CEDIA Awards 2010 set to stun
As the residential custom installation industry expands and consumer appetite for home technology increases, so too the work of our members diversifies. Take home entertainment systems; once the exclusive preserve of the wealthy enthusiast with a private screening room, we now see the wider adoption of media rooms, each designed to satisfy the desire for a varied and media-rich diet.
As the CEDIA Awards grow in stature, it is important that they continue to reflect the industry and that is why we have decided to make the important distinction between home cinema and media room with the introduction of two new categories. Best Media Room under £15,000 and Best Media Room over £15,000 will run alongside the existing home cinema categories, showcasing what is unique about each solution and providing more opportunities than ever before for participants to walk away with a coveted title.
Providing a clearer dividing line between what is a multi-purpose media room and what is a dedicated home cinema, these new classifications will give further clarity for both entrants and for judges. In essence home cinema rooms are gathering spaces with one main purpose: watching movies. True, a home cinema can support other media uses, such as music, gaming, and broadcast TV. However, whatever its use, the best home cinemas should be able to carry out their primary purpose to the highest standard, faithfully reproducing picture and sound content and demonstrating minimal compromise within the given budget.
In contrast, media rooms are spaces which integrate at least one screen and two speakers, but whose primary purpose will be to support many different media uses, such as, watching movies, listening to music, gaming, and viewing broadcast TV. The best of these multi-purpose spaces will afford high quality audio and video performance, but they will typically demonstrate technical compromises to fit the multi-purpose functionality of the space and the aesthetic scheme of the room.
The CEDIA Awards judging panel will be looking for media rooms which show not only how the space has been engineered to maximise audio and visual performance, but also demonstrate intelligent and creative integration of the technology into the room. Whilst the home cinema categories will be measured against a guideline set of key design and engineering criteria as outlined within the entry forms. Bringing together criteria from across CEDIA’s structured curriculum, the introduction of Best Practice will ensure that the Awards remain a credible and worthy celebration of the very best the industry has to offer.
We are committed to ensuring that the CEDIA Awards continue to set the standards for technical expertise, design creativity and professional installation within the industry. In addition to which, it is equally important that they remain reflective of the work and the unique skill set of our members. So, from dedicated rooms designed for the primary purpose of watching movies, to multi-functional spaces for multi-media consumption and all that’s in between - there’s a category for every installation as part of the 2010 scheme!
The full list of ‘CEDIA Awards 2010′ categories is as follows:
* Best media room under £15,000
* Best media room over £15,000
* Best home cinema installation project under £40,000 (42,000 Euros)
* Best home cinema installation from £40,000-£100,000 (42,000-110,000 Euros)
* Best home cinema installation over £100,000 (110,000 Euros)
* Best integrated home under £100,000 (110,000 Euros)
* Best integrated home from £100,000 - £250,000 (110,000 - 270,000 Euros)
* Best integrated home over £250,000 (270,000 Euros)
* Best integrated solution for a multi-dwelling development
* Best dressed rack
* Best marine
* Best innovative solution - residential
* Best trade supplier
* Best training initiative by a trade supplier
* Industry lifetime achievement award
With a black-tie Awards ceremony planned for Friday 16th April 2010, the deadline for entries has been confirmed as Friday 12th February. For more information including the full list of awards categories, judging criteria, timescales and an entry form, visit www.cedia.co.uk/awards
Wendy Griffiths is Executive Director of the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA). CEDIA is an international trade organization, spanning three continents with a global membership of over 4,000 companies.
