We’ve told you that from time to time, we would be doing blogs that were just plain fun. This is one of them. This week, we want to look at Home Theatre.

We’ve looked at the serious side of home theatre – new higher definition video screens, how to approach the sound system, storage on media servers, integration into the home control system. All of these are great things, and very practical. In fact it is now hard to find a new home or a major reno that doesn’t have a room set apart for a media/home theatre.
It’s not there to take the place of going to the movies, Theatres are selling more tickets than ever. Home owners are doing it because it’s a different experience from the movies. In a home theatre, there are no strangers sitting behind you loudly discussing the movie, no-one texting their friends, no-one spilling a drink on you as they squeeze past, no need to find parking or go out on a rainy or snowy night. And if you have a good size group, it can be much more cost effective than $14 movie tickets and $10 popcorn.
But what if you want to go all in with your home theatre? What if you have the budget to build the crazy, fantastic home theatre that up until now only existed in your wildest dreams?
This isn’t a new idea. In the 1920’s, hundreds of “Atmospheric Theatres” were built. Some looked like Mediterranian courtyards or castles from the Middle Ages. They had simulated stars and nights skies, massive pillars and amazing sculptures. Very few of them remain (there is still one near us in Port Hope, Ontario and a huge one surviving in Tampa, Florida). Most were torn down in the 1950’s.
We want you to know that atmospheric theatre in your house is possible. The sky is truly the limit for home theatre. You can make it into the most personal room in your home.
How incredible? Have a look at some of these examples of people putting their vision into a real space. With a combination of décor, theatre-style lighting, props, great design and great technology this is the kind of thing that can be achieved.

Star Wars Death Star Theatre

The Dark Knight Batcave

The Bridge of the Enterprise

Indiana Jones Egyptian Tomb

The Titanic

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

As you can see from these pictures, you can let your imagination run wild. What’s you favourite movie? Do you want to feel like Jack Sparrow on a pirate ship? Do you want to welcome your visitors to Jurassic Park? Would you like to enter the magical world of Harry Potter with a tribute to Hogwarts School?  Would a Twilight world of vampires and werewolves be your dream theatre?

There are no boundaries. If this is something you have actually thought about, or if you just want something a little more functional, the pro’s at OneTouch Automation are ready to help. We have the designers, installers, programmers and service people to make any home theatre, no matter how simple or how wild, become a reality. Call us for a consultation

There was a time when audio in your home was quite easy. For your grandparents, it was probably a hi-fi. That was a huge box almost the size of a coffin, It had speakers on either side and an integrated amplifier, radio and turntable in the middle. It also made a great stand for chips and dip.
In you parents’ time, the home stereo came along. The detachable speakers were a big advance over the hi-fi, and quality was sometimes (though not always) pretty good.
Now, you’re automating your home and the time has come for you to put in a home theatre. The designer is going to talk to you about what kind of sound you want. Questions about 5.1, 7.1, Dolby, powered subs and a lot of other things are going to come up. So, what are they talking about and what do you want?

The main thing to understand is that the quality of your listening experience in a home theatre is very much a product of how many speakers you have and where they are located. That’s because there’s a different sound coming out of each speaker. How does it do that? Well, it all starts at the DVD. It has information coded into it that has the sound separated into multiple channels. From there, the sound goes into a receiver that can make sense out of the information on the DVD. The receiver amplifies these signals and sends the sound to each speaker. The speakers are meant to positioned all around you, therefore the name Surround Sound. So why all the numbers? It’s actually pretty easy.
In the days of stereo, we could have called the system a 2.0 – two different sounds, two speakers. About twenty years ago, with the arrival of the DVD, that changed. Now there was room for a lot more audio information, and we had Surround. Now instead of two channels, there was room for many more channels of audio. The next thing was to build receivers that were capable of taking the information from a DVD, breaking down the signal into its separate parts and driving it through the individual speakers.

5.1
The first system to come along was 5.1. Here’s what the five channels are:
A center channel. The speaker for this one is usually placed in the middle of the screen
Left and Right front channels. Placed on either side of the screen.
Left and Right surround channels. They’re placed behind you on the left and right.
The subwoofer – to produce really low music, explosions, rumbling sounds. It can be placed almost anywhere in the room.
These systems really shine in small and medium sized rooms. There are many people who would find 5.1 to be a very good system that will suit their needs for a long time. But there is another option.

