The right frame of mind
Engineered to minimise equipment and maximise space, a Canadian company inspired by reducing clutter for people living in small apartments is launching a new, compact AV solution. Joe Young reports.
There is no doubt that technology is evolving, and if the history of home cinema were to be displayed in the same fashion as Rudolph Zallinger’s March of Progress, which shows man’s evolution from prehistoric ape-like creature to homo sapien, then CinemaFrame would surely be the latest step in the journey.
As many readers of Connected would remember, the first home cinemas were bulky and cripplingly expensive with a glut of cables that created a mess. Now, a new benchmark has been set. Canadian company MillsonCustom Solutionhas developed a completely concealed, high-performance entertainment system called CinemaFrame. And when I say completely concealed, I mean everything: cables, speakers, the lot.
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How it works
CinemaFrame, which made its North American debut at CEDIA Expo in October, allows integrators to hide all AV cabling and loudspeakers inside the wall cavity, behind the TV. The TV is then surrounded by a border made of designer fabric.
All of the front channel speakers are hidden inside the wall but the system provides power for up to 4 external surround speakers for a full 7.2 surround sound experience.
The surge protected system supports any TV that is sized between 46” to 70” and is all controlled with one remote. With inputs for up to six AV sources you could connect an AppleTV with AirPlay, a Playstation, an iPod, a Blu-Ray player and a turntable all at the same time.
Not forgetting the interior design-conscious consumer, the surrounding frame comes in over 100 designer fabrics. Designed to seamlessly complement any surrounding décor, this system can be installed in any standard-depth wall, whether it be an apartment, office, a yacht or even a bus.
Development
Millson Technologies chief executive Richard Millson, a member of CEDIA’s US Board of Directors from 2012-2015, says the idea for the system originated from his company’s realisation that in modern high-rise buildings where many of his clients reside, technology solutions needed to be better hidden and ideally, eliminate the need for equipment racking altogether.
“We have done an enormous amount of work in luxury condominium towers over the years here in Vancouver and because of the relatively small size of the units compared to a single family home, we were always faced with difficulty in finding an appropriate place for an equipment rack,” Richard says.
This sparked his team to look at ways to centralise all of the equipment needed for an entertainment system in one place together with the display.
“After almost five years of prototyping and testing, CinemaFrame was the result.”
Richard says CinemaFrame has exceeded what he initially imagined he and his team would be able to create.
“You have to remember that CinemaFrame is actually several different products, all created from scratch to work as a single system. That takes a lot longer than developing a single product.
”We refused to release it until we were 100% confident that our dealers would receive a fully integrated and seamless solution. Fortunately, we have a team of incredibly talented and tenacious engineers.
“In the end I am thrilled with what our team has created.”
Sadly, Aussie and Kiwi integrators will have to wait until at least 2017 for the local release of CinemaFrame as Millson is focusing its energies on a successful release of their latest system in North America.
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