Tech Talk: The Markin Theater

This theater is a good example of an installer carefully selecting gear to meet the client’s needs—within budget and without compromise.

"They wanted the best picture for their budget," says Zachary Deily of Definitive Electronics in Jupiter, Fla. So Deily turned to the Emmy Award-winning Digital Projection International:

“We’ve used Digital Projection for years because of their vast line. Their projectors perform exceptionally well, and they have a broad range of price points, so I know there’s a great, quality projector to match any budget.”

Deily’s team chose the dVision 30 HD projector. “It’s a single-chip with plenty of light output, which is important [with] a 110-inch Stewart screen.”

For audio, Deily’s team used Sunfire’s TGP-5 Theater Grand Processor, along with the company’s TGA-7200 Theater Grand Amplifier—a seven-channel, 200-watt-per-channel amp that runs so cool and weighs so little that many confuse it for a fully digital amp. In fact, the TGA-7200 is built on the same Class A/B topology as most high-end theater amps.

What leads to its cool operation and lack of heft is its unique power supply, whose voltage varies in accordance with the input signal, resulting in less heat and eliminating the need for massive heat sinks.

Simplicity was key with this system, which includes a DirecTV receiver, a Blu-ray player, an Apple TV and the lighting-control module.

“There’s no Kaleidescape system, where you need all of the visual feedback and two-way communication you’d get from a touch screen,” Deily says. “We showed her a few different remotes, and she really liked the ML-600 from Crestron.”

Based on the same chassis as Universal Remote Control’s MX-850, with Crestron’s software, the hard-button remote control is simple to use: press a button, and the system fires up. Plus it has its own mini LCD screen.

“We also have a lock-out period when it starts up to ensure the system has time to turn on before you start pressing buttons,” Deily continues. “Same with the cool-down mode: You can’t turn the system back on too quickly after you’ve turned it off. It may be a simple remote, but we’re able to put in all of the same fail-safes as with any Crestron system.”—Dennis Burger

RESOURCES

Custom Installer: Definitive Electronics of Jupiter, Fla. (561.748.3564, desflorida.com)

Interior Designer: CDK Development of Palm Beach, Fla. (561.762.5515)

Theater Designer and Architect: First Impressions Theme Theatres Inc. of North Miami, Fla. (800.305.7545, cineloungers.com)

Photography by Grossman Photogrpahy