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Albany Enters The Home Theater Space

Albany Industries is a well established furniture manufacturer making upholstery products for many large retail partners throughout the United States.  Started in 1995 as a small operation, they have successfully grown their business to include over 450 employees and

Albany in black bonded leather

Albany Theater Seat

500,000 sq ft of warehouse space.  As experts in the motion furniture category, they have now decided to start making home theater seating and are introducing 3 exciting new models to the market.

The first model to be introduced is the Albany 8630 design.  This is an expansive seat similar in look and size to the Best Buy Magnolia but with subtle differences in the seat back and seat cushion.  This model is also available currently only in a black or brown bonded leather material.  The only other option at the moment is power recline – our favorite option of all.  The seat includes a pocket coil seat cushion which means there are individually wrapped pocket coils in the cushion.  These provide years of excellent support and allow the seat cushion to maintain is form.

The theater seats price out at about $400 for manual recline with shipping and $500 for power recline – very economical and good value when compared to some of the other competitive products in this space.

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By btheater – December 28, 2011

Klaussner Furniture Offers New Theater Seating

Klaussner Furniture Company is one of the largest upholstery brands in the US and maintains a dominant position in the stationary furniture arena but has not offered too much in the motion division.  That is now expected to change with a number of motion reclining sofas and

Affordable Theater Seating

sectionals and a push into the home theater category.

Exciting introductions are expected at the next High Point furniture show and under the management (and ownership) of Bill Whittenberg – the previous Berkline CEO – we are excited to see what they offer.  The Klaussner Twilight has been one existing offering which has gained market traction as an entry level home theater seat in bonded leather in either black or brown.  The seat is currently only available in manual recline and is  being sold at the $400 price level with shipping.

 

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By btheater – October 4, 2011

Lane 221 Pallisades Theater Seat

As referenced a few times in earlier posts, Lane is now a major force in home theater seating.  There are a number of models they offer that are almost identical to the old Berkline models.  The top selling Berkline domestic theater seat was the 45090 model…..a clean-lined

Lane Model 221 - The Pallisades

Lane Pallisades Model 221

medium sized seat that dominated domestic sales of home theater here in the US market.

The Lane 221 model is now the identical replacement of this design.  The seat will now ship from Lane in a far quicker production schedule than Berkline was able to meet – around 3 weeks.  The seat can be fully customized with leather, fabric or microfibers and options like power recline.

Lane are also announcing the introduction of a quick ship program and this model will be on that program.  If you want this seat in black leather (and 90% of you do) then this seat can ship from Lane in a week – in selected standard configurations.

Price points are $599 for the manual recline and $699 for the power version.

Lane 221 Pallisades Theater Seat   

As referenced a few times in earlier posts, Lane is now a major force in home theater seating.  There are a number of models they offer that are almost identical to the old Berkline models.  The top selling Berkline domestic theater seat was the 45090 model…..a clean-lined medium sized seat that dominated domestic sales of home theater here in the US market.

The Lane 221 model is now the identical replacement of this design.  The seat will now ship from Lane in a far quicker production schedule than Berkline was able to meet – around 3 weeks.  The seat can be fully customized with leather, fabric or microfibers and options like power recline. 

Lane are also announcing the introduction of a quick ship program and this model will be on that program.  If you want this seat in black leather (and 90% of you do) then this seat can ship from Lane in a week – in selected standard configurations.

Price points are $599 for the manual recline and $699 for the power version.

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By btheater – August 25, 2011

The World of Home Theater is Changing

Home theater has evolved in its short existence.  There are now so many options that are available.  The world post Berkline’s decline has electrified the industry with a whole new group of worthy contenders for the crown.  There are now more options than ever and the field is

Lane Matinee Theater Seat

Lane Model 103 - Matinee

competitive.

Lane Furniture – the largest brand in the Furniture Brands collection of companies – has introduced the single largest offering in home theater in 5 years.  15 new models – many from the very same external supplier as Berkline – with top features from Berkline’s chief designer.  This offering will no doubt rock the post Berkline world into motion with exciting new options and some familiar faces.

This week Ashly Furniture successfully bid the highest price for the intellectual assets of Berkline – slightly over $6M.  The game is on.  Ashley is the largest furniture company in the world – resident in over 100 countries and a industry shaper in the markets they participate in.

 

Klaussner is also another strong contender in this space.  As one of the largest US made brands, and the former Berkline CEO at their helm, they will no doubt be a force to be reckoned with in the space.

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By btheater – August 16, 2011

The Palliser Bullet Review

The home theater space here in the US market at the moment is in a state of flux at the moment with the exit of Berkline in the first quarter.  Berkline offered a large range of products in home theater that enjoyed good customer feedback.  Palliser is now the dominant home

Bullet theater seating

The New Palliser Bullet

theater seating brand in this space and introduces a brand new line up this year with the Palliser Bullet.  This seat will be exclusively available at the TheaterSeatStore for the time being.

The Bullet addresses the need for a space saving model after the exit of the previous space saving champion – the Berkline 13175.  Yet, this seat includes so much more.  The foot rest for one, is the chaise style design which was sourly lacking in the Berkline model.  Chaise style foot rests do not have gaps in between the foot rest and the actual seat.  There is one continuous piece of leather or fabric which supports the legs far better than the older more traditional foot rests.  Legs that have continuous support offer better protection for the lower back and spine.  The Bullet also includes a small steel grommet at the front of the arm rest that allows the user to insert a tray table.  Every seat is sold with one tray able.

