For the rich and famous, home theaters are no longer just an extravagance. Many families are enjoying a true movie theater experience without leaving home thanks to more affordable technology. Let HGTV walk you through the steps if you're thinking about creating a home theater.
The perfect space is 20 feet long by 13 feet wide for a home theater and is relatively separate from the rest of the building. "It has to be in a place that does not interrupt the business of the home," says Rob Rickel, RSR Custom Renovations and Additions chief. "You don't want the sound disturbing everyone."
Great choices include:
Constructing a theatre wing outside the living room
Closure in the open space above a formal living room on the second floor
Converting at least 12 by 12 feet of a spare bedroom
With one exception, building the shell of a home theater is close to building every other addition to your home. With insulation, you'll want to pay extra attention. For floor, ceiling, and exterior wall insulation, a rating of R30 is normal, but don't forget the interior walls. R11 will help prevent the sound of movie explosions from rocking the rest of your house. Loosely packed. It won't completely block the noise, though. After you pre-wire the room, you'll need to install additional sound barriers.
A 7.1 surround sound scheme is used for most home theatres. This involves one subwoofer and seven speakers on the channel-left, right, middle, two side surrounds, and two rear surrounds. Follow these steps to pre-wire a 7.1 system:
Mark the position that each speaker will go to:
Core, just above or below the screen for display
Left/Right-at ear height on either side of the screen
Side Surrounds-just behind the main seating row on the side walls
On the back wall, Rear Surrounds (how far apart depends on the system)
Select a location for the hub where your receiver and other A/V equipment will be located. In a cabinet inside the theater or in a closet nearby, the center can be concealed.
You'll need to pre-wire a projector device for a practical, large-screen theatre experience. Only two cables are involved in this:
An HDMI cable for the projector to carry high-definition video
A CAT5 control wire with a radio frequency (RF) remote for accessing the projector.
Without pointing at the projector, this will let you start your movies.
For the development of a movie theater atmosphere, appropriate lighting is essential. This entails recessed overhead lighting and lamps along the side walls. To each of these places, run simple electrical wiring. Connecting the lights to an RF dimmer would let you use the same RF remote that you use for the projector to monitor them. When you click play, you can also set the lights to auto-dim.
Make careful incisions while hanging the drywall, through which you can route all of your pre-wired electrical and audio cables. You'll have two key options for additional soundproofing at this stage.
You can mount your speakers, projector, and screen once your drywall is painted. In a 20 by 13-foot theatre, the ideal screen size is 110-120 inches. Frame the screen with a proscenium for a professional feel-a collection of black acoustic panels that hide the speakers on the left, right, and middle. Camouflage the remaining speakers with acoustic panels that double as artwork. With custom designs, like family pictures or favorite movie posters, these panels can be printed.