by Theatron | Sep 24, 2015 | Home Theater, What's New
Imagine experiencing a movie at home that sounds so realistic, it feels as though the jet onscreen is flying through your home theater. The details are amazing – you can pinpoint a mosquito hovering near your ear! This is the type of ultra-realistic sound that Dolby Atmos technology provides at home, surpassing what traditional 5.1- and 7.1-channel surround sound available today. It’s the kind of effect that will make your friends’ jaws drop and envelop you in the ultimate theater experience at home.
A different approach
Dolby Atmos goes beyond the “channel” approach of these traditional surround sound systems by freeing the sound stage and allowing audio elements to be placed anywhere in the room, even above the audience. Dolby refers to this technology as “object-based” audio because any sound can be mixed as a single audio element—an object—that’s independently placed in three-dimensional space. Sounds are choreographed along with the onscreen action for an über-precise soundstage that makes you feel like you are truly there. The resulting home cinema experience becomes that much more rich, immersive and lifelike as the picture and sound are more closely woven together. With the ability to support up to 128 simultaneous objects, Dolby Atmos, lets you experience a soundtrack as you would in a real-world environment. While Dolby Atmos was first to the object-based audio arena, competing surround sound technology company DTS followed suit in April with the announcement of its version, DTS:X object-based surround.
The right equipment
To enjoy the technology in your home theater, in addition to a Blu-ray and/or streaming media player, you’ll need a Dolby Atmos A/V receiver (or preamp/processor), which will handle all of the necessary signal processing to reproduce the audible objects where they need to be in your home theater room. You will want overhead sound capabilities, which means standard overhead speakers or new Dolby Atmos enabled speakers, which are engineered to direct sound upward, where it reflects sound off the ceiling to produce lifelike sound effects. Whether you choose to add to your existing speaker system or opt for a completely new system is up to you, thanks to Dolby Atmos’ backward compatibility.
Call Theatron Home Theater and Smart Home today to hear for yourself how exciting, how moving, and how utterly cool this technology can be in your own living room or media room. You won’t believe your ears as your home theater is rocked by explosions, soaked in rain or trampled by dinosaurs.
Call Us Today:
Mclean VA: 703-883-0970
Purcellville VA: 540-882-9613
by Theatron | Aug 27, 2015 | Home Theater, Product Reviews, What's New
Before you drop a bundle on a 70″-plus TV, you might want to consider a home theater projector. Offering a compelling combination of picture quality, versatility and value, Sony’s VPL-HW40ES can make every movie night at your house an immersive experience. One of this projector’s most appealing features is that it produces a bright, sharp, natural-looking picture straight out of the box.
The ultimate home cinema experience — immerse yourself in stunning 2D and 3D images, in Full HD 1080p, with the Pro Cinema 6030UB. Images are always rich and brilliant with 2400 lumens of color brightness1 and 2400 lumens of white brightness. View exquisite detail, whatever the scene, with an incredible contrast ratio up to 600,000:1. A state-of-the-art Fujinon lens ensures stunning picture uniformity, while THX display certification and ISF certification offer the most advanced video quality. The Pro Cinema 6030UB also offers efficient setup with the widest lens shift available and a full suite of intuitive features.
The DLA-X500R delivers stunning picture detail thanks to JVC’s new e-Shift technology that displays 2D HD content with full 4K precision. A 3D-enabled Full HD projector, the DLA-X500R includes a 4K/60p input and features three 1920 x 1080 D-ILA devices and is designed around JVC’s sixth generation D-ILA optical engine that is optimized to provide an exceptional native contrast ratio of 60,000:1 for peak whites and deep blacks. A switchable intelligent aperture yields dynamic contrast of 600.000:1. To tailor set up to virtually any room it offers a 2X motorized zoom lens, motorized focus and wide vertical and horizontal lens shift adjustment.
Hey, movie fans, Epson’s Home Cinema 5030UB takes picture quality as seriously as you do. This projector will produce exceptionally vibrant images in a wide range of rooms and setups, even on large screens 120″ or bigger. Enjoy a theater-quality experience for both 2D and 3D video. Even if you don’t care about 3D, the 5030UB’s amazing contrast, accurate color, and versatile placement options make it an easy recommendation in this price range.
The VPL-HW55ES uses Sony’s best projection technology, known as SXRD. Three SXRD image chips — one each for red, green, and blue — produce extraordinarily rich, solid colors. Color accuracy is impressive, too. Simply choose the “Reference” picture preset to get color and grayscale performance that would require a calibration with many competing projectors.
