Project Overview
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. 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
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- 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
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Summary
The project gave the clients back the automated control they needed to make operating their theater a pleasant experience and as usual, the system verification proved the clients were 100% right that things weren’t looking and sounding as good as they used to. This quality home theater system is performing quite nicely now and plans are in the works to get it upgraded to 2010 standards soon.