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Creating Your Dream Home Cinema
Making the switch to a bigger screen will definitely make movie nights more magical. But before you start browsing, there are a few things you should think about. Let’s take a look at the first steps to making your home cinema dream a reality.
Nothing beats settling back on the sofa for a Friday film fest with your fave flicks. So, roll out the red carpet at home with our comprehensive guide on how to create to your dream cinema room. We’ll go through everything you need to know to enjoy the silver screen experience without the expensive snacks.
Top tips for the best spot
Just like the set of a major blockbuster, the right location is everything. So, before you settle on a new screen, you should think about where you’re going to put it. That’ll help you decide which size would suit you best and whether it’ll leave you enough room for any extras, like a soundbar. It’s also important to measure up for other reason too – you’ll need plenty of space between you and the TV to get the best experience.
Don’t worry, there’s an easy way to find this out though. All you’ve got to do is multiply the screen size by 1.5 and that’ll give you the ideal viewing distance in inches. That means you should be sitting about 75-inches, or 6.25 feet, away from a 50-inch TV. Your room’s layout is also something to consider – you don’t want your midday marathon at the weekend spoilt by glaring sunlight, after all.
Just a thought…
If you’re a fan of getting friends around for that series finale, you’ll want to make sure you have enough space for everyone to watch comfortably. And for gamers, your console of choice will need a place to live, while Nintendo Switch fans especially will benefit from a larger area to swing their Joy-Cons around without knocking the picture frames over.
Choosing the right display – TVs vs projectors
Whether you opt for a regular TV or projector mostly comes down to preference. Both of them have different benefits depending on what you like to watch. Let’s go over some of the pros and cons of each type so you can make a decision with complete confidence.
For starters, TVs are usually much easier to set up and start using straight away. All you need to do is pop in the right spot, plug it in and away you go – you’ll be channel surfing before you know it. They also tend to have a brighter, more vibrant images, especially in well-lit areas. On top of that, they offer lots of settings that let you tweak the picture to your liking, as well as lots of built-in streaming and catch-up apps available at the touch of a button.
Projectors, on the other hand, often come in much bigger sizes. That lets die-hard film fans really appreciate all the detail in every scene, but not everyone will have enough space available to get the full impact. They’re also more portable than a standard telly – you can easily move them around to different locations or throw up the image onto almost any surface. They could be beneficial for your wallet to in the long run. That’s because larger screen sizes are often cheaper than their TV equivalent, which can be quite costly for higher-end models. Not to mention that it’ll give you that authentic cinema feeling when film night rolls around.
Enhancing sound quality in your home cinema
Visuals are one thing, but the right audio setup can make all the difference and put you right in the heart of the action.
Start with the Boom
For the best experience, hooking up a soundbar with subwoofers will give you maximum immersion. That’s because they combine 3D surround sound tech like Dolby Atmos® that adds height and depth with deep, rumbling bass that you can really feel. That means those dramatic scenes will pack much more of a punch – just what you need for the latest blockbuster.
Set the Scene
The layout of your room and the furniture in it can also have an impact on sound quality, so popping your speakers in the proper position is a must. Typical, you should try to arrange them so they point inwards towards your sofa and form a triangle shape. That way, you’ll create a wider sound stage that fills the room without getting blocked by tables and chairs. Placing them between 2 to 3 feet away from the wall will also help to avoid audio reflection that can cause distortion.
Bring the Bass
For the subwoofers, placing them in corners is a great choice, since that’ll create a boundary that’ll beef up the bass and send it in the right direction. Another option is to put them front and centre. This lets the sound blend together with the other channels, creating the ideal listening experience that doesn’t result in issues like localisation errors that can spoil your movie.
Simplifying cable management and connectivity
With a TV, speakers and any other extras like Blu-ray players and games consoles, you’ll inevitably end up with a few cables hanging around. If you want your home cinema setup to look clean and clutter-free, there are a few things you can do to hide unwanted wires and stop them getting tangled up.
You can easily keep your cables organised with some simple trunking, so they aren’t getting in the way and distracting you from the action unfolding on-screen. Lots of devices also have wireless technology like Bluetooth built in, letting you connect them all together without any cables whatsoever. You’ll usually find this option on soundbars, meaning that’s one less thing to worry about.
Setting the perfect atmosphere with cinema room accessories
For starters, you’ll want to turn the lights down low, so a dimmer switch is the perfect solution. It’ll give you precise control over the brightness so you can enjoy those flicks in all their vibrant, colourful glory.
But that takes some effort – what other options are available? Well, if you don’t want to swap out your switches, never fear. Products like the Philips Hue range offer amazing ambience that’s much more cost effective. You can buy lightstrips to hang around the room, or even behind the TV itself to frame every scene in atmospheric lighting. What’s really clever about them is that you can control them using your smartphone or tablet and set them up to react to what’s happening on-screen. Just follow the instructions to sync them up to your TV and let them take care of the rest.
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