Sonic Visions Blog

The other day we had a visitor to our store who came in to purchase a remote and then asked "You guys are home theatre specialists? Why would anyone want a home theatre, when they can go to the cinema theatre?"

For the record: His concept of a home theatre was a 60" LCD TV with a surround sound package that he got from the back of a truck at the LCBO, for a "great deal".

After giving him a quick walk through and him being completely floored by our setup, he said he did not need an answer to his question.

But, we gave him  these additional reasons, in no particular order:

Yes, the cinema theatre experience is good, but here's why I (and many of our customers) choose my home cinema instead of a movie theatre when I decide to watch a movie.

1. Late comers (You know the ones who come in after the movie starts, and are walking all around trying to find their group in the dark, flashing their cellphones and "whispering" out names!)

2. Groups of noisy/chatty teenagers, who always have a snarky comment or remark on every good scene, or the one person who just doesn't get the movie and asks questions throughout the movie like -- I thought he was the killer?)

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The Panasonic PT-AE8000U is one of the best additions to the Panasonic product line. Having some significant improvements from the previous model, Panasonic brings a whole new vision to the projector industry. Providing us with the brand new 3D projection system which offers high definition quality that any casual or professional would aspire to have. Having improvements in areas such as picture quality, brightness, contrast from dynamic ranges to shadow detail, and color accuracy. This projector is a must have for any home theatre system; you won’t regret using this new 3D projector for watching any of your hot new flicks in 2013.

Highlights of the Panasonic PT-AE8000U Features

   This model comes equipped with Full HD 3D technology, provided with a lamp life of 4,000 Hrs and a max resolution of 1920x1080; >>> Continue Reading....

If 2D alone isn’t enough, and you want some 3D in your life, the Epson Home Cinema 5020UB is the perfect choice.  Let’s go through some of the many reasons this is a top rated 2D/3D projector on the market.

The big reason: Picture Quality

I hate to be a broken record, but for the same reason I chose the Epson Home Cinema 8350 as the best 2D projector in it's price range, the Epson Home Cinema 5020UB is the best 3D projector in it's price range!  The brightness is outstanding on this piece.  A solid 2400 lumens at spec gives us all kinds of flexibility and brightness for any different application you have.  You may remember from my Epson Home Cinema 8350 review, how important brightness is when you have ambient light.  You may also recall that I said to expect 2/3 to ½ of the spec’d brightness in reality.  >>> Continue Reading....

The first time I took the new Marantz SR7007 out of the box I was floored.  I could not believe all this integrated AV receiver had to offer, and for the price!  Wow.  Let's do a quick run down of what makes this receiver the best in it's price-point.
Aesthetics:  I know! It sounds ridiculous to [...]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but unless you are watching movies on a projector and screen, you are not seeing what the director intended.  I know, but it's true.  Sure your 50, 60, 70" panels look really nice.  They are bright, they have a bunch of pop to them, but [...]

We consider the Epson 8350 the best 2D projector in its price category.  Sure, you could spend upwards of $30k or more on a 2D projector, but we mean in the price realistic category!  This projector is a workhorse that it looks good on everything.  It’s very difficult to beat.  The calibration straight out of [...]

A couple of things happen when we mention the words "Home Theatre".  The first thing people think of is a 50" Flat Panel, flanked by a little home theatre in a box from a big box store.  A lot of people, even friends and family of mine, think they have a home theatre with those components.  Once I talk to them about real home theatre; a projector with screen, and actual speakers that aren't just plastic, the response I almost always receive is, "Oh, you mean a real home theatre.  I can't afford that."

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We had a customer come into our location in Brampton, Ontario the other day who was absolutely shocked with what he saw.  "Wow, I didn't realize you guys were the real deal when it comes to theatres.  I thought you just sold projectors and screens." >>> Continue Reading....

When you think of a projector, what do you think of?  Probably a big screen set up in your basement, with couches arced around it.  A dark dark room that most people would find a little weird if they didn't know what it was!  Maybe you think of big speakers blasting out sound you can feel in your chest.  Those are great thoughts, and they are what I think of when I think of a theatre.  But there are so many other options.  Not only can you do a projector in your family room now due to the great brightness in projectors and retractible screens, but why not take the party outside!  That's right, outside!!

At first blush it sounds crazy, but it really is far easier than you think.  Consider the options from Epson.  We have the Megaplex series of projectors with which you can actually just dock your ipod/iphone/ipad and watch the videos you have stored on it!  They have the traditional inputs as well, of course, so you can plug in a blu ray player without any problems.  Just run yourself an extension cord outside, purchase a portable screen which can range from around $100 to $2000 depending on what your needs are, plug in and go!  The built in speakers allow you to get all the sound without having to lug around speakers.  Not only are the Megaplex projectors great for projecting images, but you can simply dock in your apple device and use it as just a speaker dock without having to turn on the projector itself! >>> Continue Reading....

It's a fair question! "Do I REALLY need a screen?  Come on... really? It's just white.... I can just paint my wall white..."

I'm sorry, but no! Please don't just paint your wall white!!!!

Let's break down the image you are seeing when you watch a projector.  The source (Bluray, cable box etc) is plugged into your projector.  The projector then emits light through it's lens.  The light is then reflected by the screen.  This reflected light is what your eyes see as an image.  The quality of that reflected light will make a huge difference in how you perceive the image.  For example, if that image is reflected onto a matte paint, which is not designed to reflect light your image may look very dull and washed out.    Not only that, it is possible that your paint did not go on perfectly even, or your wall is not perfectly straight, which can create unintended reflections which will result on "hot spots" or colour shifting.  Not a pretty sight when you've spent a good amount of money on a nice new 1080p projector! >>> Continue Reading....