his is the second article in our on-going examination of entire systems. In Issue 31, Robert Harley set up and auditioned an $8,700 system in his theater, reviewing the whole experience, and briefly, the components as
individual performers. This second system, however, is not a review.
Instead it addresses an important aspect that goes beyond viewing and listening performance: choosing components for your home theater that meet your personal dictates, and setting up those components into a system that satisfies your specific needs and desires. This too is "performance," because it includes in its equation an important
ingredient: the viewer.
T
One of the most difficult hurdles presented by home theater is
sorting through the infinite choices to select the right equipment.
Unlike high-end audio, which is purchased by dedicated enthusiasts
willing to do almost anything to their home to maximize performance,
the home theater is expected to fit comfortably, nay elegantly, into your home.
It is a system to be enjoyed by all the members of a household, and while performance is important, it doesn't usually come at the expense of convenience and comfort.

TPV, as a magazine devoted to high-performance home theater, is predominantly concerned with the absolute performance quality of the equipment. Our reviews assume optimal performance situations for the products.

But most of those products are going to end up in systems where compromises in use will affect their performance. For example, Keith Walker, a successful home-theater retailer and installer from the early days of home theater, has sold only a couple systems during all those years that had speakers standing out on the floor instead of installed in or on a wall. We call this "market reality." How then should we address that market reality? Last issue, Robert Harley selected and auditioned a complete $8,700 system. Once again, though, the products were used in an environment that permitted optimal performance. Would we choose those same products if the situation were radically different? It isn't enough, we decided, to set up a review system in our dedicated home theaters. The problem called for a different solution.




You are now reading the first of a series of explorations of systems different, we believe, from anything you'll find elsewhere. First, we invent a customer, including the room where the home theater will be installed, and a budget (see sidebar, "The Customer"). Then we assign one audio writer and one video writer to select the products they believe will best meet that customer's needs. For this first article, the section editors, Tom Miller and Greg Rogers, drew the assignment. 'then we decided that the input of a qualified home-theater retailer - someone who recognizes the many problems that arise during installation and use - would help us. For this first system, we turned to Walker of High Definitions in Oakley, Utah, a dealership recently ranked by CEPro magazine as one of the Top 50 in the US. Then we got to work.

We deliberately made the scenario presented for this first system difficult but not impossible. Take a good look at all those windows and the fireplace location (see floor plan). To offset the difficulty, we provided our customers, the Thompkins, with a generous but not outlandish budget. And we also specified a "new build" situation to simplify the installation. Oh, one last thing. As far as we are concerned, these people are real.

GREG ROGERS, TOM MILLER & KEITH WALKER
Video System By Greg Rogers
Audio System By Tom Miller
Installation By Keith Walker
Title Page
Audio System By Tom Miller Installation By Keith Walker
I knew this was going to be a tough assignment the moment I saw the Thompkins' profile. They wanted an audio/video system that would do everything from movies to games, but, they didn't have the luxury of a dedicated home-theater room. Still, there was never a doubt that this would have to be a front-projection system. They insisted on a large screen picture and their 20 x 22 foot gathering room had the necessary size. But a fireplace dominated the wall opposite the primary seating area and they didn't want the room to be taken over by hometheater equipment. Drapes could have hidden a wallmounted screen, but the fireplace wasn't going to move over to make room for one. An electric roll-down screen, recessed in the ceiling, would have to be the solution.

But what type of projector? Lighting control would be a problem because of the large windows, but with heavy curtains, the room could be turned into a daytime cave dark enough for a CRT projector. Marge Thomkins wasn't too happy with that concept. A CRT projector would also mean no game playing on the system, for fear of permanently inscribing images from Quest on the CRT phosphors. When Barry Thomkins explained to Rob and Jennifer that they wouldn't be able to play games on their new movie screen, the look on their faces quickly ended any thoughts of a CRT. This was to be a multi-user, multi-purpose system.

That left us the choice between an LCD, D-ILA, or DLP projector (see "Digital Light Processing: Display Heaven or Hype?" this issue). Barry, being a photographer, was very concerned about picture quality. What's more, he loved classic film noir movies, with their dark imagery. That left me worrying about black-level performance, the ability of any non-CRT projector to resolve shadow-detail in dark scenes. I've found that it is essential to completely mask the picture with a dark border to maximize the perception of shadow detail in fixed-pixel projectors. Of course, the trick is to make the masking change to exactly fit the picture area when the aspect ratio varies from 4:3, to 16:9, to 2.35:1.

Several companies have electric roll-down screens that change the picture height while keeping the center of the image area fixed. To reduce picture height, black masking moves down from the top while the masked bottom of the screen moves upward. This type of screen always maintains a constant width and works well with projectors that display 4:3 pictures using their entire 4:3 array of pixels. But this creates 4:3 images that are larger than the higher resolution 16:9 images produced by HDTV or 16:9 enhanced DVDs. I wanted to make the lower resolution 4:3 image smaller and place it inside a 16:9 frame of the same height. In that way, limitations of the lower resolution picture would not be so obvious. To do that requires a projector with a native 16:9 pixel array like the Sony VPL-VW10HT LCD projector (Issues 30 and 31) or an aspect-ratio controller like that included with the Runco VX-1c DLP projector (review, this issue). But then the screen must also provide masking on the sides to narrow the 16:9 frame to 4:3.
I had seen just such a screen, with adjustable masking on all four sides, at the last Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. But the Ultimate Lectrimask screen from Stewart Filmscreen was wall mounted ($5,414 in 87" width), so it wouldn't work for the Thompkins because of the fireplace.
Fortunately, no challenge seems too difficult for the folks at Stewart, who agreed to produce an electric rolldown, Triple-Aspect-Ratio Lectrimask screen with an 87" width that could be recessed or hung from a ceiling. The $9,800 price was steep, but it would do exactly what we needed, masking 16:9 pictures to 87" x 49". 2.35:1 pictures to 87" x 37", and 4:3 pictures to 65" x 49".

Satisfied that I had found the best way to maximize black-level performance and to use a widescreen display with a fixed-pixel projector, I selected the Sony VPLVW10HT LCD projector ($8,000) with 1366 x 768 pixel 16:9 LCD panels. The Sony provides high resolution per dollar, 1,000 lumens of brightness, and built-in processing to do a respectable job displaying live-action sports from cable or satellite. It has a reduced brightness Cinema mode with better black-level for critical viewing, and a full brightness mode for casual viewing or game playing in higher ambient light conditions. It also has separate inputs for HDTV and a progressive-scan DVD player that are handy in this installation. It does not have inverse-telecine processing for converting interlaced film sources to progressive scan, so a progressive-scan DVD player is essential. I chose the Toshiba SD-6200 ($1,200), which has the latest 10-bit 54 MHz video digital-to-analog converters that provide 4x oversampling. Toshiba also has the model SD-9200 for $2,000 that adds DVD-Audio, which would make a good upgrade.

Another alternative for this system is the Runco VX($17,000) that provides somewhat better black-level and excellent video-source deinterlacing for live action sports. The VX-1c will work perfectly with the same screen.

To complete the video components, I added the RCA DTC-100 High Definition DirecTV Satellite Receiver (review, issue 29), with both a Dual Satellite Dish and a UHF antenna. The DTC-100 is an all-in-one set-top box that provides HBO high-definition movies from DirecTV and terrestrial HD broadcasting from local stations. It also includes an NTSC tuner for cable or broadcast stations, and a standard-definition DirecTV satellite receiver.
VIDEO EQUIPMENT
Toshiba SD-6200
$1,200
RCA DTC-100/Dual Satellite Dish/UHF Antenna/Installation
$1,200
Sony VPL-VW10HT LCD Projector
$8,000
Stewart Filmscreen 87" Wide Triple Aspect
Ratio Lectrimask Screen
Studiotek 130 1.3 Gain Screen Surface
$9,800
Total
$20,200
VIDEO WIRING
Need to run two 5-coax BNC cables (for the HDTV and progressive-scan DVD player connections) plus another 3-coax BNC cable (for the composite and 5-video connections) to the projector, using Belden 1695A digital video cable plenum rated and BNC to RCA adapters at the projector. Cable is about $0.50-0.60 per foot per coax.
Title Page Installation By Keith Walker Video System By Greg Rogers
The Thompkins' situation presents almost insurmountable challenges for the perfectionist audiophile. Because the basic shape of the room is so nearly square (although its acoustic dimensions are anything but), it is impractical to set up a 7.1 channel configuration. The room isn't long enough to place rear speakers a meaningful distance behind the listening position. Thus, the side channels would not be sufficiently differentiated from the rear speakers. The only way to work a seven-channel system would be with inwall speakers on the rear wall, but the sliding glass door on the left side precludes proper placement.

Having settled on a 5.1 configuration, we face the next problem - where can we place the speakers? The Thompkins are in this for the entertainment; mimicking Stonehenge is not an option. With non-existent sidewalls (two columns on the right side and a wall of windows on the left), there is no place to hang conventional side-channel speakers. And where does the center channel go, in front of the fireplace? I think not.

Fortunately, Thiel Audio has a speaker that provides a serious alternative to floor-standing models in this situation - the Power Point ($1,300 each; review next issue). The Power Point features a coaxial driver mounted in a teardrop-shaped enclosure that mounts flat against any wall. Look up to the 10-foot ceilings -there is the ideal surface for mounting a set of Power Points. Because of the Thiel's unusual design, its dispersion characteristics create a wide listening area, providing an excellent surround experience for everyone in the room, regardless of location. I would install the surround channels towards the rear corners, angled in sothat they target the center of the listening area. This location should maximize the sense of envelopment andprovide the widest possible swath of sound.

At the front of the room we also need a Power Point for the center channel. Short of installing a pop-up speaker in the floor (which would be way below the screen), this is the only alternative for a center channel. With Power Points at the surround and center locations, what should we do for the front mains? My first thought was a pair of Thiel MCS1 speakers (roughly $5,000 per pair with stands), which are small to audiophiles and huge to everyone else. At least the MCS1 would be a near timbre match for the Power Points. But the incongruity between imaging of the ceiling-mounted center channel and the floor-standing MCS1 is likely to be too extreme. The greater bass extension of the MCS1 (40Hz) versus the Power Points' (70 Hz) also creates an awkward situation for the bass management in the electronics (see "What You Should Know About ...Bass Management," this issue). So, up go two more Power Points for the main front channels. Fortunately, this speaker casts an image that floats well below the ceiling, bringing it into perfect alignment with the screen (as a plus, the Power Point can be painted to match the room, rendering it much less noticeable).

By limiting the bass extension of the Power Point, Thiel was able to get more than enough dynamic range out of the speaker. Indeed, they are capable of louder levels than any self-respecting physician would allow her kids to listen at. But when Marge is out of the house, Barry can still rock out, provided the system has a good subwoofer. In this case, "good" means a subwoofer that is capable of high output levels and great resolution. That would be the $4,000 powered Talon Audio Roc (review, this issue). While two would be ideal for this room - as far as bass frequencies are concerned, the windows are just open space - one should satisfy the Thompkins for now. Because the large number of windows will help reduce the amount of bass in the room, the low frequencies should be clean sounding in this room, but a little weak. That's why a second Roc would be a worthwhile upgrade. The Thompkins will probably choose to locate the Roc within the cabinets built for the system to the right of the fireplace (see floorplan). If they think they will someday add a second Roc, they should plan a space in the shelves to the left of the fireplace as well.

For electronics, the choice is easy - the new $3,200 Onkyo TX-DS989 (review, this issue). The first 7.1-channel audio-video receiver ("AVR"), the Onkyo has two more channels of amplification than we need here. But its other features and its ability to upgrade and expand its functions give it the edge over the also excellent 5.1 channel Denon AVR-5700. The problem encountered by Harley during his audition (the triggering of the protection circuit during loud low-bass passages) won't be a problem here because all the Power Point channels will be set to "small" in the bass-management function of the Onkyo.

The Onkyo's advantages are legion, but it's really attractive to the Thompkins because with a little effort, they can set up a separate zone in their master bedroom and kitchen. Then they can enjoy music while the kids are playing video games in the gathering room (they'll need more speakers and amplifiers to do that, which isn't a part of our budget). For that matter, they can even run a set of patio speakers off the Onkyo.

For a source, Greg Rogers selected the Toshiba DVD player. We'll leave it at that, in part because the digital upconverters in the Onkyo will help extract the best sound quality out of the Toshiba's digital audio output. But if I were in radical-upgrading mode, I would consider the video-configured Ayre D-1 ($8,000; Issue 27 and video review, next issue), which includes the bestsounding digital output I have heard and an outrageous progressive-scan video board that works exceptionally
well with the Sony projector.
AUDIO EQUIPMENT
Thiel Power Point speakers (5)
$6,500
Talon Audio Roc subwoofer
$4,000
Onkyo TX-D5989 AVR
$3,200
Total
$13,700
AUDIO WIRING
Line-level interconnects with RCA to RCA connectors to connect the Toshiba DVD player and audio outputs of the RCA DTC-100 to the AVR, and the subwoofer to the AVR. Use Brown Electronic Labs (BEL) P1 line-level interconnect for both applications ($195 per meter pair). To connect the Thiel loudspeakers to the AVR, use BEL 512 speaker cable ($370 per 3-meter pair) with banana connectors on both ends.
Title Page Video System By Greg Rogers Audio System By Tom Miller
Just when you think you've got it all figured, it's time to install the equipment in an actual room. Even though the Thompkins' house is new - which simplifies things - it still requires a considerable amount of planning.

Where is the equipment going to be located? The shelves to the right of the fireplace are the logical places to build a cabinet. Two immediate issues come to mind: ventilation and access. Ventilate the cabinet by running a vent from the equipment, alongside the chimney, to the roof. Adding a fan near the top of the vent with a simple baffle in the vent will improve air circulation in the cabinet and be inaudible in the home theater (especially with the cabinet doors closed). For access to the back of the equipment, install a removable panel in the back of the closet in the master bedroom. Then you can work on the connections quite easily.

The last piece of equipment that completes this system is the Crestron SmarTouch STS touch panel combined with the ST

Just what is it that the Crestron needs to control? The motorized drapes (motors: $250 each), room lighting via a Lutron Graphik Eye system ($800), lowering the screen and adjusting the matting for the right aspect ratio, and controlling the AV equipment. But it goes further than that. If the Thompkins can be convinced, they would be better off with a zero clearance fireplace, i.e., a gas unit. When the Thompkins activate the system, the Crestron can turn the fireplace off. The Crestron can even be used to turn the fireplace on. Similarly, the contact switch on the sliding glass door can be used to inform the Crestron if the door is open, in which case the drapes over the door can be programmed not to close.

Drapes will be needed for all the windows in the great room, and an additional set can cover the opening from the stairway landing. This draping system will provide damping of reflections along the left side of the room. There is more space on the right side, which will naturally lengthen the time between the arrival of direct sound and reflected sound, keeping the sound clearer (and don't forget the set of drapes on the right side, as well). It may well turn out that the room's acoustics are reasonably well balanced with this limited treatment. With carpet on the floor, it may even be a little bit dry, since the Power Points won't create strong reflections off the ceiling.

Mounting the Sony projector so that it is visually inconspicuous is going to be a real trick in this room. Fortunately, it is small and quiet. If the relationship between the Sony and the top of the screen is within the Sony's range of mechanical adjustment, the Thompkins could choose to put a simple box around the Sony that is open on the lens end and matches the room's decor, e.g., crown molding. Alternatively, they can resort to a projector lift (another piece of gear for the Crestron to control) built into the joist space in their ceiling. If there are exposed beams on their ceiling, they could build a hollow section of the beam in which to hide the lift and projector.

Finally, the Thompkins need good AC power and protection. A dedicated 30-amp circuit for all the AN equipment will help ensure a good supply of juice. Further, to protect their investment, the Thompkins should add a robust surge protector (roughly $500).

For just a little bit more, the Thompkins ought to consider adding a moderately sized direct-view TV that could be built into a recess space immediately above the fireplace (provided it's a gas unit). This way they wouldn't need to turn the full video system on if they wanted to watch regular TV programming without drawing all the drapes. Of course, this TV can also be controlled by the Crestron.
Title Page Video By Greg Rogers Audio By Tom Miller Installation By Keith Walker
CONCLUSION
This is only one approach for satisfying a customer. There are more solutions than there are customers and TPV will be exploring different scenarios in every issue. The editors would also be interested in seeing your alternative solutions to the puzzles we pose, or some puzzles of your own.