The installation of a stunning home cinema in a private residence in Johannesburg, South Africa, resulted in BNC Technology being a finalist in the ‘Best Home Cinema £40,000 to £100,000’ category at the CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association) Awards 2014.
The client’s brief was to install a dedicated, state-of-the-art home cinema that performed and felt like a real, bona fide cinema. The requirements were an elegant room featuring the very latest home cinema and audio visual technology, which would give the family a comfortable yet stunning environment that felt better than any cinema they had ever been to.
Aesthetically, the client wanted a sleek, modern room finished to the same high standard as the rest of their stylish home. It also needed to fit around some existing elements. For example, the system needed to integrate into the existing lighting control system and share the satellite set top box. The installer also had to design around the existing seating tiers and they were required to use the existing carpet, ceiling design and keep the rack in the room as per the client's requirements.
An unexpected challenge at the end of the project was that the client requested the integration of his new mixing decks into the system. Fortunately the installer was able to successfully integrate them, much to the client’s delight.
Expectations were high. The main objective was a balance between value for money, performance and a professionally installed system. The interface had to have multiple platforms and functional benefits with reliable control. The room needed to be a multipurpose space but predominantly to be used for movie watching. However the room presented a few key challenges with the seating tiers already being in place and ceiling already constructed.
The client chose a Black Diamond screen based on performance and aesthetics, taking into consideration the colour changing lights. The JVC projector and the anamorphic lens gave the client a phenomenal picture with no rainbow effect and it fitted well into the budget.
The cleverly thought out acoustic design delivered a live-end/dead-end approach with the first third of the room being the dead end and the last third being the live end. An acoustic transparent wall was built in front of the room to hide the subwoofers, speakers, cabling and acoustic treatment. The same was done for the rear and surround speakers.
The equipment choice was straightforward. The client wanted a solution for movies, music and gaming, so Jamo was chosen as the installer’s preferred speaker brand. Due to the volume of the room, the Jamo D600 and Parasound power amplifiers with Integra processing were selected for reliable IP control and quality processing. The installer also over specified the amplifiers to give headroom. The audio system was calibrated using a calibration microphone and Computer Aided Simulation (Room EQ Wizard). This set-up delivered a complete audio-visual package, which creates a phenomenal user experience.
Other key equipment includes the Integra Blu-ray player, Apple TV for streaming, and Mede8er for a cost-effective media solution to manage the client’s existing content.
Reliable control was paramount and the installer preferred to use IP control where possible. A convenience switch was installed at the entrance of the cinema from Control4 for simple single button control, which integrated into the existing Clipsal C–Bus lighting control system. A driver from Extra Vegetables was used for the integration. Both iPhone and iPad apps were activated and a Control4 SR250 remote was used for day-to-day control.
After completion of the technical and acoustic design, the interior division designed the concept for the interiors. Stylish fabrics were chosen to match the existing carpets and the black leather seats the client had chosen.
Overall BNC Technology achieved a value for money, well-balanced solution with all the features the client required. They were proud to have delivered a comprehensive solution, which exceeded the client’s expectations.
Tech-Spec:
1 equipment rack (43U, 600 x 800)
1 Black leather, motorised cinema seats (love plus 1) incline, black cup holder
1 Black leather, motorised cinema seats (1 plus love) incline, black cup holder
1 Furman power conditioner (AC-210-E)
1 Clipsal driver- Extra Vegetables
1 Control4 remote (SR250)
1 recharge station (SR250rs)
1 Control4 6 button keypad (black matte)
1 Control4 Controller (HC 800)
2 Velodyne Subwoofer (SPL10)
10 HDMI cable
1 Apple TV
1 Eco 600VA UPS for controller only
1 Parasound 5 channel amplifier (5250)
1 Parasound 2 channel amplifier (2250)
1 113” Black diamond zero edge front projector screen
2 Jamo Surround (pair D600SURR)
3 Jamo LCR (D600LCR)
1 Wirestorm HDMI Balun (1UTPIR100P)
1 Engenius wireless access point (EC B350)
1 Integra Blu-ray player (DBS30.3)
1 Integra Processor (DHC 80.3)
1 Mede8er media player (MED1000x3D)
1 Wireless occupancy sensor (NYC E3041)
1 C ontrol4 Puk relay switch
1 JVC Projector (JVC 75R)
1 Panamorph Cinevista Anamorphic Lens
46m Acoustone Acoustic fabric
1 Auralex Bass Traps (Half-Pack), 4 pieces, Charcoal (LENC HA-HP)
1 Auralex Bass Traps, Charcoal (LENC HA)
1 Auralex diffusor (QFUS22)
1 Vicoustic Super Kit Panel (MD55)
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