Transformation from TV room to 7 foot projection cinema
In order to transform the room from lounge, to home cinema room a variety of technologies were used. A 7 foot Beamax electric projector screen was housed in the ceiling, completely out of sight. The projector was also hidden in a dropdown projector lift that descends from the ceiling to conceal the projection system when the room was in TV mode. Finally an automated blind was specified at the back of the room that drops in time with the projector, screen and curtain.

Automated curtains separate the open plan room
The home cinema room itself is part of a large open plan living space featuring the kitchen, dining room, music room and cinema. For watching movies it was necessary to screen the cinema room space off to block out light, and prevent the sound from travelling through to the other room spaces. At the touch of a button, the music room and home cinema room area are separated using an automated curtain track that blocks out the light from the cinema screen and also has the correct acoustic properties for the music and home cinema room improving the sound quality significantly.

High end Linn music room
The music room also shares the open plan living space with the home cinema room. The client requested the very best sound quality available, and also required a pair of speakers that would suit the design of the room. A pair of Linn Artikulat speakers were specified with a Linn Klimax pre-amplifer a custom built DAC to produce the very best audio quality available through the Squeezebox. The automated curtain significantly improves the acoustic properties of the room, give the large number of hard surfaces. The quality produced by the Linn Artikulat speakers is breathtaking and represents the pinnacle of audiophile quality.

Warm Mood Lighting
We also provided full lighting design and control in the home cinema room, complementing the rooms' different uses, emphasising the different functions of the room. The interior designer specified a lighting ring in the middle of the room, and we programmed the colour changing scenes in the room to change with the different states of the cinema room

50" Pioneer plasma shared between rooms
A 90 degree automated rotating bracket was specified to allow the TV to be seen from the music room, further increasing the flexibility of the space. Just pressing "music room" on the Crestron panel automatically rotates the TV to face the music room seating so the TV can be enjoyed in either room with minimum hassle

Simple and intuitive control system
For a system with as many possible configurations and elements as this one, it was crucial to have an intuitive and simple control system that all family members could use. The Crestron system incorporated our unique interface, and made control of all home cinema room and house functions accessible to all users. The panel is designed so that it can be used to control either the music or cinema room, saving the client the need to have separate control systems in each room.

Crestron control flexibility
The living area was situated on the lower ground floor, so the client requested that they have full control of the property including door entry from a single control device that could be shared in a 3 areas.
The client can view CCTV camera images from the Touchscreen, monitor his energy usage, adjust temperatures in different areas of the house, access the internet and also browse through all the music on the Squeezebox system.

Basic remote control for the kids
We also specified a much more basic, and less expensive MX900 handheld remote control for the home cinema room so the young children could use the TV without the risk of dropping the expensive Touchscreen panel. It also has a limited set of functions so the children cannot alter setting such as temperature or security features.

Clever security features
We also incorporated a feature so that when the door bell rings, the CCTV image pops up on the screen. The client can communicate with the visitor and even automatically open the front door so the guest can enter the house and walk down to the lower ground floor.

Music browsing
The client choose to use a Squeezebox Multiroom audio solution as he was already familiar with this from his previous property. We created a design feature of this within the cinema front wall, housing the control interface in a small recess. This required co-ordination with the rest of the project team to ensure that it would fit in there seamlessly and that all the correct cables would be installed in such a small space. Music can also be browsed using the Crestron control panel, and also a TV interface on the Pioneer plasma with all the album cover artwork on display.

On screen DVD browsing
The DF Media Server allows hundreds of CDs and DVDs to be stored on the system. Choosing what movie to watch is as simple as browsing through all the DVDs on screen which displays all the cover artwork and film descriptions. The home cinema has full 7.1 surround sound powered by an Arcam FMJ processor and power amp with Bowers and Wilkins LCR 7 in-wall speakers and a Rel R505 subwoofer. The client can watch DVDs, browse CDs, watch Sky HD as well as CCTV cameras on the plasma screen and the projector.

The client's verdict

As part of very early design brief, the client was adamant that the room should be a family room, and therefore needed to be "family friendly". Designing and specifying the correct control system and interface was key to achieving this. As the client's wife quotes "I was worried at the start that with all this technology that I wouldn't be able to use it. However, I was so impressed with the Creston controller. It makes everything very simple. Also the smaller remote that you provided is great for the kids as they just get on and use the room like a normal TV. The cinema room is always full of kids and the seating design works really well as we can all enjoy the room at the same time!".

The client also commented how our expertise in specifying the relevant concealment and automation technologies had allowed them to achieve their vision of being able to create distinct different spaces in an open plan living area. Overall the client's were very happy with the end result and appreciated the effort that we had put into the install in getting everything right as they had wanted from the beginning.