THE GRAMOPHONE WIRE
HOME THEATERS
LOOK INSIDE FOR AWESOME CONTENT ABOUT HOME THEATERS, FROM DR. WHO THEMED INTERIOR DESIGN TO CUSTOMIZING YOUR OWN ENTERTAINMENT SPACE.
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HOME THEATER CASE STUDIES UPGRADE YOUR HOME THEATER TO A PERMANENT PARADISE VIDEO GAMES: GETTING MORE OUT OF YOUR HOME THEATER GOING HUGE: TV OR PROJECTOR
Cover: “A Savvy Theater for a Sophisticated Couple,” Silver Home Theater Electronic House Award Winner, 2015
HOME THEATER
CASE STUDIES There’s a reason we’re coined as a “preeminent installer” of home theaters. Look no further to find out why.
A BREATH OF NEW LIFE
Our clients came to Gramophone to remodel their space for better use. Along with that they wanted us to integrate custom artwork from San Antonio, 100 year old leaded glass windows, and slot and pachinko machines into the design. With a bit of clever repurposing of the windows into glass cabinets, and masterful rewiring and repair of the pachinko machines, Gramophone was able to breathe new life into a clearly unique space.
HIGHLIGHTS
Dolby Atmos and 4K System with in-wall & in-ceiling speakers deliver awesome sound The theater features a 100 inch screen with a 4K Ultra HD projector and server System remote and iPad controlled Lutron Lighting control Broken Pachinko Machines were rewired and installed by Gramophone to become both functional and fun
A TERPS FAN’S DREAM
When Gramophone scoped this Electronic Homes Award winning project, the basement was completely unfinished. Our clients wanted a Maryland Terrapins (Terps) themed space, which at the project's completion ended up including a bar theater, game space, kids' room, storage area, and full bathroom. With one of the first residential Savant tiling screens that allows up to 4 games to be watched in the theater at one time, sports bar themed decor (including a soda fountain!), and immaculate Lutron lighting and sound systems, Gramophone ensured that our clients' basement was the perfect getaway for a Terps fan.
HIGHLIGHTS
Innovative Savant tiling screen for watching multiple channels simultaneously Sound System designed to maximize sound throughout the theater, especially for watching sports Custom designed & widened theater room to accommodate 7 seats across Features whole basement A/V integration, automation and distribution by Savant and Pakedge
DREAM THEATER FOR SCI-FI LOVERS
What sci-fi fan wouldn't fall in love with this theater? Step through Dr. Who's TARDIS entryway and enter a new world! Utilizing eye-popping, custom-screened acoustic panels, theater visitors feel like they're on a futuristic vessel flying through outerspace. A Numinus StarDome and color-changing LED lights heighten the atmosphere even more.
HIGHLIGHTS
Runco VideoWall 100" screen Extensive custom work for panels and columns to evoke a spaceship interior. Acoustic panels screenprinted to look like windows into outer space. Numinus Star Dome creates further immersion into the sci-fi theme. Theater entry is a faithful recreation of the TARDIS time machine and spacecraft from the Dr Who TV series, including sound effects.
UPGRADE YOUR HOME TO A PERMANENT PARADISE
You go on a vacation to escape the daily grind, enjoy a new environment, and to simply relax. Work can be stressful, and sometimes you just need to get away. Well, what if you could skip all the lines, jet lag, and time spent traveling and enjoy something new at home? Putting the money and effort that you would spend on a week-long vacation in, let’s say, Florida, into a state-of-the-art home theater system from Gramophone could be just what you’ve been searching for!
