- 1). Measure your room and draw it on graph paper. Also measure your existing or desired home theater furniture and accessories, draw, and cut it out on another sheet of graph paper. Position the paper furniture in the room so that you know what will fit and what needs to be downsized or otherwise altered. Be sure to mark on your sheet where electrical outlets are.
- 2). Optimize the room for ideal viewing and acoustic properties. White walls should be painted a darker color and dark drapes added to windows to reduce ambient and natural light. If you have wood or cement floors, lay down rugs or have the area carpeted to reduce sound reflection. If you have doorways to the room, make sure they have a door that's possible to close on them.
- 3). Hang your flat screen TV at eye level for someone sitting on a seating area in front of them. The sound system should also be level with seated viewers, if it's not, set them on platforms at the front and/or sides of the rooms. If you do not have much experience with audio-visual equipment, hire a technical optimizer who can hook everything up for you. Hide wiring or line it next to the wall.
- 4). Furnish the room with comfortable seating, placed no more than 15 to 20 feet from the screen. Remove any glass tables or cabinets that could add to screen reflections. Speakers should be placed at 45 degree angles from seating for optimal sound quality. Decorate to invoke your own personality with items such as framed movie posters or a popcorn making stand. Sit back and enjoy.
next post