Everything You Need to Enjoy Your Favorite Video Content in Style

If you’re going to invest the time and money required for a custom home theater, you want to know you’ve created the best possible experience possible. But creating an ideal home theater environment requires more than just a big screen. The type of TV or projection matters, as does your choice of sound system, even your choice of décor.

Trying to sort through all the available options for your home theater can be overwhelming, which is why Pacific Audio & Communications is here to help. That’s why we’ve put together this guide to the essential elements of a high-end home theater installation for Maui homeowners. Read on to see what you really need for your home theater.

SEE ALSO: Getting the Most from Your Home Audio-Video System

YOUR DISPLAY

While there’s some room for debate as to which manufacturers have the best TVs and projectors around, in broad strokes there’s a simple answer to what you should want for your home theater: A 4K home theater system. While 8K TVs are available for purchase, there’s almost nothing in terms of native 8K video content.

However, not all 4K TVs or projectors are created equal. You also want to look for a TV or projector that has includes High-Dynamic Range imaging, or HDR. HDR allows for a broader, more intense range of colors than regular 4K displays, giving you greater contrast to make those images really pop off the screen.

One recommendation is to pair a 4K HDR projector with an ambient light-rejecting screen or a screen that can reflect ambient light and instead display the truly stunning image your projector delivers. Similarly, look for OLED 4K TVs. In contrast to other 4K TV models, OLED TVs light pixels on screen individually instead of with bigger backlighting panels behind the screen. While that may not sound like a big deal, it’s crucial to separating brighter and darker tones on screen and gives you that true black color for a sharper image.

One thing to keep in mind if you’re going the 4K route: Every part of your video system must be 4K compatible. That means you need a 4K receiver, the right kind of cabling and a sufficiently fast network to handle 4K streaming.

YOUR SOUND SYSTEM

If you want the best in class when it comes to home theater sound, there’s only one answer: Dolby Atmos. While other home audio and surround sound systems deliver impressive sound in their own right, Dolby Atmos is the most immersive system currently available.

Surround sound systems typically work by channeling sound through different speakers spread out around the room. These are the center, left, right, and rear channels you’re likely familiar with. Dolby Atmos works differently by featuring two or four overhead speakers, as well, and rendering each sound as an individual object that can be placed in a 3-D soundscape created by a network of speakers throughout your home theater.

This allows for an incredible sense of immersion, though it only works if the content you’re watching or listening to has been mastered for Dolby Atmos. Even if it’s not strictly Dolby Atmos compatible, however, you’ll still get powerful, quality sound from your speakers while enjoying other content.

ALL THE REST

Your video and audio systems are your primary concerns when it comes to home theaters, but there are other aspects to consider as well. For instance, there’s your choice of furniture and décor.

As far as furniture goes, you actually should spend a lot of time making sure that you find the right seating for your home theater installation. If you’re going to be spending a lot of time in your home theater, you want comfortable seating that will remain in top condition after several months or years of usage.

When it comes to your décor, don’t be afraid to add your own sense of style. Give your theater a theme based around your favorite movie genre or genres, throw up some theater-style posters, add a popcorn machine or even stylish acoustic treatments.

Your home theater represents a significant investment on your part, so don’t be afraid to make it your own. To see what Pacific Audio & Communications can bring to your home theater installation, call our Maui office at (808) 870-1619 or contact us here to get in touch with our team today.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Here are 5 Important Things to Consider

You’ve heard a lot about 4K, Ultra HD, and other terms.  You want that razor-sharp picture in your home theater.

Maybe you already have a home theater.  In that case, you may be wondering what you’ll need to upgrade.

If you don’t have a home theater system, the good news is you can plan to get new equipment with less concern about what will be compatible with the old.

Let’s look at five important considerations for achieving 4K home theater nirvana in your Maui home.



 
SEE ALSO: Why Should You Invest in a Professional Home Theater System

 

4K Screens: Flat Panel or Projector?

The traditional approach to a full-on home theater has been a ceiling or rear projection system, but recent trends have developed new options.  Flat Panels are now available up to 100 inches in size, with 75-85 inch models becoming quite affordable.  If you don’t like integrating projectors in your room, a large flat panel may be the way to go.  LED backlight dimming, OLED screen technology, HDR (high dynamic range) and Dolby Vision (Dolby Labs’ special version of HDR) offer incredible sharpness, detail, and black level performance.

