Daniel J SaitOne of the only golfers in the world to have won tournaments in five different continents, Lee Westwood is now the proud owner of a whole house automation system courtesy of Hidden Home Cinema. When not on the PGA Tour, Lee is a big AV fan and wanted an easy way to enjoy his content at home. Hidden Home Cinema delivered that, but also went one step further with home control from Elan.
Graeme Henderson, director at the company explains: “Hidden Home Cinema started off as a commercial install company that carried out installations in the leisure industry. We then started to complete small, domestic television installations which slowly grew in size and complexity as the commercial side was hit by the recent economic downturn.
“Over the last five years, we’ve gradually introduced home automation to our customers as a complete one stop solution that ties together all of their home’s systems, from the aerial/satellite dish to the Wi-Fi and wall-mounted televisions. We have been trading for approximately 14 years as plasma and projector services and recently set up Hidden Home Cinema Ltd to better represent our target customers.
“The company is a family-run business, with myself being responsible for the day-to-day tech work, my wife Tracy handling all the books and paperwork, and occasional help from my son during school holidays as he’s quite keen to learn about the industry.”
The company prides itself on the quality of all of its installs and Graeme says: “Recently, we have undertaken some projects where we have had to remove outdated control systems that no longer operate correctly and frustrate clients (to say the least). We have been able to install ELAN and Control4 systems which have changed client opinions of automation by giving them more control of their homes. This is the best advert for our company as we find that word of mouth is the best form of advertising.”
Working with Lee came about from a recommendation by an interior design company, Dickenson’s-Interior Designs. The original brief was to supply TV’s with a distribution system and a cinema room.
Graeme says: “However, the original brief changed during discussions with him as we advised that we could supply other technologies as part of the install to give him a total solution. As a result, a Wi-Fi and CCTV system was agreed on and all relevant cabling was installed during the first fix. We always future proof our TV distribution cabling systems, so we were confident that we were covered for any eventualities.
“The brief changed again during the second fix when Lee was advised by Sky to select the Sky Q and numerous Sky Q mini’s. It was at this point that we suggested he install an ELAN Entertainment & Control System and a CYP 8×8 4K matrix to help encompass all parts of the system under one platform.”
The challenges did not end there as Graeme explains: “The cinema room brief changed a couple of times as well. We had originally suggested a projector-based solution, but upon further discussion with Lee, it was decided to go with a 75in Sony 4K LED TV for video, a Marantz SR7011 AVR with 7 KEF Ci200QR in-ceiling speakers and KEF Cube 2 subwoofer.
“Once we had decided upon ELAN and a 4K matrix, we were then able to give Lee access to all of his source devices in any room throughout the house. He loves the ease and total control that ELAN gives him from anywhere in his home or in the world during his travels.”
Lee enjoys the level of control Hidden Home Cinema has delivered
Graeme sums up: “Overall, we experienced very few technical challenges during this project. As an experienced installer new to ELAN, I received technical assistance from Indigo Distribution, which made the process more intuitive and straightforward. I would like to thank Indigo Distribution for their support throughout the project, because they really helped to make the installation a success.”
Throughout the integration process, the integration team worked diligently with Dickinsons Commercial interior design firm to blend the technology with the residence’s contemporary interior. “It was a pleasure to work with Graeme and his team to make Lee’s home a success,” says Rachel McCluskey, senior interior designer at Dickinsons Commercial. “Sometimes working to accommodate technology elements in the space could be intimidating, but we were put at ease once Graeme showed us how sleek the ELAN system is and how it helps to consolidate all of Lee’s media into one means of control.”
So how does Lee like his knew system? Graeme reports: “The client has been living with the system for a few months now and his favourite part is the cinema room. He is really impressed with how easy ELAN is to use day-to-day. He also loves the ELAN HR200 remotes that are in all of the rooms. Additionally, he uses the ELAN Interface on his phone and on his iPad. He also utilises the CCTV interface on a regular basis, since he travels frequently.”