Introduction to good home cinema.

Here are a few considerations when thinking of how to go about your dream room.

It is always good to perform plenty of research, tour existing home cinemas, sought ideas from fellow enthusiasts, and speak to installers and homebuilders when considering a home cinema installation. Incorporate suggestions in all areas - from cost-effective sound-absorption techniques to equipment choices. If you have the right working relationship with your contractor he should field your ideas and needs, and explain how they can be incorporated into the job and within budget.

Here are some ideas for consideration when in the process of making decisions for that outstanding home cinema….

Make style and functionality part of the process and bring it all together...

1) Give It an Elegant Design

Poor decor and insufficient lighting are the main failings of what should constitute a decent home cinema and it must be said affects the whole cinematic experience. There is little point having 'all the kit' if it is put in a room that doesn't have the right dimensions, acoustics and of course overall finish.

Reasons for this cop out is normally down to budget but ways should be found to ensure the whole package can be brought together.

The lighting scenes, seating and overall arrangement contribute greatly to the rooms overall feel and are as important as the devices that create the audio and video.

For true cinema....

2) Build a completely dark room

Perhaps this will be a controversial suggestion because people have different tastes or purposes in viewing environments: Some people think a home cinema is a thing to be enjoyed as part of a larger entertainment area, and some people desire a more “dedicated" cinema experience.

We lean towards the latter but this is not always practical and we have seen a large increase in the installation of systems in living areas for multi-purpose entertainment use.

It's just that light pollution can be considered a distraction and the very essence of a successful home cinema is replicating the actual movie-theater experience so the room will preferably be capable of becoming completely dark.

With lighting key features can be lit to provide sufficient light if done correctly.

An acoustically transparent screen gives a cinema a clean look….

3) Use an Acoustically Transparent Screen

Admittedly, this tip applies only to front-projection setups (which are becoming more popular in the high-def era), but one of the design elements we most like to see is the use of an acoustically transparent screen and place the centre speaker directly behind it and in some cases all 3 of the front channels. 

This obviously leaves cleaner lines and most closely replicates that of an actual cinema but it also means the sound is coming from the most natural direction, where the action is taking place onscreen.

Check out the selections from Draper and Screen Research, and view their room-size and image-size recommendations for this type of screen.

Easy access to equipment with a 'rack'....

4) Ensure Easy Access to the Back of Your Equipment Rack

This is more of an installer requirement as it is unlikely that the end user will ever have much need, let alone desire, to start pulling at any cabling but having access to the rear of the equipment for any custom installer is essential.

Component housing cabinets or 'Racks' as we call them, are vital for not only the maintenance of the equipment but can be mounted in such a way the cabinet allows air to pass through it, reducing the likelihood of overheating thus preventing the chance of faults developing. Additional 'rack mountable' ventilation units can be fitted for those enclosed fixtures where the rack is to be hidden away out of site to compensate the natural flow of air.

Get the best from your system….

5) Calibrate your set up

It is our perception that people seemed to care more about proper image calibration with their standard DVD players than with the newer High Definition Blu Ray versions…

For what reasons we are not sure because surely as the equipment in question is now more advanced it needs just as much if not more setting to reach its peaks..

For us it is essential to use a calibration software package that enables a series of audio and video signal tests to be carried out. Don’t take these state of the art components for granted - they need to be set up correctly to reach their optimum perfoming levels. It is the difference between a pretty good high-def image and an outstanding high-def image. The audio tracks help you balance the sound in the room, giving the right weight to each individual loudspeaker as perceived from the listening position.

It’s in the details

These are some of the details to be considered when designing and planning ahead of construction. There are so many tiny and even budget - friendly details that you can incorporate into your design to take it to the next level you just need to seek the right advice from people that have experince and the ability to carry out such projects.

Lets start by asking “What do you think would be really cool in your cinema?” and then find someone who can make those things work.

To see a full case study of a true cinema installation see our link.

For more on all aspects of home cinema installation speak to the experts -

future lifestyle or email sales@futurelifestyle.es