Home theater is all about creating a superb cinematic experience at home. What's one thing that can ruin a great film? Bad seats. Even when the sound and visuals are first-rate, an uncomfortable seat that makes your back hurt leads to a subpar experience.

As a professional home theater design company, we encourage folks looking at building or remodeling a home theater to invest in good quality seating. On average, a good guideline is to allocate 10-15% of the overall budget to seating. We also firmly believe that special-purpose home theater seating is superior to other furniture types. Two big reasons are the range of customization options and more robust construction that stands up to many years of binge-watching use.

So, what are the best seating options for your home theater design in Town and Country, MO? Keep reading for three of our favorites below.

It might seem hard to believe, but home theaters have been around for over thirty years. During that time, audio and video have seen an incredible transition from predominantly analog to digital technologies. Hence, the home theater of a previous era is quite obsolete compared to today's options. 

However, some things are not necessarily obsolete. For example, great speakers, such as those from h-fi brands like KEF, might still perform perfectly well in your theater. Similarly, high-end analog amplifiers never go out of style for powering those speakers. 

But other components, especially the parts of the home theater that are based on digital technology, have changed radically. So if you have an existing home theater setup that is five years old or more, you might benefit from an upgrade. Here are three major areas a home theater design company can help you upgrade in your Chesterfield, MO, private cinema. 

As we all know, technology inexorably moves forward. In audio and video, digital technology also continues to evolve and improve. What does that mean? The state-of-the-art home theater from ten years ago is likely in need of an upgrade. Like a ten-year-old car, we're not saying it doesn't work anymore – but it’s not delivering on what the latest technology can do.

Like today's cars that might have significantly more horsepower and far more intelligence than one from just 2012, today's home theater technology offers a more immersive entertainment experience. If the home theater design in your Ladue, MO, home goes back more than even five years ago, it may be time to consider an upgrade. Keep reading for four must-have features every home cinema should have in 2022.  

According to the research firm IDC, the smart home market is projected to grow at a healthy 16.9% annual clip over the next few years. As an architect, designer, or builder, your clients likely have smart home automation listed as a high priority for their next home in Wildwood, MO.

What’s the best way to plan for home automation in your projects? In the same way you work with other professionals and trades, you’ll want to start early. Smart home technology is much more than a basic pre-wire package for low-voltage cabling. Read on to see how planning for home automation from the start will lead to smoother and faster builds for your projects – and more satisfied clients to boot.

Thanks to incredible advancements in audiovisual technology, the movie-going pastime we all miss can exist inside our Ladue, MO homes in ways it never could before. Perhaps you already have a custom home theater dressed to the nines with high-resolution equipment that’s been professionally installed and calibrated to offer unforgettable movie-viewing experiences.

But even the most sophisticated home theater isn’t complete without a Kaleidescape movie server. Known as the filmmaker’s choice for movie players, Kaleidescape is the only online source for films with full-fidelity audio and video from all major studios. If you’re a cinephile, it’s time you learn about Kaleidescape and how it will transform the way you watch movies in your luxury home theater.

What is a home theater? For many people, it conjures an image of a dedicated room with a large screen, lots of speakers, and plush, comfortable seating that creates a luxurious space for watching cinematic shows and movies. In reality, a home theater can be anything you want it to be for your favorite audio and video content.

If you’re a music buff, no one says your home theater can’t have an audiophile-quality sound system where you might listen to music without the screen turned on. Maybe you don't watch many movies, but enjoy your sports on a massive screen with surround sound that makes you feel like you are at the game. 

We want to suggest one other way to make the most out of a home theater – video gaming. If your kids are gamers – or maybe it's you, no judgment – a home theater can turn gaming fun into an epic experience. Keep reading to see how to incorporate gaming into your home theater design in Wildwood, MO.

Do you have an investment in high-end home theater components? If you have a 4K projector, Dolby Atmos surround system, and high-end speakers like KEF, you want to enjoy everything your equipment has to offer in visuals and sound.

You might be thinking, what am I missing? Much of today's content is delivered via streaming, whether music or video. While 4K video and Dolby Atmos audio are available for a growing amount of content, streaming doesn’t always deliver the best possible quality video and sound. This is because streaming needs to vary the amount of digital information transmitted over the internet connection.

Is there a way to get the most out of your St. Louis, MO high-end home cinema? Yes, with a Kaleidescape movie server and player system. As a premier Kaleidescape dealer, Elite Technology Solutions can help you hear and see every last detail from your favorite entertainment. Keep reading below to learn more!

Virtual reality is a technology that holds incredible promise. Many people think about it from the gaming and entertainment aspects, but it goes far beyond that. One innovative company in France is using virtual reality to train doctors for surgical procedures!

Closer to home, Elite Technology Solutions is excited to offer a new way to envision a home theater design for your Chesterfield, MO home before anyone picks up a tool. Modus VR uses virtual reality to let you visualize your home theater in three dimensions, going far beyond a floorplan and some pictures.

