A home theater system is an exciting entertainment option
that provides the consumer with an immersive viewing and listening experience.
Your home theater system can be something as simple as 32-inch LCD TV and a
home theater-in-a-box system, or a sophisticated custom-built system with video
projector and in-wall speakers. However, there is a lot to consider in-between.
Here are the 10 things that you need to
keep in mind.
1. The Room
The first place to start is the room you intend to place your home
theater system in. The size of the room will determine the size and type of
video display device (TV or projector) that would be best to use. However,
whether your room is large or small, additional questions to consider include:
How much ambient light is present?
For TVs, ambient light can result in screen glare or screen surface
reflection. For video projectors, ambient light can result in a washed out
image.
Is the room carpeted or not carpeted?
This will affect how sound, especially bass, is distributed throughout
th listening area. Hard floors will be more reflective, which can result in
unwanted sound echos and uneven bass. Carpeted floors will help in the
absorption of unwanted audio artifacts.
What type of wall construction do you have? Wall construction can
contribute to the acoustic properties of the room.
Will you be placing your home theater system components in free space,
or will you be housing your components in a cabinet or closet and installing
your speakers in the wall or ceiling? Depending on how you want the room to
look will determine where and how you place your components. Also, whether
ceiling or in-wall speakers (and speaker placement in general) are best depends
on what surround sound formats you will be most commonly using.
Where will you be sitting in relation to the screen image? This will
determine the optimal screen size for the best visual experience.
Before embarking on buying your actual home theater system components, especially
for a medium-to-high end system, it might be a good idea to consult with a home
theater installer to come onsite and assess your room and address the above
questions. The installer can make useful suggestions on components or
installation concepts that will work best in your room environment, keeping in
mind your own specific home theater system budgetary considerations.
2. The Video Display Device:
This is the first actual component to consider for your home theater
system. After all, the idea of home theater is to bring the movie
theater experience home. The most important element of this experience is the
visual experience of viewing a large image on a screen. This is where you have
a choice of:
- A Flat Panel LCD, OLED or Plasma TV (Note: Plasma TVs are now discontinued, but you may still find one used, refurbished, or on clearance). Also, you have a choice of TVs that can display 720p, 1080p, or 4K Ultra HD resolution images.
- A Video Projector/Screen Combination.
The actual size of the room will help determine the size of screen that
can be accommodated.
From there, you need to decide what type of video display device would
be most appropriate.
You also have the option of incorporating 3D viewing into your home
theater system. However, you will need a 3D-enabled TV or video
projector and other supporting components to do this. For more details,
read my Guide to Watching 3D at Home.
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Theater System Planning - What You Need To Know
Author: Robert Silva
