Who doesn’t want a great experience from their home theater system? One way to achieve that goal is to back a Brinks truck up to your local video/audio store and start shoveling cash out for the services of a professional that knows what they’re doing. Another way to optimize your home theater system is to keep reading. We’ve got five tips that’ll have you saying, “Movie theater? We don’t need no stinkin’ movie theater!”
Seating
While stocking your home theater with the latest and greatest in high-end equipment isn’t a bad idea, if you can afford it, there are other considerations that have more to do with knowledge than anything. Let’s talk about seating. Forget the high-backed chair. It blocks certain frequencies from your surround-sound system. Also make sure there is no other furniture blocking sound travel. Keep your seating off the wall. It interrupts the natural sound travel path in most rooms.
Set Up the Room
In order to maximize your viewing experience, don’t just start throwing your equipment together without a plan. The first thing you should do is control the light. While you don’t have to turn the space into a pitch-black tomb, there’s a reason your local theater dims the lights when the show starts. Put shades on windows and dimmers on light switches. Avoid locating the television near other reflective surfaces. They can act as a distraction at an almost imperceptible level.
Sizing Your Television
Did you know there’s a science to choosing the right television size for your room? Measure the distance from the screen to the main seat in inches, then multiply by .84. Let’s say your viewing throne is 72 inches from the television’s location (72 x .84 = 60.4). In this example, you should limit the screen size of your television to 60 inches. The reason is you don’t want a unit so large you have to sweep your eyes from side to side to keep up with the action. No one will tell you not to buy as big of a television as you want but don’t complain to us when you finish watching Gone With the Wind and have a crick in your neck.
Let There Be Sound
It’s hard to argue that sound is the most important element in a visual medium. We’re here to suggest that a solid, well-placed audio system does make a difference in the final presentation. The ins and outs of audio science go far beyond the capability of this article, but here are a few things to pay attention to. Low quality speakers are subject to sound degradation, which means every seat in the house will sound different. That’s a bad thing. You want to achieve as uniform a listening experience as possible. The center channel is the most important speaker. It should be located either directly above or below the television. The rest of the surround speakers should be to the side, above, and slightly behind the audience. When it comes to the sub-woofer, keep it away from walls.
One Remote to Unite Them All
Now all you need is an appropriate electronics package and you’re good to go. There’s no sense in having an overpowered receiver in a tiny room. It’s a waste of money. It’s not a bad idea to have a watt hour meter in your toolbox. This handy tool allows you to test how much power is flowing through a circuit, and eliminate the energy-sucking culprits. If you end up with half a dozen remotes, you’re doing it wrong. One is all should need.
Here’s a final tip when it comes to buying a television. Don’t let the process freeze you into inactivity. Technology changes so fast in this field that anything you buy is outdated by the time you stuff it in the car trunk. Buy something of the appropriate size that fits your budget. Don’t worry. You can always run out and drop more moolah on the next greatest unit when it comes out.