My Engineering Masterpiece
Nine years ago, my wife and I had our home custom-built on an isolated 11-acre lot. The theater room continues to evolve into the vision I had back then. I wouldn’t say that it’s entirely completed, but it’s definitely fully functional and a pleasure to use and entertain in.  Filed Under: Installer Profiles $$$ Traditional Posted Fri Nov 14, 2008, 7:49 PM ET — By Krissy Rushing
Shannon McGinnis is one of the few people who has found that his hobby/avocation is also his vocation. In 1997, he started his Custom Electronics Design and Installation company as a one-person operation; it has grown to include three additional installers at present. Home Technology Systems, Inc., currently provides Wichita, Kansas, and the surrounding areas with a single-source solution for all custom home and small business electronics needs and desires, including home theater, systems integration, lighting control, structured cabling, multiroom audio, and security. Filed Under: Reader Interiors Casual Posted Thu Nov 13, 2008, 4:46 PM ET — By Tim Ending
Back in 2004 when we purchased our current house, we couldn’t have predicted what we were in for. Being previous renters, we had no real experience as to the ins and outs of home ownership. In New England, most houses are old. In our case, the particular house we bought was built in 1901. Granted, the house was well maintained and was, thankfully, structurally sound. We moved in and, with little time and much fanfare, proceeded to brand the house with our own tattoos of individual taste. Unfortunately for my wife, I was not prepared to be an armchair house decorator, so being actively involved meant that we sometimes disagreed on things like design styles, color schemes, or furniture choices. But overall, I have to say we always came to either a compromise or mutual agreement. My pet project was the audio/video system—something I had long ago visualized with pumping bass and a gazillion gadgets—while hers was the kitchen. Filed Under: Pro Interiors $$$ Installer Profiles Posted Wed Nov 12, 2008, 3:47 PM ET — By Krissy Rushing
A kid who went from racing go-karts at age 7, to becoming the first Rookie of the Year to take home the Shootout victory at the 70-lap Budweiser Shootout, to scoring the highest-points finish ever for a NASCAR rookie in 2006, Denny Hamlin, age 27, is loving life. And with that success has come the means to enjoy his home in a way that suits his ultra-fast-paced lifestyle. For Hamlin, that means technology. Filed Under: Equipment $$$ Posted Mon Nov 3, 2008, 4:20 PM ET — By Kim Wilson
Designer-oriented homeowners have steadily been moving away from large behemoth loudspeakers, opting for hidden solutions. However, for those enthusiasts that still like to show off their electronics, even loudspeakers are getting more stylish. With loudspeakers like MartinLogan's Feature, you can put back the WOW in your AV presentation. The Feature is a fully powered, high-resolution, electrostatic loudspeaker designed for use either on or off-wall for center, front, or surround channel applications. Pictured here it is being used as a center speaker with MartinLogan's breathtaking Purity floor standing electrostatic speakers that make their own statement. Filed Under: Equipment $$ Posted Fri Oct 31, 2008, 3:42 PM ET — By Kim Wilson
There may be plenty of Blu-ray players out there already but Integra believes they have something special to offer their dedicated customers. Known for their premium performance products, Integra releases the DBS-6.9, their first Blu-ray player, which delivers full 1080p video at 24 frames per second, the native frame rate for most original motion pictures and HD content. Filed Under: News Furniture Posted Tue Oct 28, 2008, 6:03 PM ET — By Kim Wilson
Nothing makes a statement like personalizing your interior decor with Auralex Acoustics SonicPrint ProPanels. These acoustic absorptive panels are covered in a special fabric designed to improve the sound of your home theater or media room. The SonicPrint panels help control excessive reverberation and room ring that are caused by hard surfaces like drywall, concrete or wood. Strategically placing these panels on the walls will absorb unwanted sound energy and optimize the acoustical properties of your room, providing more accurate and undistorted sound throughout the listening area. Filed Under: Equipment $$$ Contemporary Posted Thu Oct 23, 2008, 12:31 PM ET — By Kim Wilson
For a bold statement, the designer loudspeakers from NACSound will surely get noticed and compliment the most daring contemporary décors. Direct from Italy, these handmade custom speakers are distributed in the US and Canada by Sonance, a leader in custom hidden solutions for loudspeakers. The NACSound for Sonance speakers are hardly meant to be hidden and in fact, should be prominently displayed. Filed Under: Equipment $ Posted Tue Oct 21, 2008, 6:19 PM ET — By Kim Wilson
The remarkably low-priced $1099 InFocus X9 makes high definition projection a no brainer. This latest DLP projector offers native 720p resolution, 1800 lumens, and 2500:1 contrast ratio with a maximum image of almost 30 feet. The projector also features DLP's BrilliantColor™ image processing technology to improve optical efficiency and provide a wider color gamut. Filed Under: Equipment Furniture Contemporary $$ Posted Wed Oct 15, 2008, 5:52 PM ET — By Kim Wilson
Offering up one of the more unique solutions for concealing a projection screen, Beamax has introduced the X-series Dellegno, which allows an 80-inch screen to ascend vertically from the stylish and contemporary cabinet, transforming a room-friendly piece of furniture into a large screen experience. Filed Under: Equipment $$$ News Posted Wed Oct 8, 2008, 11:24 AM ET — By Kim Wilson
