A motorized screen in the living room.

Bringing the cinema experience to your home is an exciting proposition, but raises a lot of important decisions you should consider.  Where will the projector live?  Will it be out in the open, tucked in a custom made soffit, or attached to a motorized arm?  What kind of projector should you get, what kind of film screen, and should that be out in the open or hidden when not in use? Well, you get the idea.  We’d like to talk about some of the most popular options and weigh in with the pros and cons of each one.Projector LocationHidden Projectors are aesthetically attractive and certainly have the cool factor going for them. Many home theater owners enjoy the convenience of using their remote to dim the lights and lower their motorized projector and film screen from the ceiling. Hidden projectors and screens are remarkable for seamlessly transforming a traditional living room into a complete home theater.When Projectors are installed out in the open, it makes for a quicker install and negates the need for a special ventilation system. Being out in the open also allows for easy to access for repairs and minor upgrades.Another consideration when thinking about location is the viewing distance of your seating in comparison to your screen size.  For more info Check out our Optimal Screen Distance and Height Chart.

Types of Projectors

Single Chip Projectors – Start with a source of light (lamp) and split the light into three beams. Each beam passes through its own LCD panel. The LCD panels each have hundreds of thousands of tiny pixels, the higher the resolution, the more pixels. Data determines whether light is allowed to pass through each one.   Single chip projectors offer a great value, but can be perceived  as overly saturated and can sometimes display what is know as the rainbow  effect.Three Chip Projectors -  3 chip projectors  are a system where a white light passes through a prism that divides the light into red, green and blue. The colored light is reflected from the  DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) and passes through the lens to project an ultra rich image.  Three chip projectors come at a premium price, but have an  ultra sharp image without the rainbow effect or heavy saturation.

Screen Options

When choosing a screen for a projector, there are additional considerations to factor in like ambient lighting, viewing angles, and space.   For example, environments with a high level of ambient light might benefit from a gray screen to enhance the black levels.  Manufacturers like Stewart Filmscreens offer a wide range of high quality screens that are designed to meet the needs of any theater room setup.Many customers enjoy the ease of having a motorized screen lower from the ceiling when the time comes to throw in a movie.  This provides the most flexibility in terms of location and a popular way to turn a traditional living room into a home theater without affecting the décor.As you can see there are many things to consider when purchasing a projector for your home.  If you have any questions or would like to learn more about projectors please feel free to call our office at (415) 456-7000, send me an email or visit our website today.

• Wired -   Wired touchpanels are often installed in the wall at a central or convenient location of the home.  They can be used in conjunction with wireless touchpanels and keypads.
• Wireless – Wireless touchpanels can move from room-to-room and offer the greatest amount of flexibility of any home control interface.  Like your cell phone or other portable devices it does need to be charged on a regular basis.  iPad and iPhone software developers are quickly taking note and creating a multitude of home control apps, to even further expand the capabilities of home control.  Click here to learn more about home automation apps on the iPad and iPhone.

Keypads  - Keypads are a simple, but cost effective type of interface that compliments homes needing intelligent lighting and shading control at multiple zones.  They can range from simple on/off switches to multiple options based on events (entertaining, dining, movies, etc).  With keypads you lose many advanced features, but they are extremely easy to operate and maintain.If you or someone you know would like more information on what you read here or have any questions, feel free to call our office at (415) 456-7000, send me an email or visit our website today.

This is an Artscreen installation montage illustrating how the canvas rolls up to reveal an LCD display.

TV Mirrors

An example of a Seura TV mirror installed in a bathroom

Another option that’s touted as the cutting edge of technology and style is the Seura line of TV Mirrors.  TV mirrors are an innovative concept that merges a mirror and an LCD TV together into one unit.  The LCD display is actually contained within the mirror and becomes completely invisible when powered off.  We find that this is another great solution for home theater enthusiasts interested in maintaining their home’s aesthetic appeal while utilizing the latest home entertainment technology.  Alternatively, TV Mirrors can offer a slick solution to bringing a slice of the home theater experience to a bathroom or bedroom with a minimal footprint. Motorized TV LiftsEvery so often we hear from customers who want their TVs completely hidden without a trace.  In this scenario we often utilize Auton motorized TV lifts.  With motorized lifts installed, customers have the ability to extend, lower, and swivel their TV from within a cabinet, wall, or ceiling into plain site.

