How to Build a Home Theater
As consumer electronics continue to invade the home, many people have taken to putting them all into one room. This is often called a media room or home theater. From movies to music mixing, any home entertainment environment can be obtained.
.Financial Considerations
Before you get excited about re-living your weekends at the Westerns there are a few things you should consider. The first is cost. Home theaters can cost anywhere from $0.00 to millions of dollars. On the $0.00 end a home theater environment can be obtained simply by moving some furniture around to take advantage of where the pictures and sounds are coming from. On the millions end, a whole room can be constructed with the latest in acoustics, frequency damping, cable, music mixing and amenities. Somewhere in the lower end is the more realistic want.
The Space Factor
Space is the other realistic consideration. Do you actually have the space to do the job right? The finished space is what you see and are likely thinking about. What you may not have thought about is that the electronics and associated requirements need a lot of space for themselves. Make sure you have a realistic floor plan before you begin.
Electronics Installation
If you are going for a fairly simple set up think about where all the wires are going to go. Maybe a Bluetooth setup is right for you. If not, make sure you can reach all the equipment for when something decides not to work. Also make sure there is plenty of air circulation so the equipment can 'breathe'.
The big screen flat panel will be the focus of the room, but where to put it? You will not be able to place it just anywhere. Its wall needs to be isolated so vibrations do not get in the way, yet it also needs to be located in such a way that furniture can be oriented towards it.
Speakers have the same consideration. For surround sound, placement of sub woofers and all the other elements need to go in certain places.
Furnishings
With all the electronics going into making your devices function, you will not want the furniture and other interior elements damaging the sound inside the room. Types of interior elements and placement are just as important as the equipment itself. The last thing you will want in your home theater is sound bouncing in different directions. What you are looking for are materials and furnishings that dampen the sound within the space. From this perspective plush furnishings are a good choice - 'hard and edgy' is bad.
When thinking about your home theater walls, think about acoustical boards. They can direct sound in whatever direction is needed. First, however, research the acoustics of media rooms. This is the real heart of the project - not necessarily the equipment.
