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Congratulations! The renovation came in on time and under budget! The whole country’s going digital, so your timing is perfect. And those new, comfortable chairs—well, if furniture could talk, they’d say “what time is the movie?” You are about to create a home theater, and you and your family can hardly wait.
Only two considerations remain—equipment and a consultation with your lighting specialist. The following tips will help you make good choices to get your home theater up and running.
Choosing Equipment: Home theaters are based on one of two kinds of technology—projection-based and TV-only. Both have advantages and distinctive features.
Projection-based equipment features screens up to 100 inches—this is the real lights-camera-action big-screen experience. Think a bit about your room before you decide whether you want more information on front- or rear-projection units.
If you expect to use your theater room strictly as a theater, either system will work well. If, on the other hand, someone will likely be reading the paper, playing a game, or doing needlepoint in one area of the room, look at rear-projection systems. A front-projection system generates a light stream that can be interfered with by light needed for other activities. A rear-projection system is self-contained, and those who wish to turn on a lamp can do so without conflicting with the show.
Although screens are smaller (50 to 60 inches), TV-only theaters provide a great theater experience. Two types of TV displays are available. Again, issues of light may help you decide which display is best for your room. Plasma screens have a reputation for strong definition between dark and light tones, clear detail, depth, and true-to-life colors. The gas cells of a plasma screen do not permit any light-leaks between cells, giving truer and deeper black levels than LCD screens.
Anyone who owns an LCD flashlight knows that LCD means light and plenty of it. An LCD screen features brighter display and more intense colors than plasma. An LCD screen is the perfect choice for a room with high ambient light, whether from daylight or adjacent areas.
Close examination of both kinds of TV-only display systems will reveal no major differences in picture quality. You may well find that both perform equally well in your room, advise experts.
Lighting Your Theater: Why does lighting matter when you plan to turn it off? A professional lighting consultant will tell you that your theater experience is greatly enhanced by good lighting choices.
A warm, welcoming atmosphere takes more than a theater-system. Think about theaters you have visited and enjoyed. Lighting is often recessed and indirect, bright enough for social conversation—and refreshments!—but generally more even throughout the room than would be the case in your living room. Consider concealed soffit-lighting or evenly-spaced sconces on the walls. If this is a multi-purpose room, place lamps or fixtures for other activities behind viewing-chairs or couches, so as not to introduce glare in the theater area. Dimmable lighting? Absolutely. And place the dimming controls within easy reach of your viewing area.
You may also wish to place low, small or tightly-focused lamps in your viewing area just to make navigation a bit easier, but these should not cast wide pools of light. Opaque, foil-lined shades or the subdued effects of colored glass shades let you adjust the volume on the remote, grab a tissue, or rescue a tipping popcorn bowl without disturbing other viewers.
Something else to consider is the look of your room once the film is over. To keep your evening going, consider putting a little theater in your theater. Consider dramatic fixtures (dimmable, of course) on both sides of your screen. A good film sparks good conversation, and you may wish to compensate for a large expanse of now-blank screen, as your guests get down to brass tacks about what the director was really thinking. Lighting the screen-area with fun, eye-catching fixtures will keep the evening from coming to an end just because the movie’s over.
Every home theater is different, and that’s where a good lighting consultant comes in. Professional advice will solve problems before they occur. A home theater, after all, is part of a home. Your lighting professional will know how to deal with light from other areas in an open floor-plan, work with your decorating scheme, and provide you with a coherent plan to make your home theater as exciting and enjoyable as you hoped.
It’s getting colder, and the forecast says rain. The roads may be getting icy, and it’s hard to think of anywhere you’d like to go. What a shame? Not any more. You’re going to have a great evening at home, thanks to your new home theater!
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