Looking for ways to wow your friends, family and neighbors with your home theater and provide the best viewing experience at the same time? Advances in technology have put cool features and sophisticated equipment within financial reach of most consumers. Improvements to your home theater’s design and equipment are sure to get your neighbors hoping you’ll ask them over for the next movie night.
Screen
Skip the LCD versus plasma TV debate and get a projection TV. They are now affordable for many consumers, and they allow for the biggest viewing screen possible. Make sure you pick a display aspect ratio that fits the type of media you plan on watching the most. The 16:9 format projectors are optimal for most films created since the 1950s. A 4:3 projector is best for TV programs.
Speakers
Size is important, but it is not the only consideration when choosing speakers that have the best sound quality. A blend of large speakers is a must for your home theater, especially if you are placing them in a large room. Pick a vented housing instead of sealed housing for a higher level of bass. Find a style — floor standing, bookshelf, satellite — that goes best with your decor theme. Avoid in-wall speakers since they often have a negative affect on sound quality.
Sound Absorption
Eliminate echoes and distorted sounds in your home theater. Reduce the number of hard surfaces like wood or glass furniture in the room to decrease sound reflection. You may want to think about incorporating tapestries, blankets and other fabrics into the room’s decor to improve sound absorption. Acoustic panels and ceiling tiles are excellent additions that will improve the room’s sound quality.
Seating
Comfort is only one factor you should consider when designing seating for your home theater. If you have one row of seating with four or more chairs, consider using a curved arrangement. With this design, no matter where you and your guests sit they will have not have to adjust their heads as much to get the best viewing angle. Also, units can be installed underneath the seats that are called “tactile inducers.” These devices use low frequency bass to simulate the feel of explosions, earthquakes and other events that happen during a movie.
Lighting
Impress your neighbors with home theater lighting that is unusual but also improves the quality of the viewing experience. Wall sconces can be a classy touch that provides backdrop lighting. Accent lighting emits a warm glow that can ease eye strain around the television and seating area. In-floor path lights make you feel like you’re in a mini-movie theater, and a fiber-optic star ceiling is an extra touch that you won’t find in many home theaters.
Decor
The furnishings and decorations in your home theater are where you can really impress your neighbors with originality. Interchangeable movie poster frames let you showcase favorite films. A DVD marquee to mark the grand entrance to your home theater is a nice touch. Furniture can also be purchased to match a theme, whether you want a modern movie theater feel or a more old-fashioned 1920s movie house look.
Chase Sagum covers the Home Theater Screen Paint section of ScreenPaintHD.com. He also covers Organic Internet Marketing on his personal blog ChaseSagum.com.
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