Award-Winning Home Automation & Electronic Control Systems Integrators in Michigan

With CES just around the corner, there have been a lot of big changes in the world of home theater. Here, we want to take a look at what is big in the industry for 2012. What’s trending, what’s popular, and most importantly- what is going to give you the best home theater design experience for your money?

Make Way for the Cloud

A lot of fuss was made when iOS made the move to start storing data in the cloud. Were there going to be major privacy issues? Would media still be easy to access? Consumers were skeptical for about six seconds, but when everyone realized that Cloud storage meant synching on the fly and letting go of the tethers, the technology was rapidly adapted to. Home theater companies have absolutely been watching what happened with iOS, and the simple fact is that they are taking the idea and running with it. Cloud media storage is huge right now, and there is no doubt that it is going to get bigger. While discs may not go away entirely in 2012, there is no doubt that a massive surge in Cloud storage is going to put a huge dent in DVD sales and start the decline of the disc in a huge way.

Internet TV Finally Taken Seriously

Internet TV has been around in some form for quite a while now, but it just hasn’t gotten the steam that many hoped. Hulu Plus and Netflix were doing okay (although Netflix made some simply massive mistakes in 2011), but the thinking is still largely that Internet TV is only for those times when you can’t find what you want through your cable company’s current lineup. With more than half of televisions expected to carry GoogleTV by year’s end, however, this may start to change. A huge increase in apps, as well as a surge in devices that can install and use them might also spell a significant increase in Internet TV, media streaming, and online viewing as a whole.

Sound Bars

While prepackaged home theater kits have long been a great way to make up for the HDTVs shipping with inferior speakers, even the wireless solutions present a hassle for many people seeking an easy setup. Sound bars are absolutely surging in popularity, and many believe that 2012 will see a major increase in sound bar technology, sales, and implementation.

3DTV- Finally Coming to More Home Theaters Near You?

3DTV was expected to be huge when it was unveiled a couple of years ago, but the technology has gotten off to a lagging start. Many find the glasses cumbersome, the number of available channels and movies is simply too low to justify the cost, and oh, yes, the cost itself. Simply put, 3DTV hasn’t gotten a lot of early adopters. 2012 looks to be the year that this finally changes, with prices expected to lower throughout the year and much more content to become available. With numerous companies looking to make models that don’t require glasses, however, it might just be worth waiting a little bit longer!

Grand Rapids home theater customers have lots of options when it comes to custom design, but staying on top of the trends can be a big benefit. Not only does it keep you covered in terms of state of the art technology, but it makes future upgrades a lot more affordable. There are lots of big trends coming our way if CES was any indicator, and getting the right professional home theater design can turn your existing Michigan home theater into the envy of everyone you know.

As mentioned in 2010, Grand Home Automation partnered with the Elf Foundation to help create the hospital’s “Room of Magic”. This room is a private custom home theater, designed to bring entertainment and happiness and to foster a sense of fun and magic that can go a long way in the healing process. There is no doubt that a stay in the hospital can be traumatic for children, and the goal we share with the Elf Foundation is to help create a fun and fantastic experience for kids at Michigan’s Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.

As 2010 came to a close, we were very proud to be putting the finishing touches on the project, which features a Crestron TPS-6L with the Streamline graphics kit. This new custom theater system is a perfect fit for the newly rebuilt and redesigned hospital, and it takes kids away from the previous setup of VHS tapes and into a totally immersive and exciting home theater experience. The system installed by the experts here at Grand Home is just one part of a massive redesign that is intended to improve not only quality of care for these patients, but quality of life as well.

The Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital is truly something spectacular, and we have been so proud to be able to take part in this project. Grand Home Automation is a trusted name in upscale Michigan home theater design, and it was nothing short of wonderful to be able to take that reputation for quality and to be able to use it to really help make a difference for children who find themselves needing to spend time in these facilities. While each of the patient rooms at DeVos now has a state of the art television, the theater is designed to provide an unrivaled experience. Taking a break from doctors and illness is important for every patient, and we are proud to have been able to partner with the Elf Foundation to create a state of the art AV system for this amazing hospital.

In February, WireWorld released it’s highly buzzed-about Platinum Starlight HDMI 1.4 cable at the price of $1000 per meter, boasting a silver/platinum alloy casing and twice the bandwidth of a normal HDMI 1.4. In fact, any trip into the home theater department at Best Buy will show you there are many options available when you’re choosing an HDMI cable. Does it matter which one you chose? Is a $1000 HDMI cable any different than a $50 cable? It’s important to ask yourself these questions before you end up with out-dated technology, or even worse, get taken for big bucks.

