When former New York Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer approached Todd Anthony Puma of The Source Home Theater Installation & Design in New York, NY about an upcoming home renovation, his primary goal was building the quintessential man cave: an uncompromised space in which to enjoy his passion for sports, movies, music, and video games to their fullest. The renovation also involved the gym, the master bedroom, three guest bedrooms, two kids’ rooms, the kitchen, dining area, office, and the living room—which would also include a surround sound system—but it was the sound system in his entertainment space that was the focus of Toomer’s full fervor.

 
Amani Toomer’s Ultimate Man Cave will be profiled on NBC’s “OPEN HOUSE” program airing the Sunday morning of the big game, February 5th at 8:30 a.m. Images are available on The Source Home Theater Flickr page.

“For this room, above all else, I wanted a surround sound system that made me feel like I was right in the middle of that action,” Toomer says. “That’s the one thing I’ve never loved about surround sound: I’ve never felt like I was actually there. I’ve always felt like I was almost there. I don’t want almost. If I’m watching a game, I want to feel the attack.”

 
The Source Home Theater Installation & Design founder, Todd Anthony Puma, has been designing state-of-the-art systems for discerning customers in the tri-state area for the past decade. “This is our second project with Amani and he was very familiar with Paradigm from visiting other team members’ systems I’ve installed,” Puma says. “So there was never any question that the speakers would be Paradigm. The only question was: which Paradigm speaker would work best with the mix of sports, music, movies, and games that Amani loves?”

 
For the newly architected man cave, Puma zeroed in on Paradigm’s Studio series of floorstanding loudspeakers for their ability to “do everything well,” and for the fact that they beautifully complemented the room’s Wolf projection system and Screen Innovations Black Diamond Zero Edge screen. The rest of the home features Paradigm Signature 1.5R in-ceiling speakers to weave a consistent and seamless audio experience as you move from room to room.

 
Toomer already had a surround sound receiver he wanted to use in the man cave, so Puma set up a demo system with that receiver, powering a full 7.1-channel setup with Studio 100s, a CC-690 center channel, and a Studio SUB 12. “I played the system for about an hour, and he said to me, ‘this is the perfect sounding speaker,’ but I wasn’t done wowing him yet.” After a quick change to Anthem’s MRX 700 receiver, Puma auditioned the system for Toomer again. “He said to me, ‘I thought there was no way it could sound better. But this is so much fuller. This is what you want when you’re listening to sports. You want that fullness. You want that oomph. You want to feel the action. You want to feel the roar of the crowd’.”

 
The MRX 700’s Anthem Room Correction system also proved to be indispensible in tuning such a powerful speaker system for what’s ultimately not a very large space. The room seats six to eight comfortably, but at only 400-or-so square feet, Puma was concerned that even a single SUB 12 could overpower the space. “The combination of ARC and the SUB 12’s Perfect Bass Kit made tuning this room so much easier,” Puma says.

 
It isn’t just performance and room-tuning capabilities that made Paradigm and Anthem gear perfect for this project. “It’s the relationships that Paradigm builds with its dealers that make the most difference for the customer,” added Puma. “It’s the way they communicate with us, answer our questions, and help us understand their products based on room acoustics. That knowledge gets passed on to the customer. It’s changed the way Amani enjoys his sound system. That kind of communication makes all the difference in the world.”

 
For more information on Paradigm or Anthem, please visit www.paradigm.com or www.anthemav.com.

Planar Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLNR), a worldwide leader in specialty display solutions, continues to expand the depth and breadth of Runco^®,  display solutions and is thrilled to introduce its most affordable 3D projector yet, the Runco LS-12d.  Sharing many of the technical attributes of the award-winning LightStyle^™ projector series, the LS-12d combines a powerful three-chip DLP^® engine and a wide array of lens options with Runco’s elegant LightStyle chassis design.

Runco LS-12d

The LS-12d is the ideal 3D solution for “Flex-Theater” spaces where big screen entertainment is only a portion of the room’s purpose and aesthetics and placement are as crucial as video performance, while still providing an exemplary option for dedicated home theaters. The new LS-12d also delivers exceptional 3D and 2D performance, since 2D content still comprises the majority of material viewed in home theaters and private cinemas. With the addition of the LS-12d to Runco’s 3D projection offerings, customers now have a variety of exceptional 3D options to choose from based on their individual needs. 

The LS-12d utilizes active 3D technology and comes equipped with three sets of active shutter glasses.  With active 3D, customers can enjoy 2D or 3D content on the same screen, ideal for “Flex-Theater” spaces.  Runco also provides the choice of passive 3D technology in its award-winning 3Dimension series, which utilize polarized glasses and a silver non-depolarizing screen. 

