Home Theatre / Cinema

Probably our favourite part of any project, a well designed home cinema transforms watching movies, TV  & sports into an experience you’ll want to share with everyone… or no-one!

Planning a home cinema can be quite a challenge; expert product selection is required to match the proposed space to get the ideal result – whether it’s an open plan living space or a dedicated media room. But designing a cinema also means considering the room itself – the walls, floors & windows, seating arrangements, sound containment & air-conditioning all play their part in the overall design.

Seeking expert advice from an experienced AV designer is paramount to a great result.

Music Distribution

Any music, in any room – this is the fundamental goal.

Multi-room audio, as it’s also known, involves the designation of audio ‘zones’ both inside and out, connected to music sources such as a personal digital music library, streaming services like Deezer, Tidal, Spotify, CD players and radio tuners.  Different areas can enjoy different content at once, or the whole system can be synchronised to a large, whole-house, party mode.

Speakers are generally unobtrusively flush-mounted in ceiling, walls, or joinery, or they can even be completely invisible.

Control is simple, using your smart phone or tablet, simply pick a room, then pick a song!  Intuitive software Apps have all but replaced the keypad-on-wall music systems of the past, allowing effortless manipulation of zones, playlists & volume, whether you’re in a comfy chair, entertaining outdoors or lazing by the pool.

Lighting Control Systems

A well-designed lighting control system provides much more than just elegant switches & smooth dimming – it enhances ambiance, increases security, improves energy efficiency & adds convenience.

For example, a single button can recall activity-based scenes designed for Entertaining, Dining, Reading time, or whatever. ‘Welcome home’ or ‘Away’ scenes can be automatically activated using the arming or disarming  of a security system as a trigger, and critical lights can be activated under an intruder or fire alarm.

Adding motion sensors significantly improves energy efficiency by controlling lighting based on actual occupancy.  When combined with intelligent programming, lights can be programmed to different levels depending on time of day or other parameters – for example, a middle-of-the-night trip to the bathroom can automatically bring on low-level path and room lighting instead of a blinding light.

A lighting control system is often the basis for much wider level control – often incorporating, blinds, fans, pumps, motorised windows, doors & awnings.

Security Systems

At it’s most basic level a security system consists of a keypad, siren, and sensors to deter & detect unwanted intrusion.

When integrated with other systems such as lighting, access control & surveillance however, a security system becomes a critical control component; adding convenience, efficiency & comfort.  Lighting scenes can be activated by the status of the alarm, heating & cooling can be adjusted based on room occupancy & service access codes can be restricted by time of day or Arm-level.

Modern security products can also facilitate keypad, card reader & bio-metric access control; allowing for keyless entry.  Additionally, many are equipped with sophisticated Apps & software; allowing the user to remotely monitor the system in real time & check alarm history from wherever they may be.

Structured Cabling & Telephony

Cabling is still the backbone of any ‘smart wiring’ system or automated home.  Even with huge advancements in wireless technology, cabled connections are more reliable, allow for more data flow, and cost less than the equivalent wireless connection.

Our approach to this is simple, if it can be wired – do it.

Not only regarding the reliability aspect, but for every advance in wireless technology; there is a simpler advance in wired tech.  Sure the latest Wifi standards are really fast, but its like one ‘wire’ shared by all wireless devices – just think about how many tablets, smart phones & laptops in your home already share this one Wifi ‘wire’ – it’s pretty obvious that we should physically cable as much as possible.