HDMI is, besides a cable and jack, a set of specifications that allow your TV and BluRay, PlayStation, projector, or sound system to communicate. Since it’s introduction in 2004, it has re-defined how HDTV’s and digital transmitters read signals. HDMI cables are designed to hold a maximum amount of digital bandwidth for both visual and audio components to preform at optimum levels. With the right setup, HDMI cables can make a big difference in your home theater experience.

The secret is in the encoding of a digital signal between two or more devices. The analog signal read by old TV and home theater technology uses a special analog signal to transmit information. This signal was easy to transmit without the use of such special cables, but often lost part of the signal due to all kinds of different types of interference from micro waves to sound waves to dust particles, etc. This was acceptable for old analog TV’s because they were designed to run on these weak classifications. The introduction to digital media and High Definition meant TV’s could use more pixels and more colors to enhance the viewing experience, but needed a stronger signal to transmit all the additional information. Digital signals are transmitted using strands of zeros and ones (binary code), eliminating much of the interference found with analog signals. Which brings us to the question of weather or not the quality of your HDMI cable matters when you’re installing a home theater system.

While the HDMI standard is rapidly changing, the current model for maximum performance is HDMI 1.4, so be sure the one you’re buying isn’t outdated. The Platinum Starlight cable may offer twice the bandwidth of a $50 HDMI cable, but there are currently no home theater systems available that can utilize that kind of space. So unless you’re trying to get a signal from Voyager II, this kind of bandwidth won’t matter. And while their casing may bar 99% of signal interference, there isn’t much to be had with a streaming digital signal’s zeros and ones. In fact, with most home theater systems the difference between a $20 HDMI cable and a $50 HDMI cable can’t be noticed, unless you have multiple high-end components that will be running simultaneously. Even HDMI cables for monitors found in the computer section ($20) are comparable to the ones found in the home theater section ($50), with little to no noticeable difference unless you really really know what you’re looking for.

So while the temptation is there to plug the highest-quality HDMI cable available (again, $1000 per meter) into your brand new home theater system, even with the rapidly expanding code of HDMI specifications, most of the time it’s a waste of money that won’t optimize your viewing experience any more that a $50 cable available in any electronics department. Don’t be fooled by the high price tag and fancy name, an HDMI is an HDMI, no matter what it’s made of.

Ever catch something in a movie or video game that makes you go “waaaait a minute…?” Ever find yourself wondering why nobody in her school recognizes Hannah Montana even though she looks exactly like plain old Miley with a wig on? This is called Suspension of Disbelief, coined by Victorian poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner) in the early 19th century. Essentially it happens when (and Coleridge used it namely with mythological creatures and fantasy in his poetry) the creator of a particular work (film, literature, art, etc) asks his audience to believe in some type of fantasy, even though it cannot exist in the realm of the real world. For example, George Lucas prefaces the movie Star Wars with “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” This is a direct request for viewers to remove themselves from reality and enter into a world that is completely un-like the world we live in. With this preface, we know as viewers not to question the reality of what we’re watching, just to go with it and have fun. With the rapid expansion of technology in the film/gaming industry and the ever-growing demand for means of entertainment, this theory holds tight more than ever.

When it comes to your home theater, Suspension of Disbelief can be split into two categories, similar to fiction and non-fiction. The fiction category is how you’d classify all the Hannah Montana and Star Wars stuff, where you’re being asked within the story to leave your comfy chair and enter a world where things are different than the world you live in. The non-fiction category refers to the technical aspect. Have you ever seen an old episode of Dr. Who or StarTrek? You as the viewer are asked to ignore the ridiculous special effects, bad dialogue, silly costumes, and awful audio effects and immerse yourself anyway. The audio and film industries have made unimaginable leaps and bounds in technology since those campy old SciFi flicks, and your home theater experience should be no different. Rapidly improving 3D TV’s, projectors, gaming systems, HD surround sound, and HDMI specifications are all but eliminating this kind of Suspension of Disbelief, allowing you to jump head-first into your favorite movie or video game, without having to “ignore” the technical stuff. And it’s only getting more realistic. Your 3D TV will put you right in the middle of fantastic places. Your HD surround sound will make your experience more intense. Your internet-ready projector puts millions of streaming movies, TV shows, and video games instantly at your fingertips. And you can have this all in the comfort of your own home. Now that really is movie magic.

There’s not another room like it — the home cinema is, without a doubt, the oasis of the home.

Very few things are more relaxing than kicking back in your favorite theater seat (which of course is the best seat in the house) and taking a load off after a long day. Home theater installers know this, and can design an infinite number of setups to complement any home’s personality or atmosphere to create a truly unique and breath-taking experience, inviting you to fulfill your escapist fantasies, time and time again.

