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“ i.life are a great company to work with...� Arnon Milchan, Hollywood Film Producer (Mr & Mrs Smith, Pretty Woman, Fight Club) 2009
Lifestyle technology creating the perfect living space
i.life Solutions i.life Solutions are specialists in bespoke home entertainment and home automation projects. From a simple home theatre, to a whole-house control system, embracing the heating, lighting, security and audio-visual systems, i.life has the knowledge, and the people, to make it happen, seamlessly and painlessly. We work with architects, interior designers, builders, electricians, in fact, anyone who needs to be on site, every step of the way, to ensure that you get the system you want, with no sign of all the cables that are typically needed to achieve it.
“ The demonstration facility at i.life solutions is a spectacular example of the Meridian digital cinema experience and is now complete with the Sooloos media system.� Bob Stuart Meridian Audio Technical Director and Co-Founder, 2009
A word about technology We could, if you really wanted us to, blind you with science. After all, the work we undertake demands that we have a detailed understanding of a whole host of technologies, protocols and standards. But in our experience, people don’t usually want to know. They want to come in, switch it on, and it works. Work with i.life, and that’s what you’ll get. And if you really want to know how we make the impossible possible, just ask, and we’ll be happy to tell you.
Our credentials When you invite someone into your home to install a control system, a home theatre, a computer network, or whatever it might be, you want to feel confident that you’ve made the right choice. Because these people are not just going to be connecting a few black boxes together. They’re going to be lifting floorboards, running cables, digging channels into the walls, playing with the very structure of your house.
Or at least they should be, because if they’re not, there’s going to be an awful lot of cable on show when they finish. So it’s worth taking some time to ask about their credentials. At i.life, we have gained our credentials in the demanding world of corporate installations. Since 1996, we’ve been installing conferencing, video-conferencing and audio-visual facilities in the boardrooms and meeting rooms of major blue-chip corporations around the world. Companies like Jaguar, Ford, KMPG, Cable & Wireless and Credit Suisse First Boston. Companies of this size and stature take a lot of time choosing who to work with, and they don’t accept second best. To win these projects, and keep winning them, we’ve had to recruit exceptionally talented people, experts in their field. We’ve had to develop rock-solid project management skills. And we’ve had to keep on delivering on our promises, time after time after time.
We have brought this same ethos, this same approach, to our offering for residential clients. When you engage with i.life, you get people who are used to unearthing problems, and then solving them. You get people who listen to what you want, rather than trying to sell you a solution that fits in with what they can do. And you get people who stay on the job from start to finish, to ensure that you get what you asked for. Ask yourself: don’t they sound like the sort of people you’d want to invite into your home?
Our service A word about technology offering i.life Solutions At the very simplest level, we do what you want. That’s worth thinking about for a moment. We do what you want. If you want a simple home theatre system in your living room, with no cables showing and no sign of the speakers or the amplifier (or even the TV, when you’re not watching it), that’s what we’ll give you. If you want a system that enables you to go on the Internet and look at the pictures coming from the CCTV cameras trained on your holiday home in Portugal, that’s what we’ll give you. When we say we offer bespoke solutions, we really mean it. Of course, some of the work we do is routine, but there’s nothing we like better than to get our teeth into a really meaty challenge. A job where the client wants something that sounds unachievable. Or where the room or the property we’re working in seems determined to throw as many obstacles in our way as it can. Solving problems is what we’re good at.
Even on the more routine jobs, you’ll forgive us if we chip in with our own ideas. You can take them or leave them, of course, but over the years, we’ve come up with some very clever ways to make people’s lives better, or more fun, and there’s nothing we like better than sharing them with our clients.
What we do Home Theatre Only a few years ago the idea of building a cinema into your own home seemed like total fantasy, something only the super-rich could afford. But such is the sophistication of the home theatre equipment available today that a home theatre can be achieved on a relatively modest budget. And in most instances, it will sound better than anything on offer at your local cinema. The system can be as discreet as you want it to be. We can put the speakers out of sight, or use innovative designs that hang on the wall and look more like a piece of art than a loudspeaker. The electronics that provide the surround sound can be housed in beautiful custom-made furniture. Even the plasma TV, or projector and screen, can be hidden out of sight and revealed at the push of a button.
