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Neat-O: Hiding the Projector in a Second-Floor TV Room
One homeowner decided, mid-install, he didn't care for the way the projector stuck out from the archway.
David Huse of Frisco, Texas-based Theater Advice shares with us this media room he calls a "full transformation of a white game room."
"It was really interesting," Huse says of the project. "I knew he wanted something elaborate. I actually bid really high."
This second-floor "TV room" opened to the staircase via two large archways with railings. In order to transform this room into the full-out media room the homeowner wanted, Huse knew those archways would have to be filled.
One of the archways houses the Sony VPLVW60 SXRD projector Huse spec'd for the job. But that led to a different challenge — a sales challenge.
"At one point, I'd already purchased the projector, but [the homeowner] was mentioning the word 'lawyer,'" Huse recalls.
The homeowner, mid-install, decided he didn't care for the way the Sony projector stuck out from the now-enclosed archway. "We just had to build a frame," Huse says. "But it prompted him to look for something else online."
"I stood my ground. The man spent $2,000 on door handles and hardware for the room," Huse says. "I didn't want a $2,000 projector in a $130,000 room."
Huse says he and the customer went "around and around for week" before Huse finally sent the customer to the showroom of a distributor in town. "I wanted him to get a second opinion," says Huse. "The guy I sent him to has been in the business 50 years."
The customer spent a couple hours being shown the various performance features of projectors in a "good, better, best" presentation. "He texted me an apology from the showroom, and we went with my choice," Huse says.
Bill Beemer, which provides Theater Advice with all its woodworking, built a frame for the projector. The client is now content with the projector's place.
"There's always a way to fix something or hide something," Huse says. "If you have a good woodworker on hand, you can come up with a solution."
Congratulations to David Huse and Bill Beemer for a Neat-O! installation. We’re looking for over-the-top projects. Cool, unique, tidy or meticulous, share your best work with our readers. E-mail submissions, with high-resolution images, to Geoffrey Oldmixon at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Related: Theater Advice: Capitalizing on Tweeter's Lost Opportunity
"It was really interesting," Huse says of the project. "I knew he wanted something elaborate. I actually bid really high."
This second-floor "TV room" opened to the staircase via two large archways with railings. In order to transform this room into the full-out media room the homeowner wanted, Huse knew those archways would have to be filled.
One of the archways houses the Sony VPLVW60 SXRD projector Huse spec'd for the job. But that led to a different challenge — a sales challenge.
"At one point, I'd already purchased the projector, but [the homeowner] was mentioning the word 'lawyer,'" Huse recalls.
The homeowner, mid-install, decided he didn't care for the way the Sony projector stuck out from the now-enclosed archway. "We just had to build a frame," Huse says. "But it prompted him to look for something else online."
Neat-O! Tips
David Huse, principal or Theater Advice, offers these tips:
Be Honest and Upfront. When it comes to media room projects, he recommends telling the client, "There will be glitches, and you will fix them."
Be a Coach. Be less of a salesman, Huse advises, and more of a tipster. "Guide your customer."
Make Your Jobs Unique. "Set yourself apart," he says. "Anyone can hang a TV, but not everyone can design a custom solution that will make that TV look like part of the home."
The homeowner felt a $5,000 projector that stuck out from the wall would be a bad choice, especially since he was finding $2,000 projectors online that would fit flush. "I think he thought I was trying to gouge him on the projector," Huse speculates.David Huse, principal or Theater Advice, offers these tips:
Be Honest and Upfront. When it comes to media room projects, he recommends telling the client, "There will be glitches, and you will fix them."
Be a Coach. Be less of a salesman, Huse advises, and more of a tipster. "Guide your customer."
Make Your Jobs Unique. "Set yourself apart," he says. "Anyone can hang a TV, but not everyone can design a custom solution that will make that TV look like part of the home."
"I stood my ground. The man spent $2,000 on door handles and hardware for the room," Huse says. "I didn't want a $2,000 projector in a $130,000 room."
Huse says he and the customer went "around and around for week" before Huse finally sent the customer to the showroom of a distributor in town. "I wanted him to get a second opinion," says Huse. "The guy I sent him to has been in the business 50 years."
The customer spent a couple hours being shown the various performance features of projectors in a "good, better, best" presentation. "He texted me an apology from the showroom, and we went with my choice," Huse says.
Bill Beemer, which provides Theater Advice with all its woodworking, built a frame for the projector. The client is now content with the projector's place.
"There's always a way to fix something or hide something," Huse says. "If you have a good woodworker on hand, you can come up with a solution."
Congratulations to David Huse and Bill Beemer for a Neat-O! installation. We’re looking for over-the-top projects. Cool, unique, tidy or meticulous, share your best work with our readers. E-mail submissions, with high-resolution images, to Geoffrey Oldmixon at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Related: Theater Advice: Capitalizing on Tweeter's Lost Opportunity
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About the Author
Geoffrey Oldmixon, Channel Writer & ChannelProSMB.com Web Editor
Geoff has been a writer and editor in the technology field since 2007. Prior, he was the managing editor of a daily newspaper in Central Massachusetts. Before that, he worked as a community reporter for both daily and weekly newspapers. For a time, he served as an advertising consultant with the Journal-Register Company, managing accounts and writing ad copy. He has a B.A. in English-Writing from Bridgewater State College and a career certificate in Web development from North Shore Community College.
2 Comments
Thank you for reading the article. There was a bit of drama added to this article, the good far out weighed the bad with him and that was the only piece he game me trouble with. I can see where customers get confused with the crap that is out there to read so it is really not his fault. But I too am glad he came around. A lesser projector would not have matched the quality of this room. He was a great customer though, one of my best.
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Ah yes, the classic internet-shopping-know-it-all-customer. My favorite. Glad he came around.