Home Theater Room Design - How Can I Get The Best Out Of My House?

Designing a home theater room 

The home theater room design is one that will encompass a wide range of functions, with each set-up very different from another person's. The home theater system will need to be designed in such a way as to provide for the best viewing, the best sound, and the best overall experience for your home theater viewer. No matter if you are designing a home theater that is large, with special features, projectors and screens, or a home theater that is a high definition television with surround sound, you should carefully have the room designed before purchasing the system. There are several reasons for this. 

Home theater design

The home theater room design covers a wide assortment of areas - the quality of speakers to carry the surround sound decently, the size of the movie screen, or should we use a film projector for extra detailed movies. If the design of the home theater is not done in advance, poor results will occur leaving a large room with a big screened television and a couple of inadequate speakers, and a lot of money spent for nothing. Sound is one of the hardest things to deal with but it is also one of the most important pieces in the home theater system. To really get something similar to the "real-time cinema," a minimum of four speakers should be set up along with equipment available for the surround-sound signal, sending it to the speakers. Right now, the two top best-selling home theater systems are: (1) the B-2-1 GS II System with DVD player, Radio Tuner, 2 speakers and subwoofer at $780 to $1,000, with Electonics Expo as the lowest available place to purchase; and (2) Bose Lifestyle 48 System with DVD player, Radio Tuner, 5 speakers at $2,799 to $3,999 with Dynaco the lowest at $2,799.

Home theater designs

The large screen television should be at least 27 inches diagonally across, with a clear picture. There are many smaller and many larger, but most everyone wants the largest television they can get. But sometimes a large one is not always best, so follow the golden rule of big TVs - the minimum optimum viewing distance "from the viewer to the TV screen should be about 2-2 1/2 times the width of the television set" (ex: if you have a 34 inch TV, sit no closer than 7 feet from the screen). If you purchase one of the biggies, say a 50-inch to 60-inch set, what will be needed is 12-15 feet to work with. Also, make sure the area you are going to put the TV in will fit, plus leaving a ventilation of 1-2 inch leeway on all sides plus several inches in the back. And most of all, don't get such a large TV you can not get it into the vehicle to get it home, or get it through the front door, OR carry it inside. Many stores offer free delivery - take them up on it, especially if it is a Plasma or LCD. It will not be guaranteed if the consumer breaks it while taking it home, but if the store delivers it, the guarantee will be covered.

Home theater rooms

Probably not as important as the speakers and the television, but what happens if the room planned for the home theater has several windows in it? When we go to the movies downtown, we sit in the dark while focusing on the movie - gulping down pop, and eating bags of popcorn sprinkled with candy. Would it feel the same if we sat in sunlight, or had the moon or street lights shining onto the screen? Several things could be done - we could tear down the window and put a wall up, cover the window with heavy drapes, or move the system so the sun was not shining onto the TV glass. The answer here is a personal one, and maybe none of them may be correct for the consumer. Anyway, the room has endless possibilities with the home theater design, but plans really need to be carefully thought out.