Essential Install May 2017 | Page 5

From The Editor’s Desk pages 16-18 Getting Serious About Cinema Home Cinema is a superhero of the smart home market (Image courtesy of installers Beter Beeld & Geluid) Ever since I came into this industry at the end of the last ice age, I have to hold my hands up and say that it was always the AV and cinema side of things that excited me most. Yes at EI we also love cool automation features, but just personally, as a huge music and movie fan, being able to experience the best content in the world on some of the best kit in the world has been a huge pleasure. Home cinema seems to be on something of a roll of late; case in point: the recent EI Live! show seemed to have more companies concentrating on that sector than any show we have done before. Artcoustic, Habitech, AWE/Epson, Pulse Cinemas/BenQ were just some of the companies strutting their stuff. Over in the learning zone, Guy Singleton from install company Imagine This was showing technology that can advance the design and delivery of a home cinema by light-years in terms of time. Technology has not just advanced on the software side either – there has never been a wider or better choice of kit to create a wonderful experience for the customer at a huge range of price brackets. Pulse Cinemas was recognised as Distributor of the Year at the Smart Building Awards presented at EI Live! – more evidence that cinema is having a strong time recently. There has been lots of talk recently about companies like Google Amazon coming in and taking the automation side of the business away from installers; our position is clear, the DIY market was always going to come, we have to make sure the superior products and level of service we offer is attractive and use the DIY market as a way to enthuse a wider audience. There will always be a desire to go a step further in every purchase people make, if not, everyone would drive a Nissan Micra. However, when it comes to home cinema and AV, as an industry, we are untouchable. New technologies such as improved projectors with HDR and 3D audio technologies are only enhancing our ability to deliver experiences consumers simply cannot get elsewhere. The content too is freed up like never before, with more ways to enjoy more content than ever possible before. Modern TV content often has a cinematic quality that makes it well worth seeing on the big screen, not to mention sport, much of which can be seen in UHD and as we move forward, HDR too. Let’s celebrate the cinema and keep giving consumers an experience they can enjoy and share every single day. Also keep an eye out for our stand-alone home cinema supplement coming with June’s issue. EDITOR IN CHIEF: Daniel Sait, [email protected] CONTRIBUTING JOURNALISTS: Alice Gustafson, [email protected], Jordan O’Brien, [email protected] SALES DIRECTOR: Ian Kitchener, [email protected] INTERNATIONAL SALES MANAGER: Claire Talty, [email protected] PUBLISHER: David Kitchener, [email protected] ACCOUNTS: [email protected] CIRCULATION: [email protected] STUDIO MANAGER: Ben Bristow, [email protected] GRAPHIC DESIGN: Jon Appleton, [email protected] Essential Install magazine, Suite 14, 6-8 Revenge Road, Lordswood, Chatham, Kent ME5 8UD. T: +44 (0)1634 673163 F: +44 (0)1634 673173 Whist we make every effort that everything printed in Essential Install magazine is factually correct, we cannot be held responsible if factual errors occur. All articles are copyright and remain the property of Essential Install magazine.