Elan g! Controls Breathtaking Outdoor Theater And Multi-Zone Audio System

Not all outdoor home theaters are created equal. They don’t all feature a super-bright 5,500 lumen 1080p Digital Projections projector, a permanently installed Stewart StarGlas 102” glass rear projection screen, or a 2,000 Watt surround sound system.  Even rarer is a professional-grade poolside entertainment center that really goes the distance, combining iPad and iPhone control of the LED landscape lighting, Jandy pool equipment, and the pool house HVAC and multi-zone audio system through the ELAN® g! Home Entertainment and Control system.  But this awe-inspiring outdoor media Shangri-la does exist, and it’s thanks to the custom installation professionals at Sarasota, Florida-based SmartHouse Integration.

Living in Sarasota, Florida, the Odegard family spends a lot of the year outdoors enjoying the beautiful warm weather and wanted to create a stylish, relaxing outdoor entertainment center where they could watch movies and sports all year long.

“I’m not a huge tech guy,” Eric Odegard said, “and this was the first time I really saw how all the systems in my home could be tied together and controlled on my iPhone, which I carry with me everywhere.  Now that I’ve gotten used to having all of this control, I’m going to expand the system to include the pool heater and the Jacuzzi controls, and also the security system in the main house.  I’ll be able to have the jacuzzi heated up and ready to go when I get home, and then disengage the security system as I’m walking up to the front door.  How cool is that? Add that to the great parties we’ve been able to throw, including the outdoor Super Bowl party we just had, and this system really blows us away.  SmartHouse Integration and the guys at Onyx Development who designed the pool house really created an amazing backyard living space that we can enjoy year round.”

With their amazing new outdoor theater and surround system, they’re free to host parties and watch movies in their own backyard.  And with the ELAN g! system they can use their iPhones or iPads to control the theater and audio system, the landscape lights, the HVAC and audio in the pool house, and soon the security system in the main house, too.

According to SmartHouse president Mark van den Broek, “When the Odegards were getting ready to start their home addition and pool renovation, they said they wanted a great outdoor audio system, of course, but they’d really love to be able to watch movies and sports with family and friends while lounging at the pool.  I told them that not only could I design a beautiful outdoor home theater like they’ve never seen, but I could let them control everything—the projector, the LED landscape lights, the pool house HVAC and multi-zone audio, and even the pool equipment—with an iPad and iPhone through the ELAN g! system.  Eric is a huge iPhone fan, so that really put him over the top.

“As you can see, the results lived up to the hype.  We used some of the best projection and outdoor audio equipment available to give them a theater that rivals the quality of any commercial movie theater out there, and the entire system can be set up with a couple swipes and taps on an iPad. The projector is so powerful the family can even watch sports outdoors in the daytime, partly thanks to a removable TV overhang that Onyx built.  We also installed an ELAN TS2 in-wall touch screen in the pool house that allows anyone to control the whole system from inside.”

The poolside theater is complete with a DirecTV HD receiver and Samsung Blu-ray player, so the homeowner can enjoy all of his sports and movies in the comfort of his own backyard. 

The ELAN g! Control System provides users with the most uniform and intuitive icon-based control from their favorite devices including TVs, touchscreens, touchpads, PCs, iPhones and iPads. The standardized interface works across platforms, so that the trendy g!Mobile app users love on the iPhone appears and works similarly on ELAN touchscreens, valets and handheld remotes as well as users' televisions and mobile devices. And the system's IP backbone makes it just as easy to control the system from across the room - or across the globe.

Individual "apps" for each subsystem allow the user to control security, climate, lighting, media, irrigation, pool/spa, messaging, video and photos with the flick of a finger. Access is fast and secure through any ELAN home interface or globally with mobile Internet enabled devices like the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Netbooks and PC Tablets. Since the intuitive interface empowers users with personalized scheduling and detailed history views, high consumption subsystems like lighting and climate can be closely monitored and managed for a greener lifestyle - and substantial energy savings.

About ELAN Home Systems:

Since 1990 ELAN® Home Systems has been an industry leading manufacturer of innovative, award-winning Multi-Room audio/video systems. ELAN systems were the first to integrate audio, video, phones and third-party products to create a seamless, easy-to-use "whole house" solution. ELAN systems and products are distributed through a comprehensive channel of select Dealers and Distributors throughout the United States, Canada and more than 58 countries worldwide. ELAN Home Systems is part of The AVC Group.  To learn more, visit www.elanhomesystems.com.

About The AVC Group, LLC:

Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, The AVC Group, LLC is a portfolio of pre-eminent manufacturers and marketers of state-of-the-art consumer and commercial audio, video, and control system solutions.  The AVC Group is comprised of the following industry leading brands: Niles®, ELAN® Home Systems, Xantech®, ATON® and Sunfire®. The AVC Group, LLC is a subsidiary of Nortek, Inc.’s Home Technology Group.