CE Pro June 2021 - 62

HOME THEATER
include a subwoofer.
The advent of soundbars has enabled many integrators to
use the single-chassis speakers as the LCR for their theaters,
in combination with a sub and rear speakers in most cases.
However, with soundbar manufacturers touting the surround-sound capabilities of their speakers, there certainly
could be a percentage of installations that solely rely on the
soundbar for all audio. CE Pro did not ask about that specific
scenario in the Home Theater Deep Dive Study, so there is no
way to know with certainty. One in 10 theaters is a monster
with 13 or more speakers.
Further breaking down the speaker usage, standard-bezel
architectural in-wall/in-ceiling speakers are the most popular
audio choice, implemented in 55% of home theaters. Freestanding speakers are used in 26% of theaters, with hidden/
small aperture speakers are deployed 19% of the time.
On the video side, it is a mix of display-based vs. projector-based solutions. Just over one in three (35%) home theaters
uses projectors, with displays being installed for the remainder.
Particularly, 4K displays are in 59% of projects, with the remaining 6% of theaters being a mix of either standard HD TVs, 8K
TVs or even large microLEDs. About one in five projects has a
motorized screen, while 14% have a motorized TV mount.
In terms of content sources and electronics separates, AVRs

Home Theater Locations
Other
7%
Outdoor
10%
Multipurpose
Master
Room
Bedroom
30%
11%
Basement
18%

Number of Seats in Dedicated Home Theaters

3 SEATS OR LESS
22%

4 TO 6 SEATS
41%

7 TO 10 SEATS
22%

11 SEATS OR MORE
41%

The median number of seats per dedicated home theater
room is five.

Barco: Powering a Private Theater Renaissance

In April 2020, Forbes called
home theaters " the perfect
pandemic escape. " One year
on, our industry considers
private theater a top business opportunity. People
have a newfound appreciation for the experiences
they can enjoy at home
with their loved ones, having spent much more time
indoors. There is better
availability of high-quality

content, a trend accelerated by the pandemic.
These and other elements
are driving what Sam Cavitt
of Paradise Theaters called a
Residential Cinema Renaissance in a recent article,
with private theater poised
to take its rightful position
as a prized possession in a
new " hierarchy of needs. "
At Barco Residential, this
is " the moment we have
been training for. " From
the start, our focus was
on bringing a new level of
performance to private
theaters to create those
unique cinematic experiences for clients to share
with loved ones.

Dedicated
Room
23%

Multipurpose/great
rooms are the most
common location for a
home theater, but there
has been a resurgence
of dedicated private
cinema rooms during
the pandemic. " Other "
includes additional
bedrooms, garages and
other room locations.

To enable that we created
a full line of private theater projectors, including
our DCI-compliant Cinema-At-Home series. Powered by professional cinema
and post-production technology platforms, our new
Freya projector is a prime
example, infused with unique
residential features to meet
and exceed the requirements
of not only professional
premium exhibition, but also
the most demanding professionals at post-production
facilities where our clients'
favorite movies are graded.
Other recent additions to
our lineup include the Bragi
and Bragi Cinemascope,

the latter featuring our
unique native cinemascope
capability for an unparalleled
cinematic experience, as well
as the Njord which brings a
new level of power and performance for larger private
theaters and even outdoor
theaters.
These new additions
couldn't come at a better
time, giving integrators
unprecedented options to
deliver a level of quality,
performance and cinematic
experience that not only
provides a perfect " pandemic escape " but delivering
that prized possession for
your clients! -Tim Sinnaeve,
Managing Director, Barco

62 | CE Pro June 2021 cepro.com

C2106 pp56-80 Home Theater DD.indd 62

5/11/21 2:48 PM

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CE Pro June 2021

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