Wow! 11.4.6 Home Theater Dazzles with Massive 234-Inch Screen

There is big… and then there is “really, really big.” That is the best way to describe this 16-seat, 11.4.6 Dolby Atmos home theater designed by Sound Sense in Ahmedabad, India, with a monstrous 19.5-foot-diagonal screen.

The award-winning project by integrator Sound Sense was a chance for the team to push the boundaries of creativity, their collective skillset, and the power to collaborate internally and externally to design a high-level home cinema. What is even more impressive is that the project had floorplan limitations in place from the architect, as well as some demanding requirements from the client. 

“Ensuring that the project was industry compliant and audio-video calibrated to the highest standards to deliver an enthralling, vivid and encompassing experience was a top priority while never over stepping the requirements and restrictions of the client,” says Aknur Bhatt, owner/director at Sound Sense based in Ahmedabad, Guarat, India.

This one-of-a-kind, audio-video calibrated, 16-seater room was designed to cater to all the needs of the client, including a Dolby Atmos 11.4.6 set-up using Wisdom Audio speakers, Christie CP4220 4K projector, and a monster-sized 234-inch Vutec diagonal fixed-frame 2.35:1 screen. A Christie DCI Server with its Integrated Media Block (IMB) caters to the client’s request to view movies first day-first show. An intuitive user interface was custom tailored to offer control of the entire set-up.

To fulfill the client’s requirement of a discrete home cinema set-up, the project was designed to be hidden behind the acoustic fabric material and remain 100% neat and clean.

“The client was keen on spending his limited time away from work at home doing something he loved with his family and close circle of 12 to 15 people. This avid movie lover wanted a larger-than-life screen to bring the entire experience to life, along with the ability to offer a private first-day-first-show screening for select movies.

“A variety of ambient lighting scenarios to set the tone of the room based on the client’s mood was a must. Any noise from the home cinema room was to be isolated from the entertainment area in the basement directly below. The home cinema set-up was to remain entirely discrete,” says Bhatt.

The only constraint in the project was a pre-designed architectural floorplan that the architect Morpho Genesis did not want to redesign. The Sound Sense team worked around this issue and ensured that no compromises were made in the adherence to industry standards.

A unique Crestron GUI was designed specifically for the client keeping in mind that users of different age groups in the family will be making use of the home cinema. The intuitive user interface was developed for use from the client’s iPad, offering control of the entire set-up from a single point at the touch of a button – designed for the AV controls, movie selection, satellite TV, lighting controls, HVAC, etc.

Once the client was provided with a demo of the entire set-up, a customized handover package was also presented for quick reference in the future should the need arise. The package included user manuals, a description of the system and each underlying component, all technical drawings, etc.

Calling the installation a “dream project,” Bhatt says the job has earned an array of accolades, including:

• CEDIA Awards Best Home Cinema (EMEA – Level III)
• CEDIA Awards Best Home Cinema – Global
• CEDIA Awards Best Dressed Rack
• CEDIA Awards Best Documentation
• CE Pro BEST Awards Home Theater/Media Room Project of the Year

Equipment List

• Control: Crestron CP3
• Lighting Control: Crestron DALI 2
• Multiroom AV Distribution: Kaleidescape Strato C Player with 24TB Terra Server
• Projector: Christie CP4220
• Screen: Vutec Vision XWF 234-inch diagonal fixed-frame 2.35:1 screen
• Speakers: Six Wisdom Audio Line-3 LCR speakers; six Wisdom Audio Line-2 surround speakers; two Wisdom Audio rear surround speakers; four Wisdom Audio STS subwoofers; and six Wisdom Audio architectural Sage Point 2 Dolby Atmos speakers.
• AV Components: Ten Wisdom Audio SA-3 power amps; two Wisdom Audio SA-2 power amps; one Trinnov Altitude 32 processor; one Oppo UDP203 Blu-ray player
• Remotes: Crestron TSR-310
• Equipment Rack: Schneider 42U
• Other: Kordz R.3 HDMI cables; 16 Cineak Ferrier recliners; one Peplink AP1 AC-Mini access point; one custom Acton power conditioner