From an initial base as a predominantly electrical firm with some interests in home entertainment and related areas, MLC (Media, Lighting, Control) AV has expanded its reach over the last five years to the point that automation and AV now represent the majority of its workload. MLC AV director and technical designer Euan Webster spoke to Commercial Integrator Europe about the company’s ongoing evolution.
Post-economic crash, how buoyant has the demand for home cinema installations remained?
The recession hit just as we were starting out. It’s been a tough few years, but things seem to be picking up again. We have noticed over the years that residential demand seems to follow the reporting of the recession. When the news says the country is doing well, demand goes up. If there is negative news, demand goes down. Commercial demand for AV and automation also seems to follow this trend, but not in as pronounced a way.
Technologically-speaking, what impact have surround sound and 3D had on home cinema design? And what is your view on the emerging 4K technology and its implications for home cinema?
I think surround sound has had a huge impact on home cinema design. We’ve always offered surround systems, but people’s awareness of it has definitely increased in recent years. When specifying a system, people used to ask what was wrong with their old stereo setup, and why do they need surround sound (until they heard the surround set-up that is). Now people are more likely to know what they want from a surround system. The difficulty is persuading some of them that a £150 system from the high street is just not going to cut it!
In our experience 3D has had very little impact on home cinema design. When it first arrived, people were intrigued and asked for 3D setups, whether in a TV or projector; now customers very rarely ask for it, and if they do it’s mostly for the kids, but even they get bored of putting on the glasses quickly and revert back to 2D watching.
I personally find 4K very exciting, and think it will start to take hold more in the next year or so, as the technology matures and more 4K sources become available. The big hold-up just now is lack of 4K material and delivery channels. There is next-to-no 4K broadcast material, and streaming requires a fast internet connection, typically around the 15Mbps mark. The UK internet infrastructure simply is not adequate in most places to deliver this. Yes, they’re getting there, with Virgin and BT delivering FTTC and FTTH offerings, but still far too much of the country is missing out on these technologies. Until this gets fixed, 4K adoption is going to suffer in the UK.
Over the last five years, we have heard a great deal of talk about the smart and connected home. How close do you think we are to that becoming a widespread reality?
Over the past couple of years there has been a huge leap forward in the smart and connected home arena. People like LightwaveRF, Nest, Hive, etc, have really boosted the profile of the technologies. Now with Google and Apple jumping onboard, these technologies are just going to get more widespread. The main problem just now is that the systems are disparate, with no cohesion between the different manufacturers and technologies. That’s great new for us as integrators, but I feel it is detrimental to the end-user, who gets frustrated using six apps to control their different systems, and have to have a pile of internet gateway devices stacked next to their router.
Do you have any preferred brands for home automation project, or do you take an ‘agnostic’ approach?
We’re somewhat agnostic in what brands we use for home automation projects, although for control we do prefer Elan g! if it fits the bill. We assess each job individually, and depending if it is retro-fit or new install somewhat dictates the technology. If we can’t run new data cabling, then we’ll look at RF or wifi systems like RTi. If we can get the cabling in, then Elan is preferred for its speed of implementing and roll-out.
What can you tell us about your current projects?
We’ve just completed our biggest video wall to date; a 5m by 2.5m 4K setup in Harrod’s Home department. That was a challenging install due to the time and space constraints. All work had to be carried out over night, so as not to impact customers within the store.
We’re just beginning work on an office block in Islington, installing and programming a DALI lighting system over several floors. All lighting is going to be LED panels, with occupancy sensors to reduce energy waste.
We’re installing Sonos with ceiling speakers, centralised data services, wi-fi and access control over a block of eight newly-built luxury flats in Islington, and upgrading a yacht in the south of France that has a 12-year-old Crestron system in it. We’ll probably put RTi in there, as running new cabling is not feasible unfortunately. We’ll change all the TVs for HD units and upgrade the DVD players to Blu-ray. We’re also swapping the four satellite receivers for HD units.
