Theater Design Northwest was scheduled to reprogram this client’s Pronto TSU 6000 remote for them after they had upgraded some equipment. After arriving onsite and surveying the system for this new client a course of action was quickly determined. The TSU 6000 remote was in mint condition and also so old that it required a serial connection for programming. A call to Pronto revealed a lot: the tech had never heard of this model and had to really search the archives to find it. And the software was 3 complete releases ago, compatible with Windows 95! Now I could have still programmed this obsolete piece of automation history if the client had insisted. By making a complete list of gear, going back to the office to dig a really old computer out of a closet, going back to the jobsite to try, etc, etc. So out to the truck to bring in a reliable URC MX-450 to show the client and we both quickly decided newer is better. (and probably cheaper too)

Key Components

• Denon
• MK Sound 150 THX
• Pioneer Elite
• Panasonic
• Sony
• Samsung
• Universal Remote Control

Summary

The client was quite happy to have  modern control over his great system (he had 8 factory remotes he was using!) with no point RF and he was running everything like a champ by the time I left. The MX-450 is a great value to upgrade an obsolete automation system and it works awesome on nearly any single-room system including the Lutron lighting.

Speaker Wire- It appears that construction material (ie: pure copper, silver) and wire gauge to length ratio are the determining factors in the quality of signal transmission for speaker runs. As long as copper wire was correctly sized for the install I have never heard any difference in audio reproduction by switching to more estoric wire designs. Although our company may be missing out on some sweet margins selling high end speaker cable, we spec a good quality 14/2 bulk speaker wire on all of our designs. That being said, we never install a lighter gauge than 14 and also are very conservative in the way we interpet the gauge-length tables. So make sure you have nice heavy gauge wire that allows that current to flow. This is a mistake we see often when electricians are the audio integrator on a whole house project; they often use 16 or 18 gauge speaker wire for everything, extending it far beyond recommended length guidelines, which causes signal and high frequency loss. Not good. The subject of speaker wire has been exhaustively researched scientifically. If you want to learn wayyyy too much about it, read this excellent paper by Roger Russel, one of the lead designers at Macintosh for decades. 

Pricey speaker wallplates and banana plugs- This is a no brainer to me. No matter what kind of precious metal the connector is constructed of, it adds an extra connection point to the cable run, which in turn adds resistance. The only conceivable benefit to having extra removable connectors inline for speakers is to make them easily movable as in the case of PA speakers or a mobile DJ, etc. Whenever possible I specify a single speaker wire run connected directly to the binding posts at both the speaker and amplifier.

Digital Optical Cables- The answer here is definately. And at Theater Design Northwest we have a certain series of IXOS optical cable that we use on our projects and we will not settle for less. Digital optical uses light transmission to send the optical data stream, so anything that would distort optics will distort the data stream. This includes construction materials, finish/build quality and also too sharp of a bend radius during install will compromise data transmission. I’ve heard this one with my own ears many times with clients, replacing a low quality “everyday” brand of optical cable they picked up at a drugstore or big-box with the IXOS. The immediate improvement in soundstage, imaging and audio clarity is not subtle. It is also advisible to keep optical cable runs to minimum length to minimize jitter, the enemy of pure digital audio reproduction.

Component video, analog audio and SPDIF coax digital- Definately. All of these cable types are shielded to prevent RF and AC interference from “piggybacking” with the relatively low level signal and being amplified by the destination component. So the shielding coverage of the cabling used is paramount to signal purity. All of these interconnects need to terminate in a connector so it is nice if they are of excellent quality and precious metal helps reduce resistance in “friction only” RCA connections. I do have a caveat on certain brands of RCA type connectors. Some of them are quite stupidly designed and fit way too tightly-as in tight enough to break the internal solder connections on your expensive gear’s circuit boards when they are unplugged or reconnected! I have literally seen a client’s high end Denon DVD that was not working because one of these annoying connectors broke the component out RCA jack completely free of the board inside! One of the worst offenders here is ProFex, a brand that masquerades to unwitting installers as a high quality interconnect with gold plated ends and cloth-braided cable, but is in no way a quality product. There is also a certain model with “Turbine Cut Ends” by a very prominent (unamed here) manufacturer. We proudly recommend their otherwise excellent products and install them daily. After the last install where a client had these we are seriously considering requiring clients to replace the “Turbine Cut” cables they have before we will work on their system so we do not have to bear the liability for  damage that unplugging a pair of these can do! Highly not-recommended and just dumb too! 

