Ultimate Home Theatre Experience Exhibit Helps Families Bring Movie Palace Magic Into Their Own Homes
From October 1, 1999 through January 1, 2001, visitors to the Millennium Celebration at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida will have the opportunity to welcome the new millennium with a global party, spectacular entertainment and a peak at breakthrough technologies - many of which they can have in their own homes, both today and in the future. At one of the newest exhibits in Innoventions at Epcot, the Ultimate Home Theatre Experience, Millennium Celebration guests will find out how they can bring the magic of the movie theatre experience into their own homes. The exhibit, presented by Lutron Electronics Co., Inc., the world's leading designer and manufacturer of lighting controls, showcases the most extraordinary home theater products and technologies and demonstrates how affordable, simple and accessible home theater has become as we approach the new century. According to Rick Schuett, Lutron's Vice President for New Business Development, the 2,700-square-foot, state-of-the-art exhibit will truly revolutionize consumersí awareness of what is possible in creating their own personal home theater. ""The 15-month Millennium Celebration is the perfect backdrop to provide a home theatre experience to millions of guests,"" he said. ""And Innoventions at Epcot, where guests preview the future of technology today, is the perfect venue for our interactive Ultimate Home Theatre Experience exhibit."" Visitors to the exhibit experience first hand the latest cutting-edge audio, video, and lighting technologies as well as other home entertainment products. Lutron has brought together a collection of more than 20 leading companies to showcase these technologies and give consumers a glimpse of the possibilities that exist for their own home theatres. The Ultimate Home Theatre Experience culminates in one of two identical 15-seat residential Ultimate Home Theatres created by architectural designer Theo Kalomirakis and project designer Russ Herschelmann, both world-renowned home theatre experts. The theatres, manufactured by Acoustic Innovations, feature one of the worldís first consumer demonstrations of high-definition television. ""Our theatre design team included experts from the premier companies in the home theatre field. They supported our vision - to conceive an exhibit that allows visitors to literally immerse themselves in the spectacular power of the home theatre experience, and understand just how easy it is to duplicate right at home,"" said Schuett. ""As old misconceptions about the excessive cost and difficult installation process of home theatres are debunked, the truth becomes obvious - home theatres are more thrilling and attainable than ever."" ""It is easy to transform oneís living room into a special movie-watching environment, and the process need not be expensive,"" Schuett added. ""As a result, consumer interest in home theatre is at an all-time high - and growing. ""Of course, there are a number of demographic, psychographic and societal factors that have driven the $10.64 billion-a-year home theater market , but we believe it all comes down to this - there's simply nothing like the pleasure of getting away from it all by dimming the lights in one's own home theater and sharing a great time with family and friends. That is the underlying appeal of the Ultimate Home Theater Experience."" The exhibit, which debuted in June and will remain open for three years, is in Innoventions, an interactive showcase where guests experience how ""near-future"" technologies enhance daily life. Millions of guests have visited Innoventions since its opening in 1994 and, in preparation for the Millennium Celebration - which is expected to attract more guests than ever before - Disney Imagineers have completely reinvented Innoventions to make it a compelling ""can't miss"" stop for 21st century visitors. Other Innoventions exhibitors include such world-class organizations as IBM, General Motors, AT&T, Motorola, Xerox and Disney On Line. The design of the Ultimate Home Theatre Experience exhibit helps guests see the similarities between home theatre and the magic of show business. This is communicated through a ""backstage"" set, and through the display of home entertainment artifacts that remind guests of how far technology has come and its impact on daily life. A lively demonstration of products and technology challenges popular myths about home theatre and illustrates how easily a family room can be transformed into an entertainment retreat. Another set, a residential living room, allows visitors to visualize how this new technology might be aesthetically integrated to work in their own homes. The exhibit concludes with the two splendid, 15-seat Ultimate Home Theatres. These theatres feature exquisite Art Deco design, complete with dramatic columns, fiber-optic lighting and a romantic ""star-field"" ceiling, plush seating and, of course, the most advanced state-of-the-art equipment available today. Once inside, lighting controls dim the ""house lights"" and set the stage for an intimate, and spectacular, audio, visual and entertainment experience. Lighting is the ""sizzle"" when it comes to home theatres. Having the ability to bring the lighting up or down or create special effects - all through the use of lighting controls - is an essential part of any home theatre. ""When the lights dim, the magic starts ñ itís showtime,"" remarked Kalomirakis. ""Modern lighting controls vastly improve ambience throughout the home, especially in common areas such as home theaters. ""With todayís lighting controls, you can easily transform your living room into an elegant entertainment retreat,"" Kalomirakis added. ""In fact, these days the same lighting controls used in commercial movie theatres are available for the home and are affordable."" The worldís leading home theatre experts worked tirelessly behind the scenes of the Ultimate Home Theatre Experience exhibit to help bring it to life. Kalomirakis, architectural designer of the two Ultimate Home Theatres, is founder of the home theatre design firm bearing his name, author of Theo Kalomirakisí Private Theaters, and designer of home theatres for such celebrities as Eddie Murphy, Roger Ebert, author Dean Koontz, and major league pitching star Randy Johnson. A noted speaker and published author on audio and home entertainment environments, Herschelmannís work has been featured in numerous national magazines including Widescreen Review, and newspapers. In addition, he is the founder of the Home Entertainment Council for the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) and a former member of the groupís board of directors. Finally, home theatre industry veteran Jay Miller of Acoustic Innovations brought the interior and architectural design elements to life by manufacturing every interior element of the two Ultimate Home Theatres - from the stylish columns to the warm acoustical paneling to the stunning proscenium. Home theatre products showcased in the exhibit include: acoustical diffusors (RPG Diffusor Systems, Inc.), acoustical insulation/room treatment (Owens Corning), amplifier/pre-amplifier (Audio Design Associates), audio video distribution (Channel Plus), audio video receivers (Kenwood USA), bass shakers (Aura Systems), cable and power conditioners (Monster Cable and Monster Power), consumer television, HDTV, DVD, Web TV, DSS service and receiver (Sony), digital player piano (Yamaha), flatpanel television (Philips), high-end loudspeakers (M & K Sound), home theatre seating (Irwin Seating), lighting controls and control systems (Lutron), lighting fixtures and fiber optic lighting (Cooper Lighting), mainstream speaker system (Bose Corporation), motorized cabinet door mechanisms (Eubank), projection screen (Da-Lite), projectors (Runco International), speaker and equipment stands (Lovan Audio), touchscreen controls (PHAST by AMX), and Ultimate Home Theatre room certification (THX). About Lutron Electronics Lutron Electronics Co., Inc., headquartered in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, is the worldís leading designer and manufacturer of lighting controls and architectural lighting control systems for residential, commercial and institutional applications. Through continued innovation, Lutron has grown from a one-room office marketing two products in 1961 to an international company now providing more than 11,000 products worldwide. Well-known for their reliability, elegant design and superior performance, Lutronís products are used in millions of homes and businesses as well as countless high-profile locations including the White House, the Getty Center, Buckingham Palace and the Guggenheim Museum in Spain. For further information and a copy of a free consumer booklet on home lighting controls, ""Dimmers by Lutron,"" phone 800 525 9466, or visit the company online at www.lutron.com or www.ultimatehometheater.com/press pavilion. www.ultimatehometheater.com, the ""authority"" site on the subject, is the perfect place for consumers to find out how they can capture the thrill of home theater. The source of the latest and most useful information, the site makes it possible to ""visit"" the Ultimate Home Theatre Experience exhibit and preview the industry's newest products. The site also identifies local dealers and installers who can help families bring the experience home, easily and affordably.