Theatron Home Theater and Smart Homes always has the latest and greatest equipment in stock and ready to install in your home. If you’ve heard of it, Theatron has it. And there’s no need to worry about being the first one to embrace the new technology. Theatron sells and installs a variety of new Sony projector models — call us today to find out which one is right for your home entertainment system.
by Theatron | Aug 26, 2015 | Product Reviews, What's New
Sony XBR-75X850C 4K Ultra HDTV
Sony’s top rated 75-Inch 4K XBR X850C Series is one of the best LED TVs made by Sony. The new model has been slimmed down, and weighs substantially less than previous models. This 4K TV will give you 4 times more pixels than normal HD TVs (8 megapixels of resolution vs. 2 megapixels for regular HD). This allows you to sit much closer to the TV without seeing the individual pixels. By sitting closer, you will have an immersive movie theater experience. Sony has over 10 years of experience with cinema 4K Projectors, as most theaters today have a Sony projector installed. We previewed the X850C series at CES 2015, and the picture was outstanding. This TV is also a 3D TV and uses active 3D glasses (sold separately). It has the latest Dual Band WiFi standards for fast 4K video streaming and Smart TV function, Android TV, a TRILUMINOS™ Display (Sony’s version of Quantum Dots ) , Motionflow® XR960, and Sony’s 4K X-Reality™ Pro Engine.
The top rated Sony XBR-75X850C X850C series is Sony’s 4K Ultra HD 75-inch 3D LED backlit TV. 4K TVs have four times the resolution of Full HD (8 megapixels of resolution vs. 2 megapixels for regular HD). 4K is the same resolution as a movie movie theater, only now you can view it at home. Its new 4K X-Reality Pro™ Image Processor and TRILUMINOS™ Panel (Sony’s version of Quantum Dots ) will provide for best picture quality. Sony is a leader in 4K TV technology, and has Sony 4K Projectors installed at most movie theaters. 
Features include 3D ready capability, Frame dimming (local dimming), 24p True Cinema®, Sony’s 120Hz with upgraded Motionflow® XR 960 high framerate technology which increases the framerate for a sharper and smoother image compared to regular 60Hz hdtvs for Sports and fast moving action. Sony’s new Android TV with Google Cast, voice search & Play Store apps, TV shows, online videos, games. Content includes Netflix, Amazon Prime, Youtube, Facebook, HuluPlus, Twitter, news, sports, weather and more. Access the internet with an ethernet cable, or by using the upgraded Built-in WiFi adapter Dual Band (a/b/g/n/ac). The TV is 3D Ready, uses Active 3D Glasses (sold separately). 3D content is available from cable, satellite, games, and Blu-ray disc. The XBR-65X850C offers Ultra HD 4K resolution (3840×2160). Plug in up to 4 HDMI devices (HDMI 2.0). Google Cast-Ready & Miracast Mirroring.
Sony’s best 4K X-Reality Pro Processor upconverts standard HD to 4K. Upscaling is one of the most important features on a 4K TV. Sound is provided by the S-Force Front Surround 3D which provides a virtual surround experience using only two front speakers (20 watts total). Presence Sensor, can turn off the picture when you leave the room. Ambient sensor adjusts brightness according to brightness of the room. Three USB 2.0 ports to connect USB drives to view videos and pictures, or listen to music. Sleep Timer. DLNA Certified connectivity to your PC. ENERGY STAR® compliant. Wi-Fi Direct (connect to your smartphone/tablet directly to the TV), MHL, Screen Mirroring, Headphone Jack. The 65X850C includes Two Remote Controls.
Latest 4K TV Standards: The Sony XBR-X850C Series has the latest 4K standards including the HEVC (H.265) decoder. HEVC is the latest compression technology which allows streaming video and 4K video to fit in a much narrower bandwidth, allowing for higher framerates (up to 60fps). This will allow Netflix and other providers to give you 4K quality video using current systems. This model also has the latest HDMI 2.0 standard, which can also support the highest framerates in 4K. This will allow action movies, 4K camcorder video, and sports to operate at the higher 60fps for smoother image quality. This set was upgraded with the latest Dual Band WiFi (2.4GHz/5GHz) a/b/g/n/ac for the fastest wireless streaming of 4K content.
Right now, Theatron Home Theater and Smart Homes has the Sony 75″ 4K TVs on sale. If you are thinking of purchasing a new and better television, Call Theatron today to setup free delivery. A new Sony 4K TV would look great in your living room!
by Theatron | Aug 25, 2015 | Product Reviews, What's New, Whole House Audio
Now Yamaha makes it easy to bring music to every room in your home wirelessly.
Whether you start with a single speaker or the ultimate home theater, MusicCast expands to fit your needs, providing wireless multiform audio playback controlled by a simple app.
MusicCast uses the existing Wi-Fi network to stream music wirelessly throughout your home.
Play different music in each room, combine rooms or get everyone listening to the same thing.
MusicCast devices support both Wi-Fi and wired Ethernet connections, so you can also choose to build an all-wired network if desired.
The FREE MusicCast app puts control of the whole home listening experience in the palm of your hand.
Quickly select the room or rooms they want to use, select the source, browse the library and control music playback.
Download the iOS or Android App and take a DEMO tour of this intuitive and beautiful interface.
Access streaming music and Internet radio stations, music files on your mobile devices and computers,Bluetooth sources and EVEN external sources like your TV, Blu-ray Discs, CDs and vinyl records.
Since Bluetooth is such a ubiquitous technology, it makes sense that it would have a home with MusicCast.
BLUETOOTH INPUT
Stream ANY audio via Bluetooth from a smartphone or tablet and play it on a single MusicCast device or MULTIPLE MusicCast devices in linked playback mode.
