A few odd-shaped nooks and crannies can add visual interest and charm to a home, but when you’re building a home theater, these niches can be a huge headache.

Just ask Mike Fox, owner of Fox Audio Visual in Springfield, IL. His company was given the challenge of converting an unusual-shaped unfinished basement into a home theater. “The space had a strange octagon-shaped area attached to it,” he explains. That quirk, along with other structural obstacles, would make it particularly tough for the Fox Audio Visual crew to build in the rear screen-projection system they promised its clients.

In a typical rear-projection setup, the projector is placed directly behind the center of the screen. Given all the odd angles, proper positioning was impossible to accomplish in this particular room. “We had to place the projector off center of the screen,” he says. “Ordinarily, this would cause a keystone effect where one area on the screen appears larger than the other.” The Fox team eliminated the problem by adding a special Calibre video processor to the projector. Despite the challenge of getting the projection system to work, Fox is remains a huge advocate of rear-projection systems. “It’s ideal because you can still have an awesome visual experience even when the room lights are on. In my opinion, it provides the best picture.”

Fox finished off the carefully calibrated rear-projection system with custom woodwork. Built into the unit are two Velodyne subwoofers, three Triad speakers, in addition to the JVC projector 106-inch Draper screen. There are also built-in equipment racks for the homeowners’ source equipment, amp and receiver. Three additional Triad speakers (built into the pillars), a Lutron Spacer dimming system for the lights, a Pronto remote control, nine Fortress leather seats, and acoustical treatments custom made by Fox himself complete the 20x15-foot space.

The end result is a far cry from what the homeowners had originally envisioned for the space. “They had planned to put their old 60-inch rear-projection TV in the corner, and some speakers and call it a day,” says Fox. He convinced them otherwise, but the big, boxy Mitsubishi display wasn’t completely out of the picture. It, along with a new 42-inch Pioneer plasma TV and several Triad in-ceiling speakers, were relegated to an adjoining bar and billiards area. “We built the 60-inch RPTV into the wall, so it looks like a plasma,” says Fox. Both the Pioneer and the Mitsubishi displays can play the same movie that’s on the 106-inch screen in the theater or something completely different.

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Lisa Montgomery - Contributing Writer

Lisa Montgomery has been writing about home technology for 15 years, with a focus on the impact of electronics on a modern lifestyle.