Managed Services When you let somebody loose on your house to do the sort of things we do, you expect more than a 12-month guarantee in case one of the boxes blows a fuse. At i.life, almost uniquely we believe, we offer ourcustomers the option of a Managed Service contract, so that if anything does go wrong, or there’s an aspectof the system you don’t understand, you have accessto a helpdesk facility to put things right, with a next day callout if the helpdesk can’t solve the problem.
Multiroom Audio and Video
Control Systems
If your idea of music around the house is a hi-fi system in the living room and portable systems everywhere else, you should consider a Multiroom audio solution. Discreet speakers, built into the walls or the ceiling, deliver the sound, while wall mounted control pads enable you to select the song or radio station you want to listen to, wherever you are in the house, even in the shower. With the addition of plasma or LCD TV, you can also access TV channels and DVDs, all at the push of a button.
The idea of the intelligent home is now a reality. Whatever you want to control, from the lighting and heating to security cameras, blinds and curtains, we can do it for you. The only limit is your imagination. Security cameras that show an image of the person at your door in a window on your TV screen when they ring the doorbell. Plasma TVs that rise out of a storage cabinet when you want to watch something, then disappear again afterwards. We’ve even created moving walls that shift position depending on what you want to use the room for.
To control these systems, typically, you have one remote control, with additional wall mounted keypads in each room, and the option to access the system via the Internet, or even via your mobile phone. It may sound like science fiction, but it’s just what we do.
Home Networks / Telephone Systems
Media Servers
We have extensive experience in the design and installation of both wired and wireless networks into the home. Increasingly, Cat 5 data networks are fast becoming an essential commodity in most properties, helping to forge the link between security systems; door-entry and telephones, as well as music and video distribution to every room when required.
The fast changing media storage environment represents challenges for any technology enthusiast. We are expert in the specification and installation of network based, audio and video servers. Our product range currently focuses on a variety of solutions from a range of manufacturers to include Audio Request, Kaleidescape, MAX and Sooloos products.
Satellite / TV Distribution Systems
Environmental Control
A discrete quality TV distribution system is often the starting point for technology in any house. i.life provide a range from simple to complex, including multiple satellite systems, with dish sharing options and multiple feeds.
Our environmental control systems enable easy control of heating, hot water and comfort cooling systems, where temperature regulation can be constantly monitored and adjusted via the touch of a simple button.
Bespoke Furniture Integrated solutions for the home often require bespoke furniture in the form of tables and storage units, speaker stands, projector stands, plasma supports, wall brackets and dedicated equipment cabinets. We offer a comprehensive service through a range of specialist suppliers and manufacturers.
Music
Enjoy the things you love about music with the Meridian Sooloos player complete with a unique user interface and a big, rich, social touch panel experience. Store, browse and play digital music in a single room or throughout your entire home, shared and appreciated by your entire family. Select and combine Meridian Sooloos components to build exactly the system you need. Store unlimited music at full quality and play it in any number of rooms, with any number of users.
Movies
The Kaleidescape System simplifies the way you collect, manage and enjoy movies and music. By storing your personal entertainment collection on the Kaleidescape System you can store your entire CD and DVD library on one, small, server. And, since your Kaleidescape System uses high-speed networking to deliver your favourite movies and music throughout your home, you can simply click PLAY, lean back and immediately enjoy the show with your closest friends and family.
Servers
“ Meridian...the most awesome components in the world. � Rick McCallum, Producer, Star Wars
Sample Projects At i.life solutions we are very proud of the projects and solutions we have delivered to date. Our growing portfolio is a source of inspiration and one in which we are delighted to share with our customers and business partners. The following examples are a brief illustration of the different types of projects we have covered to date, from • Penthouse Apartments •
Listed Buildings
•
Large Country Houses
“ i.life solutions are an excellent technology partner who provide consistent quality insights into a complex and changing world... ” Diana Yakeley, Chairman, BIDA
Award Winning Project Award – Installation Europe. Innovation and Technical Excellence. The client for this award-winning install wanted a fullyintegrated Smart Home solution that would allow him to easily control all aspects of the house’s technology infrastructure. We specified AMX control panels, which the customer uses to control all aspects of audio and video, lighting, heating , blinds and CCTV. Music is stored on a central server and can be accessed from any room in the house. There are three Media Centre PC’s around the house. Each of these can be used to record TV programmes and surf the Internet. A SmartHome Controls Ltd environmental control system enables easy control of heating and cooling, with the temperature of each room constantly monitored and adjusted accordingly. The house
features a home theatre, with a Meridian Audio Digital Theatre system, a 3-chip SIM2 projector, and a 90-inch screen. Much of the equipment for the home theatre, including the speakers, DVD player and plasma TV, is built into bespoke cabinetry. i.life worked closely with the interior designer and the architect to ensure that the system was aesthetically appropriate for the apartment and for the customer. The apartment is equipped with a fibre distribution system to allow for High Definition TV to be watched from any room in the apartment. It also has 96 circuits of lighting. The client is delighted with the results. He has a future-proofed apartment that is fully automated, reliable and very easy to use.