7.1
The 7.1 system does all the things a 5.1 does, but it also does another trick. Instead of combing the side and rear sound into one speaker, (like 5.1) it splits them into separate channels. Now you have speakers on either side, as well as in the front and the back. If you have a large home theatre room, you can really appreciate the extra spacious sound you get from a 7.1 system.

The 7.1 system comes with a warning – you may have a 7.1 system, but you may not be listening to true 7.1 sound. Here’s why: To get 7.1 sound, EVERY part of your system has to be 7.1. That means you have to have a DVD or Media Player that will produce 7.1. It means you have to have a receiver that produces 7.1. You have to have cables that are up for carrying this much audio information (very likely this will now involve HDMI cables). After all that you need to have seven speakers plus a sub woofer in place to carry the sound to the listeners.

That having been said, even without a true 7.1 system, you can still get some very nice results by putting a 5.1 signal through a 7.1 system. Have a look on your receiver. It might say that it has 7.1 DSP (Digital Signal Processing). It may have other names like Dolby Pro Logic, but the point is it takes a DVD that only has 5.1 and finds a way to split the sound so you get a separate signal through the side speakers giving you a 7.1 experience.

What about 9.1? Or 11.1?
Like everything in technology, the envelope is always being pushed. You a going to hear about 9.1 or even 11.1 systems. Not only would you need a receiver that can handle this, you need the extra speakers. The important thing to remember is that most DVD’s only have 5.1 sound embedded in them. (with a smaller number of 6.1 and 7.1). That means that almost all systems above 5.1 are to some degree simulated. Still, a properly installed and tuned 9 or 11 speaker system can sound amazing, especially in a very large room where you have space for lots and lots of speakers.
The truth is, for the average small or medium sized home theatre, 5.1 does a very good job. For the audiophile or the family with a huge home theatre, the 7.1 can be a “nice to have.” The 9 and 11 speaker systems are great for early adopters and those who want to show off a little when they’re giving the tour of their system.

If you still find it hard to grasp, make sure you talk to the home automation professionals at OneTouch Automation. They will analyse your theatre space, respect your budget and make sure you get the system that suits your entertainment lifestyle.

Referral programs exist in many organizations, you refer a colleague, and get paid $xx.xx from human resources. Ours is quite different and unique; if you refer us a project you will get a referral fee based on the project value. Every time we serve that client making new sales, you will keep getting the referral fees. As we are dedicated professionals, we feel referrals are huge, especially in a small business where we can’t afford to hire a huge salesforce.

You can also donate your referral fees to charity of your choice.

We provide performance guarantee on our workmanship, so you don’t need to worry about the quality. We maintain higher quality standard from design, installation, programming and documentation – we maintain quality very strictly as repeat business is the key to our success. If that does not satisfy you and you would like to know more about us before making the referral decision, why not contact some of our valued clients? or visit one of our project site? If you are interested to receive the details of referral program and a copy of the contract, please send us a quick line care@onetouchon.com

OneTouch Automation is very pleased to welcome Paul Harris as its new Vice President.

25 years of experience in the Audio Visual field. A Certified Technology Specialist Paul has worked with major clients fulfilling large scale projects (Manulife head office, Queens’s Park, Sheridan College.) A strong background in detailed client care.  Has 10 years experience in developing, implementing and supporting integrated systems.

OneTouch Automation is proud to have Paul leading the team.

OneTouch Automation is proud to become Middle Atlantic Dealer on May 2012. Middle Atlantic is a world-leading manufacturer of state-of-the-art steel enclosure systems for a wide range of applications, including the structured cabling/ premise wiring/ security/ broadcast/ commercial audio video installation and post production markets.

OneTouch Automation uses best in the industry racking products from Middle Atlantic to faciliate all racking needs of its clients. OneTouch is using the RackLinkâ„¢ Power Management System from Middle Atlantic Products – a web-enabled power management system that sets a new standard for A/V installations. Set it up in less than 5 minutes and it will monitor the power and temperature conditions of installed system, log and alert the integrator to any irregularities, and even reboot or take another action to correct problems on its own. Middle Atlantic has made it easy to set up and operate, with an open architecture that integrates seamlessly with leading control systems – and with smart phone – and is compatible with ‘cloud’ based services but is not dependent on them.