Dual Screens Make Theater Work for Entire Family

By Steven Castle

This Minnesota house is contemporary, but not over the top. So what to do about a basement home theater? Continue the theme, of course. “With three very active kids, the homeowners wanted a space that was usable for the entire family,” says Lance Anderson, president of Edina, MN-based custom electronics firm Admit One Home Cinema. They didn’t want a gigantic screen, but they did want two displays for video game playing and keeping track of their beloved Minnesota Twins baseball team.

The solution: an attractive space with clean contemporary lines, color, warmth, and two video displays that aren’t so over the top.



Admit One went with a 70-inch JVC D-ILA (Direct Drive Image Light Amplifier) rear-projection set that appears as a giant flat-panel TV behind the close-cut custom cabinetry. Anderson says the three-chip 1080p D-ILA set has black levels superior to LCD and approaching DLP, but without any visual artifacts. D-ILA, which is JVC’s version of LCoS (liquid crystal on silicon), is sort of a cross between LCD, using liquid crystals, and DLP, using a reflective device. The result is a smooth, film-like digital image.

That was one screen. The auxiliary video display is a 23-inch JVC LCD. Using a rear projection and LCD was far more economical than going with an over-the-top setup using four or five screens. Sound from either video display can play over the theater’s audio system, and the family can switch the audio or switch the video on the screens with a touch of the RTI T3 controller. Piece of cake.

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Meh, why put all the work into a theater room and skimp on the main display?

Got to agree with you on that one. Nice set-up...why kill it with 23" LCD..? Think they were aware that you can view live tv on the current Pronto Pro line?

On that note... Why post a pic of the remote? Maybe if it was the new T3v I could understand it.

To EH:

Do you guys have control of what pics you can take/post? It would have been nice in this article if you could have shown the displays as seen in a sitting position. Just to give a feel of what the users are experiencing.

The main display was a 70" plasma...that's nice for a media room...but for a theater room?

23" was the extra display.

Pretty sure it said the JVC was rear projection, not plasma. I think a 70" display (especially a plasma) would be nice in a small-ish room. Couldn't beat the PQ anyways. However for a room with the size they apparently have, I'll also agree it's on the little side of options.

Regardless, I was agreeing with you about the extra display...the 23"er. Seems to kill the room IMO.

You're right, I didn't read it correctly either.

It doesn't appear to be a small room. And looking at the photos, they could have definitely made both the main display and extra one bigger. There's plenty of room.

agree with you guys, it is a shame