Here’s a list of stunning home theaters that provide jaw-dropping design inspiration.

1. Forget your blues with this striking theater color scheme

2. “Free your mind” in the The Matrix Theater

3. If you have a passion for theater acoustics, you’ll love The Gullion Theater

4. This beautiful home cinema seems like a suitable alternative to the chill of a cold winter day

5. James Bond is a perfectly chosen film for this perfectly classy design

6. The warm lighting and color scheme must make for a comfortable viewing atmosphere in this setup

7. An incredibly beautiful and almost surreal looking theater

8. The Kips Bay Theater features very unique and visually appealing architectural elements

9. This relaxing, yet solitary theater rendering takes the term “admit one” a little too literally, perhaps

10. The Runco WindowWall is a perfect addition to this fantastically elegant theater

11. This may just be the the ultimate viewing experience for the big game

12. The light browns and hand-carved wooden panels kick up the class on a classic setup

13. Quite simply, a breathtaking theater rendering set in paradise

14. A social home theater boasting contemporary design and a booming 7.1 surround sound system

15. It’s not difficult to believe that this huge theater has no problem comfortably entertaining large groups of guests

16. This home theater setup is a very classy looking creation

17. Try not to fall asleep while taking a peek into this incredibly relaxing cinema

18. There’s a unique sense of style in this modern home theater creation

19. A colorful theater scheme that seems to play subtly on a more retro appearance

20. The large plush chairs make for an incredibly comfortable looking theater setup

21. It would seem inappropriate to watch anything but science fiction in this amazing home theater setup

22. This spacey home cinema indeed borrows heavily from the space sci-fi style, as well

23. This warm theater design utilizes open space and looks positively awesome

24. Enjoy the open air in the comfort of this unique theater

25. This interesting concept for home theater design is out of this world

A little bit of magic can go a long way…

Especially when that magic comes from the unlikely collaboration of a world-class children’s hospital, a state-of-the-art entertainment system installation company and a non-profit organization to connect the two. We are thrilled to introduce the Magic Theater in the 11th floor play room at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Grand Home Automation, Inc. known for providing high quality audio, video, control, and integration services, is excited to partner with the Elf Foundation to design and install a state-of-the-art entertainment system for the benefit of HDV Children’s Hospital’s patients and families. This system will provide a sense of relief and fun-filled diversion for kids in what is often a tedious and somewhat traumatic environment.

The Elf Foundation was founded in 2001, with the express mission of creating private entertainment theaters – “Rooms of Magic” – for children’s hospitals, shelters for abused children, autism centers, and children’s rehabilitation centers throughout North America. Operating as a 501©3 non-profit organization, the foundation acts as a catalyst within the consumer electronics industry and in local communities to advance their mission of bringing the magic of music and film to special kids in a time of need. To date, the Elf Foundation has opened over 70 “Room of Magic” theaters.

At Grand Home Automation we are thrilled to partner with the Elf Foundation. Since 1996, we have aimed to build a reputation of providing well designed and implemented electronic systems for upscale residential clientele. Our clients appreciate our high level of technical expertise as well as the depth of knowledge and understanding required for customizing their services to the lifestyles they live. GHA has also won the accolades of our peers and suppliers within our industry. Our projects have earned us top honors in consumer electronics field competitions as well as the coveted national first place award in 2004 by Lutron lighting control company. In addition, Grand Home Automation, Inc. was recently been named for the 7th year in a row as a CE Pro Top 100 dealer in America. Even with these accolades, our heart still beats for community, and we’re honored to partner with such amazing companies to make room for magic in Grand Rapids.

Please visit www.elfsystems.org and www.grandhome.com for more information.

Comments

You may have heard that this year’s 2010 Super Bowl broke the record for the most-watched television program of any kind in the history of TV– with an average viewing audience of 106.5 million.

Bearing that in mind, why would anyone want to cram into a bar that’s as busy as a mall on Christmas Eve? If you have the right equipment at home, you won’t have to fight to get into an overcrowded venue, and you’re probably going to get a better view than the friend (of a friend, of a friend) who actually had Super Bowl tickets (and a box of tissue for the nosebleeds). If you want the finest viewing experience, leave it to three-time Super Bowl Champion, Jerry Rice, to give you some inspiration in getting the most out of your home theater setup.

