A San Diego homeowner’s unused space was recently transformed into a modern and immersive home cinema. Using Snap One brands such as Triad, Wattbox and Araknis, San Diego integrator, Your Digital Concierge, was able to customise a space that brought pictures on the screen to life.
Understanding that the homeowners wanted to stream content with ease, installers included internet-enabled AV equipment to allow any video, games or content to take over the space. A Wattbox power management system was installed to allow the family to troubleshoot with the push of a button – ensuring ease and simplicity.
For years, the room had stood largely unused, a blank canvas full of untapped potential. While it offered ample square footage for a fun and functional space, the homeowners weren’t sure how to begin the transformation.
A visit to a friend’s home for a dinner party provided a glimpse of a modern, custom built home theatre and family gathering place – that was all the inspiration they needed. Suddenly, a vision for the space was crystal clear. The room had everything needed to make the dream a reality — plenty of room for a big projection screen, platform seating, along with solid structural bones capable of housing a world-class sound system.
The homeowners also had a benchmark for their project. “The family wanted their new theatre to look and sound as good as — if not better than — and function exactly as their friends’ home theatre, which we completed just a few months earlier,” says Brian Murray, General Manager at Your Digital Concierge, an AV integration firm in San Diego, California.
Brian saw this as an ideal opportunity for his firm’s next Showcase project. To streamline the build and ensure seamless interoperability, he opted to source the majority of the AV gear from Snap One, now part of ADI.
“Snap One offers a range of high-performance audio and video brands – both exclusive and third party – necessary to satisfy the owners’ request for the ‘biggest and most powerful sound possible,” Brian explains.
For this ambitious setup, he chose Snap One’s premium line of Triad speakers, incorporating 11 speakers and four subwoofers, all hand-built with custom enclosures in Portland, OR.
“Triad’s customisation services allowed us to tune the speakers precisely for the room,” Brian notes. “Regardless of the wall material or placement limitations, the enclosures and speaker directionality ensure nothing interferes with the speakers’ performance. The result is a powerful, crisp audio experience and with ideal imaging — exactly what you’d expect from a high-end, custom configured theatre.”
The custom enclosures also simplified installation. Rather than letting the room’s design dictate the sound parameters, Brian could select speakers built specifically for the sound requirements and room position, all working according to Dolby Atmos specifications.
He says the result is optimal performance and a truly immersive experience. “The goal isn’t to hear sound from any individual speaker, it’s to be transported to another place, fully consumed by the movie or music experience,” notes Brian.
To maintain the clean, modern room cosmetics, the speakers were built flush with the walls and ceiling with the front speakers hidden behind a 125-inch acoustically transparent projection screen.
Brian quickly identified the owners’ preference for streaming content over physical media as a key consideration for the project. Given the family’s already high bandwidth usage, integrating additional Internet-enabled AV equipment alongside tablets, laptops and music systems threatened to overwhelm the existing home network. Without a professionally programmable network, the theater’s advanced technology would struggle to perform optimally.
“The AV processor, streaming media, gaming systems, video projector and control system are all network-dependent,” Brian explains. “Streaming movies, games and music simultaneously and property-wide would overwhelm the family’s current home network, so upgrading these systems was job one.”
To address this, Your Digital Concierge again turned to Snap One, selecting a combination of Araknis and Access Networks routers, switches, and access points.
“You can have the greatest sound system in the world, but if the network delivering that content is unreliable, and the control system is inconsistent, the entire experience falls short,” says Brian.
The upgraded network also future proofs the home, enabling easy integration of new devices. Shortly after the theatre’s completion, the owners requested additional smart televisions and a “club-like” sound system in their Game Room – all seamlessly supported by the enhanced network infrastructure.
To ensure long-term reliability, a WattBox power management system was integrated. “It’s not uncommon for devices to fall offline after updates or power disruptions, which are common in the area for fire prevention.” Brian notes.
“With WattBox, impacted devices reboot automatically. For added convenience, the family can reset certain identified equipment with a single button on the theater remote or a touch panel.”
Additionally, Snap One’s OvrC platform allows Your Digital Concierge to monitor and troubleshoot remotely. “Most issues can be resolved without a house call, saving time and effort for both us and the family,” Brian says.
Your Digital Concierge further protected the gear by tucking into professional-grade AV racks from Strong. Although the racks are hidden in a storage space, their stability, versatility, and accessibility for maintenance and service make them a vital component of this future-proof theatre.
By implementing cutting-edge technology from Snap One, as well as focusing on integrating every element thoughtfully and expertly, Your Digital Concierge turned an unremarkable space into the crown jewel of the home.
From the precisely tuned Triad speakers delivering Dolby Atmos sound to the robust Araknis and Access Networks system supporting seamless streaming to the peace of mind provided by Wattbox power management and Strong racks, every detail was meticulously designed to exceed expectations.
The result is a fully immersive, state-of-the-art entertainment experience that not only rivals but surpasses the inspiration behind it.