EVEN BLUETOOTH OUTPUT
MusicCast devices can stream out to a Bluetooth speaker or headphones, making it a convenient way to enjoy and expand the reach of the system, even with existing equipment.
MusicCast supports high-resolution audio formats to deliver more accurate reproduction of sonic details, presence and atmosphere.
All models support:
Apple Lossless (ALAC) up to 96 kHz / 24-bit
FLAC, WAV and AIFF up to 192 kHz / 24-bit
by Theatron | Jul 29, 2015 | What's New
4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) TVs are the hottest thing on the market today, so if you want your TV picture to be the best it can be, consider upgrading to this exciting new technology.
The 4K (4,000) part of the name refers to the number of rows of pixels in the picture. Previously, the best you could get was 1080. The 1,080 measures the image in rows of pixels high, and the 4K measures in rows of pixels wide, but the total number of pixels is four times greater with 4K. So 4K is 3840 x 2160, or 2160p. And what do more pixels mean? A better, clearer picture.
The new 4K Ultra HD screens bring more improvements than just resolution. Increased detail, greater contrast, deeper black levels, and a broader color gamut add to 4K TV’s stunning image quality.
Type of Screen
Once you’ve decided to get the best there is, you have to ask yourself: flat or curved screen? Almost everyone has some type of flat screen now, but the new curved screens are outselling the old flat ones every day. What’s better about a curved screen? Similar to the IMAX experience, the curved screen allows to almost be part of the image. It takes up most of your field of vision, including your peripheral vision, for a more engaging experience. And the improved technology keeps these images sharp at the edges, for a more realistic picture. This gives the viewer a heightened sense of depth, almost like a 3D image.
What About 4K Content?
Every content provider is currently working to get 4K programming into the home, and Netflix 4K is streaming now with compatible players like the Sony FMP-X10 4K Ultra HD Media Player. 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays are expected by the end of 2015.
You don’t need to wait for 4K content to enjoy a 4K TV. All the 1080p HD content that you enjoy now, from cable and satellite, to gaming and streaming, will look even better, ‘up-resed’, on a 4K TV. In fact your 1080p HD content will look far superior on the new 4K TV sets because of the increased resolution, color, contrast, and deeper black levels.
Add surround sound, or media distribution to your 4K Ultra HD TV purchase, and you’ve just gotten yourself the best theater system money can buy. Theatron carries 4K TVs from Sony, LG, Samsung and others, and can help you find the best new 4K Ultra HD TV for your home. Theatron can also professionally wall-mount your TV. Contact Theatron Today.
by Theatron | Jun 2, 2015 | Control4, Home Automation, Savant, What's New
What is Video Distribution? In your typical home, you have a TV with a handful of video components plugged into it. You probably have a Blu-ray player, a Direct TV receiver, maybe an Apple TV and a game console. Hopefully you’ve got some kind of media cabinet to store all these items in, but there’s a good chance they’re all sitting out in plain site, and all the cables are out and attractive looking on the walls.
With Video Distribution, you centralize all the Video components; usually in some kind of media rack or closet. From there, you distribute the different Video content out to the different TV’s in the home. So instead of having all your components under each TV, and cables dangling everywhere, you conceal all the components out of site. The TV sits flush and clean on the wall, and there are no visible cables. An added convenience, is that you don’t need a Blu-ray player, or Apple TV for every TV anymore. You can feed all the TV’s in the home with the same Blu-ray.
In most instances, we run Cat5e, and preferably 2 Cat5e from the media rack out to every TV in the home. There’s a piece of hardware called a HDMI Matrix, or Video Matrix. It’s a fancy name for a switch. It’s kind of like a router for your internet, but it’s for the video components. It has a number of video inputs, and a number of video outputs. So lets say we have a 4×4 Video Matrix. That means you can pug in 4 Video Sources, and out put them to 4 TV’s or displays, including a projector. There’s a very small device that sticks to the back of the TV called a balun. These baluns convert the Cat5e coming from the Video Matrix, into HDMI. So you’re able to send HD content from the Video Matrix over Cat5e to every TV in the home.
A couple of tips on Video distribution. Most people want to have at least 2 satellite/cable receivers, and at least 2 Blu-ray players. If the kids want to watch the Disney channel, and you want to watch the news, you’re going to want two different receivers. The same is true for you Blu-ray players. Next, most people find they want 6-8 video sources. You can save money by buying a 4×4 matrix, but in our experience customers are always disappointed they can’t have 6 video sources. Pay the extra, and get a minimum 6 sources. You’ll use 2 receivers, 2 Blu-rays, and Apple TV or Roku, and a DVR for your surveillance system. Lastly, buy the Video Matrix that supports the number of TV’s you think you might use someday. If you’re only going to use 4 TV’s initially, but know you’ll have 8 TV’s down the road, then buy the 8×8 Video Matrix. It’s cheaper than upgrading later.The Video Matrix, allows you to select the TV you want to watch, and the Video source you want played to that TV. It does the rest of the switching and sourcing to give you the desired content. Now, if you have a Video Matrix, you have to have some kind of Controller like Savant’s Smart Host or Pro Host. This allows you to use a remote, or a smart phone to control the Matrix.
