Dimensions
Every home theater is different depending on the room you choose to put it in. Some people have a large room dedicated to a home theater while others might have a smaller space such as an attic room which can give a more homey feel. Either way understanding your dimensions is going to go a long way to help you know what you can fit in your space. A great tool you can use for this is on Audio Advice’s website which you can find from this link audioadvice.com. Their tool allows you to enter your dimensions and get a 3D look at your room with the ability to add all the extras including audio, video, and seating to see what would fit in your room.
Seating
The first step to finding the perfect seating is knowing what features you want in your chairs. RowOne offers a wide variety of options from simplistic to futuristic. If you are looking for a more basic chair with full power recline then the Galaxy II would be a great option, this chair comes in black and has a cupholder and USB charging port as well. If you want a chair with leather, more color options, or more tech features than the Prestige, Revolution, and Cortes can do that. These 3 chairs all have LED lighting, storage arms, and tray tables. Some of the biggest tech features are in the Cortes and Revolution chairs they include a full power headrest, memory settings to save your favorite spot in the chair, and a 110 volt power outlet. You can check out the full collection at rowoneht.com. Understanding what you want in a chair plays the biggest role in deciding and after that you can choose your layout of chairs.
Depending on the width of your room you can see how many chairs you can fit in a row and determine how big of an aisle you want. Based on the size of the room and the quantity of chairs you desire you can then add rows in front or behind your primary row with risers so everyone can have a great view. For the best sound quality it is recommended to have your main row be 2/3 of the way back from the TV instead of in the middle of the room. RowOne chairs are all wall savers so you only need about 6 inches between the seat back and the wall to fully recline.
Video
TV v.s. projector is a huge discussion in the video industry. 10 years ago TV’s could not compete as they were a lot more expensive and the picture could not be as large as a projector. But since then TV’s have quickly developed into being able to be 75-100 inches in 4k LED and OLED and are a lot more affordable for the quality. They cost around $1200-$3000 for a 75 inch making them more competitive with projectors.
Understand both a projector and a TV can be a great option depending on your room size, the model you choose, and your budget. Viewing quality is a big deal and 4k is becoming a standard for imaging.
When it comes to projectors they have benefits in larger images in the 100-120 inch range. You can find them for less than $1500 but these are often considered entry level because of their picture quality. To get a quality projector you’re looking at the $2000-$5000 range. Epson offers a lot of quality products when it comes to projectors! Also keep in mind for optimal quality you will want to pair your projector with a filmscreen, we suggest looking at Seymour Screen Excellence they have some of the best performing filmscreens in the industry that will help prevent lighting issues because on its own a projector will not be as bright as a TV.
Overall, if you’re on a tighter budget and don’t have a huge theater than a nice 75 Inch TV could easily do the trick but if you want the authentic movie theater experience and are willing to spend the money a 4k projector paired with all the proper accessories would be a great choice.
Audio
Audio is one of the bigger pieces to the puzzle. The different types of speakers allow for different type of sound from all around the room giving you a fully immersive experience. To start you have your front speakers which can either be box speakers or installed into the wall. Another cool option with a projector is you can use an acoustically transparent screen which allows you to install your front 3 speakers hidden behind the screen.
After your front speakers you then have the option of surround sound. There is a main surround sound which is located on the sides of the room in line with the seating and rear surround sound which is located behind the seating. Just like your front speakers it can be installed into a wall or it can be a box speaker. It is recommended to at least do the main surround sound for that theater experience but for the best quality both angles can be used.
Subwoofers are another type of speaker that helps with the bass tones. The more subwoofers you place into a room, the better the sound will be. You will reduce dips and peaks and get more effortless bass sound as each subwoofer does not have to work as hard to get to the correct volume level when their sounds are combined. At least 2 subwoofers are recommended for the best quality of sound but you can use just 1 if needed. Atlantic Technology makes excellent subwoofers, you can get an in room or in wall set up check them out at https://shop.atlantictechnology.com.
Finally, there are ceiling speakers that you can use, this is not always recommended for home theaters because they point straight down. For the best use of these speakers you should look into the Dolby Atmos speaker which is recommended because they angle them toward the main seating position. 4 of these speakers is considered a full set up but you could use just 2. 4-6 would be recommended for multiple rows of chairs.
Lighting
Lighting can very easily transform the dynamic of the room. In the industry they continue to find innovative ways to light a home theater. When creating the ultimate theater experience you need to have multiple forms of lighting. The main lighting in the room usually will come from recessed lighting, this is called your task lighting. In addition to that you have other features such as sconce lighting on the walls and colored LED light strips on the perimeter of the ceiling. These two features help give the room a more decorative look and also give the ability to add color to the room. It is important that the feature lights should shine only up to ensure image quality on screen. With RowOne your seating can also play a role in your lighting if you decide on a chair that has LED Lights on the base rail and cupholder. The two newest chairs RowOne offers also give you an option to dim the seat lighting to prevent the light from bleeding on screen but still gives you some light to safely move around the room without the turning the main lights on.
Controls
Technology is amazing and home automation is as good as its ever been. Control4 makes some great products that allow you to control lighting, audio, video, and security for your entire house. You can get the keypad installed and have a remote in the theater and you will be able to choose what you want control of. A tap of the “Movie” button can drop the screen, activate the projector, queue the sound, and dim the lights. Another cool feature that you can do with Control4 is being able to program your lights to automatically turn on when you pause the movie so you can get up to use the restroom or get a snack and when you come back and resume the movie the lights will shut back off. Finally, you can also tie in your security with their products you can use their “Goodnight” button and it will shut off all the lights, lock the doors, and alarm all at once.
Conclusion
All these items play an important role in giving you a dynamic experience that is truly special. The perfect home theater is unique to the individual with the features they value and desire.
