publish Apr 12, 2012 By HD Living
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http://hdliving.com/high-definition-homes/2012/04/12/runco-projector-highlights-basement-theater
The husband and wife came to CSA Audio Design in Upper Montclair, N.J., wanting to convert a basement-level exercise room into a high-performance home theater that could host family movie nights when the grandchildren visit.
For the husband, a retired engineer for whom technology was a career, performance of the system was paramount. He wanted floor-standing speakers and a fixed-screen, home theater experience.
“He had a vision that he wanted his theater to look good and sound good; his wife wanted a pretty little theater,” says Ralph Fonte, CSA Audio Design’s owner. “They both did a lot of compromising back and forth.” Neither wanted to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on the project.
CSA Audio Design helped guide the couple’s decision making, with Fonte demonstrating speaker options so the husband could decide what he liked best.
The in-store demonstration highlight was the Runco CineWide high-definition front projector, which displays movies in the ultra-wide CinemaScope 2.35:1 aspect ratio. “It was the first time he saw one live, and he loved it,” says Fonte.
CSA Audio Design worked closely with the couple’s builder, who had never worked on a dedicated home theater room before, introducing him to the audio/video technology and also the Starlight fiber optic ceiling and the acoustic panels used in CSA Audio Design’s theater room.
Converting the low-ceilinged, 20- by 16-foot room into an eight-seat theater was a challenge that required moving a door and installing an 8-inch riser base to support a straight row of Salamander Designs theater seats at the rear of the theater. A second row of seats curved at the theater’s front.
The couple focused on the heart and soul of the theater—the audio, the video and the acoustics of the room.
CSA Audio Design paired a Runco VX-2000d 1080p DLP projector, installed with Runco’s add-on CineWide (Whitney) lens, with a 140-inch, 2.35:1 aspect ratio video screen from Vutec. The theater’s audio was delivered via an Integra DTR 8.8 receiver, compact floor-standing front speakers (Dali Mentor 5s for the right and left channels, Dali Mentor Vokal for center channel), plus Dali Icon Phantom in-wall speakers for rear channels. JL Audio’s Fathom f112 subwoofer drove the base.
The system components were installed in a hallway closet outside the theater. CSA Audio Design programmed Universal Remote Control model MX-980 to provide one-touch control of the system.
The couple opted not to invest in a movie or music management system, beyond the installation of a one-disc Blu-ray player and a cable box. Fonte explains that the retired engineer is waiting until easier computer-based on-demand music and movie downloading becomes available. “I definitely will be showing him VuDu,” says Fonte, referring to the on-demand movie service.
Click here to view the full article
http://hdliving.com/high-definition-homes/2012/04/12/runco-projector-highlights-basement-theater