When a long-time client of Pacific Audio & Communications constructed their new home in Maui, Hawaii, they envisioned a fully automated residence with intelligent, easy-to-control AV, lighting, and shades throughout. But this wasn’t any automated smart home. The client also wanted a screening room capable of supporting a professional DCI-grade movie server streaming to a massive 6×5 Quantum Media Systems Cinematic XDR DCI-certified LED video wall. Both the home automation system and screening room required independent control systems — Control4 for the home’s general automation and Crestron for the cinema’s operation — backed by a highly secure, robust network infrastructure. To realize this vision, Pacific Audio & Communications partnered with distribution and support experts at Blackwire Designs.
Challenge
The screen room’s uncompressed video requirements and video wall introduced several complexities. The house required an ultra-high bandwidth setup through a powerful VLAN network. In addition to managing these hefty requirements, the network also had to provide stable coverage for the rest of the home’s AV, Lutron lighting, and automation needs. Complicating matters further, the video wall and movie server technology were constantly evolving over the course of the build, requiring ongoing updates and adjustments. Finally, the video wall and stream system would need to be independently controlled via Crestron while the rest of the home and the theater’s lighting and AV would be controlled by the home’s Control4 system.
“There was a lot to navigate in the design and configuration that takes a significant amount of time,” says Pat Mulligan, vice president/business development manager of Pacific Audio & Communications. “We knew this project would go a lot smoother, faster, and be done to highest possible standards that were necessary for technology of this caliber with Blackwire Designs.”
Solution
To simplify the setup and meet the project’s high standards, Pacific Audio & Communications leaned on Blackwire’s Network Provisioning Service to receive fully configured, updated, labeled, and installation-ready networking equipment straight out of the box. Available for free upon purchase of networking products form Blackwire, this service allowed the Pacific Audio & Communications team to skip most of the on-site configuration and troubleshooting, saving time and labor costs while ensuring a seamless and cost-efficient installation process.
Blackwire’s engineers coordinated with Quantum and the movie server manufacturer to design a network robust enough to deliver uncompressed video to the theater while supporting the rest of the home. They configured three enterprise-grade Netgear MSM4352 switches, forming the backbone of the whole-house network. This setup could handle everything, from the uncompressed video to the distributed audio and video systems throughout the rest of the home.
To ensure stable Wi-Fi coverage across the home, Blackwire Designs also preconfigured 10 Ruckus R650 wireless access points. Four Cleerline fiber switches and a cumulative 1 mile of Cat-6a cabling further fortified the network backbone. In addition, Blackwire Designs supplied the eight AVPro Edge HDMI extenders to distribute up to 4K60 HDR HDMI content to the bedrooms.
Results
Blackwire’s Network Provisioning Service and engineering support was essential to achieving a stable, reliable, and highly secure network infrastructure.
“The Blackwire team helped us dial in specific settings, such as IGMP snooping to prevent data flooding and optimize the 20-Gbps backplane,” Mulligan explains. With the system pre-configured before arriving on-site, Blackwire’s contributions saved an estimated 30 hours of labor, expediting the installation and ensuring smooth deployment.
The final 12-seat high-end screen room was completed with a Lyngdorf MP-60 processor, Theory Audio amps, and Pro Audio speakers, delivering an authentic cinematic experience at home, all designed by Paradise Theater. This projector marked a major milestone for Pacific Audio & Communications as the most intricate, high-performance network setup the firm has delivered to date.
“From start to finish, Blackwire was instrumental,” Mulligan says. “As technology changed, they were always ready to support and adjust, making sure we could deliver the most cutting-edge solution available. This project has set a new standard for us. Blackwire’s support, from predesign to real-time problem-solving, was invaluable, and it’s what made this one of the best theaters we’ve ever installed.”
The homeowners are so impressed with the results that they are already considering similar upgrades to their other house in Hawaii.
