Home Movies

Published 6:29 pm Saturday, April 12, 2008

Have a spare room in your home? Or perhaps you have a finished basement that could be put to better use. If you have the space, this is a good time to create a dedicated home theater room.

A home theater isn’t just a wall mounted TV. It’s an acoustically balanced room, specifically wired and dressed for watching movies and playing video games. Despite the current economic climate, consumers continue to create these rooms in their homes.

“We’ve found that business hasn’t really slowed down that much,” said Roland Munroe, president of Cutting Edge Design, a Lynnwood company that specializes in home theater design and installation.

Families want something they can enjoy together at home that doesn’t cost a lot of money after the initial setup. With the holiday season just around the corner, seasonal specials on electronics are about to kick in. You can tailor this project to fit your needs and budget.

“A lot of it just depends on the end user and what they want,” said Josh Wolfe of Bry’s Television and Appliance, in Marysville. “From mobile homes to million dollar homes, there’s a wide variety of products out there.”

Regardless of the cost of your components, there are some building elements that need to be addressed in order to enjoy the best possible viewing experience.

“A well designed theater is very important,” Munroe said. “If you’re going to take on a project like this, you don’t just buy boxes and start running wires together. The secret is to get it designed right.”

For example, proper lighting is vital. You don’t want reflections to ruin your viewing. Windows should be fitted with room darkening blinds. The color of your walls makes a difference, too. There’s a reason why cinemas select dark rich tones. Light or bright

colors reflect light and can be distracting. Painted surfaces should be in a flat finish to avoid reflections.

A dedicated theater room should also feature acoustic wall treatments if possible.

These help to keep sound from bouncing off walls, creating an echo or “trapped in a box” effect. Bass traps let you enjoy the boom of the bass without being blown off your seat by reverberations.

Do-it-yourself enthusiasts can find a lot of information about these subjects and products on the Internet. Some companies specialize in ready-made acoustic sound treatments, including bass traps. You can have it shipped to you, ready to install.

Hiding wiring in the walls can be a little trickier and is not recommended for novices.

Equally daunting is the mounting of heavy flat-panel plasma TVs or other components. One mistake can send your expensive TV crashing to the floor.

An easier option is to hire a company like Munroe’s that does everything from the wiring to window coverings, purchasing and installing your components and teaching you how to operate the completed system. While it may cost more, the end result is far more professional looking and you don’t have the do-it-yourself hassle.

There is another middle-of-the-road alternative. If you feel up to doing the wall treatments and window treatments yourself but are a little wary of wiring and wall mounting your components, Zip Installation is an online company that can arrange for a local subcontractor to come to your home and do just that portion for you. This is especially handy if you bought your components off the Internet or from a box store with no installation team.

Probably the biggest concern that home owners have about a home theater is the type and size of the viewing screen. Obviously you want to buy the largest you can afford without sacrificing quality.

If you’re serious about a good picture, High Definition (HD) is a must. Currently, 1080p HD is the ultimate in resolution. But 1080i is almost indistinguishable from 1080p unless you’ve got a good eye. A 720p resolution is going to be the most affordable but the difference is going to be distinguishable.

For flat-panel TVs, plasmas offer the best picture with the blackest of black tones.

They have an added advantage of having no viewing “sweet spot.” They look great from any angle. Some acclaimed models are the Pioneer Kuro and the Panasonic Viera.

LCD flat screens also offer an excellent picture. They have a nonreflective screen that makes them better for viewing in rooms with a lot of light and windows. LCDs come in smaller sizes, so they may not be ideal for your home theater.

Projection screen systems in HD are a little harder to find, but come in mammoth 100-inch sizes and are retractable when not in use. They look just like a real cinema screen. For something like this you would want to talk to an expert at a place like Cutting Edge Design or Bry’s.

“We do a lot of projection screens,” Munroe said, “but people are still more into the flat panels.”

An audio system is another must. For professional grade sound like you would find at the local cinema, Klipsch is the brand of choice. But you can also get excellent sound from many other brands. A home-theater-in-a-box sound system won’t have the best sound, but it’s more affordable.

Finally, there are the other components to add, such as a Blu-ray DVD player or a gaming system such as a Nintendo Wii or Xbox. Add in some professional home theater seating from Palliser or Berkline and your family may never want to leave home again.

n Cutting Edge Design

13429 Beverly Park Rd.

Lynnwood, WA

(425) 741-2334

www.cedi.tv

n Bry’s Television and Appliance

1401 State Ave.

Marysville, WA

(360) 659-6533

n Zip Installation

(800) 778-0530

www.zipinstallation.com