Keep reading to discover how Elite and Modus VR can help you get the customized home theater you want with no surprises.

Once upon a time, many Missouri homes had built-in cabinetry to hold a TV. In some homes, the family room might have had a cabinet with pull-out doors to expose a 4:3 format tube TV. When rear-projection models became popular, spaces in a wall of cabinetry were carved out to accommodate those huge and heavy boxes.

Today’s TVs, of course, are thin, large flat panels that are completely different from the models of yore. With that new form factor has come completely different ways of locating a TV. They can be mounted on almost any wall or over a fireplace focal point with a little installation to hide the cabling. Today’s TVs are also much larger screen-wise than those of 15 years ago. Some style-conscious homeowners –and just about all interior designers in St. Louis – don't particularly like a huge 65-inch black screen on the wall when it's not on. But there is an elegant solution for the unsightly flat-panel on the wall with hidden TV services from Elite Technology Solutions. Elite has recently partnered with FrameMyTV to offer a design-friendly way to make the TV fit with your style and décor. See more below!

Home theaters are not new; they have been around for perhaps three decades. Many homes have included a home theater in either a dedicated room or a living area for an engaging entertainment experience. But if there's one thing that's a constant, it's that technology moves quickly. With the transition to digital formats for audio and video, technology has moved even faster.

While an older home theater might be perfectly functional, you might be surprised at the improvements in audio and video in just the past five years.  In this timeframe, high-resolution projectors with much more dynamic contrast and color capabilities - exemplified by HDR (high dynamic range) formats – have become widely available and more affordable, and immersive audio such as Dolby Atmos can be found in a wide range of sound equipment.

What’s the best way to upgrade the home theater in your Clayton, MO home? A professional home theater design company can help you navigate a plethora of choices and help you reinvigorate your theater or media room. Keep reading for more.

When it comes to home theater design, it’s easy for the focus to go to the big display or surround sound speakers. But a lot more than that goes into creating the ideal viewing environment. That’s why we are very excited to announce our newest partner in home theater design: CinemaTech.

CinemaTech has been a leader in the industry for over twenty years. We love working with them because of their long history of stellar performance when it comes to home theater seating and acoustics. The solutions they provide are vital in creating the perfect ecosystem in any environment.

Keep reading to see why homeowners in Frontenac, MO should be using CinemaTech in their next home theater design project.

Barco may not be a well-known name in audio and video technology to the average consumer. Still, most anyone that has experience with commercial-class AV or attended a large event has experienced a Barco projector. 

The company has a long, rich, and perhaps surprising history. It started in Belgium as a radio manufacturer, with American parts – the Belgian American Radio Corporation. The company followed the natural progression into TV set manufacturing in the late 1950s to the 1970s, competing in Europe with industry giants like Philips. In 1979, they started to focus on video projection in airplanes, producing color projectors when the competition was still in black and white. The innovation continued from there, as Barco developed commercial projection and display solutions used from medical radiology to air traffic control. Leveraging their extensive experience and history, they entered the commercial cinema projection market in the early 2000s, with thousands of installations around the globe. 

If you want a top-quality projector for your home theater, Barco should be at the top of your shopping list. As a top commercial AV and home theater design company in St. Louis, Elite Technology Solutions recommends Barco projector solutions for its Missouri clients. Keep reading below to learn why. 

Nestled in the comfort of your St. Louis home lies a potential haven for cinematic adventure—a home theater designed to bring stories to life. But what is it that turns a simple media room into an extraordinary visual journey? We can tell you that it requires so much more than mounting a big-screen TV to the wall.

For the ultimate visual experience, an expert home theater designer like Elite Technology Solutions can optimize every component to deliver an exceptional visual experience. A bespoke home entertainment setup stirs emotions and captivates audiences, so keep reading below to learn the details!

For many homeowners, building a home theater is a dream they’ve considered for some time. They’ve explored different seating options and the audio and video equipment that would create the ultimate cinematic experience. But, whether due to differing opinions or feeling overwhelmed, many put aside their plans, waiting until they have more time to consider all the essential elements in home theater design. 

That’s where we come in. As a full-service systems integrator and home theater design company serving St. Louis, MO, for over 30 years, we provide unparalleled expertise in design, acoustical engineering, and video excellence. We expertly guide you through every aspect and consideration. 

Here, we'll explore some important, yet sometimes overlooked, design aspects. These include sightlines, sound treatments, and room dimensions. To end up with a home theater that exceeds your expectations requires attention to detail.

If you're embarking on a new or revamped home theater project, there are a considerable amount of details to sort out. Choosing the right room, equipment, seating, décor, acoustic treatment, wiring, and much more all factor into the equation. It may seem like a daunting task, but that's where a professional home theater design company like Elite Technology Solutions can help.

Elite can guide you through the entire process and provide you the theater you envision. Moreover, we work with premier companies like CinemaTech, which helps you design and see a virtual model of your theater before the work starts. Keep reading to learn more about a stress-free home theater design experience for your Clayton, MO home.