Home theatres are a dime a dozen. In fact, you can have an experience somewhat similar to a multiplex at home, just for a few crores. What, then, can make your personal cinema stand out in this sea of nondescript home theatre setups among your peers? Just add a dash of opulence to your cinematic experience. And make it an experience that can surpass that offered by any movie theatre worth its salt.
For instance, you can have loungers that look more like works of art than something to sit on; gigantic hi-tech screens that are capable of rendering everything you throw at them; speakers that not only deliver god-like sound, but that also boast exquisite levels of craftsmanship; and finally, bespoke lighting that enhances your movie-watching experience. There is, truly, a lot you can do to transform your experience—from what you can get in any multiplex, to one that envelops you in the lap of luxury and is customised to your tastes.
To help you along the way, here are a few additions you might consider for your current home theatre to elevate the experience to the next level.
SACO LED Lighting
Planning to call friends over for movie or game night? Give your personal cinema the feel of a lounge with customised architectural video lighting from SACO. The company, which has made its name with its exquisite outdoor projects such as the MSG Sphere at the The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas (below, in picture) most recently and Montreal’s supper club Ristorante Buonanotte—where the restaurant transforms into a disco after dinner service—could very well be the X factor that will make your home theatre the hangout place of choice for your peer group. Not to mention the bespoke experiences the media display panels can present. Price: Based on project.
CAT MBX Powered Speakers
Your personalised home theatre deserves bespoke speakers as well. Just hop over to the offices of California Audio Technology (CAT) to order yourself a custom-built speaker system. Each speaker tips the scales at 5 tonnes and is equipped with 55 cm subwoofers, 23 cm woofers, 3 cm tweeters, and 14 cm mid-range speakers, housed within an enclosure exceeding 20 cm in thickness, crafted using CAT’s closely-guarded lamination process. These speakers look at home even in the most aesthetically designed spaces, while delivering sonic nirvana, whether you’re watching a movie, listening to music or gaming. While prices start at $500,000, an MBX system with all the bells and whistles could set you back by $16 million.
Hart Audio D&W Aural Pleasure
If you’d like your home theatre to be the epitome of opulence, how about getting yourself a pair of speakers—which could very well function as your front left and right speakers—that are worth their weight in gold? Literally, each speaker cabinet is crafted from 50 kg of 24-carat gold, and its unique shape is inspired by the age-old art of bell-founding—they’ll be a conversation piece even before you press play. The heart of these speakers lies in their three driver units, which collaborate harmoniously to yield a meticulously controlled and perfectly balanced audio signal that results in an auditory experience that is difficult to match. Price: $5 million.
QTZ Swivel Base Lounge Chair – Gold
Now a home theatre has standardised seating. But other than the standard loungers, you could have your own ‘throne’. And what better than to get a chair or two from a limited collection, like the gold version of the QTZ Swivel Base Lounge Chair designed by Alexander Lotersztain—there are only five of them in the world! This work of art by the Argentina-born Australian designer and Founder of the multi-disciplinary design studio Derlot offers sumptuous seating, featuring soft, tactile textiles, the finest leather and velvet. Made of stainless steel, the chair’s main inspiration comes from naturally occurring geometric forms of quartz. The concept was born from Lotersztain’s passion for materials, technologies and craftsmanship. Price on request.
Lockheed Lounge
There are sofas, and then there are some that are part of furniture history. How about one which featured in a music video in the 1990s with pop queen Madonna. The Lockheed Lounge, designed by Australian designer Marc Newson, is made of aluminium and fibreglass-reinforced plastic, and each piece took up to six months to make. And there are only around 10 of them in the world, with Madonna owning one of them. Newson made moulds of fibreglass from Lockheed’s form, and hammered thin sheets of pure aluminium on them to achieve the precise contours. If you manage to get your hands on one of these (one of them sold at an auction for $3.7 million some years ago), know that you own a part of pop history.
BOE 110-inch 16K display
How about a 16K television that you can hang on your wall? While not available commercially yet, Chinese display major BOE recently unveiled such a TV with a screen size of 110 inches, and an insane resolution of 15,360 x 8,640 pixels or 132 million pixels. With a contrast ratio of 1,200:1, this TV delivers sharp pictures and vivid colours. The super sharp screen will certainly make your personal cinema stand out in the crowd, but those who love gaming on the big screen should know that the TV’s refresh rate is limited to 60Hz. That said, if BOE launches this product in the market, this will be one of the first 16K TVs you can buy off the shelf. Expect to pay a pretty penny if and when BOE brings it to the market. But for that price, you get your hands on one of the cutting edge display technologies of our times.
Sony 790-inch 16K Crystal LED
Yes, you read that right—this video display is indeed that big. However, this gigantic screen boasts a remarkable contrast ratio exceeding one million to one, ensuring unparalleled precision in lighting levels, minimal heat emission, and astonishing picture quality. Utilising ultra-fine micro-LEDs—each measuring just 0.003 sq. mm or half the width of human hair—this display unit delivers sharp, distortion-free moving images, and supports high frame rates, and will stand you in good stead whether you’re watching a movie, playing a game, or even working on an excel sheet (if you so desire). Priced at an estimated $5 million, this modular display can be customised as per your needs, but you need this size to watch 16K content in all its glory.
