Imagine The Perfect Dealer Distributor Partnership

This large and luxurious home cinema project is a great example of what can be achieved when one of the UK’s top integrators, Imagine This, interfaces with the products and services available from Pulse Cinemas.

Kapes Patel, Pulse Cinemas COO, explains, “Guy Singleton, founder and MD of Imagine This, came to us with this ambitious project interested in using Pulse Cinemas ingredients to create the high-performance home cinema this customer wanted for this large space.

“Particularly important in this project, because of the performance required and the size of the room, were Alcons Audio and Sim2, both able to operate at the very highest level in larger spaces due to their history in commercial spaces as well as home cinemas.”

An engaged customer wanted to see detailed imaging of how his cinema was going to look once completed and so the Pulse Cinemas photo realistic rendering service was called into action providing the customer with a strong insight into exactly how the project will look and feel once completed.

Kapes adds, “Many people in the industry will be aware of Guy’s creation, The Cinema Designer (TCD), an on-line portal which allows the creation of detailed plans for a project such as this in minutes instead of hours. Many Pulse Cinemas brands are included in the TCD database, so Guy was able to use the system to build a detailed proposal for this exciting project.”

Mike Beatty, Pulse Cinemas MD, adds, “Imagine This is one of the best integrators working today having completed some of the most ambitious projects around for some seriously discerning clients. We were delighted to work with them on this project which delivers the power of Pulse Cinemas ingredients, and support services, the TCD system and the skills and knowhow of the Imagine This team.

The process

Guy takes up the story explaining this new project came into the company via a referral from an existing customer, “We have worked for the existing client for 15 years, we originally provided a cinema to him and have continued to look after him in the years since. When his good friend asked him to recommend a cinema installer, our existing client very kindly recommended us. Our existing client had first-hand experience of the lengths we go to in looking after our clients, so was very confident in our ability to deliver for his friend.”

Guy continues, “Our new client had experienced a few legacy home cinemas in friends’ homes but was very keen for his own cinema to provide Dolby Atmos. To help him understand more about an immersive experience and the relationship between the design, the products, and the performance levels available, we took him on a field trip to the Pulse Cinemas demo suite. There he was able to experience the differences and similarities between the products and he was able to recognise how getting the design and specification right would inform the outcome. In addition to high performing audio, the client also desired a crystal-clear image, and he knew that he wanted a projector and screen to deliver this. He asked us to provide an image that would look vibrant and intense within the room.

“Finally, the client asked us to ensure that the room exuded an ultra-comfortable luxurious feel. He wanted to enjoy the opulence of a traditional cinema room. The design was important; we were asked to aesthetically match the luxurious ambiance of the rest of the home.”

Why Pulse Cinemas ingredients?

Guy explains some of the product choices for this project, “Since audio performance was so high on the client’s agenda, we chose loudspeakers from the amazing Alcons CRMS Cinema Reference Monitor Systems range. They met the performance objectives and were within his budget. We build all of our cinemas to meet exacting performance objectives and the fabulous Alcons loudspeakers did this with ease.

“To provide the processing, we elected to use a Trinnov Altitude 32. This ensured that there was parity between the exceptional performance levels of the processor and the loudspeakers. Put simply, the Trinnov Altitude 32 is the best immersive audio processor to date, and anyone who knows us will understand how highly we regard this product. It provides exceptional performance and can cope within larger more demanding rooms.

“Given that the client had already spoken of his preference for a high-performance front projection system, it was evident that we would need to provide something rather special. The chosen Sim2 Crystal SH projector is capable of exceptional imagery, with ultra-high-definition resolution and a broad colour gamut. It can handle the bit-for-bit high quality data supplied by the video server effortlessly.”

Guy continues, “A Screen Research 200in fixed screen completes the selection, with acoustically transparent fabric and excellent white field uniformity and off-axis viewing. This product provides an exceptional base for the video image, with less than 1dB of attenuation for the high frequencies in the sound stage located behind the screen.

"For the uber-luxurious and comfortable feel that the client required, we elected to use Fortress custom chaise seating. The home cinema can comfortably accommodate 12, configured in groups of two. We elected to use the custom seats, as it allowed us the flexibility to meet the aesthetic criterion of the project. Having used Fortress seats in our projects for many years, we knew that they would stand up to our client’s demands for comfort and luxury.”

Make time for acoustic treatment

As an award-winning home cinema design house, Imagine This are firm advocates for room acoustic treatments.

Guy reveals, “We use The Cinema Designer software to perform the complex acoustic calculations and we diligently address the identified issues. We have found that Vicoustics products provide an excellent acoustic solution, being of the highest performance, quality, and appearance. For this project, we have selected VMT treatment and Wavewood diffusers. The client particularly loves the modern cinema feel that they provide. The overall build quality of this cinema had to meet the most stringent criteria and the Vicoustic products can do that with ease.”

The customer is a dedicated movie lover and has a large collection of his favourite films on disc, but had grown tired of housing physical content. He tasked Imagine This to provide a solution for his content going forwards and the natural solution was a Kaleidescape system. With a 48tb Terra Server and a Strato-C player, the client can easily download the latest movies and enjoy them in the very highest quality on the big screen, as the director intended.

Making the room shine

There is of course more to a cinema than the AV equipment, this room had to shine in all aspects of its performance and presentation.

Guy explains, “Lastly we addressed the environment and control of the cinema. The obvious solution for the lighting was a Lutron Homeworks system, which provides the ability to create beautiful and functional scenes of light. We can create scenes for viewing, entertaining and cleaning the room with feedback from the customer.

To bring the project together, an RTI remote has been selected. This removes any complexity for the client, ensuring that the home cinema is incredibly straightforward to use for the whole family; first time, every time.”

The Pulse Cinemas difference

Having the back-up, demonstration and rendering services available from Pulse Cinemas made a big difference to this project.

Guy explains, “For this client (and many like him), the aesthetics of the room were highly important, but he struggled to visualise how the room would look and feel. In providing him with the render service, we were able to convey the design ideas, gaining his approval and enthusing him about the scheme. Pulse Cinemas was the perfect partner throughout the process for many reasons; none more so than because the team are very supportive and the fact that they are so easy to work with. We value their in-depth product knowledge and their discernible familiarity with the brands that they represent.

“Clients of Imagine This have high demands and in turn, as a company, we will only select those partners and products in whom we can have the greatest trust. From the Pulse Cinemas brands, there are several that we specify for practically every project, in particular; Screen Research, Fortress, Kaleidescape and Lutron. These are unsurpassed brands, with products that closely match the performance demands of our projects. With the benefit of the support of Pulse’s technical team, we know that the products will perform perfectly, and that Pulse are there to assist should we require any service support down the line.”

Guy adds, “In addition to those ‘bread and butter’ products, Pulse Cinemas also offers an impeccable portfolio of loudspeaker and electronics brands, which allows us to select the perfect products for every project. For example, for our platinum home cinemas, the Alcons range is the perfect match, and we combine this with Trinnov for amazing performance every time.

“The great thing about the Pulse Cinemas portfolio is that we can find the right solution for every project, and we can confidently specify their brands, knowing that we have the Pulse Cinemas team standing behind them.”