Home theaters an increasing trend
BY MARY LANCASTER INDEPENDENT WRITER

PHOTO ROB BENCHLEY/THE INDEPENDENT An example of how elegant and sophisticated a home theater can be if a homeowner is not constrained by a budget.

Private theaters are gaining in popularity with homeowners for many reasons. A privately screened film can lend a special element to a party or family occasion. It can provide convenient entertainment in a place where you can show up wearing your pajamas and watch a movie any time you want. For some, a home theater might be as simple as installing a large plasma TV in front of a few comfortable chairs, while for others it entails luxury tieredseating, soundproof walls, a snack counter and popcorn machine or even a bar.

Timy McDonald, owner of Audio Video Inflections, has installed more than 100 home theaters on Nantucket in the 10 years he has been in the business, the last two with his own company. They have ranged from mounting a 32-inch TV to installing a 20-foot screen and can range in price from around $5,000 to six figures or millions of dollars for all the high-end bells and whistles. He recently completed a theater that cost $125,000.

PHOTOS ROB BENCHLEY/THE INDEPENDENT A quality model of a DVD remote control. All movies can be stored digitally on a hard drive and recalled immediately rather than having to search through individual DVD copies. Remotes can also be used to dim and raise theater lights.

"The film industry is always pushing for new things. The best way to see a movie is in a home theater situation," said McDonald, who was formerly a professional sound engineer. He studied recording and engineering at the Full Sail Center for the Performing Arts in Winter Park, Fla. and is certified in THX designs developed by George Lucas, who wrote and directed "Star Wars."

"Anyone can afford [a home theater] nowadays. It's a great place for a family to spend time together," he said. "With the cost of movies these days and if you want to take your family out once a week, by the time you do that all year long you are probably three-quarters on the way to having your own theater."

Some homeowners prefer to call in a separate interior designer to create the look of their theater, but McDonald, as with several others in the field, said he can do everything from sound treatments to the final aesthetic treatments.

Sometimes miles and miles and miles of wires are used to create a home theater.

"I do all the fabric on the walls and everything," said McDonald. "I work directly with distributors and companies, ordering electronics and anything you want incorporated into the theater like popcorn machines and all accessories. Our prices are comparable to anywhere you go."

Each theater designer and installer has favorite lines of electronics they recommend because of their quality. In cases where budget is a factor, it is better to spend more on fewer pieces of equipment and have a smaller venue than to try to find bargains that have diminished sound and video and may be more prone to break-downs.

McDonald, who employs four people who are all musicians, prefers speakers, receivers and other audio equipment from Yamaha, Nuvo and Klipsch. He likes Panasonic projectors that range from $2,000 to $50,000, image screens by Draper and Da-Lite and flat screen LCD TVs by Sharp. A sub-woofer is an essential piece of theater equipment, said McDonald and others.

"If you don't have a sub-woofer you don't have a home theater. This produces frequencies that are more feeling than hearing," he said, adding that he uses a Real Time Analyzer to tune theater rooms for the human hearing range and make adjustments for tonal quality. "We have all the test equipment to adjust your picture and your sound."

Michael Alpert, owner of Nantucket Media Systems, has been in the business of home theaters for six years. While the one he just completed is relatively small, he said.

"The sky is the limit, really," when it comes to the extent of a theater and potential amenities. He has installed home theaters measuring 14 by17-feet with as few as seven seats to theaters having 15 seats. He, too, will do the room's entire design if requested by the homeowner.

For his latest project, Alpert, who is also a photographer, designed the room using a 3-D rendition to show the homeowner. Alpert and his clients decided on the number of seats and the size of the screen. Alpert calculated the riser for the second row of seats to provide clear sight lines for all viewers. Next, they determined the decor, color and overall theme of the theater and met with the contractor who built the room and did the trim work. Alpert's company handled the fabrics and acoustics and was dealer and installer for all the electronics. Though Alpert usually completes the wall upholstery and can upholster the seats, he often orders ready-made seating from his preferred manufacturers in leather or the homeowner's material of choice.

A homeowner can elect to have Alpert install a movie server, where all films are stored digitally on a computer hard drive and can be retrieved immediately without searching through a library of DVDs. That element can add up to $14,000 to the cost of the project. Another cost element is lighting control. Some people choose a hand-held remote control, but others like a touch panel device that will open and close the screen curtain, start and stop the movie and dim and raise the room's lights for a more realistic theater experience.

And, not surprisingly, the end cost of a home theater ultimately rests with the electronics chosen. Alpert's recent job cost $70,000, but he said a person could install the same size theater and spend half or double that amount. He prefers Lutron lighting controls, Vidikron projectors, Stewart or SMX screens and Triad speakers. For processing and amplification, Alpert turns to ADA and to Universal for remote controls. To tie the entire control system together and skip the separate remote feature, Alpert chooses AMX.

Depending on the size of the theater, usually there are three speakers in the front, side surround sound, left and right rear speakers and one to four sub-woofers to create the bass levels.

"So when things explode you feel it," he explained, noting that he handles factory returns for service, but not repairs. He stressed that a homeowner can forego acoustics and decor and install a good, basic home theater for $15,000 to $20,000.

"You'd have to sacrifice," he said. "You can't buy a Volkswagen bug and expect the performance of a Ferrari, but it will still get you from point A to point B."

Normand Berthelette, owner of Bert's Electronics, has been in the electronics business for nearly 40 years. Berthelette designs home theater audio and video elements as well as installations, although he does not perform interior design work. Berthelette lives and works on the island and can repair or adjust theater systems without needing to send for parts off island in most cases.

"People like to stay home more and have friends over to watch a movie," he said.

Berthelette said when he first began installing home theaters it was mostly in high-end homes, but since market prices for electronics have declined, the systems are more accessible to the average consumer. Noting that movies for the home can easily be ordered on-line or downloaded, he said a person can buy a decent projector for under $5,000.

"On Nantucket, a lot has to do with the clientele," he said. "I try to be fair with everyone, and sometimes you get an older couple and I try to be fair with them. That's part of being in the community. I'm a good troubleshooter - this is my profession. These [theater] units are starting to fail as they get older. Nothing is forever. It is new technology and not everything is perfect. Basically, these products are good and solid, but the more complex these units are, the more prone they are to problems. It's best to keep it as simple as possible. That helps to bring the costs down."

Berthelette's favorite electronics for home theaters include JVC, Sharp, Farouga, Fujitsu plasma screens, Pioneer for all video and Marantz, Onkyo, Sony and Integra for audio.

"The bottom line is reliability," he said.

When homeowners want an interior designer to do the walls and seating for their theaters, Cheryl Emery, owner of Nantucket Sewing and Design, is frequently the person they call. She agrees home theaters are a growing trend and said she has worked on five within the last five years. Regardless of whether people choose reclining seats with beverage holders or comfy sofas and chairs on increasing levels, she can expertly handle the upholstery work.

She has assisted with selecting lighting fixtures and has designed the theater room itself along with choosing sound-absorbing carpeting.

She has also created beautiful floor-to-ceiling velvet curtains that draw apart and close for movie screenings, much like what would be found in a traditional theater.

"There are many creative ways to embellish a home theater," she said. "I think people want to be comfortable in their own homes to watch movies. They're really fun to do. I enjoy that project more than some. It's definitely a growing trend. You can take the smallest space in a basement and turn it into a nice home

theater." I