This is a photo montage illustrating a motorized TV lift installation by SoundVision. The display is mounted on a Lift tech motorized lift inside the cabinet. The lift raises the TV out of the cabinet and can swivel and rotate all via remote control.

Hidden ProjectorsHidden projectors and screens arguably have the biggest impact in a home theater setup and certainly create quite a buzz.  When engaged, the projector and screen lower from the ceiling. When paired with in-wall and in-ceiling speakers it reveals a complete home theater system.   The best part about this setup is that it can theoretically turn any capable room into a complete home theater without modifying the décor or furniture.

This is a photo montage of a hidden projector and motorized screen installation by SoundVision.

If you or someone you know would like more information on what you read here or have any questions, feel free to call our office at (415) 456-7000, send me an email or visit our website today.

To simply put it, a compression algorithm is the software or method of compression that converts audio or video into file formats.  Compressing audio files reduces the amount of storage space necessary.

Okay, than what is the file format?

File formats are typically associated with media player software. For example “.mov” file is for QuickTime, a “.wmv” file is for Windows Media Player, and an Mp3 file is for….. you guessed it, an Mp3 player.

Compressed Audio Types

In digital audio there are two main categories of compression algorithms: lossy and lossless.Lossy: Lossy compression algorithms significantly reduce the file size by crunching info that is considered “less-essential”.  The upshot of this loss in file size is a noticeable hit in audio quality.Lossless:  Lossless compression algorithms s are able to compact the info without losing any information.   This method does reduce the file size, but not nearly as much as a lossy compression.

Converting Audio

While there are many options for converting audio, here are the free software packages that we recommend.

• iTunes
• Winamp

For its ease of use we generally recommend iTunes as it plays particularly nice with a SoundVision favorite, Apple TV.  Here is our guide to converting audio in iTunes.

Uncompressed Audio Conversion

If storage is not at a premium you can opt to convert your music to uncompressed formats such as WAV or AIFF. Converting to a WAV file will deliver the best sounding and most compatible conversions, at the expense of disk space.   Keep in mind with uncompressed conversions, a typical song under 4 minutes could get as high as 30MB in size.1. Go to the edit menu and choose Preferences.

2. The Preferences pop-up menu will appear.  In the General tab, click on the Import Settings button.

3.  For Import Setting Select WAV Encoder in the drop-down menu , and in the Setting drop-down select Automatic.  Hit the OK button and you are all set to start importing your CDs at the best quality possible.

Lossless Audio Conversion

Here are our recommended settings for Apple Lossless Audio Compression (also known as ALAC).  This is a somewhat proprietary format, but is a great option if you are primarily using Apple or Sonos products as your media playback devices.Follow steps 1-2 from above to get to the Import Settings Pop-up menu.From the Import Settings menu choose Apple Lossless Encoder, and in the Setting drop-down select Automatic.  This setting will ensure that your digitized music will retain a high quality sound without sacrificing too much disc space.

Lossy Audio Conversion

For a more lossy, but broader range of compatibility, you can opt for Mp3 conversions.  The quality will be  lower than Apple Lossless, but you will save the most disk space  with Mp3 conversions.  It’s worth noting that iTunes has the ability to slightly modify the quality of Mp3 compression under the Setting drop-down.Follow steps 1-2 from above to get to the Imoprt Settings Pop-up menu.From the Import Settings menu MP3 Encoder, and in the Setting drop-down select Higher Quality (192 kbps).  This setting will ensure that your digitized music will not lose too much quality despite being a lossy compression.

If you have any questions, or care to share your advice feel free to contact us or drop us a note in the comment section.