Life Solutions Blog

Without doubt the best part of my job is going to visit customers once all of the work is completed in their home and they are proud to talk about their newly acquired home cinema. Last week I visited a customer who had a stunning dedicated theatre room installed and I went to take some pictures and make sure everything was okay. The customer talked about how great the picture quality was (10 foot Screen Research ClearPix 2) and how the sound made the experience “more real and exciting.” “Excellent” I thought to myself, another happy customer, but the answer the customer gave to my next question I hadn’t planned on hearing.

“So what’s the best movie you’ve watched on here so far?”

“Well we’ve only watched one, at the moment we seem to be watching hours of TV each night – Eastenders has never looked so good!”

At first I couldn’t believe it – you have a bespoke home cinema installation team come in to your home and create a stunning, almost breathtaking environment designed for Hollywood and instead my clients are happy to settle for Albert Square???!!! But the client carried on in great detail telling me how much he enjoyed his team Chelsea with the Premier League in glorious high definition on Sky Sports and how the finale to long running series Lost will be even more impressive on the screen. And he had a good point, for years I’ve been preaching to people about the beauty of watching the Godfather with a great sound system, hearing every word uttered by Brando, Pacino and Co or hearing bullets fired from a machine gun at the start of Saving Private Ryan educing a joy that cannot be achieved even in your local Cineplex. I’ve also told people that there is nothing better than watching a perfectly filmed movie like Apocalytpo or even Shrek on a screen made for movie greatness. But I’ve never thought about The Queen Vic and Pat Butcher!

Okay, the Eastenders remark from my client may have been a throw away comment but it is valid, when your not watching the latest Blu-Ray on your dedicated cinema why not watch Casualty, QI or The Simpsons. Certainly the overall experience will be heightened and improved and as for his comment on Sky Sports HD then I think the feeling could even rival watching movies. I cannot imagine anything better than seeing Mr. Garcia or Westwood knock in a winning putt to win the Ryder Cup on a 12foot screen with cheers ringing around my ears thanks to the surround sound. Similarly the thought of seeing any Arsenal (sorry but that’s who I forced to support from a young age) or England player scoring a last minute goal would far surpass even Robert de Niro’s performance in Goodfellas.

So I guess the next time I am asked by a prospective client what the benefits are of a home cinema I will tell them not only of the obvious and staggering advantages compared to the local cinema but will also tell them about the day-to-day enjoyment they can get from their favourite programmes or sports team.

Daryl Binelli

Daryl has been working as the marketing manager for i.life solutions for two years now and is a regular contributor to websites, magazines and papers across the UK. Why not follow his twitter account to make sure you don’t miss any more of his articles, failing that keep coming back to Home Cinema Gallery where all of your home cinema needs can be met.

i.life solutions have the following top ten tips for setting up your home cinema system:

1. Apportion your budget evenly and wisely

Avoid spending most money on the display and treating the audio as an afterthought. Try watching a good movie with the sound switched off, and then try listening with no picture and you will see why both areas are equally important.

2. Source quality – feeding your equipment

The quality of the source will determine the enjoyment of everything you see and hear. Look for a machine offering the best performance for basic picture and sound rather than seldom-used features.

3. Speaker positioning

For ideal front speaker positioning, set-up the front left and right for good stereo reproduction then site the centre speaker at the same height (or as near as possible) as the tweeter on the front left and right speakers.

4. Ideal sub location

To find the best site for a subwoofer, place it in the listening position then walk round the room until you find the spot where most bass is heard. This is the ideal location for the sub.

5. Setting speaker levels

Although individual speaker levels can be set up by ear, a much more accurate result (and a more believable sound) can be obtained with a sound pressure level meter. These are very simple to use and relatively cheap at approx £40.

6. Rear speaker settings

If individual sounds from rear speakers attract your attention try lowering their level in the set-up of your processor or increasing their delay. A piece of film recorded in a heavy ambient environment (such as a church or cathedral) is ideal for this.

7. Positioning of display device

When positioning a TV or plasma screen avoid reflections on the glass from lights or windows. These are best observed with the set switched off. Do not install your screen too high (usually above fire places) as it will cause a sore neck after long periods of viewing.

8. Customising default display settings

Factory settings on TVs are designed to look good in a retail store, not your living room. Invest in a test DVD such as Video Essentials and follow the instructions carefully for the best results.

9. Video connections

Normal analogue interconnects will not function correctly with video signals. Ask your dealer for 75ohm coaxial cables for your video connections.

10. Get help from a professional - your local dealer

For ultimate performance employ a specialist dealer or home cinema installation company to install your cinema. Their services are often great value for money and a professional set-up will yield the most enjoyable system.