Elite Home Theater Seating Blog

The Rise in Soundbar Popularity

February 20th, 2013

Over the past few months, we have featured a few new soundbar systems. The increase in popularity for soundbars have increased substantially over the past year. According to Robert Silva of About.com, “[Soundbar] audio-systems reached $658 million in 2012 – which is an amazing 82 percent increase over 2011. At this pace, sound bar sales are predicted to be as much as $1 billion for 2013.”

There are good and bad sides to soundbars. The biggest selling feature would be the price. Soundbars are relatively cheaper than full home theater systems. Another selling feature, especially for smaller home theaters is the space factor. Soundbars do not take up a lot of space. Wha sets soundbars apart is the audio quality. Listen to a few of them and you will be amazed just how good they sound. We all want quality sound when sitting in our home theater.

The not so good side of soundars is just the fact that you will not have true surround sound. You cannot have a 5.1 or 7.1 sound system since the physical unit of a soundbar is just one piece. Soundbars don’t give the consumer a true surround sound system.

When you compare the pros and cons of soundbars, it’s ultimatley up to the consumer. If price is important than soundbars are perfect but if true surround sound is important, you may not want one. Regardless of which one you prefer, you cannot ignore the rise in popularity with soundbars.

We always appreciate your comments and feedback so contact through Facebook, Twitter, email or by phone.

Canadian Head Office Unit 406, 17665 66A Ave. Surrey, BC V3S 2A7 Tel. 604-575-8310 Fax. 604-575-8329

U.S. Head Office 1927 Boblett Street Blaine, WA 98230 Tel. 1-800-490-1595

email: sales@elitehts.com

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Home Theater Gift Ideas

December 5th, 2012

We are twenty days away from Christmas. The malls and stores are full of shoppers so now is a great time to offer some home theater gift ideas to help all you shoppers out there. For home theater enthusiasts, you have so much to choose from; seating, surround sound speakers, sound bar speakers, TV’s and projectors, Blu-ray players, Blu-ray movies, gaming systems, etc. etc. With so much to choose from, let’s showcase some of the best home theater gift ideas!

 

1) Furniture (of course that’s #1): There are plenty to choose from. You can buy already made seating or you can take the custom route. Our chairs are made for you, we do not mass produce. You place an order and we make it to your specifications. Custom ergonomic support, fine quality Valentino leather, cine-suede, or silk leather fabric, and you can also choose your own foam density. Our chairs make an ideal christmas gift this holiday season. Customize a chair design here (just click)!

2) Smart TV’s: This past July, we wrote about Smart TV’s (click here to read about it). The Samsung Smart TV’s are simply amazing. The 8000 series comes as a 64″ screen with and all the features we mentioned back in July. The Samsung Smart TV’s is a great choice this season. 

3) Epson Powerlite Home Cinema Projector:  In September, we wrote about the oustanding Epson Powerlite Home Cinema 710 HD Projector. The cost is lower compared to higher end projectors but the quality is superb. Read the details here.

4) Sound Bar Speakers: Just last week we wrote about Sound Bar Speakers and there’s great reason to. You don’t need a surround sound system with Sound Bar Speakers which will cut down costs substantially. Read up about this new trend in home theater equipment!

With so much to choose from and from so many retailers offering special promotions and discounts, holiday shopping can be tiring and frustrating so we hope a few of our ideas may help you this season.

We always appreciate your comments and feedback so contact through Facebook, Twitter, email or by phone.

Canadian Head Office
Unit 406, 17665 66A Ave.
Surrey, BC V3S 2A7
Tel. 604-575-8310
Fax. 604-575-8329

U.S. Head Office
1927 Boblett Street
Blaine, WA 98230
Tel. 1-800-490-1595

email: sales@elitehts.com

 

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Has Mobile Technology Changed or Enhanced Home Theater?

October 10th, 2012

Last week we did a blog on home theater apps for your smartphone and tablets. These apps enhance your home theater experience and add a great value to it, however is there a different take on this as well? Have smartphones and tablets driven people away from home theater viewing?

We have such busy lives that we tend to do things on the fly nowadays. I know I use my iPhone more than my personal computer at home, even while I’m at home. While sitting at my desk, I can have  Netflix running on my iPhone watching a new movie while getting work done. This way I’m getting two things done at the same time. However,  all of us that work here at Elite HTS love the home theater experience and we do not compensate with using our smartphones or tablets in its place.

A recent article from Z6 Mag states that home theater will have to play catch up with mobile technology and we can understand their view. We all use mobile technology to communicate with one another and we also use it as a form of entertainment, from music to movies. However the reason home theaters have become popular over the past several years is to replicate the experience of going to a theater to watch a new release. Most people enjoy the big screen, the surround sound, and the concessions. Would this all be replaced by mobile technology? It’s hard to imagine that we will all resort to watching movies on our smartphones and tablets and not in the comfort of our home theaters.

