Home Movie Theaters

Acoustical treatment is an essential part of any great sounding entertainment space but most people look to hide it or subdue it with panels that blend into the room, often masquerading as modern artwork.

Then there are people who crave the unconventional — in this case, a home theater with unique aesthetics instead of the stereotypical designs often seen in Sound & Vision and other magazines.

Sarasota based, Sights, Sounds and Such was called in to work on a Murray Homes, Inc. project. The project was roughly a 5500 sq. ft waterfront residence on the Gulf of Mexico in Nokomis FL. A complete remodel, the entire home was rewired from head to toe for TV, phone, data and of course, a state-of-the-art audio/video system.

Years in the consumer electronics industry, this homeowner was able to design, build and install this incredibly detailed theater with all the latest bells and whistles. If this is the future capability of DIY theaters than his Star Trek inspired theme is certainly appropriate.

The music industry has the Grammys to recognize outstanding contributions to the art of song composition. The Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association, aka CEDIA, which you might know from our coverage of the annual CEDIA Expo, has the Electronic Lifestyles Awards to honor the creativity and technical skill behind some of the most advanced home entertainment and home automation systems on the planet. Here we profile two of the 14 home theaters that made the cut in 2014.

It's the perfect situation – a dedicated home theater and a completely separate room for critical music listening. One homeowner in Massachusetts was able to realize his dream of the 'perfect' audio system, and still provide the rest of the family with their own home theater.

This is one of those times when the pictures just don't do justice to the project. The winner of the 2009 Windows Media Center Ultimate Install is Vision Audio from Lubbock, Texas. The Media Center Integrator Alliance (MCIA), together with Microsoft, announced the winner of the 2009 Windows Media Center Ultimate Install Contest during CEDIA in Atlanta, Georgia on September 13. This impressive system uses Windows Media Center at the core of the home's entertainment experience in an extensive whole-home installation.

This installation, by Ed Gilmore and Gilmore's Sound Advice of New York City, is notable for its open, multi-purpose layout and clever concealment of audio/video components when the system is not in use. In its resting state, the main room is a stylish, comfortable loft area, complete with brick walls from the original industrial building and floor-to-ceiling windows that peer out onto NYC's Tribeca neighborhood.