Pro-Install

You know how it is. You've decided you want a dedicated cinema room in your house, so you call in the professionals. Then, when they arrive, they notice that the space you originally had in mind isn't quite as impressive and up to the task as your basement, which you'd already planned to be an all-purpose party space – and had got as far as installing cabling for PA speakers and disco lights. And fitted a dancefloor...

Okay, so maybe that isn't the situation that every HCC reader finds themselves in, but is exactly what occurred when Oxfordshire-based install outfit Overture were employed to deliver a home theatre. And having seen the bigger basement space, they quickly persuaded the owner to change his thinking, especially when it was pointed out that by adding a bar at the rear of the room they could still fit a socialising/party area. The basement, after all, was some 13 metres long.

With the decision made, the hardware was specified. Key to this room's appeal is its forward-thinking attitude – a 4K-capable Sony VPL-VW1000ES projector is ceiling-mounted above and behind the second four-seat tier of Front Row cinema recliners.

The projector is fed by an Oppo Blu-ray player, although it's safe to assume that the owner will upgrade to a 4K source as soon as one becomes available. At the other end of the room images are displayed upon a fixed four-metre acoustically-transparent screen from US specialist Seymour AV.

For audio, the kit rack combines Parasound Halo amplification and Integra processing. This feeds the 7.2 speaker array from M&K Sound. The surround channels are wall-mounted, while the rears are housed discreetly in the ceiling as the back wall is simply too far away.

With the basic structure of the room (within a property built in 1740) unable to be altered, Overture applied acoustic treatments to the walls and ceilings to reduce sonic anomalies, including the bountiful use of fabrics. Everything is colour-matched to look modern and distinctly classy, and the ceiling-recessed lighting array, downlights and floor-level illumination – as well as the hardware and automated blinds – are all controlled via a Control 4 system.

The owner, I'm told, is delighted with the finished result, not only in terms of movie playback but also for listening to music. And with table football and a well-stocked bar also on offer, we doubt he spends that much time in the rest of the house.

Price: £undisclosed

Installer info:
Overture: www.overture.co.uk
Telephone: 01295 272158
Email: [email protected]