Acoustical Treatment

High-quality sound systems are expensive and room acoustics can have a huge impact on sound performance. This is why you need acoustical treatment completed in your custom home theatre room.  Acoustical treatment is important as it will ensure you get the best sound for your entertainment experience.

Spaces that have weak acoustics will compromise even the best sound systems on the market. For those who choose to forego acoustical treatment, the sound they hear will be a mix of sound coming from the speakers and the sonic reflections from hard surfaces: walls, ceilings, floor, and furniture.

Acoustical treatment in your home theatre room will improve:

• Dialogue clarity
• Sound staging and detail
• Bass impact and linearity
• Surround sound effects

Our System Design dealers will provide you with expert advice and your new custom home theatre room will be carefully crafted to work as a single system. Acoustical treatment is a requirement when creating the complete movie theatre experience and it provides optimal sound quality for all viewers, no matter where they are seated.

Multi-Room Audio

TECHNOLOGY IS MUSIC TO EVERYONE’S EARS

Multi-room audio allows homeowners to listen to music throughout their entire property. There are many different systems to choose from that allow you to play the same music in different rooms at the same time, or different music in different rooms at the same time, all at their own unique volumes and EQ settings. Thanks to wireless technology, voice and handheld smart devices, you can have full control of your music choices and room settings everywhere in your home.

When planning out your smart home automation solutions, our Dealers Design Engineers provide expert advice on the right music listening solutions for your entertainment needs.

Two-Channel Hi-Fi

Two-channel audio or stereo is the most common form of an audio system, with left and right speakers.  This style of audio listening is considered by most audiophiles to be the ultimate. Hi-Fi refers to “high fidelity,” and this implies a system that is accurate in its ability to reproduce a live-sounding performance. A 2 channel Hi-Fi system is more ideal of a small audience of 1-3 people as the seating in the “sweet-spot” between the 2 loudspeakers will be a limited area which is why a 2 channel is not the preferred sound system for a home theatre application.

Some of the finest music listening experiences can be accomplished with a high-quality stereo speaker system, a well-designed power amplifier, a stereo pre-amplifier, good cabling, and a good listening source.  Our System Designers are well versed in the various digital and analog sources available for 2 channel listening and the best ways for you to integrate the latest HD audio formats into your system.

Soundproofing

Having the right sound is imperative for your ultimate entertainment experience.  Movie-watchers enjoy the crisp and clear sound that brings a motion picture or sports game to life.

However, a home theatre or audio listening-room that lacks the right soundproofing solutions can be an annoying interruption and source of frustration to those in other rooms of the house and can impact the sound quality within the room as well. Also, rooms constructed in strictly a conventional way will have rattles and buzzes from the vibration of the speakers and subwoofers that are necessary for accurately recreating a movie or music soundtrack. This is why properly implemented soundproofing is important in any serious audio environment.

Soundproofing construction components are imperative when designing your custom home theatre room or family/media room as sound travels through walls, fixtures, windows, doorways, HVAC ducts and electrical outlets. Essentially, wherever air can travel and adjacent surfaces can resonate.

The three elements that need to be addressed when designing a soundproofing solution are mass, isolation and air movement.

Our Dealers System Design Teams fully understands the science and art behind soundproofing and will design your home theatre room with noise control in mind. For the best results, soundproofing products need to be installed while your room is being constructed.

Surround Sound

Surround sound connects you with all the action on the big screen and has the ability to really bring you in the movie by delivering superior audio.

Surround sound works through the use of multiple speakers, each of which contributes a different audio channel (or component of the original recording). The system allows listeners to enjoy the full sound experience of any movie or music performance.

If you’re looking to incorporate surround sound into your home theatre project, room sizes should also be factored in during the planning phase.  Our dealer designers have the knowledge and skills in working with surround sound systems so you can enjoy the best home theatre experience.

4K ULTRA HD TVS

The latest in TV technology, 4K Ultra HD-TVs provide four times the resolution of full HD 1080p.  This technology offers a dynamic picture for viewers, no matter where they are seated. From far away or close up, you will always enjoy watching movies, sports and TV shows on cable or while streaming hundreds of free or paid programming channels. And your kids will certainly appreciate their gaming experience on a ‘picture perfect’ screen.

OLED TVS

OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) technology is the next generation of TVs. OLED TVs – flat-screen or curved – offer deeper and richer colours and breathtaking contrasts. They are thin, light, and offer the best in backlighting, and have a number of eco-friendly features. OLED TVs also provide a great viewing experience through cable and streaming players.

