In keeping with its tradition of over-the-top gifts for the holidays, Neiman Marcus included a $1.5 million theater system in its 87th edition of the Christmas Book. No, this present won’t fit under a tree—even though it actually goes outdoors.
The Ultimate Outdoor Entertainment System, revealed as this year’s “His and Hers Fantasy Gift,” was conceived, developed and presented to Neiman Marcus by the custom electronics (CE) professionals at HomeTronics, Dallas, Texas. According to HomeTronics vice president Bryan Cruikshank, the system was selected from 45 different ideas.
The showpiece is a 201-inch, waterproof TV from C SEED, whose industrial design was the work of Porsche Design Studio. The giant fold-house TV rises from 20 feet below the lawn and can rotate up to 270 degrees. Not to be outdone, 16 speakers and two subwoofers from California Audio Technology (CAT), four Sonance subwoofers and a variety of high-powered amps provide the accompanying outdoor theater audio. There are a slew of custom-made speakers fitted into the TV housing. Driven by multiple amplifiers, the sound system delivers 15,000 watts of power, so that the sound is crisp and intelligible from 100 feet away. For even bigger sound, there’s an $800,000 audio option that fits additional amps and speakers into the pedestal of the C SEED TV.
And if the lucky recipient of this extravagant gift can’t decide what to watch, Neiman Marcus also includes a Kaleidescape movie server loaded with 100 American Film Institute film picks for him and 100 for her. There are also 300 movies and concerts to watch via the included DirecTV satellite movie package. Both he and she also get an iPad Mini to operate the elaborate system, which is managed by a Savant control system.
Commands programmed into the iPad Minis by HomeTronics will be able to control all of the components and activate a motor that swivels the pedestal of the TV for the perfect viewing angle. To ensure that the surround-sound would follow the position of the screen, HomeTronics employed special processing equipment and programming skills to enable the audio system to reconfigure itself automatically based on the direction of the TV.
The $1.5 million price tag covers all design, equipment, programming and installation, which will involve digging a 20-foot hole in the earth to contain the C SEED screen. The entire installation process, says HomeTronics’ Greg Margolis, will take no more than three weeks to complete—so order now and you’ll have it in plenty of time for TNT’s 24 hours of A Christmas Story.
Check out more super-size displays installed by HomeTronics:
—A 25-foot screen steals the show in this extreme backyard space
—103-inch plasma and two 50-inch screens for this living room
In our 2013 Holiday Gift Guides:
Luxury A/V
Awesome Audio Gear
Ultra HD and OLED TVs