In a move that represents a departure for the association, CEDIA has announced the acquisition of The Cinema Designer, the UK-based purveyor of home theater design software. The acquisition will offer CEDIA members preferential access to software, which is changing its name to The CEDIA Designer, which nicely aligns with the often-used acronym TCD.
“The CEDIA Designer is an exceptional home theater and media room design tool,” says Tabatha O’Connor, CEDIA president and CEO.
“The software was developed by renowned home theater designer Guy Singleton and has earned numerous industry awards since its launch in 2016. Most importantly, it has helped many integration firms save time and money in the design process while ensuring an outstanding client experience,” she continues.
“The manufacturers like it because they can feel confident that their products are being specified correctly, with appropriate products being applied to appropriate-sized rooms.”
After an integrator inputs the room specs and the design criteria, cloud-based TCD will produce a technically sound home cinema or media room design with full documentation, a scale rendering of the finished theater, and a 3D CAD model.
Related: The Cinema Designer and D-Tools Partner to Create Streamlined Cinema Design Solution
The CEDIA Designer calculates in minutes what would typically take an experienced cinema designer several weeks, saving crucial design time on projects, says the association.
The software will specify the precise location of loudspeakers, screen, seating, and projector. It provides amplification and processor requirements, needed acoustic treatments, and more while adhering to the CTA/CEDIA CEB-22 and CEB-23 Home Theater Audio and Video Recommended Practices, improving performance and eliminating subjectivity in theater design.
TCD Tier 1 Software Free to CEDIA Members
Guy Singleton and the team behind the software are continuing on as consultants focusing on product development, sales, and customer care. The team will continue to support, maintain, and develop The CEDIA Designer.
“Having CEDIA as the stewards of TCD is a natural fit in our mind,” says Guy Singleton. “We created this software specifically for the CEDIA channel so being able to offer it to the members as a benefit, and more broadly to the entire industry, is a win for all of us.”
All CEDIA members will automatically gain a free subscription to use Level I, the Media Room design software, a $625 value, as part of their membership.
The three remaining tiers — Media Room Pro, Cinema Room, and Cinema Room Pro — are significantly discounted for members. CEDIA manufacturer members can join the 60 companies and over 1,500 products in the tool and will benefit from a discounted rate when enlisting products into the service, saving $2,000.
The CEDIA Designer Webinar Schedule
CEDIA will be demonstrating The CEDIA Designer at CEDIA Expo 2018 and a series of webinars are planned after the show.
CEDIA Expo CEDIA Designer Demo Schedule
- Thursday, September 6
- Time: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- Location: Room 32A – CEDIA Education Pavilion
- Saturday, September 8
- Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
- Location: CEDIA Booth #1527
The CEDIA Designer Demo Webinar Schedule
- Wednesday, September 26
- 10:00 a.m. – EDT
- 3:00 p.m. – GMT
- 5:00 p.m. – AEST
- Wednesday, October 31
- 10:00 a.m. – EDT
- 3:00 p.m. – GMT
- 5:00 p.m. – AEST