The Ultimate Home Cinema Experience When our client requested a full home cinema room we were more than happy to oblige. From the very beginning of the design process we knew that this was going to be a challenging, yet rewarding project. Through careful planning we constructed an acoustically perfect home cinema theatre complete with the finest technology available.
Being a designated cinema room, it was crucial that the Meridian Audio Digital Theatre system provided everything that was required time after time and with a Screen Research 10ft screen the results were staggering. The high-resolution, future-ready digital video systems are the perfect compliment to the Meridian speakers, providing astonishing audio and visual performance.
With a specially designed 7.2 surround system, consisting of Meridian in wall speakers and two M&K subwoofers, we provided our client with a home cinema capable of producing the same sound quality that major film companies such as 20th Century Fox, Lucas Film, Paramount and Universal use whilst producing their movies.
This fully integrated solution is a great demonstration of the work i.life love to undertake and has provided our client with a unique home cinema that is not only future-proofed in terms of technology, but also the careful planning and designing means that the room will perform to the highest of standards for years to come.
Simple, Stylish and Efficient This particular project was all about creating an easy to use, comfortable and relaxing environment to which the customer could retreat after a hard day at the office. The simple mix of discrete technology together with vibrant interior design sets the scene perfectly. The technology is focused around a flush 50” Plasma Screen mounted on a floating wall, complete with Artcoustic flat panel wall speakers. The systems are fed from a Media PC utilising audio and video storage. Control is via a simple touch screen remote control from Philips Pronto. This room is a classic illustration of the point that technology solutions don’t have to be expensive to be good. Budget solutions can always be delivered with style, providing care and attention to detail is the over-riding consideration throughout the design process.
“ i.life are able to dovetail their work in accordance with the design objective achieving a thoroughly professional and stylish look. ” Beverley Spyer-Holmes, Beverley Hills Interiors, 2006
Performance and Style This project was all about creating a balance between high performance technology and simple quality aesthetics. Where fine finishes are the rule of the day, suitably set in an environment of quiet pastel colours and obvious yet distinct technology.
How We Do It At i.life, we take great pride in delivering on our promises. Naturally, we’re delighted when someone commissions a project. Where we are perhaps unusual is that we retain the same enthusiasm for the project right through until completion. And we don’t pull people off a project halfway through, if something bigger or better comes in. We only take on what we can deliver. Because of the experience we have, we are in a good position to listen to what our customers want, and then add our own advice as to what else we can give them. If we think we can improve on your ideas,
we will tell you how, and let you decide whether or not you want to proceed. We work with best-of-breed equipment manufacturers in order to help you choose the equipment that best suits your needs. If we express a preference for a particular manufacturer’s TV or speaker, or any other piece of equipment, it’s only because we have evaluated it and found it to be the best in class. And as new products are released, we constantly re-assess these choices. Whatever the size or nature of the project, we maintain strong lines of communication
between ourselves and all other interested parties, right the way through to completion, so you always know how things are progressing, what problems, if any, we have hit, and how we plan to get round them. For the more straightforward projects, we liaise directly with the client. For larger commissions, tying in with a refurbishment or new-build project, we liaise with all interested parties, including the architect, developer, builder and interior designer, to ensure that our solution integrates seamlessly with the overall job, and does not cause problems for anyone else involved.
