Harrogate Home Cinema » Cinema

Now Showing… iPod Control

admin — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:02:43 +0000

Here at Harrogate Home Cinema, we have been working on a new home control system using touch panel technology allowing an Apple iPad, iPhone or iTouch to become an enhanced home controller. Downloaded as an App on iTunes, a bespoke design can be created to the customers specification, in order to control their AV, lighting, heating and security systems within a single application.

This system will also be available shortly for Android devices.

Utilising either the clients home network, or a bespoke network build, This control system can talk to entertainment technologies wirelessly, either directly via ip (ethernet) or through a number of “modules” making this a thoroughly scalable solution.

The beauty of Apple Products can be utilised in creating a subtle, stylish control system with numerous benefits:

The iPhone, for those who have them, can mean an end to the use of all other remotes, you will never have to search for a remote again.

The iPad, combined with some bespoke user interface design can combat many frustrations with such systems, such as not being able to see or read buttons, or not easily being able to press them reliably due to their small size/spacing.

And with the wealth of Android devices now being added to the portfolio, there now exists an accessible, practical and scalable control system for all aspects of your home life that doesn’t require you to get a new remote

The excuse is there though.

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Harrogate Home Cinema – Heating Houses since…now!

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 10:38:24 +0000

A clients Property, in the Leeds Road area of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, is a true Eco-House. Through some very clever engineering, the Clients property is temperature regulated through heat-exchange with the outdoor air. This heat exchange process takes place in the utility room/av cupboard, so during the colder months, the clients home cinema equipment actually heats the whole house.

To combat this being a problem in the warmer months, the client also benefits from our use of a remote mains switch for his rack. This means when the system is not in use, it can be powered down completely with the push of a button. Goodbye standby!

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Virgin RF Distribution – The Sky’s the Limit!

admin — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 10:27:22 +0000

A Client from the Leeds Road area of Harrogate came to us with a challenge. The client is a property developer in the North of Yorkshire and wanted the benefits of a Sky multiroom system, with its implied relatively low cost, but he wanted it from a Virgin V+ Box, and at the same time wanted to benefit from the HD capabilities in his primary viewing zone (lounge) on his 50″ Panasonic plasma display.

Having been set the challenge, our R and D department were quick off the mark, apparently waiting for this exact opportunity. Within 24 hours, a system was specified and agreed that would fulfill all the clients needs, from RF distribution, to Sky-equivalent Magic-Eye Control.

Once implemented, the system was upgraded to Philips Pronto control in the lounge through a TSU9300 combined with RFX9400 unit, allowing full discrete control of the clients remote hardware rack, including not only his V+ Box, but also his media server and Blu-Ray Transport.

The Virgin Backfed sets (Kitchen and Bedroom) were set up to be controlled by a pair of Logitech Harmonys, simply to remove any excess remote clutter from this stylish, minimalist house

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The £3000 Family Home Cinema

admin — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:40:53 +0000

Back in December, A customer enquired about having a home cinema installed on a very strict budget and timescale (Christmas present). The customer had a games room in the basement of their house and wanted to turn it into a boys “den” complete with home cinema system. The specified system saw the birth of our entry-level home cinema system.

We installed a Sanyo full hd projector system, running from a Denon 1610 and displaying on a 93″ screen, complete with Sony bluray player in order to effectively play all sources.

Since the initial installation, and through the winter months, we were asked back by our clients to add to this system, and it now includes a Logitech Harmony for reliable one-push touch-screen control, alongside sky hd integration. The client was over the moon with the installation, and you can read about their experience first-hand on our testimonials page.

Since this installation took place, we have essentially refined and repackaged this system, tweaking the products to offer a simple set-up cinema that we can offer, installed, for less than £3000, with no need for a site survey. This package offers both great value for money, and a reliable, enviable home cinema with simple effective control for the whole family.

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Fit for purpose video distribution

admin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:57:48 +0000

Alot of home automation companies out there always try to push the latest technologies onto people, causing the end user to pay for the companies’ Research and Development, essentially meaning the client is often left footing the bill for the AV company to experiment on the end-users install.

