Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Complete Guide to Home Theaters: Tips and Advice On How to Turn Any Room Into a Sensational Home Theater.
    The Complete Guide to Home Theaters: Tips and Advice On How to Turn Any Room Into a Sensational Home Theater.
    The Complete Guide to Home Theaters: Tips and Advice On How to Turn Any Room Into a Sensational Home Theater.
    Ebook140 pages1 hour

    The Complete Guide to Home Theaters: Tips and Advice On How to Turn Any Room Into a Sensational Home Theater.

    By Lisa Montgomery

    5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    You’ve probably seen home theaters in the pages of home improvement and technology magazines like Electronic House. You may have even encountered one at the home of a friend or colleague. Perhaps you’ve stopped at a home electronics store and have seen a home theater there. Have you ever wondered what it takes to create these elegant, high-performing A/V masterpieces?

    Our Complete Guide to Home Theater Planning will walk you through the process, step by step. As you’ll learn, creating a home theater requires carefully planning to get right, some imagination and plenty of time and patience. It’s hard work, but the results can be phenomenal—something that pleases every member of your family and adds real value to your house.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBookBaby
    Release dateApr 17, 2015
    ISBN9781483553498
    The Complete Guide to Home Theaters: Tips and Advice On How to Turn Any Room Into a Sensational Home Theater.

    Related to The Complete Guide to Home Theaters

    Related ebooks

    Home & Garden For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Big Screen Decisions

      Feb 8, 2022

      When I started out as a custom installer back in 1998, a “big screen” was a 60-inch rear-projection TV, with high-end models available from the likes of Mitsubishi and Pioneer Elite. These were 4:3 aspect ratio, cathode ray tube-driven sets with 480i

      3 min read

    • Article

      Router Plane

      Nov 5, 2019

      Router Plane
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Budget Studio Guide

      Jul 16, 2020

      The Budget Studio Guide
      11 min read

    • Article

      Mission 770 LOUDSPEAKER

      Oct 11, 2022

      Mission 770 LOUDSPEAKER
      9 min read

    • Article

      Triple Threat

      Feb 8, 2022

      PERFORMANCE FEATURES BUILD QUALITY VALUE OSD AUDIO is a maker of many audiorelated things, its extensive product line covering most bases for custom residential and commercial installations. But the company also has a fair number of consumer offering

      6 min read

    • Article

      Outdoor Entertaining PART 3

      Feb 6, 2024

      Outdoor Entertaining PART 3
      3 min read

    • Article

      Combating Viewing Obstacles

      Sep 30, 2022

      Combating Viewing Obstacles
      4 min read

    • Article

      Home Cinema Versus Media Room

      Apr 27, 2020

      Home Cinema Versus Media Room
      15 min read

    • Article

      Maximum Theater!

      Mar 1, 2022

      Maximum Theater!
      8 min read

    • Article

      HOME Theatres…

      Jan 13, 2021

      HOME Theatres…
      2 min read

    • Article

      Top Design Mistakes, Part Two

      Oct 12, 2018

      Top Design Mistakes, Part Two
      3 min read

    • Article

      Movie Magic

      Dec 7, 2023

      Movie Magic
      3 min read

    • Article

      How To Create The Perfect Home Cinema

      Nov 4, 2021

      For a true cinema experience, you’ll need a big screen. Aim for one that’s at least 75 inches in size – anything smaller will just feel a bit average. A projector makes an even better choice. Projector design has advanced dramatically over the past f

      2 min read

    • Article

      Soundbars

      Aug 17, 2022

      Soundbars
      1 min read

    • Article

      Projecting The Future

      Jul 9, 2021

      Projecting The Future
      3 min read

    • Article

      Hearing Is Believing

      Dec 7, 2022

      Hearing Is Believing
      1 min read

    • Article

      Lights, camera, ACTION

      Sep 16, 2019

      Lights, camera, ACTION
      2 min read

    • Article

      Optoma CinemaX P1

      Jun 29, 2020

      Optoma CinemaX P1
      3 min read

    • Article

      Five Foundations Of a Cinema Room

      Jun 1, 2023

      Five Foundations Of a Cinema Room
      2 min read

    • Article

      Entertainment Tech

      Nov 3, 2022

      Entertainment Tech
      4 min read

    • Article

      It’s Showtime

      Nov 4, 2021

      Longing for the thrills of the silver screen but don’t know where to start? Chris Mayer, product specialist at Hisense Australia, shares his tips for setting up a cinema space that won’t break the bank. Before purchasing anything new, survey the spac

      1 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Complete Guide to Home Theaters

    5/5

    1 rating0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      The Complete Guide to Home Theaters - Lisa Montgomery

      ISBN: 978-1-4835534-9-8

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      Chapter 1

      Types of Home Theaters

      Chapter 2

      Planning & Executing Your Ideas

      Chapter 3

      Necessary Home Theater Equipment

      Chapter 4

      Extra Features to Consider

      Chapter 5

      The Pros and Cons of Doing it Yourself, Plus a Real-Life Examples of Home Theaters Designed and Installed by Do-It-Yourselfers and by Professional Home Systems Integrators

      CHAPTER 1

      TYPES OF THEATERS

      Choose a room that suits your entertainment style

      The Dedicated Theater

      Make your theater feel like a special destination by dedicating a room exclusively for high-impact entertainment

      GOING TO THE MOVIES in the traditional sense involves driving to the Cineplex, paying for tickets, buying a bucket of popcorn, and settling into a red fabric flip-down seat for a two-hour escape from reality. It’s as much about the trip there and the thrill of a new environment as it is about watching the film. The only way to closely match this experience in your home is by dedicating a room exclusively to the enjoyment of a cinematic presentation. A dedicated home theater, when designed right, can evoke the same kind of excitement you feel in a commercial theater when the lights dim and the previews start. Movie nights can become a special occasion at home too, where you’re free to totally immerse yourself in the on-screen action. There are no distractions; nothing to pull your attention away from the presentation. Once you’re in the room, being entertained by superior video and sound is your one and only objective.

