Home Theater System

Posts Tagged ‘family’

Specialty rooms are becoming quite popular these days. One of the most desired specialty rooms amongst home buyers is that of the home theater.

More than a just living room, media rooms are miniature movie theaters that can give you the ground shaking experience that until now you could only find in a cineplex.

Why do home buyers want media rooms? In the past, only the very wealthy were able to afford a home theater. It was the symbol of ultimate luxury. Now however, new technologies are allowing homeowners from all walks of life to have a media room of their own. High definition televisions with towering screens, speakers and sub woofers that vibrate the entire room; these new innovations come in a variety of budgets and styles, which makes the home theater something that almost any family can have for themselves.

The advantage of a home theater is that it takes away the hassle of going to the movies. At home, there are no lineups, no risk of the show selling out, no sticky, gum-covered floors, no overpriced snacks, and you get to decide what time to start the flick.

For homeowners on a modest budget, a home theater can either reside in a spare room, or you can make a few alterations to the living room. You don’t need to completely renovate in order to have a decent home theater.

One of the first things that you need to do is to block out light during screenings. Nothing interrupts the flow of a movie like sunlight glaring on the television screen. Light blocking shades or drapes will do wonders for your home theater. Simply open them up when the movie is over, and you’re back in your bright and cozy living room.

Having a good television is also key. Get the largest and clearest screen that your budget allows. Set the piece up in the center of the room, preferably right at eye level. Check it from every area of the room to make sure that no one’s view will be blocked.

Next is sound. One of the best parts of watching a movie in a professional theater is the rumbling of the soundtrack. You feel as though you are in on the action. To duplicate this feeling at home, have speakers mounted throughout the room, to give the surround sound feel. Also, add a sub woofer or two to so that everyone can experience the thundering sound vibrations.

Many household rooms have poor acoustics for watching movies. Echoes or sound transfer from other areas of the house can interfere with the movie experience. Improving acoustics can be as simple as adding carpet or area rugs to the room, and to add bookshelves and other items along the walls to soak up the sound.

Get a few affordable accessories like an old-fashioned air popping popcorn maker to add to the authentic movie theater feel. Hang a framed movie poster or two, and make sure there is lots of comfortable seating around.

If you are converting your family room to a theater, you don’t want to to lose the original purpose for the room. When not huddled around the television set, you want to be able to hold conversations, read, or play games. Buyers in particular will want to see that the room has versatility. Get furniture that is comfortable, but can easily be arranged to encourage conversation when shows aren’t playing.

For homeowners with a large budget, you can really go to town with your home theater. Set aside a room large enough to house you and all your friends. Fill it with comfortable, reclining chairs. Have light blocking features, and a top notch stereo system. There are plenty of high tech gadgets for the home theater, including remote controlled temperature and volume controls, and curtain closing and opening features. Think about your favorite cineplex, and try to recreate the atmosphere at home.

Keep the design elements simple. A neutral palette is best, so your guests will focus on the show rather than the room. Keeping things simple is also a benefit when showing your home to potential buyers. Many are in the market these days for a home theater, but some are not. They will want to see the full potential of the room, and not feel that they are tied to your designs. Neutral colors and making changes that aren’t necessarily permanent are the best route to take with your media room. That way you and your family can enjoy the movie experience at home, and buyers can decide for themselves if a home theatre is right for them.

The eclectic Austin home owner wants a theater system that can effectively replace the need for public cinema. Many turn to stores that offer q convenient source of equipment that promises exceptionally high resolution video and surround sound audio effects. Getting this equipment to work, however, requires much more than electronics know-how. It requires an advanced understanding of new home wiring, home architecture, how it creates acoustics in the room, and how to make home theater equipment work within the context of a specific setting to yield superior results.

This is exactly what custom homeowners in Austin can expect from Illuminations Lighting and Design home theater specialists. Our unique combination of consultation, manufacturer relationships, and customized home system intergration services are what differentiate us as one-source vendor of both equipment and installation know-how that ensures the best possible results in home entertainment.

The first step in the process is a consultation with the homeowner and a close examination of the home’s interior architecture. Most Austin home theater clients live in homes ranging anywhere from 10,000 square feet to 25,000 square feet. These homes always have several rooms which can be converted into home theaters. However, each room is unique and has its own acoustical qualities. Homeowners are typically unaware of which room will work best as a high-tech entertainment center, and even electrical contractors are often challenged in this arena due to the highly specialize nature of their training in home wiring.

Our team, however, has cross-trained in many different disciplines in addition to home electrical remodeling. One of the most important skills we have picked up is a strong working knowledge of home architecture and interior acoustics. We have also learned to speak the lingo, so to speak, of the industry, and can quickly add in a consultation with the architect or builder to determine which room will best serve as the media center. We include this service with our complimentary consultation and with no obligation to purchase the equipment we subsequently propose.

Once the room location is determined, we select the appropriate type of projector, screen, audio processor, video processor, amplifier, and speakers to compliment the sound dynamics of its interior. While these components are standard to almost all home theater systems and available at a number of retail stores throughout Austin, our equipment comes straight from the factory and is rated at the highest level of specification grade quality. Our knowledge of residential home theater design enables us to efficiently install this equipment with a number of additional options not typically available through stores. We can integrate a home theater system into the home’s lighting control system, or go one step further and install it as one of many subsystems on a home automation network.

Such integration allows for a cinematic experience even better than the one available at public cinemas. Pre-programmed lighting control systems can be activated with the simple push of a button to set the mood for certain genres of film. Horror movies are exceptionally frightening under low, dark red lighting. Dim, but brighter colour temperature lights, can often add an upbeat tone to comedies and action movies.

One of the most important things that Austin residents can confidently expect from our one-source design, equipment and home automation installation services is a much better sound quality than retail equipment typically provides. Since third party installers who actually setup theaters in homes rarely have the time or knowledge to study the acoustics of interior architecture the way we do, they often tune the acoustics to only a satisfactory level. While this is certainly better than the speakers on any television set, it does not justify the expenditure one makes on such equipment, nor does it offer the truly exceptional experience that justifies home entertainment as a substitute for a night on the town.

If you are going to make that type of investment in a home theater system, do it with experts who can customize every aspect of the system to the home and room it resides in, and who can also personalize it with lighting controls and home automation controls that make it intuitive and user friendly for everything from family gatherings to formal parties and special occasions.