43" Pioneer HD Plasma

The exiting classical walk-in fireplace was walled over and transformed with a contemporary gas fire with the screen recessed completely back into the wall. The flume for the fire runs back behind the screen itself, protecting it from heat and providing a very slick design feature.

The 43" High Definition Pioneer plasma screen with it's high gloss piano black bezel creates a stylish focal point within the room. The Sky HD and iDyl Server sources produce gloriously rich high definition on both the plasma and projector screen. The CCTV images from the various external security cameras from around the property can also be displayed on the plasma and projector screen.

Hidden 7ft Projector Screen

The 7ft Screen Research projector screen sits completely enclosed in the ceiling, hidden from view when not in use. We worked with the interior designer during the build phase to ensure correct dimensions and access were planned for a sleek fit.

In daytime, the room makes for a luxurious lounge room. But come night the screen drops and lights dim to create a decedent cinema room environment with warm lighting and staggering big screen action.

The LCR7 in-wall B&W speakers provide sensational quality sound for this price bracket and also match the height of the Pioneer plasma screen making for a great design feature in the room.

All equipment completely out of sight

The client, who runs a large scale cabinet making business by trade, designed the cabinets to ensure that everything was kept as discreet and minimalist as possible.

All the equipment is completely hidden away when not in use (see inset picture), with the only access required to load new DVDs and CDs onto the media server.

A simple infra red pass through allows all the equipment to operate with the cabinet closed without the remote needing a direct line of sight to the equipment.

Remote Control Lights, Fire and Curtains

A very simple to use Nevo SL touch screen remote provides control over the entire system. The client demanded that it was designed in such a way that anyone could use it without any prior knowledge of the system, whether it be friends or family.

Home control options have been added to the remote for lights, the gas fire and curtains. With a single button press on the remote, the lights dim, the screen drops, curtains close and all the equipment fires up.

The beauty of a system like this is that everything can be controlled from the comfort of your cinema seat, without the usual headaches of trying to find the right remote control and learning which combination of buttons to press.

enlarge picture

On Screen Browsing of 100s of CDs and DVDs

The heart of the entire system is the iDyl media server. The iDyl stores all the clients DVDs, CDs and digital photos on the network storage device and allows browsing of their entire collection on-screen with a very simple interface (see DVD interface to the right).

Think of it as an iPod, but with a video interface and super high quality audio and video. This removes the headache of hunting for CDs and DVDs, only to find them scratched or the cases empty.

The video output that the iDyl produces is of a similar quality to that of a £2000 DVD player with the 1080i upscaling creating a spectacular image.

High Definition Runco Projector

The CL-610 Runco projector is mounted up in the ceiling joist at the rear of the lighting ring, hidden completely out of sight.

The CL-610 offers 1280 x 720 native resolution DLP light engines featuring Runco's powerful SuperOnyx™ technology for bright, pristine, high definition images. Black levels, brightness and contrast exceed anything previously available in this projector class.

Runco’s advanced Vivix™ digital video processing is included in the CL-610 to enhance picture quality from standard video sources, as well as provide artifact-free scaling.

enlarge picture

enlarge picture

Lighting Control

A number of different types of lighting were used in the room to create a variety of ambiences with the different lighting scenes. A six zone iLight Zen lighting control unit was chosen as the client requested to be able to alter the scenes at his request. (see controller left).

Fibre Optic lighting was built into the lighting ring in the ceiling, surrounded by a circle of LED spots. Sconces were placed at the back of the room to provide subtle uplighting. Lamps were added on the cabinets at the front for a more ambient lighting effect. Four different scenes were then programmed for "cinema", "reading", "relaxing" and "all on" to suit the different uses of the room.