Jordan O'BrienAWE’s Smart Home Expo is just days away, with the event set to take place on November 7-8, and that can only mean one thing – the distributor is gearing up to reveal some exciting new technology to its customers. While in 2015 the distributor was the first to demo DTS:X in the UK, in 2017 the company is taking it one step further – with a brand-new cinema set to be shown off as part of the two-day show.
This cinema forms part of a major expansion and upgrade to AWE’s Smart Apartment, with visitors to the event in November being the first people to experience the brand-new home cinema and additional new and updated show areas.
The cinema room will demonstrate what can be achieved in a more compact space and on a comparatively modest budget. The 7.4.4 speaker system and amplification will retail at around £15k, with the 4k enhanced projector and perforated screen coming in at around £5k for the pair. In an industry where many cinemas cost in excess of £100k, the performance is promised to challenge a number of these much more expensive systems. Complementing the original, larger AWE cinema, this new addition provides integrators with an additional space to demonstrate the capabilities of a home cinema to their customers.
“There is a greater variety of spaces being used for home cinema and family entertainment rooms than ever before, which made this new mid-level priced cinema a vital addition. With our market expanding into more and more homes, we have created a professional grade cinema which sets a new benchmark at its price point, being around half that of our existing reference cinema room,” comments Stuart Tickle, Managing Director of AWE.
The room contains the latest technology from Epson, Definitive Technology, Denon, Draper and Philips Hue. The Denon 11 channel AVR-X6400 AV receiver drives Definitive Technology in-wall Reference Line Source Speakers and in-wall Reference Subwoofers to achieve an immersive 7.4.4 configuration.
The visuals in the new cinema are provided by an Epson EH-TW9300 projector, which boasts supports both native 4K content and 1080p content that has been upscaled. The projector will be paired with a 110in Draper Clarion fixed frame NanoPerf screen. The ClearSound Nanoperf surface is acoustically transparent enabling speakers to be located directly behind, and the slim black frame provides tension to the fabric.
In a further effort to deliver a cost-effective solution, the cinema will also include Philips Hue downlights and LED strips to provide dynamic lighting scenes. The LED strip will feature around the perimeter of the room, and working alongside the Philips Hue downlights, can be programmed with scene settings through the URC system, which seamlessly controls everything in the room.
The AWE Smart Home Expo will be open from 9am to 6pm on both days. Product presentations will be taking place throughout the two days, a hearty lunch including a hog roast will be provided, and registration is free.