Do you desire a single remote control that doesnt require a college degree?

Your answers will help zero in on three to five designers with track records in these areas. Ask each designer for a price range before you make an appointment. If you get an answer like typically, our customers invest 75 to 125 thousand and that value falls well above or below your capability, move on.

Budget Pitfalls

Screen Size. Bigger is always better is wrong advice for home theaters. Room size determines screen size, and the distance from viewer(s) to screen is also important. Your designer will walk you through the process with industry-standard guidelines produced by SMPTE, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers.

Contrast and brightness. Theres a reason why cinemas dim the lights as the show begins. Many do-it-yourself home theater customers make the mistake of attempting to show movies in fairly high ambient light. Your designer will help you arrive at the best compromise.

Location and quantity of surround speakers. Designers are trained and have the test equipment to evaluate the acoustic environment, and create ideal acoustics for existing, remodeled and new construction. The designer will know how to position the speakers based on tests conducted in the target space.

Expensive speakers: are they best? Relatively inexpensive in-wall speakers like these from MCM Electronics are often adequate. Acoustics in the viewing environment may dictate increased audio power and

Consumers often misunderstand subwoofers. Powered subwoofers reproduce the lowest frequencies found in the source material. They are expensive (price increases rapidly with power). Many consumers think they want floor pounding low frequencies (for example, the footfall of the T-Rex in Jurassic Park). But designers know that home theaters for most of us should handle such sounds with finesse and discretion, since powerful low frequencies can be heard well beyond the home theater, even with sound insulation. Do you hear an odd sound, like someone rapping on your front door during a movie? If you get the subwoofer wrong, it may be the local sheriff, summoned by a neighbor.

Leave space for equipment wiring and expansion. A highly admired home theater design provides access to all equipment, rear as well as front. Electronic units wont have to be pulled forward and manipulated sideways to gain access to the connectors. The selected designer will know just what to recommend, and it should include ample space for future additions.

Vetting Designer Qualifications

Home theater design has been practiced professionally for many years, leading to certification standards. Just as brain surgeons are credentialed and board certified, professional home theater designers have diplomas and training certificates. So, a leading pitfall when choosing a home theater designer is to not learn about credentials, certificates and past experience so that you may compare designers.

Certification by CEDIA (http://www.cedia.net/) is the gold standard in North America. Access a list of CEDIA certified contractors through zip code search at CEDIAs web site.

Likewise, Imaging Science Foundation or ISF, a hardware certification organization, provides access to trained contractors via search at http://www.imagingscience.com/isf-trained.cfm.

Certified designers are often licensed, certified and/or trained in sub-specialties, such as ISF and HAA (Home Theater Acoustics), home automation (regular and low voltage lighting control), special control, residential video distribution, computer networking, etc.

Many companies that offer home theater design and installation services must also be licensed as general or electrical contractors, depending on state laws. It pays to know, since these laws generally impart consumer protections. Some states license electrical contractors separate from low voltage contractors. Be sure to learn whats called for in your state as you interview candidates. Not using a licensed contractor may harm your ability to sell the house.

Its a rare home theater design company that does not have a website. As you shorten your list of candidates, be sure to visit those websites, paying attention to testimonials and certifications. Websites often convey a sense of purpose, scope and specialty. If a site provides examples of home theaters that far surpass or fall well below your needs, you may want to pass.

Websites also help educate consumers about the technology. If a showroom is available to try out various solutions using your favorite DVDs and CDs, its usually highlighted on the website. You may also get answers to questions such as financing. Some companies offer zero interest or same as cash financing.

Using these tools, a preliminary list of qualified candidates can be assembled for just about any city, town or region, and pitfalls can be avoided.

Certification, training and licensing are important in the qualification process as you begin to interview designers. But they are not the only criteria.

Always Check References

Failure to check references may lead to dissatisfaction. When you begin to search, the forgoing qualifications and certifications are usually associated with the contracting companys name as well as individual employees. Whether you contact a company by virtue of a friends recommendation, the "Yellow Pages", a magazine article or a CEDIA or ISF referral, you should ask for references on both the company and employees based on the following:

• Names and phone numbers of at least two recent customers (within the last 18 months) with similar requirements
  
• Names and phone numbers of another customer or two who can address after-sales customer service
• Specific certifications, licenses and training courses of the person(s) who will design the system; same for the person(s) who will install the system and perform construction tasks
• Insurance policies that protect workers as well as equipment. Who pays if an expensive component is damaged during installation? What happens if a worker drops a hammer and breaks a tile? Does the installation company carry Workers Compensation insurance (usually required by state law)?
  
• Ability to satisfy local building codes and to deal with permits
• Whether or not the company has been involved in a customer dispute necessitating legal action either as plaintiff or defendant. Youll want to avoid firms with litigious histories.

As in any profession, there are fully certified practitioners who produce only mediocre results, while others produce superb results. The reference check is the surest way to know.

Is the Design [really] Free?

Its not reasonable to expect home theater designers to give away services in exchange for the contract to sell and install the resulting system, including needed construction. Be suspicious if free design service is offered as a carrot to win your business.

However, it is reasonable to expect negotiation of fees and prices. Many home theater companies today take a contractors approach by limiting markup on hardware while charging responsible professional fees for design and installation. Other companies seek to build their fees into the pricing of the equipment and the construction and installation costs, offering little in the way of discounts but not tacking on explicit design fees.

Youll want to know up front which method will be used. Then you wont feel bad because you paid full retail while the same equipment is available elsewhere, often on the Internet at substantial discount. Depending on the scope of your project, the design work alone could be worth thousands.