UNDERSTANDING YOUR SPACES
Before you go out and buy anything new for your soon-to-be paradise, you need to first understand the “flow” of your room; and by flow I mean the feeling, design, and layout of your space. Scale and proportion should be the first properties examined. You want to have the size of your furniture and accessories comparable to the size of your room (scale). Don’t go out and purchase an extreme Lazy-Boy fold out sectional for a 10’ x 10’ room. It just won’t fit and you may start to feel like a character in Alice in Wonderland and her crazy encounters with the shrinking potion. Proportion is also important because it measures the size of one object against another. For example, if you decide to purchase a B&W CM 9 floorstanding speakers, don’t pair them with a small television. The proportion of your room will be unbalanced. Next it’s important to put some thought into where you would like to place your television, that is if, if you decide to reorganize. Sitting too close to your TV can be nauseating (no one really likes sit in the front row of the movie theater), but sitting too far away may force you to lean forward, putting strain on your back. The ideal distance (oh, the separation anxiety!) should be twice the width of the TV itself. Keeping this simple formula in mind can make for a much more comfortable environment! Finally, you should consider the traffic flow of your space. Are many people coming in and out of the room? Would it be bothersome to you if they crossed your viewing area? Maybe the fireplace is the central focus of your room. If so, consider placing your TV above it so to keep the room balanced or integrating your television into a work of personal art, such as those produced by Vision Art, also sold at Gramophone.
THE GADGETS YOU’LL NEED
Gramophone can provide you with all of your home theater needs, from the interior design of your room (seating and lighting) to the set up of the speakers and television. If, however, you are looking for a simple, yet impressive upgrade, consider simply purchasing a decent television and a right and left channel speaker set. The Sharp 70-inch flat panel television is a great LED television for rooms with lots of natural light. The matte screen suppresses reflection and the network jack includes built-in wifi. The Synchrony One Tower speaker set by PSB delivers excellent sound quality for both film and music recordings. Being a pair of freestanding speakers, the Synchrony One’s timeless and sleek design is a perfect start-up set that can easily be added onto.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Now that you’ve got your ideal staycation spot in your home, it’s time to take your at-home paradise outdoors! Follow these links to read about how to throw a bangin’ pool party or an amped up movie night, all with products sold at Gramophone!
VIDEO GAMES GETTING MORE OUT OF YOUR HOME THEATER
by josh shobe
Are you into video games? Do you have kids who enjoy video games? Do you treat video games like a second class citizen in the world of electronics? Then you may be missing out on what can be a truly engrossing home theater experience. Today’s HD video gaming systems provide a level of quality in graphics far beyond anything seen in the systems of the past. Some of the games even have soundtracks that are better recorded and mixed than many movies. Although my wife is not a video game fan, even she became involved in a game I was playing recently because the graphics and soundtrack drew her into a well developed story. She felt like she was watching a movie. In fact, she actually wanted to watch me play and enjoyed interacting with me when I did. Having the game system connected into my home theater system has allowed it to also create a fun activity for the whole family, and not just a diversion for me. At Gramophone, we can help you integrate your game system into an existing home theater system or media room. Or, if you really want to take the experience to the next level, we can help you put together a new system that will fully maximize your gaming experience.
GOING HUGE:
TV OR PROJECTOR
BY GEOFFREY MORRISON
When it comes to truly huge-screen entertainment in your home, there are two choices: TV or Projector. Of course, everyone knows about the TVs. Flat-panels come in sizes all the way up to 90-inches these days, and they’re often not terribly expensive. But projectors aren’t that expensive either. Starting under $1,000 for 1080p models, projectors are significantly brighter now than they ever have been before. Some models can produce a 100-inch diagonal image that’s just as bright as an LCD TV. There are pros and cons for both uber-screen methods. Unless mounted on the wall, a big TV can seem oppressively large, even in a large room. They’re also several thousand dollars. Above 65-inches, LCD is your only technology choice, which in some ways doesn’t have the picture quality of plasma (only available in screens up to 65-inches) and some projection technologies. Projectors need a light controlled room. Even fancy ambient light rejecting screens aren’t perfect, so to get the best picture quality, you’ll need to be able to close some curtains and make it fairly dark. Technology options, DLP, LCD, and LCOS, all have their own strengths and weaknesses, but all generally offer excellent picture quality. So it’s a bit of a compromise either way, but the result is a screen that puts your local cinema to shame. That’s worth it, right?
THANKS FOR READING! let us know your thoughts at info@gramophone.com. 4 w aylesbury rd timonium, md 21093 410.308.1650 8880 mcgaw rd columbia, md 21045 410.381.2100