6 must-haves for the ultimate automated home cinema experience
November 30, 2020Home automation and design tips for 3 distinctive home cinema setups
January 26, 2021
The entertainment room in your home is said to be the main focal point for family and friends “get-togethers” where you can watch movies, watch your favourite sporting events or party to some music and although you have done some things to make it cool, SimpliMation can make it even cooler with integrating a series of
smart home devices and programming them into a home automation system which you might want to share with more people!
So what is the first step? Well, home automation experts, SimpliMation, suggest that the first step to enhancing your entertainment room is to add an
automation controller. Next up: replace all the “dumb” lighting controls with smart dimmers and switches that allow you to create and recall specific scenes at the touch of a button. A
smart thermostat ensures things don’t get too hot during the “big game” or the next blockbuster movie, and a variety of comfortable shades, drapes, and blinds will create a perfect movie theatre environment regardless of the time of day.
Different activities call for different lighting, music, and other settings to create the right mood and atmosphere. A custom button like “Happy Hour” could turn on the lights over the bar, power up a couple of lava lamps and start playing your favourite “Jazz” playlist to make sure you and your friends are enjoying the vibe. A “Game Day” button could queue up multiple TVs and tune them all to different channels so you can keep track of every game in real-time. A “Movie” button could drop the shades, dim the lights, drop a screen, turn on a projector, and set the scene for your favourite movie.
Sure, remote controls, touch screens, smartphones, and tablets are all great ways to control your entertainment room but what are you to do when your hands are full? People to entertain, drinks to pour, food to serve, and children to attend to. You can integrate your automation system with
Amazon Alexa and you can just tell Alexa exactly what to do. Your words are literally its command because it can be programmed to perform any automated activity you like. “Alexa set the movie scene” or “Alexa, dim the lights to 50%”.
Control your media room from any smart device.
Control your home with the Control4 Neeo remote.
3. USE PRESSURE DETECTORS
Every great entertainment room has the “best seat in the house” and when you’re alone, that seat should belong to you! Wouldn’t it be great if your seat knew when you were sitting and when you weren’t? Add a pressure detector and it can! Sit down after entering the room and the lights could slowly dim while a Vader-esque, “What is thy bidding, my master?” announcement plays from the speakers. Stand up, and the movie can pause and the lights can go up, ensuring you never miss a moment of the action and can also easily find your way to the bathroom or fridge. Of course, the lights will drop and the movie resumes automatically as soon as you sit back down.
It’s passed the kid’s bedtime and you and your Mrs sit down to watch a scream-packed Stephen King-inspired blockbuster and you might want to know if the kids are trying to catch a peek of what’s on the theatre, well – you can activate a scene like ‘Private Time” and motion detector outside the door automatically pauses whatever you are watching, then flip over to show a video camera image of whoever is outside the room. Neat, huh?
Let’s say your entertainment room is your own personal “Man Cave” and keeping your space private is key. SimpliMation can install a smart doorlock and you can do so much more than an ordinary old, boring key! You can restrict access to the room at certain times of the day to keep the kids out until their homework is done. You can also view a log to see who entered the room and when or receive an email whenever the door is unlocked. You can also lock or unlock the door from your smartphone without ever having to leave your seat.
As automation experts, SImpliMation can install and make anything possible. We can create the most jaw-dropping home cinemas and integrate them with smart home technology that is easy for you to control and manage. Complete the contact form below and we can arrange a demo for you to experience the magic of truly smart home.
