Nothing beats watching a good movie. Getting engrossed by the plot, dazzled by the special effects and blown away by superb acting. And while a trip out to the cinemas is fun, there’s something special about hunkering down at home with your loved ones, breaking out some snacks and having a movie night.
In this blog, we’re going to explore some film findings and share some hacks about how you can DIY a home cinema area.
Get a Great TV Unit
The first step to creating the perfect home cinema environment is to invest in an entertainment unit. This is a specially made space for your TV, your sound equipment such as receivers and amplifiers and a space to store your DVDs or Blu-Rays. You can buy one ready to go or have a custom one built – what you do will be dependent on both your preferences for a unit and your budget.
Choose a Room
Now you need to choose the room you’re going to use for your home cinema. Do you have an existing space that you can easily make some changes to use it for this purpose? Or will you be extending your home to create the space?
If you’re extending, you have more flexibility and choice in terms of things like sound treating, TV unit location and sound systems. But don’t stress is this isn’t possible or within budget – you can create a great home cinema room in a lounge or rumpus room still.
Sound Matters
If you’re fair dinkum about having a cinema experience in your home, then you want a cinema-style sound. You can achieve this fairly easy with either a soundbar or a full high fidelity home sound system, complete with subwoofer. The subwoofer is especially important as it will give you those deep bass tones and rumbles that will immerse you in the film, especially during dramatic sections.
Get Comfortable
You want to be comfortable while you watch a film in your home. You should invest in some decent chairs or a lounge suit, preferably with a recliner or two. Being able to put your feet up, lean back and relax while you watch movies is a sublime experience – all from the comfort within your own home.
Windows
The location and size of your windows will have an impact on your viewing. Windows can cause audio reflection and distortion, which can result in a decreased listening experience. They can let in too much light as well, which makes it difficult to see the screen.
If you’re building a room from scratch, you should consider having no windows or making them as small as possible.
If you’re converting an existing room, you may want to consider some heavy curtains or drapes that can both block out light as well as dampen audio reflections.
What About Walls?
Regular walls are fine for home cinemas. You don’t need to add anything to treat it for sound – so put away that foam and egg cartons. You might want to avoid hanging up framed art or photos as it will rattle with heavy bass sounds, detracting from your experience.
A Cinema Conclusion
The first step to creating a great home cinema is by investing in an entertainment unit. The next is picking a suitable room or even extending your home. Sound matters, so get a soundbar or hi-fi system. Comfy seats are a must too, as are heavy drapes or curtains if you have windows in the room. You won’t need to treat the walls either, but avoid hanging up framed art or photos.
