Forever Fall
No one ever said a home theater had to be inside the home. These New Jersey homeowners solved a dilemma that many four-season households face: how to enjoy the warm-weather months without giving up the comforts of home. Here in this upscale loggia, the family enjoys al fresco entertainment at any time of the year courtesy of a well-apportioned kitchen, fireplace and full 5.1-channel home theater system.
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Outfitting an outdoor space for electronics takes far more care than stacking audio/video gear in a 70-degree family room. Humidity and extreme temperatures can affect operation, and the television had to be protected from blowing rain and wind. EDG’s answer was a two-position motorized lift. When the owners hit TV on their Crestron handheld touchpanel, the TV opens out of the ceiling like a book and then slides down to a locked position that’s far enough away from the fireplace to avoid potential heat problems. Although the 50-inch plasma TV isn’t weatherized, EDG’s solution keeps the TV protected inside a sealed enclosure that’s outfitted with all-weather hardware, allowing the family to safely enjoy a true big-screen experience in the great outdoors.
Technology Budget:
$ 40,000
* Excludes; Architect, Interior Designer, Carpenter & Furnishings.
Equipment List
(1) Crestron MT-1000C 3.8” MiniTouch Wireless Touchpanel
(1) Crestron MT-1000C-DS Docking Station
(1) Crestron CNRFGWA418 One way Remote RF
receiver
(1) Crestron CNXRMC Room Controller
(1) DirectTV HR-10-250 HD Satellite Receiver
(1) LG 50PC3D 50” Plasma 768 x 1366 resolution
and built-in speakers
(1) Chief PSM-2024 Flat Wall Mount Bracket for Plasma
(1) Intelix V3AD-PAC Balun
(1) Electrokinetics SWL-002 Swing down arm and drop lift
(1) Crestron TPS-4L Isys 4” Wall Mount Color
Touchpanel with 10 backlit pushbuttons
(1) Crestron WMK-4L Post Construction Wall Mount Kit for TP-4L Touchscreen
(4) Speakercraft BKT90611 6” Round Speaker Pre-Construction Brackets
(4) Speakercraft CRS6 6.5” Aluminum Woofer w/1” Aluminum Tweeter
(1) Crestron WPR48 Weatherproof Radio Frequency Remote
People don’t generally stay anchored to one spot when they’re outdoors so EDG designers came up with a unique approach to the surround-sound challenge presented by a shifting audience. Left and right speakers and surround speakers are mounted in the ceiling of the room but the TV’s speakers were put into service to handle center-channel duty. That keeps dialog anchored to the screen and easy to hear from various locations. An in-ceiling subwoofer is tucked into a closet space above the room and outputs low-frequency sound to the space through a specially designed tube. All speakers have painted metal grilles designed to withstand the elements.
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Video sources include a DVD player and a satellite receiver with digital video recorder. That’s enough to keep the kids entertained with movies and dad up-to-speed on all of the local sports teams. The video sources, along with the audio/video receiver, are stacked in the mud room between the loggia and the house. Wires run between the equipment through the “attic” where they remain protected from weather and extreme temperatures. The family rule: the remote control returns to charge in the mudroom after the system powers down so it’s easy to locate for the next go-round.
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This workhorse ensemble is a practical, easy-to-use system that’s available for year-round use. Call it no compromise, in fact. The owners enjoy the quality and convenience of an inside system with all the benefits of being outdoors. It doesn’t get much better than this.