A yacht designer, audiovisual supplier, and theater company are developing an innovative cinema concept for a 150-meter superyacht. Called the Nemo Room, it will feature an underwater live feed projected on the screen and meet IMAX's high standards for image and sound quality. Creating a theater that meets IMAX's size requirements while fitting on a superyacht poses engineering challenges. However, the companies believe this project will set a new standard and change expectations for audiovisual experiences on luxury yachts.

1. 24 25THE HIGH END THE HIGH END
A yacht audiovisual
supplier joins forces
with a yacht designer
and an impeccable-
quality theater company,
developing a concept
for an innovative
design feature on a
superyacht.
By Kimberly Turner Quevedo
“We are always thinking of what we can
do to push the boundaries,” says Yacht Intel-
ligence’s founder and managing director Alan
Bernardi, whose company is the supplier of
custom audiovisual and control solutions for
superyachts. “We focused on cinemas and then
IMAX released their private theater proposal.”
Dubbed The Nemo Room, the setup,
envisioned for a 150-meter yacht Freivokh is
designing for a client, will include a live un-
derwater CCTV feed from outside the vessel
that will project marine life and coral onto the
screen. In addition to the feed and movie-
viewing capabilities, it also is designed for
Blu-Ray, streaming live content, gaming and
video conferencing.
“The name relates to the creation of a very
special underwater experience for the cinema
space — it deserved a name which commu-
nicated the unique experience,” says Freivokh.
Still in the concept stages, challenges in-
clude living up to IMAX’s strict parameters and
specific technological requirements, which in-
corporate an image enhancer that ensures the
on-screen image is perfect; a state-of-the-art
dual 4K projection system to deliver crystal-
clear images; and a microphone system that
performs daily tuning calibrations so the sound
is perfectly in-tune.
“We need to achieve total isolation from
engine noise and vibration, achieve the re-
quired acoustic, sound and projection param-
eters, and ensure that the experience is 100
percent comparable to a commercial IMAX
theater, except more comfortable and luxuri-
ous,” says Freivokh.
To accomplish this, there are plans for
floating floors and different layers and forms
of insulation, according to Bernardi, which
to him is an easier part of the design. With
IMAX’s strict size requirements, the real chal-
lenge ahead lies in the sheer size of the theater.
“It is massive — you have to have a 4-me-
ter ceiling height, which means you are eating
up 2 decks of the yacht,” says Bernardi. “We
are confined by the size of the yacht, so the
biggest challenge was this. You can’t just add
an expansion on it like a home.”
The design-concept plans include com-
fortable armchairs for about 20 guests (in a
similar tiered movie-theater setup to a large
residence) and sliding walls as doors, creating
a seamless surround screen that completes
the famous IMAX immersive effect.
“The favorite part for me is you get the full
cinema experience,” says Bernardi. “It has a
nice size but it is cozy and a great experience
from start to finish.”
To solve bandwidth issues, the yacht’s
IMAX theater plans include use of 4G tech-
nology and the possible use of satellites to get
data to the yacht for same-day-release movies.
“I firmly believe that our work will change
the way people look at AV on superyachts,”
says Bernardi. “There will be some amazing
things in the future.”
toys
Ultimate theater-viewing experiences
are nothing new to luxury spaces —
unless you combine IMAX’s superb
image enhancement with a superyacht.
Yacht Intelligence, in partnership with
IMAX Corporation and renowned yacht
designer Ken Freivokh, has developed
a concept to bring the world’s first
ever IMAX private theater on board a
superyacht.
“The favorite part for me is you get the
full cinema experience,” says Bernardi.
“It has a nice size but it is cozy and a
great experience from start to finish.”
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