The architect, for example, needs to be aware of the implications of having a technology provider on site, in order to allow the space needed for the control equipment, while the interior designer needs to know how our system will impact on the look and feel of the property, and also needs to feel confident that it will be aesthetically pleasing. And where there are other professionals involved, we see it as part of our role to explain to them how technology can help provide a better solution. Often, architects, builders and interior designers approach what we do with caution. But when they see the finished results, they are almost always converted. The key to it all is good, solid project management. From the moment you make the initial enquiry, you will deal with someone totally knowledgeable and totally committed to their part of the project. And with our Managed Service contract, that commitment continues, even after we have commissioned the system and closed the door behind us.
“ We would like to express our thanks to all at i.life for carrying out this job with such professionalism. Throughout the whole project everyone has been absolutely brilliant. � Mrs Tina Mitchell, Satisfied Customer, Northwood, 2006
i.life in action The successful implementation of any project is about having a clear understanding of the various phases of the design and build process and then, carefully managing the information flow through every stage of the contract. At i.life solutions we are very experienced in working on a wide range of demanding and exciting projects – and offer a complete service. This usually starts with an initial conversation about equipment options, configurations and design ideas, and finishes with the provision of ongoing managed service support, via our helpdesk or on-site maintenance team.
i.life acoustic science
view our latest installations, products and events at www.ilifesolutions.co.uk
Start living your i.life today T: +44 (0) 1727 758888 E: info@ilifesolutions.co.uk
The i.life Difference When you engage i.life, you get more than just a home technology solution. We have taken the approach that has been so successful for us in the world of corporate installations, and brought it to our residential offering. The result is a service offering that we believe is unique in the domestic sector. Key to our service offering, of course, is our ability to create home automation solutions that work, seamlessly and painlessly. But on top of our expertise, and knowledge, you also get a lot more.
You get the option of a Managed Service contract that enables you to call us during normal office hours to resolve any queries with your system, or to book a site visit if there’s something about the system you don’t understand or can’t get to grips with. You get access to free White Papers that we prepare to help our customers stay abreast of new technology developments. And you become a member of the i.life community, a private club for our customers which we use to strengthen our relationships with our customers.
The benefits of membership include invitations to golf days and major sporting events and much more. From the feedback we get from our existing customers, we know that it’s extremely popular. If you like the sound of the i.life approach to creating intelligent homes, call +44 (0) 1727 758888 today or send an email to: sales@ilifesolutions.co.uk
view our latest installations, products and events at www.ilifesolutions.co.uk
Courtesy of Artcoustic Loudspeakers
Courtesy of Artcoustic Loudspeakers
Start living your i.life today T: +44 (0) 1727 758888 E: info@ilifesolutions.co.uk
See For Yourself A taste of the i.life Our demonstration facilities in St. Albans are quite possibly one of the best in the UK. The state of the art demonstration suite really is something the needs to be seen to be believed as from the moment you step in to the room you are surrounded with luxury technology. Potential clients who visit our demonstration suite can expect to experience a wide range of cutting edge equipment from the worlds finest home cinema to the ultimate in music fidelity. Whether you are after a plasma TV or a full projector and screen, we can demonstrate the best options available today. By allowing our guests the ability to “play around” with the Kaleidescape system and as if by magic make a projector screen appear from out of nowhere, we make sure that the demonstration facilities leave a lasting impression and show off exactly what the latest home cinema technology can provide, something which is far and beyond what you can expect to see at your local cineplex.
Our room, now complete with the Meridian Sooloos player, is possibly the finest example in the UK of how music should be heard! Through the high quality equipment we have on offer we can provide a level of performance and consistency that no other audio systems have ever achieved. As well as the fantastic Kaleidescape and Sooloos systems and the Meridian technology scattered across the room, we can also offer demonstrations of the most advanced touch panels available, as well as demonstrations of multi-room audio. This gives you the opportunity to try out different combinations of equipment before you make your decision. And when we come to do the installation, we’ll give you a room you can be proud of, without a cable in sight.
“ With the Meridian speakers and Sooloos player, i.life solutions are able to give the perfect demonstration every time.” Bob Stuart, Meridian Audio Technical Director and Co-Founder, 2009
view our latest installations, products and events at www.ilifesolutions.co.uk
Start living your i.life today T: +44 (0) 1727 758888 E: info@ilifesolutions.co.uk
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