As you’ll see in the clip below, Netflix on an iPhone can be useful for us on the go and for those of us with kids and no entertainment system in the car, having this technology is great to keep the kids entertained. Would you really be able to use this in place of the true home theater experience?

It’s true that smartphones and tablets have increased so much in popularity but I don’t think there is a concern where this will take the place of a true home theater experience. The Z6 Mag article has valid points and it made us think about it. Our conclusion is that it will not replace the home theater and it will enhance the experience. Just like we said in our Home Theater App blog from last week, smartphones and tablets enhance our home theater experience, they don’t take away from it.

We always appreciate your comments and feedback so contact through Facebook, Twitter, email or by phone.

Canadian Head Office
Unit 406, 17665 66A Ave.
Surrey, BC V3S 2A7
Tel. 604-575-8310
Fax. 604-575-8329

U.S. Head Office
1927 Boblett Street
Blaine, WA 98230
Tel. 1-800-490-1595

email: sales@elitehts.com

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Home Theater Seating Layouts

August 8th, 2012

Emphasis has been made on the sound system and the TV needed for home theaters yet one of the most important factors tends to be ignored and that is how your home theater furniture layout plays a vital role in the sound of your home theater and the comfort of your home theater experience. If you plan on having a home theater room then comfort, viewing angles, and sound quality should all be of the same level of importance.

Have your seating in between your speakers, directly facing your projection screen or TV. This will give you optimal sound and a proper line of sight. You can see by the diagram on the left that the seating is directly in the middle of both the speakers and the TV. To enlarge the picture just click it.

The size of the room is equally as important.  Too many chairs will result in an inefficient home theater. Sound quality, comfort, and your view will all suffer. We have custom layouts, based on configuration best suited for your needs. To view the straight and curved rows, please click here. Since we are the manufacturer we can also customize any layout configuration so if you see something you want in this diagram, please let us know and we will gladly help. If there is a configuration not listed that you are looking for just let us know and we will make that a reality for you.

 The following clip gives you an idea how to place your speakers in your home theater.

Here is another layout configuration detailing the distance needed to get the best results from your home theater experience. We ensure you have enough wall clearance by using the “wall saver” incliner mechanism that only requires 2″-4″ behind the chair. If you have limited space in your home theater, this can be very beneficial. Aisle depth is also important as front reclining chairs are 24″, it is recommended to have rows 30″-40″ in clearance. This is detailed in this picture, just click on the image to enlarge it.

For a brochure or for more information on this or any other questions you may have please contact us from the links below:

Canadian Head Office
Unit 406, 17665 66A Ave.
Surrey, BC V3S 2A7
Tel.  604-575-8310
Fax. 604-575-8329

U.S. Head Office
1927 Boblett Street
Blaine, WA 98230
Tel. 1-800-490-1595

email: sales@elitehts.com

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The Crowson TES 100 (Tactile Effects System)

July 25th, 2012

“The Crowson TES 100 is the next generation of tactile effects for home theater systems. The bass shaker era has ended, and the age of the TES 100 has begun.” - Matthew Washam, Sr. Editor of Home Theater Spot

We are proud to offer, as a premium option, the Crowson TES 100 (Tactile Effects System) to each of our models.  Crowson offers the world’s only audiophile low grade frequency motion.

The Crowson Linear Actuator is placed on the floor, underneath the seat. The actuator expands and contracts to move the chair giving you actual motion, not just a bass vibration. We take it a step further and place the actuator within the arm of the seat to keep it out of sight. The weight of the chair compresses the actuator and your entire seat vibrates once the low frequency sound is detected.

This does not replace your sub-woofer, it enhances the sound.  With the Crowson TES 100, there is no need to put your sub-woofer at maximum capacity. If you live in an apartment you will be subjected to other tenants bass or you will have complaints against your own. This occurs when your sub-woofer is at a maximum capacity in order to feel the vibration. The actuators in the TES eliminate that issue because your chair is directly affected by the motion resulting in a lower bass level for those around. Each chair also has its own volume control.

To read articles on the Crowson TES 100 (Tactile Effects System), please click the links below:

About.com Home Theater

Audioholics.com

Equipment Review

Home Entertainment

To view how we install the Crowson TES 100, please click here.

For a brochure or for more information on this or any other questions you may have please contact us from the links below:

Canadian Head Office
Unit 406, 17665 66A Ave.
Surrey, BC V3S 2A7
Tel.  604-575-8310
Fax. 604-575-8329

U.S. Head Office
1927 Boblett Street
Blaine, WA 98230
Tel. 1-800-490-1595

email: sales@elitehts.com

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