Designing your Home Cinema Room
If the thought of snuggling up with a good movie and a giant bucket of popcorn in your very own home cinema room makes you smile from ear-to-ear, it’s worth giving plenty of consideration to home cinema installation. There are many things to think of to ensure you can enjoy the best cinematic experience possible. So, here’s what to keep in mind.
The Size and Shape of the Room
Everyone’s different, so think about the type of home cinema room you want to create. Do you want it to be small, cosy and den-like or do you want friends to come over and watch their favourite flicks on a huge screen? Your answer will help you pick the right spot for a cinema screen installation by a smart home specialist. The best room shape for a home cinema is rectangular as this will accommodate a larger screen and the sound will travel well. Square rooms aren’t the best for sound quality reasons.
The Amount of Light and Number of Windows
Ideally, your home cinema should be in a room with no windows. This isn’t always possible, however, so opt for a room with the least number of windows or consider bricking in any existing windows before continuing with your cinema room. Natural light is somewhat intrusive and can cause unwanted reflections. To minimise the expense of creating a home cinema room, you can also consider blackout blinds. Painting the walls and ceiling black is another idea to consider.
Wall Materials and Flooring
An echoey cinema room isn’t what anyone wants. So, when you’re at the design stages, choose a room with drywalls and carpet as this will help dampen all unwanted echoey sounds. Rooms with cement or cement block walls, as well as tile or hardwood flooring, will make the situation worse.
Surround Sound or Soundbar
When it comes to home cinema, choosing the right sound system is important. Surround sound makes it feel like the action is happening all around you. But it can be costly to install. This is because you’ll need at least 5 high-quality speakers and a subwoofer, strategically placed around the room (known as 5.1). Some systems now also go up to 7 speakers (encompassing an additional 2x speakers at the rear, known as 7.1). Finally, there is the Dolby Atmos system which is more advanced that both, using up to 64 speaker channels to immerse the viewer in the film. If you have the budget, go for it as it’s definitely worth spending a bit extra.
If you’re looking for a cheaper option, a soundbar system is also worth considering. With a soundbar, it comprises of 3 speakers in one, that sits under the TV and sound is projected out towards the audience as if you were watching a theatre production. As a rule, it’s better to have a high-quality soundbar system than a low-quality surround sound.
The Screen
A luxurious screen is a must for any home cinema. There are projectors that tend to be less bright than televisions but can give a much bigger image in your room. Those looking for optimum graphics tend to go for a television screen. This should ideally fill 40-degrees of your vision field for optimal immersion. A 60-90-inch television screen should work wonders, but remember to get your measurements right. With a projection screen images size generally starts from 120-inch.
There are many things to consider when planning a home cinema installation. Contact New Wave AV in Tonbridge, for help and advice.