HDMI- Most definately. Due to much experience with inferior quality HDMI cables causing problems on client’s existing systems we always use the correctly-rated Monster HDMI cable for the job: MC700 for up to 1080p BluRay, MC1000 for reference-quality systems and M2000 for 3D applications. Monster is one of the only manufacturer’s that rates and guarantees each series of their cables to perform to specific data throughput benchmarks. Good HDMIs always seemed pricey to me until I thought of it like this: add together the price of a good quality set of component video cables plus a good set of 7.1 analog audio cables and the single HDMI that does all of this and more is a bargain! The first catastrophic failure a poor quality HDMI will usually cause is dropped audio, often people experience audio issues and don’t know that simply the correct HDMI cable would solve the issue.

Here’s a fun little experiment you can try if you have Comcast hooked up with their supplied HDMI cable, which does have gold connectors by the way. Turn your TV to an HD channel that has a show with longer scenes in it. Replace the Comcast supplied HDMI on the fly with a Monster MC700 series HDMI as quickly as you can. As soon as the picture restores you will see a noticable improvement in picture quality. Now the Comcast cable does come with the box for free, but I would gladly pay $70.00 retail for a cable ($62.95 through us because we are fair) that let me enjoy that slightly clearer HD picture for the rest of my life.

Theater Design Northwest got this call to help the clients integrate a non-pro Logitech Harmony universal remote that a big box store had sold them to replace their aging Pronto RF remote that had finally died. They also thought the picture quality on their Pioneer Elite display had degraded recently and the system didn’t sound as good. The big box salesman on the mainland made the mistake of selling the clients an infrared remote with limited macro capabilities and it was simply the wrong product for the job. When you need macro command and all of you equipment is in an enclosed cabinet, RF is the only way to go. We installed a professional grade URC MX-450 RF remote system with programming included for only about $100.00 more than the cost of just the IR remote from the big box that the clients were supposed to program themselves. Some of the sound issues were related to configuration and easily fixed, but our THX system verification process also discovered that the MK subwoofer was not working at all. Later testing back at the shop showed that the 12″ sub driver is defective so we will repair and reinstall when the parts arrive. Video quality was improved with a calibration and the clients also chose to upgrade to a great Panasonic BluRay player. Direct TV was not configured to play surround sound and only being sent to the AV receiver via analog stereo so we also fixed that.

Project Photos

Key Components

• Denon AV receiver
• Miller and Kriesel 750 THX speaker system
• Direct TV
• Panasonic BluRay
• Pioneer Elite Pro 1000 HD display
• Panasonic VCR
• URC MX 450 RF remote with pro programming

Summary

It is noteworthy that the cost of this entire system upgrade (new BluRay, Audio/Video calibration and verification, new RF remote programmed/installed, subwoofer diagnostics) was only slightly more than the cost of the remote from the big box and what they would charge to come to San Juan Island to program it. And by the time they added the peripheral products to get the wrong remote to sort of work, just the remote system would have exceeded our rates for everything.

For info, reservations, etc. 360 378 5555 and on Facebook: here

Project Overview

Theater Design Northwest provided and installed a ZeeVee 150 localcast video distribution system in this great new establishment at the waterfront of San Juan Island. ZeeVee allows the owners to distribute ad or video content from the office PC to all three HDTVs in the restaurant in high definition over their existing coax cabling. They also use the ZeeVee system to display the questions onscreen of the HDTVs for their ever-popular trivia nights.

Key Components  

• ZV Box 150
• Philips HDTVs
• Standard coax cable infrastructure

Summary

Once configured by a pro, ZV systems are totally plug and play for the end user- just tune the TV to the right channel and use the computer exactly as usual and you have instant localcasting of your own in-house HD channel. The ZV is popular for use in establishments like The Rumor Mill as well as for in-home installation too. You can even use it to broadcast Netflix streaming throughout your entire home with no new cabling! Used by: The NFL, NBC/Universal, Tulsa University and JP Morgan Chase. Learn more about ZeeVee here.

Oren, Peggy and staff are great folks and they do an awesome job at the Rumor Mill. The Rumor Mill is our Go-To place when stuck in the Friday Harbor ferry line…….the food is awesome and it’s Microbrew heaven!!!!

