To install home theater equipment, it is ideal to have the best ratio of amplification, speakers and video system. Automation and design will complete the success of the installation.
By Víctor Alejandro Galvis González
The fiction, imagination or utopia of cinema includes certain features that are not difficult to confuse with reality, since in 1895 the Lumière brothers publicly projected the demolition of a wall, the arrival of a train and the departure of a ship, people have been attracted to see that reality, sometimes distorted, other times reliable, through cinema.
The tendency to want the spectacle of the seventh art closer and closer began when theaters and movie theaters lost exclusivity and equipment such as televisions, betamax, VHS' and DVD's were gradually reaching homes.
However, the quality of this equipment is very poor compared to the high-end systems in projection and sound that movie theaters have, which produced a new desire: to transfer that quality to the furniture of a home.
This led manufacturers of audiovisual systems to develop equipment that can fit the design of a house and at the same time retain the quality desired by the user. "Today home theater systems are of different brands, designs and technologies; these usually carry three elements: audio, video and automation," explains Tomás Vera, commercial manager of SchallerTech.
What does the market demand?
There are many brands that offer home theater equipment, ranging from the most expensive and innovative, to mid- and low-end equipment, regularly used by those people who prefer to make a demure investment to watch movies at home.
Currently, the market is demanding home theaters that can interact with new technologies, such as Smart TVs and amplifiers with communication for iPhone, iPad, Ipod and Android.
In the digital case, it is essential that the receivers have multiple HDMI inputs to be able to connect equipment such as: Blue Ray, DVD, video game consoles or computers; although, "we can not forget that there are also a number of high-specification analog equipment such as type A amplifiers, these are nothing more than a series of collector's items that give the sound an unparalleled nuance and heat," says Camilo Galeano, commercial manager of Comforlife.
Multi-channel teams
One of the methods to convey the feeling of reality in a film is to do it through sound, the low, medium and high sensory fields, generate the effect of being in a place through surround audio.
With this premise, the sound systems for home theater must be a multichannel equipment, which is equivalent to a handling of six to eight speakers (front, center, side, rear and sobwoofer), this is known as 5.1, 6.1, 7.1, etc. which are chosen according to the dimensions of the room.
When the rooms are 4x4 meters or less the 5.1 audio system is adequate, when it is larger and has enough space behind the seats for the sorround back speakers, a 6.1 or a 7.1 could be used.
There are also the recessed systems (camouflaged in the ceiling) and motorized recessed (direct the audio to the user); in addition to satellite systems, which can be hung from the wall or ceiling.
For more professional systems, "recessed towers are used, more robust equipment, of better quality and usually more expensive," warns Tomás Vera of Shallertech. On the other hand, amplifiers are also crucial in an audio system, which can range from 90W to 140W per channel, professionals from more specialized brands range between 250 and 400 watts per channel.
In any case, it is important to get advice from a specialized company, "thus looking for the best cost-benefit ratio, since there are speakers with different certifications endorsed by the film and music industry, as is the case of speakers with THX certification", mentions Camilo Galeano of Comforlife.
Acoustically transparent screens
Video systems for home theaters usually incorporate a TV or projector. Tomás Vera, assures that "although televisions can create a good effect there is nothing like a projector, since it has an effect similar to that of a cinema, today the projector must be full HD, with a recommended amount of lumens of 2,000 onwards".
However, "the contrast is more important, usually people are guided by lumens but there are projectors of 6,000 with worse image than many of 2,000", concludes the specialist.
The screens or curtains on which it is projected are also very important, since they enhance contrast and definition. Nowadays acoustically transparent screens are being used since they allow the transfer of sound and at the same time camouflage the speakers.
Installation and automation
Each project demands specific installation conditions according to the size of the room, the ductwork, the wiring, the tastes of the owner and the audio, video, comfort and design equipment; in any case, "you have to maintain the schedule, calculate unforeseen events and coordinate with the people of the work", for a successful installation, clarifies the manager Vera.
Aesthetically speaking, good communication between the designer and the sound engineer is essential, so that the furniture in the room does not intervene with the quality of the audio, can hide the equipment and spread a more elegant visual impact.
As for automation, it is important to use these systems due to the number of controls that can be used in a home theater. On the market there is a considerable selection, but the most important thing is that it is easy to use.
The objective of automation, in addition to injecting technology and harmony into home theaters, is to offer an operation for any user, who regardless of age, can control all the equipment in the system.
Santiago Aristizabal Botero, music division manager of Incolmotos Yamaha, concludes that "the biggest challenge with these products is to be able to meet the expectations and growing needs of demanding customers. It is important to give good advice and training so that they can enjoy all the quality and performance of their new team."
What's next
The home theater industry forecasts the development of 3D technology and equipment compatible with 4K video (a definition four times higher than today), as its key cards in updating its offering.
Likewise, the development of current technologies such as the staggering of signals from full HD video from receivers, the latest in HDMI, Network Port, A.R.T. Wedge (Anti-Resonance Technology) and iPhone and Android applications, will also play an important role in the future.
Thanks to today's affordable prices, home theaters have become increasingly common in homes, a decade ago a good quality system would have cost ten times more than it currently costs.
"The market demand for high- and mid-range systems will always be growing within the circle of audiophiles and customers looking to buy quality and world-renowned equipment," explains Santiago Aristizabal.
Although the installation of theaters at home is very common among people with greater purchasing power and in industrialized countries such as the United States and Europeans, in Latin America they have also begun to settle, in the region, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico is where the high-profile rooms have had the most reception.
