Tech Talk - The Home Cinema Alliance Podcast

HCA Media
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A consumer-facing podcast hosted by industry veterans, Stuart Burgess from Immersive Cinema Rooms and Simon Gregory from Cinema Rooms. Each episode, we bring you News, Reviews, and Interviews from inside the industry covering Home Cinema, Home Theatre, and all things tech. Get involved podcast@homecinemaalliance.co.uk

  1. 12/16/2025

    Inside Barco: Building Cinemas That Wow

    Send us a text Step into Barco’s headquarters in Kortrijk with us and see what separates a truly cinematic image from a bright picture on a big wall. Bart, who leads business development for Barco Residential in EMEA, opens doors to their demo cinemas and labs so we can connect the dots between specs, engineering, and what you actually feel when the room goes dark and the story takes over. We dig into the choices that matter: setting a real HDR target around 40 foot-lamberts, choosing screen fabric and lensing to hit that brightness, and using projection where reflected light and acoustically transparent screens create that unmistakable theater vibe. Bart explains how Barco’s RGB laser engines, wide color, and HDR by Barco deliver contrast and punch without turning the room into a wind tunnel, keeping noise down to whisper levels so projectors can live in the space. And when the brief calls for a daylight-friendly “giant TV,” we map where LED walls shine—lower heat, reduced eye fatigue with SteadyView, and sustainability wins borrowed from control-room know-how. We also unpack the difference compression makes, why a well-mastered 1080p can beat a compromised “4K,” and how firmware adds tone mapping and aspect ratio tools over time. If you’ve wondered about DCI at home, we cover secure playback, day-and-date rental models, and why studio-grade sources look and sound so visceral compared to streaming. Behind it all sits Barco’s test culture: EMC, altitude, thermal, and lifecycle stress that pushes beyond standards so your system feels invisible and reliable for years. Whether you’re planning a dedicated theater or a social space with a massive screen, this tour gives you a framework: define the experience first—seating, light, content mix—then choose projection or LED, the right lens, and the right screen to match. Ready to see what’s possible? Subscribe, share with a cinema-loving friend, and leave a review telling us which room you’d build: LED in the living room, projection in the theater, or both? Support the show

    1h 3m

  2. 12/09/2025

    From Lutron Scenes To UniFi Dreams: A Festive Deep Dive Into Smart Homes And Home Cinema

    Send us a text Forget the spec sheets—this festive session digs into what actually works in real homes. We start with a full Lutron RA3 commissioning, how we built 70-plus scenes that feel effortless, and where app control beats a laptop when you’re knee-deep on site. Then we go all-in on UniFi: Dream Machine Fibre, 10GbE links, and Wi‑Fi 7 access points that make a 2.5 Gbps connection sing. Protect’s local storage and AI detections let us skip cloud fees and keep privacy intact, while schedules stop hallway cameras from recording family life during the evening. Paired with a rare service win from Zen Broadband, this is the network layer we’d want at home. From there, we unpack a barn conversion media room that balances beauty and impact: RQ6 speakers, dual subs, an 85-inch display, and HEOS zones for kitchen, lounge, garden, and pool. Hidden subwoofers under an island with skirting vents kept the look clean without sacrificing bass. We talk eARC-first simplicity, when a handheld control makes sense, and why HDMI 2.1 finally solved most of the switching headaches. News-wise, Kaleidoscape’s Mini Terra Prime brings 8TB SSD storage and up to 25 simultaneous playbacks, perfect for expanding entry players. At the same time, the EU mercury rule makes this the last call for lamp projectors—grab an original lamp or plan your laser upgrade. And yes, Loewe is back with luxury OLEDs for those who want design-forward screens with serious sound. Our big theme is the power of demonstrations. A good demo lets you choose between a brilliant two-channel TV system and a compromised surround setup. It shows how scope versus 16:9 changes what you see, and why room treatment and calibration matter more than box specs. We share the demo clips that land every time—from The Greatest Showman’s musical punch to Atmos showcases, live sports, and games—and how to tailor a session for families, gamers, and movie purists. We also celebrate CEDIA Award winners, tip our hats to meticulous design work, and share a charity challenge to start the new year with purpose. If you enjoyed this, follow, rate, and share it with a friend who’s planning a room makeover. Got a favourite demo scene or a question about your space? Drop it in the comments and join us on Patreon (HCA Tech Talk) to shape future topics and get in on upcoming giveaways. ============================= Affiliated Links: Join us on Patreon from just £1 - https://linkly.link/2SXqT Advertise your business on the podcast - https://linkly.link/2SXqT Ubiquiti UCG-Fiber Cloud Gateway - https://geni.us/8D9i2U Ubiquiti USW-FLEX-2.5G-8-POE - https://geni.us/9j476Dp Ubiquiti USW-FLEX-2.5G-8 - https://geni.us/4CdoR4 Ubiquiti UVC-G4-Doorbell Pro - https://geni.us/rBfGE Ubiquiti U7-Pro UniFi Tri-Band Access Point - https://geni.us/aI9nf8 Ubiquiti U7-Pro Max UniFi Tri-Band Access Point - https://geni.us/9Y3I Ubiquiti UVC-G6-Turret - https://geni.us/uIIn Ubiquiti UVC-G6-BULLET - https://geni.us/Mu6f9 Ubiquiti UniFi Video Camera G6 Instant  - https://geni.us/bGsRk Zen Broadband - https://linkly.link/2SXqb Cost of Cancer - https://linkly.link/2SXr0 Donate for Stuarts January Challenge - https://linkly.link/2Tabn Please note these are affiliated links, so we can earn a small commission if you use them. However, this helps us build a bigger and better show for you to listen to.  ============================= 🔥 For more information on the Home Cinema Alliance 👉 https://linkly.link/2SXfB Showcasing some of the world’s best #homecinemarooms and #hometheatrerooms Support the show