SMART TVS

Smart TVs connect to the internet and allow viewers to access streaming media services and utilize entertainment apps, like web browsers, music stations, on-demand video, and a variety of online applications: Netflix, Apple TV, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

WHY STREAMING IS SO POPULAR

Streaming is how video and audio content is delivered over the Internet and it’s become a very popular way to watch movies, sports, news and TV shows on flat-screen TVs.  Streaming lets you watch what you want when you want. This technology allows homeowners to access literally hundreds of channels with streaming players or built-in streaming systems.

REMOTE CONTROL TECHNOLOGY

All-in-one remote controls allow viewers to control their television, surround sound and other devices with a click of a button, or even with voice commands. D2Mk Solutions provides RTI Controls with options from handheld remotes or tablets to apps to facilitate all of your remote control requirements.

Hidden

Today’s tech-savvy homeowners have the opportunity to enjoy beautiful spaces and the entertainment experience of their flat-screen TVs.

Connecting home décor and technology is our specialty and we have the expertise in creating dynamic spaces while hiding your TV when it’s not in use.

Here are a handful of creative ways we can hide your flat-screen TV:

• Mirror TV: have your TV invisible behind a mirror surface, which is ideal for bathrooms, bedrooms and living rooms.
• Motorized moving lift mechanisms: conceal your TV in a piece of furniture, which can pop up, or in a ceiling or attic space which can lower down for viewing.
• Motorized moving artwork:  have your TV recessed into a wall, with a painting or large framed photograph in front of it.
• Picture frames with motorized artwork: have your flat-screen framed like a painting and have motorized artwork that operates like a roller shade concealed within.

There are many options available and our team will help you to find the ideal solution for your space and budget.

Outdoor

If you enjoy being outside and you like TV entertainment, then an outdoor flat-screen is a must.

Outdoor flat-screen TVs allows homeowners to enjoy their entertainment experience year-round. And they are completely safe, waterproof and thoroughly enjoyable, and have been developed to withstand Canada’s harsh winter climate and to compete with the brightness of the sun.

This new technology lets homeowners entertain in so many ways: summer movie nights with family and friends; and watching professional sports games from the hot-tub, cabana or pool.

Outdoor televisions are designed and tested to do four things:

• Be seen in areas with higher ambient light
• Withstand the elements of weather
• Operate properly in extreme temperatures
• Comply with building safety codes for external use

Projection Screens

Watching the latest box office hits is a great way to unwind and spend time with family and friends.

Your custom home theatre room is a fun and enjoyable escape and your screen is an essential component of your system, so having the right projection ratio or screen shape planned out for your viewing preferences will help to ensure that you get that true cinematic experience you are dreaming about.

Our Theatre Design Team will work with you on establishing the right screen size and projection ratio for your home theatre or media room.

These days’ movies are filmed and recorded with innovative technology – high definition and ultra-high definition cameras, and this is why films are better than ever in terms of picture detail, colour accuracy, resolution and overall quality.

As a general rule, our System Design Team will discuss with you where you prefer to sit in a commercial theatre. Many viewers like to sit in the middle of the theatre which is roughly 1.5 x the width of the viewing screen to your seat. This means that for a 110” diagonal screen, you could have your seating area 11-12 feet back from the screen to create the same viewing geometry. And rest assure your picture quality will be just as good as a high-end flat-screen TV.

Here are our recommendations for screen aspect ratios, screen size, screen style, motorized masking systems, and screen fabrics.

SCREEN ASPECT RATIOS

When it comes to selecting a custom home theatre projection screen, the options are wide-ranging. There are two common aspect ratio options: 16:9, and 2.35:1

If you are creating a media room to watch movies, TV shows and sports on an Ultra 4K TV or HD TV, the 16:9 ratio would create the best viewing experience.

MOTORIZED MASKING SYSTEMS

In higher-end home theatre and media room installations, clients often choose the option of having a 16:9 standard format screen, which is well-suited to sports and a large selection of movies, especially computer animation. With the addition of built-in motorized horizontal masking, which can be engaged to change the screen shape to 2.35:1 with a remote control, this format is most often desired for the majority of Hollywood motion pictures. When you watch a movie on a normal HDTV screen and you see the black bars across the top and bottom, this is an example of what a 2.35: 1 aspect ratio looks like.

MOUNTING OPTIONS

There are two main screen mountings available in the marketplace: fixed frame, where the screen is placed in a rigid frame and attached permanently to the wall; and a motorized screen, where it can be retracted and concealed when not in use. Fixed frame screens can be a more economical choice to get the best performance for your investment.

SCREEN SIZE AND FABRIC

Selecting the screen size for your home theatre room is dependent on the viewing preferences of your family and the size of your room. If well cared for, your screen will last you for many years of enjoyment and it will very likely outlast your projector and other components in many cases. Also, fabric selections depend on room lighting conditions and whether or not you would like to hide your speakers behind the screen material like in commercial cinemas where acoustically transparent materials are utilized allowing you to achieve this very clean aesthetic.