We are very proud to announce that we were shortlisted as a finalist in the 2012 CEDIA Awards, under the category of ‘CEDIA Award Best Media Room Over £15,000’.
The prestigious CEDIA Awards night was held at a black-tie event at Hampton Court Palace, which was formerly the site of King Henry VIII’s court.
The CEDIA Awards were designed to showcase the achievements of individuals and organisations within the industry. To be shortlisted for a CEDIA Award is a highly prized accolade, as it represents the approval of industry experts. The CEDIA Awards signify and recognise commendable achievement and innovation within our industry, judged by an independent panel of leading industry experts.
More about this CEDIA Awards Best Media Room project:
This project was unusual as the client had two very distinct requirements for his room. The basement den we were given for the project was to be used primarily for the staging of live performances by the client’s young children, but it also needed to provide our client with a sanctuary for the viewing of his beloved Monday Night NFL games!
We had already been working with the client to deliver a complete home automation system which incorporated audio and HD video distribution, heating control, lighting control, intercom and integrated security (and much more). The client challenged us to provide the same level of integration and high standards that he enjoyed in the rest of the property.
He had distinct views about the types of seating and décor we would need to accommodate, and he gave us the freedom to work with his interior designers and cabinetry makers, to ensure that the room delivered, both aesthetically and technically.
Our client had a strong preference for freestanding Bowers and Wilkins loudspeakers (he has a pair of Nautilus speakers in his music room) and was very keen for us to accommodate a pair of their speakers into this theatre room.
Our major design consideration was the wooden stage for the children’s performances. It was decided that the stage would be motorised, for ease of use and so that it could be integrated into the electronic systems. We realised that we would need to make clever engineering decisions to ensure that we could still provide the client with a system that would perform on a technical level. We followed our usual design protocol for a dedicated cinema so that all of the usual design objectives were considered and addressed in the most intelligent way possible.
To provide an enveloping sound stage, and to accommodate the client’s request for freestanding Bowers and Wilkins loudspeakers, we chose to locate the front left and right speakers subtly on either side of the stage/screen area. We installed the centre channel within the stage – this actually moves with the stage when it motors out.
A motorised screen was a natural choice, as it would allow for the movement of the stage. We worked with the cabinetmaker to ensure that the cabinetry accommodated the screen perfectly and to conceal the projector discretely at the back of the room. We used forced-air-cooling to keep the projector at optimum temperature. It was very apparent that the main use for the theatre was for Sky TV football matches and so a 16:9 screen was selected.
We acoustically treated the room using absorption, diffusion and reflection panels hidden behind fabric-lined walls. The ceiling was double-lined plasterboard with green glue to aid acoustic properties. Although at the client’s request we were not able to position the seating as we would have done in a dedicated cinema; we designed and calibrated the theatre using a preferred seating position, using Audyssey Room Correction to further improve the acoustic merits of the system and to iron out any remaining issues.
The system delivers a full HD experience; 1080p at 24 frames per second. Currently, the projector uses a full spec HDMI, but we also installed Crestron DM Multi-mode fibre in case we should need more bandwidth in the future.
There are two user interfaces, a wall-mounted Crestron touchpanel, which gives access to the room’s lighting, heating control, intercom, security etc, and a hand-held Crestron RF remote, from which the cinema controls are accessed (stage, screen, motorised curtains, cinema electronics and lighting). For additional value, we used Lutron learnable lighting; allowing the client to make and save modifications to the lighting scenes from his iPad. Next door to the theatre is the client’s smoking and wine-tasting room; for convenience, we have programmed the system to allow him to prepare and warm up the cinema system whilst there.
Our solution allows for gaming (X-Box and Wii), HD video switching from shared sources, and dedicated DVD/Blu-Ray playback. The client has a comprehensive movie collection, shared with his other residences in Switzerland and America; we needed to ensure that his hardware would play the discs from both regions.
The equipment rack was engineered to ensure that the system works correctly and is easily maintainable, with full AC ventilation for the rack.
We are very pleased to have successfully accommodated the design challenges of this unique room!
The client considered that the cinema element of this room was his gift to himself but beforehand was concerned that the compromises needed by such a unique combination of uses for the room would result in a less-than-stunning experience. We are delighted that we have been able to completely exceed his expectations with our solution.
Being shortlisted for the CEDIA awards is the icing on the cake. We are thrilled to have been involved in such a special project and we feel that this industry acknowledgement of our work is richly deserved.
Our other CEDIA awards wins demonstrate the depth of our technical and install abilities. We are very proud of our impressive collection of CEDIA awards, along wtih Crestron and Home Cinema Choice wins.
If you would like to hear more about this award or any of our other projects, then please get in touch or fill in the form below: