Home Cinema—Bristol

During a significant extension and refurbishment of this Bristol cottage, Cyberhomes designed and installed a home cinema solution that’s great for movies and sport alike.

Key elements

• 65″ TV for day-to-day viewing
• Drop-down projector and screen for movies
• 7.1 Genelec surround sound
• Lighting control

The client had done extensive research into what he wanted for his entertainment room and how he wanted it to look. Cyberhomes made some suggestions on alternative products that would give better performance in the large 7 m x 15 m room. The client didn’t want a dedicated equipment rack, so instead a false partition wall was constructed that allowed the TV to sit flush; and for the equipment to be housed in cupboards below it. This also provided the opportunity to use flush in-wall B&W speakers. Fake pillars were created at the side and rear of the room so that similar in-wall B&W speakers could be used for the surround and rear speakers.

When cinema mode is required a push of a single button on the remote automates the sequence. The TV turns off, the tensioned projector screen slides down in front of the TV, the projector descends from the ceiling, the lights dim, the system selects the Blu-ray input and the movie starts to play. Four lighting circuits within the room, downlights, colour-changing strip lights, freestanding reading lights and even party lights; allow maximum flexibility for the use of the room. All the AV and lighting is controlled from the single Control4 remote.

Without an easy-to-access rack, careful consideration had to be given to how all the equipment could be accessed for maintenance or upgrades. We therefore ensured that all the cupboards were interlinked and connect to the ceiling voids. This ensures that there is complete access to all the cable runs should it ever be required.

The client loves to demo the room to his friends, and gets a thrill from watching them dive for cover as bullets rip over their heads in the sound effects from the latest blockbuster movies.

“We spent a lot of time researching various companies, Andy at Cyberhomes was really the only person who grasped what we wanted. The install guys were A1, it was a brand new room freshly decorated so had some concerns but they pulled it off with no issues. I think the best way to judge a company is if you have problems, I was unlucky with my Control4 unit displaying a fault after a couple of days, but Cyberhomes jumped straight on it, and we have never looked back, the system is above and beyond expectations, and comes with the WOW factor, the 3D projector is outstanding!”