FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Will it take a long time to have my system designed and installed?

Not really. The time it takes for the whole process depends on the complexity of your system and whether you have an existing home or are building a new home. It can take as little as a week or as long as a year. Here's how the process goes.

The initial meeting takes an hour or two. Next, we like to visit your home for a walk-through to understand how best to integrate your system into your decor and room layout. Depending on the sophistication of the system, we'll spend a day or two more on the basic system design. Then we'll meet with you to show you our design, the system functionality, and the cost. Following that, clients usually take a few days to decide on changes and additions. So within a week to ten days, most clients have decided on at least the overall system so that wiring can begin.

Wiring for most of our systems takes between 1 and 3 days. After that we install equipment and perform on site programming and calibration. This phase also lasts between 1 and 3 days, longer if your system includes lighting, security, and HVAC system integration.

Finally, we will meet with you at your house to conduct training and complete our quality assurance checks. This is usually done in a few hours on an evening.

We're in the process of remodeling and we're thinking about creating a separate Home Theater room. What things should we consider about design and construction?

Having a dedicated room for your Home Theater gives you the ability to optimize audio and video performance while creating an interior design that suits your taste. As you begin your planning there are three very important considerations. First is the shape of the room. Rooms that are rectangular will have better acoustics than rooms that are square. And it's even better when the dimensions of length, width, and height, are not divisible by a common factor (e.g. 21' x 16' x 9' is better than 24' x 16' x 8').

Next is light control. Light falling directly on the screen washes out the picture. Ideally your plan for window treatments and lighting should provide enough ambient light for people to comfortably move around and operate controls, yet prevent bright light from falling directly on the screen.

Finally, the actual construction of walls needs to be considered. If you want to prevent the sound of your Home Theater from reaching other rooms, special sound absorbing and insulating techniques can be used.

After these basic considerations, there are many other things that need to be planned: wiring, speaker locations, furniture and cabinet layout are just a few. We love having the opportunity to work with clients planning a dedicated Home Theater. The results are always worth it.

Will my house be trashed during the installation?

One of the things that makes Steamtown Home Theater special is the skill and quality of our installers. We've installed electronics systems in some of the most prestigious homes, businesses and government offices in Northeastern Pennsylvania. We won't trash your house.

How well do you compete with the big guys?

Steamtown Home Theater's everyday price is the same as the everyday price at the big chain stores. On the same thing, it's the same price. But the top-of-the-line products at the chain stores are our entry level.

We offer higher performing products for people who expect more from their home electronics systems. As well as better products, we offer a range of services that the big guys just can't. It's not their business.

They're in the hardware business-we sell experiences.

How much does an acoustically treated room cost?

As with anything in your theater, the quality of the materials and the level of detail will determine the price of a room. Estimate between $20.00 per square foot for the most basic room, to $2000.00 per foot for an extravagant room!

How do CRT - LCD -DLP projectors compare?

CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) - a CRT projector has 3 tubes (Red, Green and Blue) producing the colors seen on the screen, unlike your typical home TV that used an internal tube to do the job. A vivid and bright picture is created with great resolution (especially when used with a DVD player) when the three tubes are converged and focused onto a screen. The main advantages of a CRT projector is it's video performance and picture quality.

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) - just as the CRT projector has 3 tubes, the LCD projector has 3 LCD panels along with a lamp. The light is separated into Red, Green and Blue and is passed through a dedicated LCD panel representing that color. The modulated light sources that have passed through the LCD panel are then merged and projected though a lens that offers zoom and focus. The main advantage of this type of projector is the amount of light output from these devices, their graphic capabilities, a zoom lens for correct projector positioning, and light-weight portability.

DLP (Digital Light Processing) - This device is somewhat like the LCD whereas you have an image device and a light source. The basic difference is the image device which is heavily populated with tiny mirrors that are mounted onto springs so individual mirrors can be tilted either to reflect or displace the light back down to a lens. There is only 1 image device, so the light is separated into the 3 colors by a spinning wheel and synchronized to the modulation sent to the tiny mirrors. The major advantage of this type of projector is the good video and data resolution with high light output. Click here for more information on DLP technology, from Texas Instruments, the inventors of DLP.

How long will my house be in a shambles if I put in an acoustically correct room?

Realistically, projects are broken down into phases. Once we have determined a budget and your priorities; The Design and Quoting Phase will take (2) weeks. Once we reach an agreement on the project specifications, the Production Phase will take (3) to (5) weeks. The Installation Phase will take (1) to (2) weeks. Obviously the more simple rooms can be done in a couple of days, the more extravagant rooms could take a year.