Theater Design Northwest was called by one of our great repeat clients to re-install their 5.1 system when they moved to a new place. It was time for expansion and they were so happy with their first surround they wanted a second system. We ended up installing their original living room HDTV on an articulating wallmount with a Panasonic 5.1 home theater in a box system in the Master Suite. All of the components were stacked in the closet and controlled by a URC RF remote with one touch macro programming. In the new living room we hung an LG plasma HDTV over the fireplace running through a powerful surround setup with a Harman Kardon AV receiver, Panasonic’s topline BDP-85K Bluray with wireless Netflix and Polk Reference speakers. Both systems received an audio/video calibration as our repeat clients always understand the value of this final step of quality control.

Key Components

• Samsung LED display
• LG Plasma display
• Chief mounts
• Universal Remote Control RF remotes
• Panasonic BluRay
• Pace RNG-110 Comcast boxes
• Panasonic HTIB
• Samsung BluRay
• Polk Audio
• Harman Kardon AV receiver  

Summary

The clients are pleased and already looking at upgrading the living room system to 7.1 surround, adding ZeeVee localcasting to the whole place and are scheduled for a demo of the Richard Gray’s Power Company products as well.

In other new product news we also have signed as dealers for Richard Gray’s Power Company extreme quality power management products. These ingenious devices use a unique approach to protect your equipment without the commonly used circuitry that actually can limit the current supplied to your equipment. RGPC products remove 40 Db of noise components from the incoming power to your gear which delivers a substantial improvement in audio/video quality you can see and hear. Call us to demo this exciting product today.

This great project was for a neighbor that had been considering adding surround for some time, she is totally happy with the video quality on her Samsung 55″ LED but the audio quality left something to be desired. The client was looking for a more immersive movie watching experience and also to solve the issue of some guests having trouble hearing dialog on movie night at her home. Because it was a living room install the room imposed a few challenges to the design parameters. The only wall where the HDTV could be mounted was 10 inches wider than the TV with no room for speakers alongside the screen, or towers on the floor. A great sounding KEF L/C/R soundbar speaker mounted below the TV solved this issue. Every other speaker position except the subwoofer was impacted by the room layout. We settled on a pair of Pinnacle K6 ceiling speakers slightly forward of optimal surround positioning combined with some beefy Monitor Audio BR2′s behind the couch  as rear surround channels. Using our calibration skills carefully, we were able to “steer” the surround field via level adjustments to get the large, immersive soundfield the client had asked for. A Pinnacle Baby Boomer does impressive bass from a tiny cabinet that will hide in any living room setting. All equipment is installed out of sight in the hallway broom closet and controlled via RF with a URC MX-450 remote.

Project Photos

Key Components

• Onkyo AV receiver
• KEF
• Monitor Audio
• Pinnacle Speakers
• Monster interconnects
• Panasonic BluRay
• Universal Remote Control
• Samsung HDTV

Comments

The project turned out with great results and using careful design techniques, we were able to create more space in the client’s living room while adding 7.1 surround. An added benefit was the opportunity to install a new closet organizer which optimized the storage space.

Some new clients with a beautiful bayview estate in Freeland called; their high end theater was acting up, with the whole AV system shutting down on loud transient movie passages. And they had an older Pronto remote acting up in the excellent workout/bonus room that has great 5.1 sound installed there. Theater Design Northwest replaced the aging Pronto system with the client-favorite URC MX-450 remote with RF control and activity-based programming. For a single system using an older touchscreen remote that is developing problems, this URC is a cost -effective fix that brings you into the current era with a more reliable control system.

The home theater AV shutting down took a bit more effort to diagnose. Their previous tech thought the Monster HTS-5100 power center was overtaxed running the whole system and suggested they buy a second unit. But to me, a load calculation showed it to be just within the load specs for the power unit. My troubleshooting process of elimination showed the problem to be the AV receiver only as the culprit for the shutdown occuring at refence level playback on certain transient scenes. The receiver is to be replaced with an updated model as soon as the THX Ultra 1.4 HDMI models ship. The added benefit to the clients will be 3D ready 1080p HDMI switching and also the Dolby True HD and DTS HD sound quality the new model will offer in this great existing 7.1 room.

Project Photos

Key Components

• Onkyo
• In Focus Screenplay
• Niles Intellicontrol
• Philips Pronto
• KEF Speakers
• QSC Power Amps
• Samsung
• Universal Remote Control
• JL Audio
• Denon
• Pioneer
• Monster

Comments

The clients are happy to have a new AV service provider and are thrilled with the new URC remote functionality. They’re great people to work with and we both already have plans to continue our working relationship on future needs.