The final feature on this model worth mentioning is the ambient base lighting – a row of lights that run under the frame of the seat and give the seating arrangement an authentic theater room like feel.  This lighting used to be a nightmare in some Berkline models due to the fact that the lights daisy-chained together to form one circuit.  If something went wrong with one seat, the whole circuit went down.  This is not the case with this model.  Each theater seating model stands alone.

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By btheater – July 8, 2011

Palliser Model Differences

When shopping for theater seats, one gets barraged with all the options and features that are found out there today and trying to decide which works best for you becomes a difficult task.  We came across the schedule presented by TheaterSeatStore that highlights the feature differences between Palliser models.  We did feature one of their previous charts like this in a previous post that focused on Berkline.  Palliser is playing a pivotal role in the home theater arena with blockbuster seats like the Pacifico and the Magnolia (sold at Best Buy).  The quality and attention to detail is superb and warrants the extra expense in my opinion.

Palliser model features

Palliser Furniture

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By btheater – March 20, 2011

Moroni Furniture – Italian Perfection

Moroni Furniture Company is a very well established US based brand that aims to bring the clean contemporary style to the world of leather furniture.  Their attention to detail on their leather selection is note-worthy and they offer a huge selection of colors.  Most leathers are sourced from Italy which ensures top notch quality.  While their focus is contemporary livingroom furniture, there is a home theater seat that as a unique feature that is worth mentioning.

This particular model – name not yet know – offers a power recline mechanism where the button is hidden beneath the leather.  One pushes the hide in the arm rest in one location and the seat comfortably reclines back.  This is very original and not yet seen in any model lately across any brand.  The head rest of the seat also articulates upwards so that when one reclines, the head rest can be extended.

The stainless steel cup holders finish off a seat that has a lot of potential for a high end home theater room.  This particular model also includes a two seat sofa option that has the same features.

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By btheater – March 9, 2011

Robinson & Robinson Monterrey

Robinson and Robinson is a furniture brand out of southern California that reflects the cool style and designs that represent this portion of the country.  Quality is a trademark in their products and fine leather finishes make their products a pleasure to look at and enjoy.

In their home theater line-up there are a number of great options but the Monterrey is one of my favorite. The Robinson Monterrey is a beautiful set of fhome theater urniture which will enhance the charm of your living room. The Monterrey has double cushion back rest which is raised high to provide comfortable support to your back.

In addition to all these the Robinson Monterrey has extra padding on the armrest to give you a comfortable feel as you place your arms on the armrests. The Monterrey can be ordered with cup holders on the armrest. This is however optional and can be ordered with single or double cup holders as desired.

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By btheater – February 3, 2011

Berkline 12014 Theater Seat

The 12014 theater seat from Berkline is a new introduction in the 2nd half of 2010 that continues to build on the success of other import models from this famous home theater brand. This seat has taken all the features from across many models and incorporated them into one model.  It manages to carry off all the features with sup rising success and without destroying the look and style of the seat. Another feature not referenced above is the gas hydraulic hinge that supports the in arm storage.  While this hinge does give a smooth movement to the hidden storage lid, the hinge is not functioning the way it should be under rigorous use.

This home theater seat includes the following important features:

- tray tables

- in arm storage

- pillow top seat cushion

- over-padded arm rest like the Headliner theater seat

- chaise style foot rest

- articulated head rest

- triple split back for lumbar support

The triple split seat back is becoming more popular because of the increased comfort that is creates.  The seat cushion has the contour style or bucket seat style, which further improves the comfort of the seating as it envelopes your body.  The tray table fits well into the hidden storage and can be removed and the attached pin can be inserted into the stainless steel grommet situated at the front of the arm rest which then supports the tray table.  This is the same style grommet used on the Reno – very well tested – and includes the stainless plate that covers the hole when the tray table is not in use.

My verdict on this is not positive at the moment after having seen a few of these models in the market at various shows.  Many of the models that I have seen have malfunctioning hydraulics so there is still some work needed on this element of the seat.

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By btheater – January 28, 2011

Palliser’s New Introductions

Palliser Theater Seats

Palliser Home Theater New Introduction - Celebration

Palliser Furniture Company is one of the top companies in home theater recliners at present and for the most recent season has continued extending it’s brand of theater solutions. The most recent push is definitely focused towards the advent of storage space, space-saving models and ambient base-rail lighting style. The latest space savers which have been unveiled are the Palliser Slade, Antica, Sensation and Firenze. Storage space can now be found in the Mimi, Mellow, Chic, Reward, Circuit. Palliser titles products that are the identical design and style however have got ambient base lighting using a different name. So, for instance, the Chic is the identical design as the Circuit, but the Circuit offers ambient base lighting. The Reward is the identical style and design as the Celebration, but the Celebration has ambient lighting effects.

Ambient base lighting effects gives a movie theater space an extremely traditional lighting feel. The fluorescent lights run across the base of the seating, disguised from plain view but providing a very trendy effect. Storage space is useful for controllers and tv guidelines and we are hoping to observe Palliser Furniture introduce a tray table before long to its lineup of recliners.

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By btheater – January 15, 2011