Priorities about technology were top of mind for the homeowner of a 22-acre Upstate New York estate with a 25,000-square-foot main property at its heart. A tech executive in his own right with a 20-year history of experience with DISH Network products and services, he has used the integration skills of Nanuet, N.Y.-based Audio Video World in several homes – and always with a mandate to include cutting-edge, cost-no-object connected-home features.
For this project, the homeowner tasked Ronnie Dedios, lead technician at Audio Video World, with incorporating the latest and greatest from DISH. This meant installing a total of six DISH Hopper 3s as the entertainment hubs. Each Hopper 3 has two terabytes (or 500 hours) of DVR recording capability, and each is endowed with 16 tuners that can funnel up to four HD channels simultaneously to a 4K TV. Hopper 3 also provides the viewer with a wealth of programming choices including live TV programming from 270 international channels in 28 languages. And it lends itself to IP control.
“He didn’t want to deal with any other company from Day One than DISH,” explained Dedios, “not only because they have a really good choice of international shows but also because of the quality of the picture – it was the whole nine yards.”
To support the homeowner’s desire for both robust programming access as well as stem-to-stern home automation at every touchpoint, including handling the auto-illumination for the property’s heliport, Audio Video World selected Crestron lighting, security and control platforms throughout. These included the Crestron DigitalMedia DM NVX control and video distribution platform – scalable, flexible, and tailor-made for integration with the DISH Hopper 3s and well beyond. The integrator also wired the entire property with fiber optic cable for its superior delivery speed and its future-readiness for technologies yet to come.
One other reason for selecting Crestron NVX was that, despite its sophistication under the hood, it offers simplified control interfaces for the owner, his wife and his 84-year-old mother. Everything is at their fingertips – or is seamlessly automated for them.
A prime example of the latter: When an “authorized” car approaches the front gate of the home, which is 1,400 feet away from the entryway of the main house, the car is recognized at the gate. “The way that was handled was that we used a system similar to the E-ZPass concept,” as the automatic toll payment system is called in the New York metropolitan area and its outskirts. “Whichever cars that come in and out have a card that is displayed through the windshield and a quarter of a mile away, the system can read who is coming,” he said. The gate then opens automatically, the alarm shuts off, and the garage for that car opens – and a programmed sequence of lights will turn on in the home.
A Home Theater to Envy
There are 32 TVs throughout the home – most are 4K and are in rooms that are used the most, but the owner said he will upgrade to 8K sets as soon as the first models see the light of day. “He is always first to get whatever the latest technology is,” Dedios said.
A crowning achievement, though, is the 12-seat dedicated Dolby Atmos home theater, supported by the Crestron control platform and replete with top-shelf brands. They include a Barco 4K UHD HDR laser commercial projector, and speakers and componentry by Datasat, Pro Audio Technology and Krell, among others. Twenty-four speakers including two 22-inch subwoofers under the screen make the experience lifelike and over-the-top memorable.
Gear Galore, Proudly Displayed
The homeowner isn’t a proponent of “stealthing” his technology away in a back room. Very much to the contrary: the multiple components, including the half-dozen Hopper 3s and other gear that power the pleasures of this home, are showcased prominently, proudly displayed in a series of equipment racks that have been finished in Ferrari red lacquer to match the famous automaker’s signature color.
Now that’s taking pride in ownership to an entirely other level.
