Home Theaters

Marty Olmstead
Special to FineLife Home
Photos by Ryan Lely

The dead of winter is doubtless the most tempting time for homeowners to consider a home entertainment center. Cooped up inside while it rains or freezes (or both) for days on end, more and more people are installing theaters in their own homes. With price tags ranging from $280 for a home theater-in-a-box to $2500 and up, consumers have a lot of options in the marketplace, whether they are upgrading, adding features or going for the entire enchilada.

For Rich Contreras of Sonoma Phoneman and Home Theater, his best sales tool is the model theater installed in his retail store on Highway 12. Watching the opening scenes of “Star Wars” or viewing a favorite concert is such an enjoyable experience that the idea of a home theater is almost irresistible.
Home entertainment centers, which once required either a designated room all their own or a messy jumble of cords and bulky audio-visual devices in a corner of the family room, have become sleeker and more compact than they were when cocooning first became the rage back in the ‘80s. The public’s disenchantment with the overall cineplex experience (parking, crowds, detritus and a pre-set screening schedule) has fueled the boom and now people like Contreras and other retailers and installers are reaping the benefit.
Now that home entertainment centers have raised their standards of visual and audio quality, consumers can program their TiVos to find and digitally record their favorite programming, and the supply of movies on DVD has expanded exponentially, so a lot of people are asking: Why should we go out?
Why, in fact, should they even bother with Blockbuster or even Netflix?
On top of all these factors, sophisticated home systems can incorporate a lot more than commercially produced programming. Home movies and videos, family photographs and other documents can be screened in your own living room.
Home theaters make sense for a lot of people. How can you decide if one is right for you?
Some homeowners already feel the need and have only to decide what components they want. People who are looking mostly for a way to play music and screen films might be satisfied with a simple, off-the-shelf unit. Those in the market for a wider spectrum of options may have to go up quite a few levels to find the right equipment, all of which will have to be integrated.
But for the consumers intent on a true home theater environment, complete with a large screen that can be seen by up to a dozen people, the best solution is to work with a professional firm that can handle selection, design, installation and service from start to finish. If their goal is to coordinate computers, video gaming, music in every room and other bells and whistles, creating a home entertainment center is decidedly not a do-it-yourself undertaking.
In short, if you’re one of the millions of homeowners who can’t figure out how to program your television, VCR or DVD, don’t even think of tackling a more complex project.
According to Scott Sullivan of SoundVision Marin in Novato, “Everybody gets three systems” in the course of their lives.
‘The first system is one where you go to the store yourself, buy something, bring it home and install it,” he says. “It never works right and it’s not easy to use.
“The second time, maybe you get some help from a handyman or a friend, talk to the sales people, and end up with a system that may be better but still wasn’t designed for you.
“For your third system, you hire a professional who designs exactly what you want, installs it and it’s so easy to use that the baby-sitter can use it without having to read instructions.”
Before even looking into home theaters, interested consumers should figure out whether they can dedicate a room entirely to entertainment. Ideally, any space with an entertainment center can also serve other functions (dining, home office, guest room) as well.
Regardless of the level of sophistication and depth of pockets, planning a home theater is easier than ever before. Increasingly higher standards of visual and audio quality can transform the entertainment experience with surround sound, screens, projectors and theater seating.
Several companies are capitalizing on developing technology to provide a dazzling array of features for screens, sound systems and projectors.
Da-Lite Screen Company, for example, makes a Multi-Masking Imager available in five different screen dimensions; it manages video, HDTV, Letterbox and Cinemascope so that users can easily convert from game time to show time by just pressing a single button.
Atlantic Technology’s new System 82003 THX Ultra 2 gets high ratings for its sound quality and built-in, room-optimizing controls. This model, with five speakers, subwoofers, and two pedestal stands retails for $10,000 to $14,770, depending on options and accessories. Atlantic Technology does not sell directly to consumers but only to dealers and custom installers.
The HC5000 (BL) LCD High Definition Projector from Mitsubishi claims to provide a Hollywood-quality cinema experience. The LCD Panel presents high-definition, long-lasting images in brilliant color and can serve a variety of sources. This new model retails for about $2500.
The more ambitious the project, the more you should consider seeking professional help – it may be cheaper in the long run than a DIY job. Scott Sullivan recommends budgeting a minimum of $5000, but after nine years in the business, he says his average job runs about $25,000.

Resources
Sonoma Phoneman and Home Theater, 19310 Hwy. 12,
Sonoma
707.996.1974;
www.sonomahometheater.com
Rich Contreras

SoundVision of Marin,
27 Commercial Blvd. Suite M
Novato
415.883.7700;
www.svsf.com
Scott Sullivan

Entertaining Spaces, 21 Division St., San Francisco (showroom); 415.626.1951;
www.entertainingspaces.com.
Adam Zolot

www.Mitsubishi-presentations.com
www.atlantictechnology.com
www.da-lite.com