New Dimension Digital Controller

The LS-12d is also the first projector to ship with Runco’s new Dimension Digital Controller^™ (DC-300), which has been engineered to enhance 3D performance of Runco 3D-enabled products. This 2U outboard controller provides a level of flexibility and control not found in integrated processors and provides Runco installers with a full suite of calibration tools necessary to achieve the perfect picture, no matter the viewing environment.

“With the release of the LS-12d and DC-300, Runco delivers exceptional 2D and 3D at an affordable price for dedicated or flex-theaters,” said Jennifer Davis, VP of Marketing at Runco. “The wide range of throw ratios, combined with Runco’s CineGlide™ anamorphic lens options and customizable FinishPalette options make it a truly exciting 3D offering perfect for virtually any environment.”

The LightStyle LS-12d will be available from authorized Runco dealers beginning April 2012 with an MSRP of $27,995, which includes the DC-300 (MSRP $9,995) and three pair of glasses. The LS-12d can be customized with Runco’s FinishPalette^™ which enables complete projector personalization for the homeowner. FinishPalette adds full-color design options, including exact PMS color matching for any college or pro-sports teams, a gallery of artist impressions, and the option to custom-print client-supplied artwork. Complementing the FinishPalette offering are 25 hand-finished signature paint colors to compliment any décor.

Like all Runco projectors, the LS-12d features a two-year RuncoCare^™ standard warranty. Runco RedCarpet^™ and PremierCare^™ extended service options are also available. Runco’s new LightStyle Series projectors are available exclusively through Runco’s authorized dealer network. For more information about Runco or to find a local dealer in your area, please visit www.Runco.com.

The big game is a funny kind of event. Sure there is a game on but it’s also time for people to gather friends and family to eat delicious foods regardless of their health implications while throwing away nearly all social graces. My brother, for instance, doesn’t watch a snap of football during the entire season but will sit in the other room and ask me to come get him when the commercials come back on. Like I said, it’s a funny kind of event.

Unlike other sports such as baseball and hockey, there is only one game to determine it all, one night to represent an entire season’s work, one night to be champions for a year, and only one night to show all your guests how awesome a party you can throw.  To help with the party planning and execution, I’ve assembled some items that will surely make game time extra super.

No one wants to sit down for the entire three or four hours at a championship party. It’s an exciting event and your guests will want to move around and interact with one another. I don’t know about you but at the same time I don’t want to miss a second of the game. The IOGEAR Wireless 1080p/3D Digital Kit allows party hosts to easily set up a second HD or 3D TV with a wireless feed from any existing cable box or digital TV box. This works up to 100ft. away and allows you to keep messy cords and wires out of the way.  Now you can setup the game in either the bathroom for emergencies, the kitchen for a food reload, or the back deck for a cigarette break.

Remember beer runs? With the help of the R/C Cooler those runs will stay just that, a memory. This remote controlled cooler keeps your beverages of choice cold and comes to you by command. Designate a cooler driver or toss the remote around and let everyone have some fun. If I was in control of this at my party, when someone asked for beer I would drive up to them and pull it away just as they went to reach for a drink, what a ruse!. Just make sure the designated cooler driver doesn’t have one too many and crash into the HDTV!

While it’s easy to get focused on the visual aspect of the game, a true Super Bowl party host knows it’s a team sport and state of the art surround sound is also a must. The Paradigm Cinema  100 CT 5.1 System will let you hear the hard hitting sounds of the game and maybe even a few player expletives from the sidelines of referee’s mic… (not recommended for younger audiences).. Paradigm’s speakers are also a great way for to fully enjoy the musical guest come halftime.

Last but not least, Trongs. They are like mini tongs so your fingers do not get messy. Having just come to my attention, I already want to pick some up. I absolutely love food. Love it. Football food is my favorite groups in my personal food pyramid. When I’m diving into those tasty, saucy, luscious wings I tend to go a bit fast even though all I really want to do is enjoy them on my own time. Why do I eat them fast? Because my face and hands get coated in spicy stickiness and I want to wash up and wipe down before too much is made of my sloppiness. Trongs are easy to use, simple little tools that let anyone enjoy messy finger foods while still remaining approachable by the opposite sex. They also make great conversation starter, “Want to see my Trongs?”

My prediction for anyone reading this is that if you pick up any of these items, you are bound to improve your party and make a big event out of the big game. Remember you only have one night so just go for it and have fun. My last prediction is that my hometown heroes the New England Patriots will pull out a close victory of 27-24. Have a happy game day!