VUDU Inc., has unveiled HDX, a high definition video format that delivers full HD 1080p material using the company's existing set-top box. Content is delivered over the Internet and optimized for 40 inch and larger HDTVs. According to VUDU, the HDX content is the highest quality available from any Internet, broadcast, cable, or satellite on-demand service. HDX movies are available to all VUDU customers and will be rented for the same price as standard HD titles. Filed Under: Equipment $$$ Posted Tue Sep 30, 2008, 11:01 AM ET — By Kim Wilson
Integra is the first manufacturer to offer Imaging Science Foundation's Certified Calibration Controls (ISFccc), which provides a simplified facilitation of individual calibration for different video sources. The Integra DHC-9.9 ($2000) is the first preamp/controller to include this technology (along with 2 new Integra AVRs) that ensures optimal image quality for every HDMI video input. Filed Under: Equipment News Furniture Posted Fri Sep 19, 2008, 12:45 PM ET — By Kim Wilson
Qsonix, manufacturers of music management and media servers, offers up a delightful way for family and friends to cue up music for parties, special events, or just casual listening. Tap on the screen and cue up some songs to make an instant playlist or choose an existing playlist. It takes just a few minutes to create the perfect atmosphere using Qsonix simple drag-and-drop user interface, Filed Under: Equipment Posted Fri Sep 19, 2008, 11:51 AM ET — By Kim Wilson
Imagine taking a complete rack system and condensing it into a single chassis. Maybe it sounds like science fiction or just a system's integrator's pipedream. Michael Pyle, the president of SE2 Labs, was a systems integrator and knows all the ups and downs of the trade. What once was a pipedream is now a reality in the form of the ITC One. Filed Under: Traditional $$ Pro Interiors Posted Mon Aug 25, 2008, 8:42 PM ET — By Jamie Sorcher, Photos Neil Wilson
A home with historic heritage goes high tech. Old-world charm and modern-day technology are balanced in just the right proportion in this Montclair, New Jersey home. For this 3,500-square-foot Cotswold-style home the task, recalls architect John Reimnitz, “was to create a much larger, modern space for them that still had the same sort of quality and details of the existing house.” Filed Under: Equipment How To Posted Mon Aug 25, 2008, 8:40 PM ET — By Barbara Gonzalez
Simple ways to set free your photo, music, and video libraries for the “10-foot” home theater experience. Like most people, I have a digital camera, and I also recently bought a high-definition camcorder. They take detailed, gorgeous pictures that I upload onto my computer. And that’s where they’ve been locked up—in hard drive prison. I’ve also started downloading movies and TV shows that I’ve missed from the Internet. I sit at my desk and watch them on my relatively small computer monitor. But it’s not very comfortable or satisfying. And it’s particularly difficult for friends and family to crowd around my computer to see photos of my last vacation or watch the video of my son’s graduation. I transfer my favorite tunes from my computer to my iPod. But when I relax, I want to curl up on the couch cushions and listen to music on my full-range speakers so I can hear the details of the music. I also want to have slide shows for my friends and family (like we did when we had slide projectors) in the comfort of my living room. And the only place I ever want to watch movies is on my 1080p plasma. Filed Under: Equipment Posted Mon Aug 25, 2008, 5:55 PM ET — By Kim Wilson, Photos Randall Cordero
Bringing high-performance home theater to the masses. Home theater is a term that seems to mean different things to different people. However, its true meaning is pretty simple: A home theater is a theater in your home. Technically speaking, a home theater should also re-create an immersive cinematic experience, complete with a large-screen image and a full surround sound system. Filed Under: Pro Interiors $$$ Traditional Posted Wed Feb 20, 2008, 4:25 PM ET — By Blake Jochum
An installer tackles his own home, including the attic. I get control over all the electronics, and she gets control of everything else. That's the deal we made with each other at the beginning of the project. After all, being the manager of the residential systems division and lead residential systems designer at All Pro Sound, would you expect me to not do something special in my own home? After 17 plus years of doing it for everyone else, I was getting to do it for me . . . and Laura, my wife. Filed Under: $$$ Installer Profiles Staff Picks Posted Tue Feb 5, 2008, 5:07 PM ET — By Steve Guttenberg
Kipnis' outer limits theater, or what $6 million will buy. When it comes to home theaters, I thought I'd seen it all. But nothing's come close to this. First, I'm going to try to describe the sheer magnitude of Jeremy Kipnis' theater. His Stewart Snowmatte laboratory-grade screen is the biggest I've ever seen in a home, and in the back of the theater, there's a Sony ultra-high-resolution (4,096-by-2,160) SRX-S110 digital projector. I'm looking everywhere, jotting down questions, and Kipnis sounds almost giddy talking about his theater's capabilities. He refers to his baby, the Kipnis Studio Standard (KSS), as "The Greatest Show on Earth." And from the looks of it, he may be right. Filed Under: Casual $$ Reader Interiors Posted Mon Feb 4, 2008, 5:04 PM ET — By Ray Coronado
We wired the room, installed the equipment, and calibrated the system ourselves—and we couldn't be prouder. My home theater desire started in 1994 when I went to a friend's home theater to watch Jurassic Park on laserdisc. All I could say that day was, "Wow. . .that was amazing." For the next 10 years, my living room was my theater, but my wife suggested that we do a room addition to the house and make it my dedicated home theater. I was all in favor.
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