A home theater can make a great investment that allows you and your family to enjoy time together in a fun and relaxing context. Before you roll up your sleeves and begin construction, though, there are some important facets to consider. By considering these items now, you’ll be sure that you end up with the home theater that meets your needs. Plus, you’re likely to save money, both now and in the future, by thinking through the process in detail now.
Power
If there’s one thing a home theater can’t do without, it’s power. Whether it’s power for your system components or power for your popcorn machine, power is crucial throughout your home theater space. Before you begin construction, then, it’s important that you think through the locations of power outlets to ensure you have them where you need them. The goal is to need no extension cords to provide a clean and finished look. Typically, it’s good to add more than you need, while staying within code for spacing, of course.
Speaker Placement
While what you see on the screen is of vital importance to your movie-watching experience, what you hear can make or break your ability to be totally immersed in that experience. That’s why proper speaker placement is a crucial consideration before building out your home theater. Speakers need to be properly placed to ensure the sound field is balanced for each listener. Additionally, speakers should be placed in a location that won’t vibrate when the action in the movie gets especially intense.
The Future
Even if you buy state-of-the-art equipment now, that doesn’t mean it will still be cutting-edge five years down the road. To protect against that eventuality, it’s important to think about the future when building your home theater. That may mean investing in higher-bandwidth cables to ensure that next-generation movies are able to be played through your system and still look great. Or, it may mean adding extra networking ports to ensure you have connectivity for any necessary future devices.
Soundproof
Even though watching a movie in a home theater is a great time for family bonding, there will be occasions when your entire family doesn’t want to participate. For times like these, it’s important that you plan for soundproofing in your home theater design. By using sound-absorbing materials in the wall cavities of your future home theater, you will prevent sound transfer that could be bothersome for people around your home. This will ensure everyone can enjoy the home theater, whether they’re actively using it, or not.
Every home theater needs some type of “wow” element to truly stand out. Whether it’s an original movie poster, custom lighting, or some other unique component, it’s these types of over-the-top elements that truly make your home theater feel like an escape. By incorporating these elements along with your other well-planned components, you’ll have a home theater that everyone will want to use.