Negotiate with the selected design company to separate design work from equipment, construction and installation. The separately stated design fee will probably fall somewhere between 5% and 20% of the budget. Agreeing to pay the fee frees you to negotiate all other prices, and even to acquire equipment from other vendors.

During interviews, have your questions and concerns written out, and take notes so you can compare designers later. Use this guide to prepare a checklist. Since designers provide a proposal that details their concept and a breakdown of the equipment as well as installation/construction, use of a checklist provides a basis for evaluation. With the notes youve taken, youll be in a great position to weigh competing proposals that address the items on your checklist.

Now you are ready. Immersion into an excellent home theater experience is right around the corner.

Other considerations

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Home Theater Glossary

5.1, 6.1, 7.1 The number of discrete front, rear and subwoofer channels encoded with the Dolby Digital system. For example, 5.1 means five speakers devoted to front and rear channels, one speaker devoted to the subwoofer channel. The front array nearly always consists of three speakers -- left/center/right. See Dolby and Surround Sound

Amplifier An electronic device that boosts the power of a signal. In a surround sound receiver, for example, each sound channel employs an amplifier connected to the volume control to adjust the loudness of the output

Bass Shaker see Tactile Simulator

Blu-ray A blue-violet laser-based technology used to encode and read high definition DVDs, which store 50 GBytes (about 6X more than standard DVDs). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc. Inevitably, buyers of HDTVs will upgrade to Blu-ray, and the cost of Blu-ray media will drop to current DVD levels or less.

Butt Kicker see Tactile Simulator

CEDIA Consumer Electronics Design and Installation Association, http://www.cedia.net/

Decoder An electronic device that uses digital codes embedded in a stream of music or video to separate channels and/or set operational modes.

Dolby

DVI Digital Visual Interface. A video interface standard usually associated with flat panel LCD computer displays and high performance video cards. Many high definition televisions and projectors include a DVI connector (connecting cable pictured), allowing direct connection to a computer that supports the standard. Also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Visual_Interface

DVR Digital Video Recorder. See TiVo

Flat screen Generally, any television screen that does not have curvature. However, the term has become synonymous with LCD, Plasma and Microdisplay (DLP) wide screen TVs. Plasma and LCD TVs are also relatively thin, so the term flat screen sometimes implies the ability to mount the TV on a wall.

HD, HDTV High definition television. Generally, a television with a 16:9 image that doubles the resolution of standard TV. Dolby Digital sound is included in the definition. The CEAs definition sets the image at 720 progressive (720p) or 1080 interlaced (1080i) horizontal scan lines. A 720p TV has 1280 pixels per line, hence it is sometimes stated as 1280 x 720 resolution. A 1080i TV has 1920 pixels per line, hence 1920 x 1080 resolution. The latest entry in HDTV is 1080p or 1080 scan lines progressive, and this resolution is favored by gamers.

iPod Apple Computers proprietary music player. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod

ISF Imaging Science Foundation, a training and hardware certification organization. See http://www.imagingscience.com/

Karaoke An entertainment scheme permitting amateurs to sing along with recorded professional music and musicians, using microphones. A Karaoke mixer like the VocoPro CDG6000, pictured, decodes lyrics included with the recorded music and presents them on an HDTV (or standard TV). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karaoke

LCD Liquid Crystal Display. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_crystal_display

Lighting Scene Controller Electronic remote control devices, like the Leviton controllers pictured. Together with controllable lighting they are capable of achieving a variety of preset room or space lighting conditions, including brightness and color change. Good articles may be found at http://www.hometoys.com/htinews/jun02/articles/leviton/leviton01.htm and http://www.customautomationtech.com/scene_lighting.htm

Microdisplay A flatscreen projector that uses DLP, LCD, or LCoS chip technology in combination with an intense light source to project an HDTV image onto a much larger surface. See http://come.to/microdisplay

Mixer An electronic device that allows two signals to be joined and presented as one. A Karaoke mixer, for example, joins or mixes audio from hand held microphones with CD and/or DVD audio for playback through a stereo system. Depending on mixer capabilities, the acoustic characteristics (treble, bass, pitch key) of the source can be modified

MP3 Very popular music encoding (compression) and distribution format. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP3

Plasma (display) A technology used to manufacturer large flat panel HDTVs. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_display. Plasma HDTVs often have a glass face, making them unsuitable in bright rooms due to glare and reflections.

Playstation Literally, Sonys brand of high performance electronic gaming technology, as in DVD-based PS3. Other comparable brands suited for HDTVs include Microsofts Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii

Pre-amplifier An amplifier that works primarily with very low level signals to prepare them for standard amplification

Projector Any electronic device that is capable of displaying images on a screen located some distance away

Scene see Lighting Scene Controller

Surround sound Literally, audio that appears to originate from any point around a listener. See Dolby; also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surround_sound

Tactile simulator an electromechanical device that responds to low frequency sounds by causing a physical object, such as a chair, floor or wall, to move slightly, enabling a listener to feel as well as hear the sound. Also called butt kicker and bass shaker, tactile simulators have gained popularity in home theaters. They may be used in place of or in addition to a subwoofer.

Universal Remote Control Any remote control that is capable of replicating the control signals from a variety of individual remotes. For home theater, a number of universal remotes enable macro recording that, with a single button press, will make automate each aspect of the home theater experience: equipment power and mode; sound level, lighting, screen and projector deployment, drape close, security lighting etc. The Harmony 1000, pictured, uses a USB connection to a home computer for easy programming.

WiFi Wireless Fidelity, a local area networking technology that allows computers and electronic devices to access each other and the network, which may or may not be connected to the Internet through a gateway. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wifi

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