      This all sounds wonderful, and it is, but there are some drawbacks to committing a room exclusively to movie viewing. Depending on where the dedicated theater is located in your home, you may not use it as much as you had envisioned, opting instead to go to a casual family room setup to watch the news, sports, and other content that’s not a movie. Moreover, designing and constructing a dedicated theater can be an expensive endeavor. In addition to the A/V gear, you’ll need to buy materials and furnishings to finish the space.

      To help you decide if a dedicated theater is the best route for you, here are some of the pros and cons:

      The Pros

      Ideal Shape and Size. Based on parameters specified by a home theater designer, your contractor can construct a theater room to the ideal dimensions for top-notch acoustical performance. Built to the appropriate length, width, and height, the structure of the home theater itself will be able to combat audio echo, reverberation, and other anomalies that can plague imperfectly shaped rooms. The space can also be built in a way that will prevent most of the theater sound from seeping into other areas of the house. Many home theater designers use a floating room or a room within a room technique to achieve this. These well-constructed theaters are the model of perfection.

      Aesthetic Appeal. Building from scratch gives you the opportunity to easily fuse the electronics into the room design. As the room is being framed, accommodations can be made for in-wall speakers, subwoofers, equipment racks, and a video projector. If you’d like the screen to sink into the wall for a flush appearance, the appropriate size cavity can be constructed. Any motorized lifts (for a drop-from-the-ceiling video projector, for example) can be incorporated while the walls and ceiling are exposed. As your home theater is being designed, you can also request that a special room for the A/V gear be added—a great feature, if you’d prefer to keep the equipment out of sight.

      TIPS FOR CREATING A DEDICATED THEATER

      1.   Choose a spot where you know you’ll want to spend time.

      2.   Ensure comfort by installing specialty theater seating.

      3.   Make a dedicated theater more inviting by incorporating a bar at the back for snacks and drinks.

      4.   Choose a theme to add personality to the space.

      5.   Invest in high-quality A/V gear for the greatest impact.

      6.   Stow A/V gear in an equipment room separate from the theater.

      Decorative Freedom. Since a home theater is typically set apart from the rest of the house, following a style that’s cohesive with your home’s existing decor isn’t really necessary for your new movie room. A dedicated theater is the one space where you can explore a new decorating flavor. If the rest of your house is traditional, you could make your theater ultra-modern, or if you tend to stick with neutral color schemes, make a statement by accoutering the theater with bold reds and purples. Have a hobby, passion, or favorite movie? Pick a theme that allows you to create an homage to Star Wars, your trip to Italy, a favorite NFL team—and design your theater around it.

      Environmental Control. Superior theaters have no windows, include seats that are laid out perfectly and set on tiers for optimal viewing, and suffer from no audible or visual distractions. It may be tough to accomplish these goals in rooms that already exist in your house, but they’re totally doable when a theater room is designed and built from the ground up.

      A/V Liberty. If you’re building a theater from scratch and have always dreamed of owning a 120-inch screen, make sure to leave plenty of space for that coveted display, as well as other electronic must-haves. There’s no need to hide the gear—unless you want to. Because you’ll be mainly watching movies in the room, there are no worries about the technology conflicting with the decor; it IS the decor.

      The Cons

      It’s Lonely Down There. In a dedicated theater, you’re shut off temporarily from what’s happening in the rest of the house. For some families, especially those with small children, this is just asking for trouble. If the theater resides in the basement or a new addition, those with busy schedules and hectic lifestyles may find it easier and more comfortable to simply catch a movie on the smaller TV in the family room than to make a special trip to the dedicated theater.

      Difficult to Multitask. Dedicated theaters are designed to do one thing and do that one thing really well: show video. Although you can always use the space for parties or to relax, read, and listen to music, there are probably other rooms in your house that are better suited for these activities.

      It’s Expensive. A dedicated theater is a space that’s built from the ground up. Even if you plan to locate the theater in the basement, you may still need to construct the walls and ceiling, lay down a floor, buy new furniture, add outlets, jacks, and lights; the list goes on. Add the cost of the materials to the A/V equipment that will be installed, and the price of a dedicated theater can easily skyrocket. You’ll need to set a firm budget—and stick to it.

      Lots of Rules. If you’re going to invest the time and money to build a dedicated theater, you may as well do it right. This means abiding by the many tried and tested design rules that will dictate everything from the size of the screen, the location of the speakers, and the configuration of the seating. It can feel excessively formulaic, particularly to people who aren’t hardcore videophiles.

      Design and Installation by Hi-Tech Home, Clovis, Calif.

      The Multipurpose Room

      Fusing a home theater into a family room, den, or some other existing space is a popular and smart option for many families

      THE POPULARITY OF MULTIPURPOSE rooms has grown by leaps and bounds over the past

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1