Home Cinema ideas

There is something about watching a film on the big screen. It could be the smell of the popcorn or the sound actually vibrating your chair. 
But what if you could bring that experience into your own home? Let’s have a look at how we can make that happen.

Screen size

It would be fairly common for people to think that bigger is better. Normally this is the case when it comes to what size of screen people would like.

However, there are a lot more things to consider than just getting the biggest screen available. When creating your home cinema you are probably going to be using a projector rather than a standard television. This gives you the ability to go larger at a smaller investment. 

One of the other attributes to consider is the room where the screen is going to be installed. After all, no one wants to sit in the front row of the cinema, so the largest screen possible might restrict seeing the whole picture.

The opposite is also true. Whilst using a TV for your cinema room can be a great option, especially if 8K definition televisions are your thing, if the screen size you choose is too small then your audience might not appreciate having to squint at the characters during an action sequence.

The screen size should also provide a comfortable viewing position for all the viewers in the room.  

Projection system

The choices in what projector you can use almost seem endless. Once again the size of the room comes into play, but not only that, the position where the projector will be installed needs to be considered.

One of the terms you will come across is the throw distance of the projector. This is the distance between the projector itself and the screen that it is projecting on to.

Long-throw projectors tend to be used in conferences and large events so tend not to appear in a home set up. Unless you have a very large room that is. The next level is the short throw projector and these can be positioned closer to the screen. The final group are known as ultra-short throw projectors. You might find these types of projectors used in small classrooms or offices. Sometimes the ultra-short throw projectors are quite portable as they don’t normally need mounting.

Much like with televisions, you can have a range of different display outputs with the higher quality ones obviously being more expensive. You might want to think about the number of inputs you’ll potentially need. You may also want to use a games console or a dedicated Blu-ray player in the cinema room too. 

Surround sound system

No cinema experience is complete without a decent sound system. Of course, it has to be a surround sound system to completely immerse you in the action. There are a number of different configurations but the standard one you will come across is the 5.1. The first number refers to the number of standard speakers in the configuration and the second number refers to the number of subwoofers that you are using. Most DVDs and Blu-rays are set up to handle this type of sound set up.

Depending on your setup you might require an AV receiver. The job of the AV receiver is to handle all the various inputs (from the TV or projector or games console) and then amplify and direct them to the various speakers in your setup. Not all systems require one so it is a great idea to speak to an expert in home cinema installation to find out what you should be going for.

Lighting

Having full control over the lighting can really impact the quality of your viewing pleasure. Too bright and you might hurt your eyes or get reflections off the screen. Too dark and you could get a little bit of eye strain and potential headaches. 

Aim to have some lighting that allows you to accentuate the quality of the picture without compromising your eyesight.

Wireless or wired?

When thinking about the project as a whole you will have to consider what route you want to take in terms of wiring. Going for a wireless system seems like the easiest and hassle-free way to go but normal entails a higher cost. On the other hand, a wired system might be a smaller investment but then ensuring that the wires are concealed neatly and everything connects up properly is a different challenge.

As you can see there are quite a few options when it comes to installing a home cinema so why not let our experts help. We have years of experience, so give us a call today on 0800 876 6258 or via our contact page.