    1h 30m
  3. Why We Still Love Projectors Even As Giant TVs Take Over

    11/11/2025

    Why We Still Love Projectors Even As Giant TVs Take Over

    Send us a text The day starts with a bruise and ends with a Barco HDR jaw-drop. We catch up after two months apart, swap stories from a London to Brighton ride that raised more than £25,000 for Together for Cinema, and unpack why telling the charity’s stories on film hits harder than any spec sheet. From there we dive into an award-winning, deceptively simple media room—Amina invisible speakers, hidden subs, a clean Tudor aesthetic—and why “understated” can still blow minds. Then we go on tour: Essential Install Live impressions, EI Live moving to the NEC with ECN Live, and a packed trip to Barco’s new experience center in Belgium. Think glassless 3D medical imaging, DCI-grade HDR in a commercial theater, and lab testing that freezes, heats, drops, and de-noises projectors until they’re mission-ready. It reframes projection as precision engineering, not nostalgia. We also get practical with Ubiquiti Wi‑Fi 7, Unifi Protect cameras and doorbells, and a case for privacy-friendly, subscription-free home security that actually integrates well. The heart of the episode tackles the big question: super-sized TV or projector? We weigh RGB mini LED at 116 inches, LG’s 136-inch micro LED, and why OLED isn’t “over,” just challenged on size and cost. We contrast that with laser projection’s cinematic warmth, acoustic transparency, and lower eye fatigue in long sessions. Ultra short throw projectors round out the middle path—minimal room changes, ERC to real audio systems, and portability for renters. The answer isn’t a single winner; it’s matching brightness, budget, room, and habits with the right tools, then proving it with a proper demo. If you care about home cinema performance—not just spec-chasing—this is your roadmap: real rooms, real tradeoffs, and gear that earns its place. Subscribe, share with a friend who’s planning a media room, and tell us: are you team giant TV or team projector? Your stories and demo wins might feature next time. Support the show

    1h 19m
  4. Co-Locating Two Industries Will Open New Doors For Integrators And Contractors

    11/03/2025

    Co-Locating Two Industries Will Open New Doors For Integrators And Contractors

    Send us a text Big shifts rarely happen by accident; they come from bold bets that connect the dots others ignore. We sit down with All Things Media CEO David Kitchener to unpack a strategy designed to grow the smart home market by bringing two adjacent worlds under one roof at the NEC Birmingham: EI Live and the new ECN Live. Instead of chasing the same attendees every year, co-location invites integrators, distributors, and manufacturers to meet a larger, highly relevant audience of electricians and electrical contractors who are already on-site and ready to expand into smart home work. David takes us behind the scenes of Essential Install’s editorial principles—tight audience targeting, strong design, and trade-first reporting—and explains why print still excels in specialist sectors. We also explore Intelligent Homes, the quarterly consumer magazine mailed to 25,000 targeted households per issue. With case studies, lighting features, and home cinema explainers written in clear, benefit-led language, it turns curiosity into demand and gives integrators a powerful awareness channel outside the echo chamber. We dig into the practical upside of the NEC move: central access, abundant hotels, and space to scale. Exhibitors gain a bigger pool of qualified prospects; visitors can plan two focused days—one on the “blue” smart home side, one on the “red” contracting side—and leave with new suppliers, new categories, and new accounts. Along the way, we touch on the role of video, from factory tours at Niko and Barco to storytelling that shows how products are tested, built, and proven before they reach a rack or ceiling. If you care about where the smart home industry is heading—and how to find growth beyond your usual circle—this conversation maps the terrain and the playbook. Subscribe for more deep dives, share this with a teammate who needs to hear it, and tell us: which side will you start with at the NEC—blue or red? Support the show

