Center Stage

Home theaters can be big in function and style

By Aravis Moore

“Bigger,” “better” and “easier” are the catchwords for the latest trends in home theater design. Homeowners are creating theaters that rival the local multiplex in picture and sound clarity— and surpass it for comfort.

Some homes have dedicated theaters, often featuring multilevel seating, fixed screens and state-of-the-art sound systems and projectors. Others might serve multiple functions, such as a combination living room and home theater. These rooms often have screens that retract into the ceiling when not in use, projectors that disappear from sight and subtly placed speakers for family movie nights and football-watching parties.

Whether homeowners opt for a dedicated theater or a multipurpose entertainment room, audiovisual solutions are becoming more complex in terms of offerings, yet much easier to work with. And companies such as Dream Home Cinemas, American Home Entertainment and Modern Home Systems are staying on the cutting edge of technology.

“Too many people have systems that are difficult to use, that require five or six different remotes,” says Mark Gleicher, president and founder of Modern Home Systems in Miramar. “You almost need an engineering degree to operate them. We make it absolutely dead simple.”

He prefers Crestron’s wireless operating systems with a portable touch panel for easy access to all components, from music players to home security. The system is intuitive and user-friendly, requiring only one button to cue the screen to be dropped, the hidden projector lowered and turned on, sound powered up, correct inputs selected, lights dimmed and motorized shades closed. It can even be programmed to recline your seat, if you prefer.

“It’s all really, really easy,” Gleicher says. “This is supposed to be fun to use. It’s not supposed to be a headache or a chore.”

The overall design of the room, of course, depends on personal preference, and today’s choices are limitless. A home theater can resemble a plush, Golden Era Hollywood cinema or a no-frills contemporary lounge. One of Modern Home Systems’ current projects is a theater that can make guests feel like they’re standing on the bridge of Star Trek’s Enterprise.

Sleeker designs of high-tech components are also leading to cleaner, more sophisticated home theater rooms. Speakers—years ago displayed as huge, blaring status symbols— are now concealed in cabinets, recessed into walls and hidden behind camouflaged grilles on the wall. Even the DVD rack, once a media room fixture, is disappearing. Kaleidescape systems, for instance, allow thousands of DVDs to be stored on a server for access at the touch of a button; they organize the movies by genre, title and playlists, just as an iPod organizes music. They also offer film compilations categorized under titles like “Academy Award Winners: Best Picture” and “Preschool Collection.

” We’d be remiss not to mention the impact Apple, Play - station and Wii have had on the evolution of home theaters. AppleTV is accelerating the demise of DVDs by allowing users to rent high-definition movies, buy TV shows and access iTunes and podcasts straight from the television. In addition, the iPod touch or iPhone can be used as the multifunction remote control.

Gleicher couldn’t be more impressed. “Immersive” is how he describes the feeling of playing a video game on a 150-inch screen with top-notch sound. “If someone has a really great system,” he says, “why not use it for something other than watching movies or TV?”

Photo Courtesy of Modern Home Systems