Rachel House, located in Kinross, Scotland, is a children’s hospice dedicated to providing relief to children and young adults with life-shortening conditions.
A substantial home cinema installation at the hospice was made possible by the generosity of AV installers and suppliers, with the companies helping to generate a saving of almost £20,000 by donating and subsidising a sizeable amount of the kit – including a Control4 control system, JVC Projector x3 Dila and Current Audio in-ceiling speakers.
The team from Rachel House set out to enhance the home’s facilities so the children and young adults were able to enjoy the very best in high tech entertainment, and needed a design and installation plan that corresponded to a lower budget.
Thanks to the team at Loud and Clear, with whom Ian Morrish – the founder of the initiative – had previous connections with, an installation plan met the budget and brief for the ultimate multi functional, high tech recreational room designed for young adults visiting the centre for respite.
Installation took place late October 2011 and comprised of a HD, 3D JVC projector, a high gain projector screen suited for ambient light, full 7.1 surround sound system, enabling Sky, Blu-rays and DVDs to be played in exceptional quality. A multi zone music system ensured sound was generated outside and inside, and was sourced from a music library residing on an external NAS computer drive.
It was paramount to create the ideal viewing environment for the room and ease of control – “the answer came from Control 4 – a flexible, cost effective home control system, which could be easily understood by a wide range of users,” said Allan Boyd, Loud and Clear. The Control4 connected to a Rako electric blind interface and a Luton lighting controller, and was operated from an iPad.
“The home cinema system is a fantastic addition to our newly opened young adult space,’ said Alison Blair, Rachel House Activities Coordinator. ‘The space has proved so popular that before 3pm every day we’ve opened it up to all family members and we’ll often find a Dad relaxing in the luxury massage chair watching a film. The home cinema has got a wide-ranging appeal for all ages and is a much-loved item in the house.”
Donated kit: Control4 control system, Current Audio in ceiling speakers FIT651 (supplied via Habitech), Lutron lighting control, Middle Atlantic Equipment Rack (donated by RGB Communications), Rako blind controls, Speakercraft subwoofer (donated by Aldous Systems), Velodyne (donated by Redline Distribution).
Subsidised Kit: JVC projector X3 Dila (supplied by Marata Vision), Pioneer Blu-ray player LX54 (supplied by AWE Distribution), Vutec Scree 1.8m Fixed Frame (supplied by Marata vision).