    56 min
  5. What's New at Sonos - How they Reshaped Home Audio And Why Pro Installers Still Matter

    10/29/2025

    What's New at Sonos - How they Reshaped Home Audio And Why Pro Installers Still Matter

    Send us a text Want TV sound that actually moves you and a music system your family can use without thinking? We sat down with Stephen Reed, Sonos’ UK lead for the professional channel, to unpack how those early “little white boxes” became a platform that turned private listening into shared sound. Stephen takes us behind the scenes on product evolution, the reliability mantra that installers swear by, and the control flexibility that lets clients use apps, voice, or wall panels without breaking the experience. We explore the real-world path to great sound in normal rooms. Stephen explains why Arc Ultra delivers convincing Dolby Atmos for living spaces, how the new speech enhancement developed with hearing experts makes dialog more intelligible, and when to add subs and rears for a bigger stage. He also walks through hybrid options with AMP for those who love their vintage speakers, plus smart ways to design for lip sync, tidy installs, and incremental upgrades. If your budget lives under five figures, this is how to win big on immersion without building a dedicated cinema. For custom installers, we get practical. We talk pro-only Sonos SKUs, where to buy for better margin, and how blended projects—AMP plus in-ceiling speakers, lighting control, and AVR integrations—turn into profitable, low-call-back jobs. Stephen addresses the app rebuild and why today’s software is more capable, then shares how control system search now ties into Sonos and how to use the web interface to remotely check a client system. The punchline: most failures aren’t speakers, they’re networks—so plan Wi‑Fi like it matters. There’s more: a YouTube-only holiday giveaway, a nod to what’s coming at ISE Barcelona, and clear advice for homeowners and pros. Keep systems updated. Treat the soundbar as a serious music speaker. And if you’re in CI, say hello at trade shows—partnerships make projects better. If this conversation helped, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review so more people can find it. To purchase Sonos with the professional help of an HCA Member: https://www.homecinemaalliance.co.uk Purchase without the HCA Members' help, but using our affiliate links: Sonos Era 100 - https://geni.us/sUDp69 Sonos Era 300 - https://geni.us/otzYDM Sonos Ray - https://geni.us/FiWr Sonos Beam - https://geni.us/WMeLB7k Sonos ARC Ultra - https://geni.us/69d0Lm Sonos Sub Mini - https://geni.us/nNN1 Sonos Sub 4 - https://amzn.to/48RY8n5 Sonos Roam 2 - https://geni.us/dUJD Sonos Move 2 - https://geni.us/YxJlGh Sonos Ace - https://geni.us/CFsQZu Sonos Amp - https://geni.us/0ZAPj ============================= 🔥 For more information on the Home Cinema Alliance 👉 https://www.homecinemaalliance.co.uk The Home Cinema Alliance is a group of UK-based businesses that provide exceptional #homecinema and #hometheatre solutions to discerning clients. We use our YouTube and Social Media channels to highlight these spaces and the companies that design and build them.  ============================= We’d love some feedback =============================  We would love to hear your comments, so please place them below ⬇️ Is there anything you would like us to showcase on our channel? Please post in the comments ⬇️ ============================= Connect with us!  =============================  IG: ➡︎ https://www.instagram.com/homecinemaalliance FB: ➡︎ https://www.facebook.com/homecinemaalliance ============================= Looking to build a new #cinema or #theatre in your home? A Home Cinema Alliance member can help =============================  ⚡️Find Support the show

    1h 16m
  6. From DTS Roots To Procella 2.0: Building Cinemas That Perform

    10/21/2025

    From DTS Roots To Procella 2.0: Building Cinemas That Perform

    Send us a text Want a home cinema that feels visceral, vivid, and effortless at the same time? We spent two days inside Procella’s Netherlands facility to unpack how pro-grade components, smart room design, and THX fundamentals create reference sound that doesn’t wear you out. From their DTS origins to a bold Procella 2.0 roadmap, we dive into the build decisions that matter: baffle walls done right, consistent voicing across speaker sizes, and bass systems that pair modern DSP with serious cone area for real control. Gerard and Ben walk us through the journey from a show-floor demo to a permanent lab where integrators and clients can audition small media rooms and large theaters side by side. We explore why Procella refuses the “good, better, best” hierarchy and instead scales performance to room size, keeping the same sonic character from compact surrounds to flagship LCRs. If you’ve wondered how to handle modular LED walls without acoustically transparent screens, their above‑screen LCR approach offers a brain-friendly way to anchor dialogue and effects to the image with full-range authority. We also get practical about acoustics. Many private theaters are either overdamped and dull or untreated and chaotic. The team demonstrates diffusion that preserves life and space, letting microdetail pop at high levels without fatigue. Then there’s bass: with waveforming and advanced bass management gaining traction, Procella is expanding subwoofer options—including single 21 and 24-inch models—to move the air large rooms demand while integrating cleanly into modern arrays. Along the way, we touch on partner gear from Trinnov and Storm Audio to Anthem, Arcam, Denon, and Marantz, showing that great results are possible across budgets when the room and system are planned together. Curious to hear it for yourself? The demo centre is open by arrangement for dealers and end users, with more training days on the way and big show plans for CEDIA and ISE. If you love cinema that hits hard, stays clear, and invites long sessions, this conversation lays out the blueprint. Subscribe, share with a home theater friend, and tell us: what’s the first scene you’d use to test a system like this? Support the show

