Essential Install | Case Study : Imagine This
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Image courtesy of Imagine This ( UK ) Ltd and his team came up with was nothing short of miraculous , ( not to mention totalling at £ 4.5million ).
“ We looked at a number of rooms in the house and none of them appeared to be appropriate ,” Guy admits . “ They all had something that would have meant a compromise that we weren ’ t prepared to make . I suggested building something entirely new or digging under the ground and they said it was no problem . However , when the client was flying home he realised it would delay the project by about a year , as that ’ s how long it would take to dig a 35m by 5m , 22m by 6m hole .
“ Necessity is the mother of innovation ,” says Guy , cryptically . “ Everybody has a little widget or a spreadsheet that will create a number-crunching format for them to do some of the heavy lifting for cinema design . I used some software that I wrote for this [ turn to this month ’ s Smart Thinking page for an exclusive on this ]. In what would take me three or four weeks to create CAD drawings and renders , the software will do it in about 30 seconds .”
Image courtesy of Imagine This ( UK ) Ltd
The equipment allows the viewer to watch content intended for multiple regions
Creating Control
Crestron products are used to consolidate and automate the functions needed . An RF touchpanel and an IP based iPad control App are used for the screening room controls , while a rack-mounted Cresnet hard-wired touchpanel ( located in the equipment room ) takes care of the maintenance functions . This multi-platform approach ensured that control would be accessible using all available mediums . Guy designed a tailored GUI for this project , using custom visual elements inspired by the client ’ s line of work .
“ I can honestly say I have never been on a project with this level of detail . Even as far as the Crestron user interface : every graphic file , every icon was created uniquely and has only ever been used on this project . We 3D modelled in a liquid gold colour everything from consoles to projectors ,” – and not just an image of a random projector – it was his projector ; not a random console , it was his .
“ The client brings with him his own media server that has his own specific industryrelated content , but as far as domestic sources , he had a huge existing movie server ( we added to it ) – he was already a big advocate .” Guy notes . “ Also in the rack is Apple TV , NAS drives , Plex , multiple Oppo Blu-ray players with various regions , allowing him to watch regional-specific content that he doesn ’ t have to press and hold a shift button and hold another key to do it .”
Acoustic Treatment And Speakers
A comprehensive range of acoustic treatments were implemented , including the use of green glue and absorption , reflection , diffusion and bass management materials from RPG .
In order to achieve THX Reference level performance in such a large room ( 290m ³), Guy used products from Procella ’ s range of THX approved loudspeakers . At the front , balanced active P815 bi-amplified loudspeakers were mounted in the baffle wall , which was specially constructed to enhance
64 | February 2017