Got Lighting questions? Here are some cool tips!

Calculate the amount of light needed in any room by multiplying the length times the width of the room (in feet). Then multiply that number by 1.5. This gives you the number of watts required to provide ambient lighting for the room. If task lighting is needed, multiply the square footage by 2.5 instead of 1.5 to find the wattage. Ceiling fixtures should be at least 7 feet above the floor.
For proper fixture width in a foyer, add the length and width of the area in feet, this will give you the proper width for the fixture in inches. If there is a window above the door, center the fixture in the window so it is visible from outside.
To light a hallway, place a fixture every 8 to 10 feet. If you would like to use wall sconces, place them 6 to 8 feet apart. Wall sconces should be hung 60 inches above the finished floor.
In the dining room the chandelier should be no wider than 12 inches less than the width of the table. The bottom of the fixture should be no lower than 30 inches above the table for an 8 foot ceiling, raise it 3 inches for each additional foot of ceiling height.
In a bathroom, install a bath bar at least 24 inches wide over the mirror in addition to a wall sconce on either side, at least 28 inches apart. This will provide the proper amount of light and avoid creating shadows. Again, wall sconces should be at least 60 inches above the finished floor. If you have a double vanity, either use a bath bar almost as wide as the mirror or place two fixtures, one over each sink. These should be mounted 78 inches above the floor.
Outdoors, you can add wall lanterns on either side of the front door approximately 66 inches above the bottom of the door and slightly above eye level. The height of the lantern should be 1/5 to 1/6 of the entrance height. Use a single lantern on other entrances mounted on the side of the door with the keyhole. Pathways should be lit every 8 to 10 feet.
Keep these tips handy for all your projects.
This list of tips for lighting design provided by BellacorPro, Lighting and Home Furnishings.

Is TV moving in a New Dimension?

Sony will next year launch a television capable of showing 3D images, it said recently at the IFA electronics fair in Berlin. The TV will be the first step in what is expected to be a big push by the consumer electronics company to popularize 3D movies, TV and computer games.

"3D is clearly on its way to the mass market," said Sony CEO Howard Stringer during a news conference. He cited movies, sports and computer games as areas the technology is expected to have its biggest impact.

The TV, which will be part of its Bravia LCD range, will launch sometime during 2010 and require users to wear special glasses to get the 3D effect. The glasses have filters in them that switch on and off at high speed matched to the image coming from the TV set so each eye sees a slightly different image.

Other manufacturers are poised to launch their own entries into the 3D ring. This week Panasonic has unveiled a prototype 50-inch television and companion glasses that together give the viewer the illusion of three dimensions. The TV is being unveiled less than a month after Panasonic said it plans to commercialize 3D home entertainment products next year.

The quest to bring 3D images to the entertainment industry is not new. The movie industry started in the late 1950s with audiences forced to wear ill fitting, flimsy glasses to watch very little available content.

The transition from monophonic recorded audio to stereophonic sound had a similar, albeit less protracted, history of acceptance by the content providers. One of the hurdles that 3D TV may have to overcome, and that stereophonic sound didn’t, Is that stereo sound doesn’t require the listener to be actively involved in the delivery hardware.

Will consumers embrace the 3D TV experience? Just as important, will the content providers risk the commitment to bring enough content to the audience that they will feel justified in purchasing 3D TV?

Where do you come down on 3D TV?

We’ll explore other facets of this new subject in later posts. In the mean time let me know what you think.

Jon Thorne

Air conditioning that closet?

You might want to rethink that...

It's not at all unusual for clients to have their home theater equipment installed in a new or existing closet. Located in or just outside the theater, it's a logical place to put audio-video electronics, whether in a rack or on shelves. But - it may not be that easy. Whether it's "coat" or "walk-in" size, some thought has to be given to ventilation, and this frequently leads to the idea of using air conditioning.

One way this can be done is to run a cold air supply or return duct, or both, into the closet. While this is one of those "seemed like a good idea at the time..." ideas, it may not be the best way - or even a good way - to solve the problem. There are several problems associated with using air conditioning to cool an equipment closet.

First, there is the question of wintertime operation. In most parts of the country, the system that delivers cold air in July delivers hot air in January because the same air handling and ductwork is used for both cooling AND heating the home, depending on the season. The damper in the closet (if one was installed) can be closed at the beginning of the heating season, of course, but --

1. The owner has to remember to do this, and

2. The closet now has no ventilation.

A second problem that goes along with air conditioning the equipment closet concerns temperature control. Unless the refrigeration system is dedicated to that closet, it is likely to be controlled by a thermostat located in the theater or elsewhere. The cooling will stop when the temperature at the thermostat is below the set temperature, but the amplifiers, cable box, satellite receiver, etc., in the closet will still be on, building up heat.

Locating the thermostat in the closet can solve that problem, but will cause the refrigeration system to run longer than necessary to cool the theater itself, resulting in frostbitten clients, not to mention a high electric bill!

Getting back to the details of providing air conditioning to a closet, there are several ways to do this wrong. Having just a cold air supply duct without a way of recirculating the warmed air will keep any cold air from entering the closet; there must be either a return duct in the closet or a way for the air to recirculate passively, such as the use of a louvered door. Having just a return duct in the closet without a way for cool air from the surrounding area to enter is another mistake. The closet has to be able to "inhale" AND "exhale" for effective cooling.

Perhaps the single biggest problem of using air conditioning to cool any but the largest home theater installations is the cost involved. The first cost of running ductwork (especially in a retrofit situation), or increasing the size of the planned system (in new construction) can be substantial. Then there's the never-going-to-stop cost of operation. Month after month, even in the dead of Winter, the owner will be paying for power to run the refrigeration -- not very green!

This is just one of the considerations that must be explored when designing a system. We, as Total System Integrators, are in the best position to evaluate the interaction of the entire home’s system’s heat generation and removal requirements.

Website Launch!

Welcome to the Thorne Group TSI blog! Now that we've officially launched our website, you should start seeing blog posts very soon. Please subscribe to our RSS feed or visit us on Facebook and Twitter to stay tuned into Thorne Group TSI.