Plano Home Theater

Plano, Texas

Beyond the traditional-style facade of this magnificent 15,000 square foot home, located just north of Dallas in an exclusive Plano, Texas neighborhood, is a home theater that features an absolutely innovative control system.

The theater and adjoining control room encompass a spacious 1,000 square feet. Just enough room to entertain a dozen or so of the family's closest friends, where they can kick back on an oversize circular sofa and ultra-plush reclining theater seats custom-made by Cinematech. When every one is settled in, there's a wide selection of viewing options available—ranging from satellite programming to DVD and VHS.

In the fully automated control room, a rack system houses all the source devices and AMX switch and control equipment. With a simple touch on the Viewpoint Wireless Touch Panel in the theater, images are transferred from the Sony HDTV-ready Multi-Scan CRT projector to the 133" Draper Shadowbox screen with masking system. Audio is routed from the Denon Dolby Digital Surround Receiver to Sonance Cinema front and surrounding speakers.

That's not all the control panel does. The friendly icon-based graphic interface allows easy manipulation of the theater's automated draperies and the Lutron lighting system. In addition to the home's lighting system, the HVAC system is also integrated into the AMX control system—enabling the family to adjust climate zones and lighting from any room using AMX keypads placed throughout the house.

What is truly unique about the theater's Viewpoint Touchscreen however is that family members have their own control page. A scanned image of each person's face allows him or her to quickly find their page. The system makes it easy for them to program their favorite entertainment selections for easy one-touch access.

The home theater was planned with the construction of the home under the direction of Don Crecelius, Project Manager with Bob Thompson Homes. Audio Command Systems in Dallas designed and implemented the system.