Introduction
We first interviewed our client to discuss theatre designs, equipment preferences and budget. This particular interview was carried out while the house was under construction. The client had a number of rooms which we were required to quote for. The first room was a dedicated theatre on the first floor. There was also a family room and an indoor pool area on the ground floor. Additionally the master bedroom was also specified.

Taking into account the clients' wishes, the necessary plans and designs were then drafted. Each room had to be very user friendly, while also being very technical from an installer's point of view.

Room
The dedicated home theatre on the first floor was the first room we transformed. The room itself was not very large, however the shape was ideal. The client initially had seating already made for the room, though the configuration was in the shape of a "U". After discussing the need for two rows of seats with the rear tier raised the client understood that with a "U" shaped seating configuration there would be people with very sore necks, and terrible sight lines. The decision was then made to use the existing seats, although they would be tiered.

The client had appointed his own carpenter to create the front and rear cabinets.

Surrounding the front speakers are commercial sound bats, to stop all resonance from the sides and rear of the speakers. All sound will emanate from the front of the speaker only. However sound will reflect from the side walls. We applied custom acoustic wall panels to both sides of the wall, greatly reducing reflected sound waves. The acoustic panel fabric is identical to that of the seats, only reversed, providing a contrast which gave the room a very cosy feeling.

The family room downstairs was next on our agenda. The cabinets and seats were already in place, so we concentrated on speaker and projector placement. As this was an open room, there was minimum acoustic treatment, however additional time was spent on speaker placement and calibration and receiver tuning.

The indoor pool area on the ground floor was perhaps the most challenging room of all. With a dome ceiling, glass panel wall and water filled pool, there was no shortage of possible reflection points. With no seating or acoustic treatment, we concentrated on speaker and projector placement. We needed a projector with a short throw lens, as we did not have much room to place the projector. After careful analysis of the room, the speaker placement and receiver output were calibrated for as little reverberation and echo as possible. The desired outcome was meticulously achieved.

Verdict
This job took four months to complete. The first room to be completed was the dedicated theatre room. Upon returning to the house to complete other rooms, we noted the theatre room always had a different DVD or two on the coffee table. After speaking to the client as to the frequency of use, we were told that they could not use the theatre room enough. That each time they watched a movie, it put another nail in the coffin of the large multiplex movie theatres. The clients' young grandchildren could not wait to go to their grandparents' house. Sleepovers and babysitting also became more frequent. In all, the client could not believe such an outcome was possible in their own home.

Equipment
At Home Theatre by Design, we do not stock electrical components in a warehouse or store room, so we are always able to source the very latest components. This is very important in any industry where products are updated and new lines released.

Lighting
• Lighting is very important in a home theatre environment. It allows the client to set a particular mood for the presentation or feature film. We specialise in the use and installation of C-Bus lighting control. It allows us to set the desired percentage of light from any fixture and to program multiple scenes. The client had contracted their own electrician who handled all of the lighting requirements. In all entertainment areas in this house, C-Bus lighting was applied.
Audio Video Components
• At Home Theatre by Design our business is to design and craft custom home theatre's. We do not sell or stock audio video components. However we are able to source the very latest audio and video components.
• When choosing an amplifier or receiver, the size of the room, type of speakers and necessary multi-channel decoding need to be established. At Home Theatre by Design we try to work with only a few specific product lines. We know which products work well with each other and how to achieve the most from them separately and as a complete system.
Audio
• x2 RX-V 640 Yamaha receivers.
• x1 RX-V 1300 Yamaha receiver.
• x6 Klipsch Synergy LCR speakers.
• x2 pair Klipsch Synergy dipole surround speakers.
• x1 Klipsch 10" subwoofer.
• x1 M&K V-75 II subwoofer.
• x1 M&K VX-100 subwoofer.
• x3 M&K in-wall LCR monitors.
Video
• x2 Optoma H-56 projectors.
• x1 Davis Cinema-10 projector.
• x1 109cm Toshiba 100hz digital rear projection TV.
• x1 custom matt white 90" screen.
• x2 motorised Targa screens.
• x2 multi-region Yamaha DVD players, with one player being the principle player in two rooms.
• x2 JVC S-VHS players, with one player being the principle player in two rooms.
• x3 DGTEC high definition set top boxes.
Miscellaneous
• x2 URC-9210 Sunwave 16in1 remote controls with blue backlit LCD touch screens.
• Interconnectables were supplied by Westek.

* At Home Theatre by Design we try as much as possible not to use cabinets in our installations. We believe that to achieve a plush theatre feel, curtains and fabric accomplish a much more authentic theatre experience, as well as softening the overall appearance of the theatre. With the current cost of cabinet construction, around $6000 - $12000, a third of that cost could be used for a plush, motorised, velvet curtain. The video reflection on the polished surfaces of the cabinet alters the appearance and perception of colours on the screen. Having your components placed in a cabinet where their LED lights are visible while viewing a movie, is distracting and takes you "out" of the movie experience.