Faster, Smarter, Better: This Is the Zoom Room Residents Will Love
Want to attract and keep residents? Consider a media room that fulfills their wildest dreams.
During the pandemic, seniors—many of them reluctantly—have gotten on board with Zoom and other video technology. Now they’re hooked; and if you want to attract movie-ins, a state-of-the-art media room will get their attention.
Choose the right room.
What does that mean? Start with the room itself. A square room will present audio issues that may be difficult or impossible to overcome, so look for a rectangular room. Tile, hardwood, and similar surfaces bounce sound around the room. Absorptive surfaces, such as carpeting or padded linoleum, will be more audio-friendly and keep the room from sounding like a basketball court. If hard surfaces are unavoidable, rugs, pillows, cushions, and acoustic tiles can help.
Natural light is fine, but it should be controllable with the right window treatments.
Remember that COVID has put cleanliness and space in the spotlight. Your room should be furnished using comfortable seating with fabrics that will withstand strong cleaning products and surfaces that are easy to clean and disinfect. At the same time, seating should be spaced out and possibly separated by acoustic panels or plants.
If you’re converting an existing room or space to a Zoom or media room, consider the location. It should be conveniently located but not so close to resident units or apartments that the sound is intrusive.
The value of video: Voila!
Not surprisingly, the video display is the focal point of the media room; so it needs to be as close to perfect as you can get. As for the technology, there are several options: LCD, LED, QLED, and OLED are currently among the most popular. LCD, LED, and QLED are brighter and more appropriate for a room with more natural light. QLED screens are basically LED but with a quantum-dot filter that helps produce better colors and more brightness than LED and OLED screens.
For a larger room, a projector may be preferrable. If viewers will be sitting further away from the screen, projectors will enable a bigger picture. However, for clarity a TV –particularly one with technology called high dynamic range, or HDR -- generally has the edge. Most home theater televisions use an updated Dolby version of HDR. This enables the screen to make light and color adjustments in real time.
Determine how the room will be used and what type of video residents will want and need before making any investment in devices or technology.
Get serious about sound.
For a quality media room, particular in senior living where some residents may have hearing deficits, you’ll need more than the TV’s built-in speakers for high quality sound. A surround sound system –with several speakers plus a subwoofer – offers the richest, clearest sound. However, it may be a challenge to hide the wiring and keep the room’s aesthetic appeal.
In-wall and in-ceiling speakers are a possible alternative to freestanding or bookshelf speakers. For a smaller room, a sound bar – which sits below the TV – may be adequate, although quality can vary significantly from model to model. Positioning of speakers and microphones should be customized according to the uses of the room and the needs of residents.
Of course, a solid, reliable wireless network will be necessary to stream audio and video to any Internet-capable devise and enable downloads from Apple TV, Roku, Sling, etc. It also is important to consider other video uses for the room such as gaming, virtual meetings, and, perhaps most important, Zooming or videoconferencing with family and friends.
You can have the Zoom room that your residents and your marketing teams will love. From conception to design to completion, let Pi help. Please call us at (512)231-1910 and ask for Business Development.