At Harrogate Home Cinema, we operate a little differently. Although we want to allow users to take full advantage of emerging technologies, we always want to give the client a stable system.

With this in mind, at the pictured site, we decided to wire for all eventualities, running a core infrastructure of multiple Cat5e/Cat6 cables, meaning that as soon as the 3d-tv format is fully stabilised, the client can easily, and cost-effectively upgrade to the stable new platform. However, with this in mind, we explained the full pro’s and con’s of existing HD distribution systems to the client, and through joint agreement, decided that the most realistic way of distributing video while the market finds its feet/stabilises, was to utilise the RF cable infrastructure to temporarily distribute the existing sources via a backfeed system. Although there is an obvious temporary compromise in image quality, the temporary system is only distributing to relatively small screens (no bigger than 22″).

The resulting real lack in quality is barely noticable. This temporary solution is allowing the client a more than adequate viewing experience in their kitchen and bedroom, whilst allowing them to watch the market and ensure they invest in the correct distribution system at the correct time.

Needless to say, At Harrogate Home Cinema, we don’t believe in selling expensive systems with limited future potential.

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Here to Help

admin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:33:34 +0000

At Harrogate Home Cinema we always put customer satisfaction first. That’s why, when an existing client of ours decided that the speakers they had sampled and loved in our in-store demo facility, and so purchased for their (large, vaulted ceiling) music listening room, were a little inadequate, we were more than happy to replace them with the Canton Chrono SL 520′s, allowing a big full-range sound for the purpose-built listening environment.

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North Yorkshire Kitchen Audio

admin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:07:48 +0000

The Sonos Multiroom Audio System was an ideal solution for the multi-room audio needs of this particular client. After an initial consultation, it became clear that the client had an ecclectic musical taste and didn’t want to compromise on anything. The solution was in the way of the Sonos system we installed. An emphasis was put on sound reproduction, and so an unamplified zoneplayer 90 was digitally linked into an external DAC and power amplifier, before being routed to the Hifi quality full-range in-ceiling speakers for a bit-perfect music reproduction with the ability to stream practically any recording directly from the internet through Napster. To learn more about how Sonos works, click here

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Knaresborough Living Room

admin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:51:24 +0000

A client in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, recently asked us to assess their home audio visual needs. Their living room (pictured) required a full discrete home cinema system, and due to ambient lighting considerations, needed to use a television display. a full 5.1 cinema system was implemented, based on the New Onkyo 3d-ready TX-SR608 AV Receiver, A Samsung 46″ LED Display, required for its low form factor, and an Audiopro Allroom Sat 5.1 Speaker package chosen for its colour-match capabilities alongside its size/power ratio, perfectly balancing form and function in this contemporary setting. For ease of use, this system is controlled by a Philips Pronto TSU-9300 Touch-Screen Remote, allowing true 1-push access to the clients devices, including his Sky HD, Blu-Ray Player, and internet-capable media player, giving the client full access to online services such as iPlayer, 4oD, LoveFilm, and many more. Also integrated into the system is a full Rako lighting solution, allowing full control of the lighting circuits in the room from the Pronto, standard wall-switches, and even the clients iPad.

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Playing God with fire!

admin — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 11:21:07 +0000

Recently we were asked back by a client in South Harrogate. They decided that they would like an easier way to control their living-room fireplace. With a simple and painless integration, the client is now able to control their fireplace from their Philips Pronto remote control, allowing them to turn it on, adjust the temperature, and turn it off again without even reaching for a second controller, let alone the click, turn combination that we are all generally used to!

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South Harrogate – Audio

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:29:32 +0000

The sound to the cinema room is provided by a matching set of Image Audio artwork speakers, complimenting the contemporary decor while also allowing for true Hifi sound from discrete speakers camouflaged as artwork. This client opted for stock images, however, we are happy to supply and fit these with bespoke artwork if necessary.

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