Achieving a home entertainment experience similar to what you might find at the cinema requires a lot more than buying any old TV and stereo system. Yet, with technology evolving at the rate that it is, we are presented with countless options in terms of video displays and speakers, making it difficult to know what the right equipment for your home cinema installation is.
While your budget may not stretch to allow you the latest and greatest electronic devices that money can buy, it is still possible to create an impressive and immersive home cinema – all it takes is a bit of planning and research.
To help you get started, we’ve gathered together six tips to consider when setting up your own home cinema.
1) Position your video display before anything else
Whether you prefer to use an LED TV, plasma TV, flat panel OLED TV, or even a projector, your video display will be the centrepiece of your home cinema. Finding the correct placement for your display before you do anything else, along with determining an appropriate size for the room, is therefore integral.
Not only do you need to find a place for the video display where everyone in the room can see it, you also need to consider factors like glare and lighting issues that may cause headaches later on.
If you are using a TV, try moving it around to different positions and watch it at various points of the day from different chairs to see where the light hits it. Once you have found the right spot, you can position your seats accordingly. One thing to consider here, is using a tilting wall mount that can be adjusted to suit the lighting conditions at any time. If your problem is not with glare but that the TV is not viewable from all chairs in the room, a curved TV could be a great idea. These not only give you a wider viewing angle, but a more immersive experience. For the best viewing experience, 4K Ultra HD or 1080p or 720p screens are great choices.
Using a projector can be more restrictive in terms of room placement. Although you shouldn’t suffer from the same kind of glare issues that you would with a TV, you need to have a big enough empty wall space in order to be able to view your entertainment. If wall space is at a premium, consider using a drop-down screen which can be pulled down and up at your convenience.
2) Use appropriate speakers for the space you have
There is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to choosing the right speakers for your home cinema, and you should only purchase your equipment after you have positioned your seating and TV.
If you live in an apartment, a soundbar is an option worth looking into. These all-in-one speaker systems can fit neatly on your TV cabinet, and while they won’t provide the power of an audio receiver and surround sound setup, they are a less expensive option that deliver high quality sound in a small space.
Naturally, bigger rooms will require more speakers to achieve that cinema quality sound, and if you don’t have enough speakers, parts of the room are going to sound lifeless. An average-sized space will most likely do fine with a 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound system, while larger rooms will likely require additional subwoofers. Further seating rows will also affect the way sound travels through your room, so this is something to consider when choosing your speaker system.
3) Be wise about speaker placement
Without sound effects coming from all different angles, your home cinema experience will likely seem relatively ordinary. To make full use of your surround sound system, mount rear channel speakers on the back wall or in the back corners of your room, place smaller speakers in bookshelves or cabinets, and always place your subwoofers on the floor. It’s also important to note that you should not have chairs touching walls or sitting too close to speakers, as this can interfere with your bass and sound envelopment.
4) Create a space that you want to relax in
The whole point of creating your cinema is so you can enjoy entertainment from the comfort of your own home. If you don’t have a space that you want to be in, then what’s the point? A room that you are proud of is a room that you and others will want to spend time in.
Making sure that you have comfortable seating is an integral element of your space’s ambience. You can either go traditional with plush cinema style reclining chairs or invest in a simple sofa or beanbags. What you select will depend entirely on the character you want your space to have.
For larger families or those planning on hosting things like sports match viewing parties, it might also be worth considering implementing stadium seating where there are rows of chairs on different levels, helping to create a classic cinematic experience.
5) Keep things tidy
One major problem that everyone has with their home cinema installation, is that with all the cables and remotes, things can easily become disorganised and messy. However, save yourself time later on by planning ahead. There are three main things you can do to help with this:
- Use a universal remote: Rather than having two or three remotes scattered around your coffee table, find one remote that allows you to control your TV, DVD player and stereo.
- Be creative with speakers: While subwoofers should always be placed on the floor, you afford to get creative with the placement of other speakers. Try placing mid-range speakers or tweeters in a bookcase or other type of cabinet so that they blend in.
- Keep cables out of sight: Instead of leaving your cables out in free space it makes sense to tuck them away in a cabinet where you can. Otherwise, once you have decided on your speaker placement, you can also install cable covers, run cables through the walls, ceiling or with strategically placed furniture.
6) Do your research
Before you even start going about setting up your home cinema, it’s well worth doing your research to make sure that you’re up-to-date with the latest trends in tech and are fully aware of the product options that you have. Likewise, if you’re unsure of where to start with setting up your room, browsing through different layouts online will help give you some inspiration.
Creating your ideal home cinema will inevitably require some careful consideration and planning, however keep these tips in mind and you’ll be in a stronger position to get started. If you’re ever in doubt, it’s always worth seeking the advice of a professional installer, especially those looking to install more advanced systems.
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