Unpacking the Elements Behind Dedicated Home Theater Design
What sets dedicated cinemas apart from other entertainment spaces?
A home theater is an entertainment space unlike any other. Private cinemas are built to recreate and optimize the theatrical experience in a custom, controlled, one-of-a-kind room in the comfort of your Pittsburgh, PA, home. As a result, dedicated home theater design looks a lot different than design for other entertainment spaces like multipurpose media rooms. Let’s unpack three of the most important design aspects that make dedicated theaters so unique. Keep reading to learn more.
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Lighting Control
In a multipurpose media room, it’s usually impossible to control all ambient light — from windows, adjacent areas, or room lights left on to accommodate the room’s other uses. But a dedicated home theater is designed with complete control over all ambient light. Ideally, theater rooms are isolated from the rest of the house and have no windows. If the theater has a window, blackout motorized shades can prevent sunlight from entering the space during movie time.
Additionally, the theater walls and ceilings should not be painted with lighter or neon colors that reflect light from the display screen. All other light fixtures — including overhead lighting, seat lighting, and accent lighting — should be dimmable and easily controllable with a smartphone or custom keypad.
Why so much emphasis on creating a light-controlled environment? First and foremost, the absence of light will produce better picture quality on projection screens and TVs. And good theater lighting is necessary to set an authentic cinema ambiance. Remember the anticipation and excitement you feel when the lights start dimming in a theater before the movie begins? Our goal is to recreate that experience in a dedicated home theater.
Screen Size and Placement
In a multi-use space, you may have limited options for the size and placement of your display screen due to space constraints. But in a dedicated theater, a display is the centerpiece of the room. Depending on how far you can seat from the screen, you have more flexibility to dedicate all or most of an entire wall to a gigantic projection screen or TV to create a stunning “wow” effect.
Acoustic Control
Good sound is at least 50% of the movie theater experience. In a multipurpose media space, it’s nearly impossible to control sound from adjacent rooms and outdoor noise. But dedicated home theaters are designed to control and optimize the room’s acoustics for a fantastic, surround sound audio experience on movie night.
Ideally, your theater room will be acoustically isolated from the rest of the house. Acoustic room treatments, correct speaker placement, and equipment calibration are all critical aspects of home theater design for sound control. At Simply Automated, our team partners with Konectics to help us create the perfect soundscape for dedicated theater rooms. The goal of sound optimization is to create a completely immersive and unrivaled audio experience that keeps you locked into the thrall of the action for the entire film.
Trust the team at Simply Automated to be your home theater design and installation experts. We’ll work with you from start to finish to create the best entertainment experience for your home. Call or fill out our contact form to set up a consultation at one of our two Pittsburgh locations.