Projectors have not been standing still.  There are many models to choose from that offer 4K resolution, but one of the things to watch out for is support for HDR.  Look for models that support both HDR10 and Dolby Vision, or at a minimum are software upgradeable for those features. Ultra short-throw projectors are also a viable option now; these models are more easily installed and calibrated than ceiling mounted or rear projection setups.

4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

The next generation of 4K Blu-ray is here, and the prices of players have come down to mainstream levels. More titles are being released in the 4K format, and many old popular titles are also being released in this format, as has typically happened before when the technology changes.  4K Blu-ray is a must for the best quality picture and sound in a theater.  While an increasing amount of 4K content is being streamed, typically the actual picture quality will not equal local playback from a disc.  Further, streamed 4K content will not have the highest definition sound formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.  Movies in 4K Blu-Ray will particularly wow you with their enhanced contrast and brightness.

4K Streaming

You likely know about streaming devices like Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.  All these vendors have 4K versions of their devices available now.  Apple, Amazon, and Google have varying amounts of movies and shows in 4K.  They all support HDR, but only Apple TV currently supports Dolby Vision.  Netflix has an ever-growing number of shoes and movies available in 4K.  Movie service VUDU (available on all but Amazon’s Fire TV) has a growing library of 4K movies as well.

AV Receivers and Preamps

If you’ve had a home theater audio setup for a while, chances are it’s not compatible with 4K.  You need support for passing HDCP 2.2 signals, which is the standard for enabling 4K video content.  If your receiver or multichannel preamp is not compatible with this, then it may make for some tradeoffs in your video source switching and audio playback possibilities.  We can guide you through those considerations, and decide whether your current equipment can be used in a 4K theater upgrade.

Networking and Internet

Last but not least, 4K video puts considerable demands on a home network.  If you want to stream or distribute 4K signals around your home – including your theater – you may need a router and perhaps cable upgrades.

If reading this has created more questions than answers, you are not alone.  There’s much to consider in planning a 4K home theater.  Contact us; we will guide you through all the choices to create the perfect Maui home theater for you.

 

• Design a Room Optimized to Get the Most Out of Your Technology• Receive Expert Advice on What Works Best for You• Find Equipment that Matches Your Stylistic Preferences

 How Does a Custom Home Theater Differ From Retail Options?

A custom home theater system is an immersive entertainment experience. Every inch of your room is planned out to get the most out of your technology and space. We find the best equipment for the room, optimize it for sound and visual quality, and even work with you to design a unique theme. Below we take a look at some of the benefits of a professionally installed home theater.

Figuring Out the Layout for Your Room

The success of your Maui home theater system comes down to having the right layout in place as well as the right technology. Below we take a look at some of the things you need to consider when designing your brand-new entertainment system:

• What kind of screen do you want in your home theater?
  • The size of your screen will affect the seating arrangement for the room, which will then determine where to place your speakers:
    
    • Screen Size: As a rule of thumb, for a 120" screen you want to be at least 12 feet from the images to reduce strain and to see the picture clearly without having to move your eyes.
    • Screen Viewing Cone: Image quality will diminish as you move away from the center of the screen. Once your screen is installed, we ensure all seating is neatly placed within your screen viewing cone: this signifies how wide you can go before you start seeing a drop in image quality.
  • What kind of surround sound do you want in your home theater system?
    • This will determine how many speakers you’ll have in your room and where they need to be located. We ensure all speakers are equidistant to the viewers, so no one is stuck with audio that is too loud or too low.
      
      • Traditional Surround Sound: These systems include five or seven speakers and one subwoofer. Speakers are installed in front, to the side, above, and behind the viewer.
      • Dolby Atmos: For the best, most –realistic sound you should upgrade to a Dolby Atmos system.
        
        • Separate sounds into distinct objects so they can move within a 3-dimensional space:
          
          • For example: Hear a plane literally flying overhead as the sound travels from speaker-to-speaker above the viewer.

Expert Advice on What Equipment Works Best For Your Space

Once we have a general idea what you’re looking for in your home theater system, we help you find the right equipment:

• Choosing the right screen:
  • Depending on your room's limitations, we help you find the right size, color, and texture for your screen. For example, in places with a lot of ambient light, you want to go with a darker gray or black screen. If you want a discreet option, we can offer motorized screens that retract into the ceiling.
• Choosing the right speakers:
  • We offer the latest state-of-the-art technology when it comes to your speakers. Invest in Dolby-Atmos enabled speakers for truly realistic sound and, if you have space restraints, we also offer in-wall and in-ceiling speakers.

Don’t settle for a second-rate discount theater from your local electronics store. Contract Pacific Audio and Communications to create a truly immersive entertainment space in your Maui area home.