Playing for the San Francisco 49ers for fifteen seasons and being regarded as one of the best players in NFL history doesn’t exactly lend itself to inconspicuous public outings with his family, and being a man devoted to his family (and, of course, a huge sports junky), Rice included a 750 sq. ft. theater in his own home to beat the crowds. The theater boasts several impressive components, including four Crown Audio amplifiers, rated at 30 amps each, which power 40+ Tannoy speakers and Electro-Voice subwoofers, to produce a 10,000 watt sound system. To put this into perspective, the Rices’ theater has better sound than an IMAX. And when he’s not participating in the pre-game coin toss, Rice can catch the big game projected onto his 123-inch Stewart screen, seated comfortably on any of the 16 graded CineLounger seats.

If Jerry Rice’s theater sounds appealing to you, and you have the modest $200,000 - $500,000 budget to use for your own home theater, you can have your version in your very own home. However, if that sounds a tad out of your price range, don’t worry; there are a few tips that will give you a quality experience, and may leave you with a little more money for the chips and dip. For instance, if you haven’t upgraded yet, and you’re looking for a great video experience, you’re going to need the crystal clarity of an HDTV with HD service. There is much debate between LCD and plasma, but for the fast-paced action of the big game, the smoothness of a plasma display is yet unsurpassed in providing a front row seat to the Super Bowl. You’ll also want to pick up a surround sound system to impart the energy of the stadium right into your home theater. A unit around 1000 watts will do the job nicely.

Just remember, though, that if you have a screen bigger than 55-inches, and you’re blasting the action through a Dolby 7.1 audio system — don’t charge for the brews, or you may receive a visit from your local law enforcement, courtesy of the NFL.

Ok, so you’ve admitted that you have a movie addiction, and now you’re committed to creating your own home theater – the ultimate indulgence for your addiction. When you consider how much you’re spending on your home entertainment equipment, it makes sense to create the best theater room possible for your budget. So here’s a 12-step program to help you and your co-dependent movie junkie get the greatest bang for your buck.

Step 1: Start out with what you envision the perfect home theater room to be. Does it look like something fabulous that would be seen on MTV’s “Cribs”? Or are you going more for a mini authentic theater look? Does it have to fit into your current home decorating style or will it be an environment all its own?

Step 2: Set a budget. Though you enjoy going to an imaginary world through movies, this is not the time to live in an imaginary world. Be real about what you can spend on your home theater equipment and furniture. Doing otherwise may be a less than pleasant reality.

Step 3: Even a genius like Orson Welles wouldn’t buy furniture for his home theater without measuring first. Measure everything in the room and make a diagram to take shopping with you so you know the measurements of the room and where windows, doors, etc. are. Unless you have Transformer-like powers, you want to be sure everything fits before you make any purchases. Home theater equipment and furniture are too heavy to move around several times until it’s in the right location and especially to lug back to the store if it doesn’t fit!

Step 4: Time for some R & D. Guys, there’s no way around it – you have to go shopping to make informed and intelligent decisions about your home theater equipment. If you have a spouse, family member, or friend involved, be sure you go together. Bring back detailed notes, pictures (when possible), prices, delivery information, fabric and paint samples.

Step 5: Time for some gut level honesty- discuss and/or decide what HAS to be in the room and what can be left out, what colors you love and hate, and whether or not you want the theater equipment to be visible when not in use. If you’re doing this with someone, this is where you begin the compromise process with each other.

Step 6: Every good movie needs a good snack and beverage to go with it. But who wants to run to the kitchen every time a food or drink is craved? Make sure your home theater is equipped with a snack and drink bar, maybe include a microwave for popping popcorn.

Step 7: How much of a techie are you? Again, this is not the time to be living in fantasy land. There will be plenty of time for that after the theater is finished. In the meantime, hire a professional who specializes in knowing where to place your home theater equipment for the best sound and who can set things up so your electrical circuits aren’t overloaded.

Step 8: Pay special attention to the seating. If you and your guests are not comfortable, not much else will matter. First, you will have to determine how many people you want to be able to seat and gauge that to the space you have to fill to get the actual seat size. In addition to complementing the décor of the room, keeping within your budget, and buying high-quality, you will want to make sure the seat offers both firmness and flexibility and that the armrests are wide and comfortable. A cup holder and a good foot rest are also nice options to have. Also keep in mind that the style of chairs you select for your home theater will greatly affect the sound. Shorter back chairs will allow the sound to travel to your ears with truer, clearer sound.

Step 9: You want home theater drama that’s not part of the movie? Any good cinematographer would tell you that’s where lighting comes in. Sconce lighting would make the room feel like a movie theater; track lights over the seats let people read and write; more lights on the sides of the theater room make light available wherever you are at. Make sure to install a lighting control system (with a remote, please!) that will control each section of lights separately, and will provide dimming options.

