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LIFTING THE AV EXPERIENCE
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LIFTING THE AV EXPERIENCE
Automated lift and concealment solutions create awe-inspiring outdoor entertainment spaces for discerning homeowners. Art Walker, CEO of Auton Motorized Systems, explains.
Automated lifts and concealment solutions aren’t a new category for AV. They’ve been around since the 70s, installed in the most high-end homes. Only recently have these solutions become much more popular due to the increasing purchase and reliance of AV and smart automation technology in the home, and sleeker, thinner displays available in massive sizes. However, homeowners want their home to be beautiful as well as high-tech - both of which can be at odds with each other. No matter how amazing the latest display is, it often clashes with or detracts from a million-dollar view, opulent furnishings, or incredible outdoor areas. This is where the latest automated lifts and other concealment solutions come in. They make technology — displays, speakers, appliances, and more — inconspicuous in ways that go beyond tucking them into just another piece of furniture.
DISPLAYS IN- AND OUT-OF-DOORS
While homeowners often think of concealment solutions for indoor spaces, they have risen to attention outside, from patios and gardens to pool decks and outdoor tennis courts. This builds on a trend in the last 10 years with homeowners looking to blend audio technology with their outdoor spaces, playing music via outdoor audio systems to enhance ambiance. Now, they want a full automated experience encompassing lighting, music, and video entertainment indoors and out.
While the pandemic has made homeowners everywhere shift their focus to outdoor upgrades, the fact is that homeowners were already investing in these spaces for several years. Not only do they want patios and gardens that provide a relaxing setting for enjoying nature, but they also want them to double as an outdoor theater, where they can access all their entertainment channels in same state-of-art fashion as they would indoors.
The key differentiator for concealment here is that the technology doesn’t interrupt the outdoors, such as when a display is mounted on a wall or other structure. AV assets need to be completely hidden when not in use. This becomes an awe-inspiring, high-tech home automation feature when displays or speakers are revealed, which is a priority for a number of clients. For example, with a custom outdoor-rated below-ground lift, homeowners can have a double-sided display setup that rises out of the pool at a touch of a button of their home automation system. Another example is a massive video wall that rises from the tennis court.
For installers, automated lifts and concealment solutions offer a chance to work closely with clientele who have a concept that can’t be done with an off-the-shelf system. They might need a solution for a heavy large-format display that needs to go somewhere completely unexpected. Or perhaps they need a lift that has to be fabricated to precisely fit a custom piece of furniture or technology. Rather than limiting the design or what size of display can be chosen, they have free reign. Where clients want to include a display or other technology outside, it opens up the opportunity for installers to form new relationships with a new category of business — landscapers and outdoor architects — and work together to complete a oneof-a-kind vision.
While the sky’s the limit with these solutions, there are a few best practices integrators should follow to lift their project above the competition:
1. Communicate, communicate, communicate Unlike installing a display in a cabinet or credenza, custom automated lifts require more planning. Just like an architect relies on ongoing communication and updates blueprints for their design, so too should installers stay current on the project. Whether it’s a display that rises out of the ground or a projector that lowers from the ceiling, communication is essential to making sure the space and the mechanism fit together like hand and glove. Understand the vision and stay in close contact with the key players as it evolves.
2. Know the full and final plan The best laid plans can often go awry over missed details. Whether a lift is being installed in the home or on a pool deck, plumbing, electrical, and structural changes occur often during a project. Even the smallest rerouting of a pipe can impact the design and placement of an under-floor or below ground lift. Likewise, it requires taking a deeper look at the underlying infrastructure of the site to ensure that the weight of the display and lift mechanism can be fully supported.
3. Use customisation to retrofit existing spaces While new builds allow for integrators to get in on at the ground level for implementing the latest AV solutions and inspire the creation of truly aweinspiring concealment projects, retrofits are where customisation really shines. A custom display lift can be designed for the necessary width, height, travel, and swivel to fit both the display and the space it needs to occupy. Just because a home was built before the turn of the century, or the century before that, doesn’t mean it can’t offer a stunning AV experience.
4. Leave the details with the manufacturer Integrators have to where many hats, especially as technology becomes more and more sophisticated. But when it comes to delivering on a vision for a custom concealment project, manufacturers can take a lot of the burden off the shoulders of installers. An experienced lift fabricator can provide insight, ideas, and considerations that will take a project from a concept sketch and turn it into reality. To get the ball rolling, provide the manufacturer with the type of equipment being installed such as a TV or projector, the weight of the equipment, the dimensions of the cavity it’s going into and how far the mechanism needs to travel when it is lifted up or dropped down. A few cellphone shots couldn’t hurt either.
Homes are meant to inspire. Audio and video technology all play a role in enhancing smart home design. Leveraging lifts and other concealment solutions, whether indoors or out, are a great way to keep up with demand for fresh, new ideas for how AV can be incorporated organically into a home that will truly set it apart.
Increasingly customers want the same AV performance outside that they have inside
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