    38 min
  7. How a 1935 radio repair shop became a modern AV powerhouse—and why service still wins

    10/07/2025

    How a 1935 radio repair shop became a modern AV powerhouse—and why service still wins

    Send us a text A 1935 radio repair shop doesn’t become a modern AV powerhouse by accident. Stuart Tickle, fourth-generation MD of AWE, sits down with us to unpack a 90-year journey of pivots, grit, and careful bets—from wireless sets and coil winding, to background music in pubs, to reference-grade cinemas and a showroom built to persuade even the toughest architect. The story isn’t about chasing every trend; it’s about choosing your lane, curating top-tier brands, and proving value where it matters: in the room. We dig into the inflexion points: selling the factory freehold to fund a strategic pivot to residential distribution, surviving the twin shocks of Pronto and plasma disappearing overnight, and taking a calculated leap into a much larger Epsom headquarters. Stuart explains why showrooms became AWE’s superpower, how fixtures and finishes now match the expectations of interior designers and MEP consultants, and why training and support—right down to remote help on decade-old control systems—win loyalty in a saturated UK market. You’ll hear how Sony projection and Bowers & Wilkins reshaped the demo story, how the trade counter still saves jobs on deadline day, and why specialisation beats “sell everything” sprawl. Threaded through the business is a love of content: Top Gun-era demo nostalgia, LaserDisc memories, and the way F1 IMAX thunder or a perfect Atmos moment anchors emotion. That’s the point of all this tech—creating experiences people feel. If you care about home cinema, residential integration, distributor partnerships, and what it takes to grow through uncertainty, this conversation is a masterclass in building for the long game. Subscribe for more deep dives with industry leaders, share this with a colleague who loves showrooms as much as specs, and leave a review to tell us what you want to hear next. Support the show

    1h 17m
  8. What Happens When Cinema Specialists Join Forces?

    09/14/2025

    What Happens When Cinema Specialists Join Forces?

    Send us a text What happens when passionate home cinema specialists decide to join forces? The Home Cinema Alliance represents a revolutionary approach to an age-old problem: how small, specialised businesses can effectively market themselves while maintaining laser focus on their craft. Founded around 2018 by industry veterans with decades of combined experience, the HCA has evolved into a powerful collective that pools marketing resources, shares technical expertise, and connects homeowners with genuine cinema specialists. As the hosts explain, this model solves the content creation dilemma faced by boutique installers who typically complete just 3-5 cinema rooms annually – not enough to feed the content-hungry social media algorithms individually, but collectively robust enough to reach 150,000 potential clients quarterly. The magic of specialisation becomes clear as they discuss how focusing exclusively on cinema rooms leads to superior results. "I believe my rooms are better because I don't have to think about multi-room audio, door entry, gate entry, or Wi-Fi," one host explains. "I can laser focus on the matter at hand." This specialisation creates what they call the essential "two wows" – the initial impression when walking into a room and the transformative experience when actually watching content. Perhaps most compelling is their observation that most people have never experienced a properly designed home cinema room. "There's no doubt, if you've sat in a great home cinema, you absolutely want one," they agree, noting that many consumers incorrectly assume projectors in pubs represent the standard. The upcoming International Home Cinema Day (October 26, 2025) aims to change this by inviting the public to experience properly designed spaces without sales pressure. Looking for your own cinematic transformation? Visit homecinemaalliance.co.uk to find specialised designers and installers who can bring the magic of cinema into your home. The results will leave you wondering how you ever lived without it. Support the show

    22 min
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About

A consumer-facing podcast hosted by industry veterans, Stuart Burgess from Immersive Cinema Rooms and Simon Gregory from Cinema Rooms. Each episode, we bring you News, Reviews, and Interviews from inside the industry covering Home Cinema, Home Theatre, and all things tech. Get involved podcast@homecinemaalliance.co.uk

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