Step 10: Anything you put into your home theater has the potential to affect the sound (yes, even your kids). Not only do window coverings help dim the room and prevent reflection but they, along with other strategically placed fabric panels, also help to reduce acoustical distortion by keeping the sound waves from bouncing around too much.

Step 11: As previously stated, large objects will cause sound to bounce off of them, so your home theater room isn’t the place for that sculpture you did in your art class or even a coffee table. Express yourself with cool wall art, textures and textiles, have plenty of comfortable seating, and let the equipment take center stage in your home theater.

Step 12: You’ve reached the last scene of your home theater designing adventure – all that’s left is to carry out the assembly process. Once your room has the audio/visual components, seating, and other details in place, you will have your dream home theater available to feed your home entertainment addiction to your heart’s desire.

TMA! (too many acronyms)
Yes, it appears that 3D is making another swing at the hearts of the viewing audience. Does having 3D in the home mean we’ll have to sit in the living room wearing those silly cardboard glasses? Well, yes, and no. Glasses are required so that each eye only sees the image its supposed to see, but technology has advanced quit a bit from the color filter days. Today, the glasses either use polarized filters, or electronic liquid crystal shutters. The polarized filters are really only for a commercial theater where two projectors will be pointed at the screen. In the home, the electronic type will be used primarily, meaning your glasses will need batteries. The shutters open and close alternately for each eye, at up to sixty times per second.

To get 3D images to our home theaters requires that the entire delivery chain be adapted for the technology. First, the movies must be filmed in 3D. Of course computer animated movies don’t really require cameras, so they can handle that. But for real-life 3D, essentially two cameras must be used to record simultaneously, placed about the same distance apart as our own human eyes. It makes sense then, that the information from those cameras would be doubled, which necessitates a higher bandwidth cable and connector format. They are already putting that in place with the HDMI 1.4 standard. BluRay discs can handle the extra information, but new players with the new format output will be manufactured. Now we we have to get this uber-dense signal to our TV; we’ll likely need a new HDMI cable for that. Speaking of the TV, it will need to have the upgraded input, along with the ability to show twice as many image frames per second; 120(Hz) in fact, so start making plans for an upgrade.

Is it worth it? Well, that’s pretty subjective. There is no denying that 3D is a really cool effect. However, there are many caveats such as how close to the screen you must sit, and how big the screen is, or the effect just doesn’t want to ‘connect’ with your brain. In fact, our brains just aren’t that easily fooled, and it usually takes a focused effort to keep your eyes and brain open to the effect for the whole movie. Many people find this very fatiguing, maybe even painful after awhile. Personally, I think the biggest benefit of 3D video in the home will be for gaming. If I already have to use a funky controller or steering wheel, I’ll gladly wear the glasses to have the full 3D experience while driving my favorite rally car. But I just don’t think the majority of film directors are going to force their audience to wear space cadet glasses and strain to focus for an hour and a half, or two, or three.
______________________
Sean Hotchkiss
shotchkiss@grandhome.com

You have it all planned out in your head - Just exactly what kind of theater seats you’re going to have, the color of the carpet and wall-fabrics, how many rows of seats, how big the screen will be, and so on. You can imagine turning it on for the first evening, having the THX ‘whoosh’ or your favorite movie scene ’shock and awe’ you into quivering A/V delight. But don’t stop there - actually run through what it really takes to make that all happen…

- Set the temperature to the right spot, just cool enough for a lap blanket
- Get all the electronics warmed up
- Turn the lights down low at first, then totally off for the main event
- Find the projector remote
- Turn on the projector
- Set the projector input to ‘HDMI1′ for the BluRay player
- Find the video processor remote
- Set the video processor input to ‘DVD’
- Make sure the video memory is set to ‘Cinema’
- Find the surround processor remote
- Turn on the surround processor
- Set the audio input to ‘DVD1′
- Set the surround mode to ‘Cinema’
- Make sure THX processing is engaged
- Set the volume to reference -10dB
- Turn on all the audio amplifiers
- Find the BluRay remote
- Turn on the BluRay player
- Get the disc playing
- Use the ‘pop-up menu’ to get to right scene for the big show

Much less dreamy, huh?
Can you really remember all of that? Could any member of your family? Guests? Probably not. What about the different settings for different sources like satellite tv or VuDu? This problem of control is what companies like Crestron are perfect for. From a simple handheld automated remote control to a fancy wireless touchpanel, these controllers can turn an evening focused on technology, ’stuff’, and frustration, into one spent enoying the true art of cinema.

Remember - The image may be pristine, and the audio dynamic and crystal clear, but if you can’t turn it on, it’s all just an expensive living room.
______________________
Sean Hotchkiss
shotchkiss@grandhome.com