This is the first installment of a series of articles covering the construction of a media room. This series will not cover every detail, but I hope it will give you some good ideas, tips and options to consider when planning. The goal is not to make the readers audio-video experts, but to become more comfortable with the terms and technology.
Before we start, we might ask why have media rooms and home theaters become so popular? Many claim it is because of high movie ticket prices and sometimes uncomfortable or noisy movie theaters. Others maintain that a media room is the natural evolution of the family room. It might be the variety of programs available on satellite and cable; or it could be the huge number of DVDs that are available, often only a few months after they were at the local cinema. Or it might be that audio and video components are constantly improving in both quality and value. There are many different reasons, but there is no denying that customers are asking about media rooms and home theaters now more than ever.
But exactly what is a media room? Is it different from a home theater? Sometimes these two terms are used interchangeably, but for our purposes we'll use the following definitions:
Home theater
- The room's main purpose is for viewing movies. It is essentially a dedicated room.
- The lighting can be controlled according to how the room is used. The room can be made very dark, even during the day.
- The seating usually is fixed, commonly in multiple rows and often with risers, similar to the seating in conventional theaters.
Media room
- This multipurpose room has a large video display and a powerful sound system, but the room can be used for other activities.
- It's a good area for watching movies, but it's also designed for other activities such as video gaming, watching television, entertaining guests, and surfing the Internet.
- The furniture is not as structured as in a home theater. The room looks like a traditional family room.
In this series, we will focus on the planning involved with building a media room, but many of the articles also will apply to the construction of a purpose-built home theater. Media rooms are more commonly requested, since they are multi-functional and usually more economical to build.
We will start with some basic assumptions:
- We will use high-quality equipment, but this is not going to be a mega-dollar room. Affordability is one of the goals.
- We will use specific brands and models of equipment as examples, but there are many quality brands and models available. Other products can be used with great results.
- Our example will be in a new house. However, most of the same principles apply to remodeling a basement or other space as a media room.
In the course of this series, we'll cover most of the general aspects of media rooms--information that all builders should have, whether or not they subcontract the work. The next few installments will involve the "stars" of a media room: audio components, video components, and sources. Following these articles, we'll discuss construction-related topics: wiring, HVAC and lighting; installation of the equipment; and finally, properly adjusting the system for optimal enjoyment.
See all articles in the Home Theater/Media Room Series
