GOING TO THE MOVIES in the traditional sense involves driving a car to the Cineplex, paying for tickets, buying a buck- et of popcorn and settling into a red fabric flip-down seat for a two-or-so-hour escape from reality. It’s as much about the trip there and the thrill of a new environment as it is about watch- ing the film. The only way to closely match this experience in your home is by dedicating a room exclusively to the enjoyment of a cinematic presentation. A dedicated home theater, when designed right, can evoke a similar sense of excitement you feel when the lights dim and the previews start in a commercial theater. Movie nights can become a special occasion at home, too, where you’re free to totally immerse yourself in the on- screen action. There are no distractions, nothing to pull your attention away from the presentation. Once you’re in the room, being entertained by superior video and sound is your one and only objective.
This all sounds wonderful, and it is, but there are some drawbacks to committing a room exclusively to movie viewing. Depending on where the dedicated theater is located, you may not use it as much as you had envisioned, and might instead go to the casual family room setup to watch the news, sports and any other content that’s not a movie. Moreover, designing and constructing a dedicated theater can be an expensive endeavor. In addition to the A/V gear, you’ll need to buy materials and furnishings to finish the space. To help you decide if a dedi- cated theater is the best route for you, here are some of the pros and cons:
THE PROS
Ideal Shape and Size: Based on parameters specified by a home theater designer, your contractor can construct the theater to the ideal dimensions for top-notch acoustical performance. Built to the appropriate length, width and height, the structure of the home theater itself will be able to combat echo, reverberation and other anomalies that can plague im- perfectly shaped rooms. The space can also be built in a way that will prevent most sound from the theater from seeping into other areas of the house. Many home theater designers use a “floating room” or a “room within a room” construction technique to achieve this. These well-engineered and -built theaters are the models of perfection.
Aesthetic Appeal: Building from scratch gives you the opportunity to easily fuse the electronics into the room design. As the room is being framed, accommodations can be made for in-wall speakers, subwoofers and equipment racks. If you’d like the screen to sink into the wall for a flush ap- pearance, the appropriate size cavity can be constructed. Any motorized lifts (for a drop-from-the-ceiling video pro- jector, for example) can be incorporated while the walls and ceiling are exposed. As your home theater is being designed, you can also request that a special room for the A/V gear be added—a great feature if you’d prefer to keep the equipment out of sight.
Decorative Freedom: Usually set apart from the rest of the house, a dedicated theater is the one space you can explore a new decorating style. If the rest of your house is traditional, you could make your theater ultra-modern, or if you tend to stick with neutral color schemes, make a statement by accoutering the theater with bold reds and purples. Or maybe you have a hobby, passion or favorite movie? Pick a theme—Star Wars, your trip to Italy, a favorite NFL team—and design your theater around it.
Environmental Control: Superior theaters have no windows, the seats are laid out perfectly and set on tiers for optimal viewing, and there are no audible or visual distractions. It might be tough to accomplish these goals in rooms that already exist in your house, but they’re totally doable when a theater room is designed and built from the ground up.
A/V Liberty: If you’ve always dreamed of owning a 120- inch screen, and when you build a theater from scratch you can ensure that there’s plenty of space for the coveted display, as well as other electronic must-haves. No need to hide the gear … unless you want to. Because you’ll be doing mainly movie viewing in the room, there are no worries about the technology conflicting with the decor—it IS the decor.
THE CONS
It’s Lonely Down There: In a dedicated theater you’re shut off temporarily from what’s happening in the rest of the house, which for some families, especially those with small children, is just asking for trouble. If the theater resides in the basement or a new addition, those with busy schedules and hectic life- styles may find it easier and more comfortable to simply catch a movie on the smaller TV in the family room than to make a special trip to the dedicated theater.
Difficult to Multitask: Dedicated theaters are designed to do one thing and do that one thing really well: show video. Although you can always use the space for parties, to relax,read and listen to music, there are probably other rooms in your house that are better suited for these activities.
TIPS FOR A DEDICATED THEATER
- Choose a spot where you know you’ll want to spend time
- Ensure comfort by installing specialty theater seating
- Make a dedicated theater more inviting by incorporating a bar at the back for snacks and drinks
- Choose a theme to add personality to the space
- Invest in high-quality A/V gear for the greatest impact
- Stow A/V gear in an equipment room separate from the theater
It’s Expensive: A dedicated theater is a space that’s built from the ground up. Even if you plan to locate the theater in a portion of the basement, you may still need to construct the walls, ceiling and lay down a floor, buy new furniture, add out- lets, jacks and lights, and the list goes on. Add the cost of the materials to the A/V equipment that will be installed, and the price of a dedicated theater can easily skyrocket. You’ll need to set a firm budget, and stick to it.
Lots of Rules: If you’re going to invest the time and money to build a dedicated theater, you might as well do it right. This means abiding by the many tried and tested design rules that will dictate everything from the size of the screen, the location of the speakers and the configuration of the seating. It can feel very formulaic, particularly to people who aren’t hardcore videophiles.
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