Installing a home theater in your house is a great way to improve and get more enjoyment out of your home. However, if you have home theater design on your mind, you may be unsure of where or how to start. To make the best out of your home theater, you should start with a vision and budget, find a dedicated space, and prioritize lighting, sound, and the room’s layout.
For the best results, here are some tips for building a home theater:
1. Have a Vision and a Budget
Picture how you’d like your home theater to look and function — then build a budget based on that.
Be realistic with your vision and budget because it has to be feasible. But don’t be stingy either, especially if you want a truly enjoyable and immersive audio and video experience.
2. Find the Perfect Spot
Identify the perfect room in your house to set up your home theater. The basement is a good idea because there’s less risk of natural light slipping in. It also provides some sound insulation.
If your basement is out of the question, find a spare room with the least amount of windows and enough space for your screen, seats and speakers.
The room should be dedicated just to the home theater, and noises from other rooms should not interfere with your cinematic experience.
This means your living room will not be a good idea, as it’s a central part of the house that anyone can trample through at any time.
Also, living room windows will make it difficult to effectively control lighting and sound.
3. Make Sound a Priority
Sound is the heart of every ultimate home theater. You might as well stick with the TV in the living room if you are not going to prioritize sound for your home theater setup.
To that end, the room for your home theater should have solid acoustics. Wall-to-wall carpeting and draperies on the walls will help minimize the bouncing of sound.
The style of speakers you choose should be a good fit for the room you are setting up. If the room is big and the speakers are too small, you will end up with poor audio.
For a large room, consider on-wall or in-wall speakers; choose more affordable satellite speakers for a small room.
Once the matter of acoustics is settled, the next thing you have to figure out is what kind of sound system to install.
These days, you can get high-end audio systems at a fair price. Just don’t be cheap because you’ll get what you pay for. Your best bet is to check online reviews for affordable sound systems that don’t compromise on quality.
4. Consider the Room’s Size
For the ultimate home theater, a projector is always the best option. Use a short-throw projector — with 0 to 4 feet between it and the screen — for a smaller room. Use a large-throw projector — with 7 feet or more between the projector and screen — for a large room. That said, you can buy large, 97–100″ Smart TVs from several manufacturers now.
Also, for an optimal experience, your ultimate home theater should have a Blu-ray player, cable/satellite feed, streaming services, a game console, a screen, and a home theater PC.
Remember that the larger the screen, the better, but it shouldn’t be larger than the available wall space. And if you can afford it, you might as well opt for 3D technology.
You’ll also need controls for all your components. A universal remote — which controls multiple devices — will prevent you from having to juggle several remotes just to enjoy a movie.
5. Find the Perfect Lighting
Light control gives you the power to dim lights as needed or simply turn them on and off. Lighting is key to having an immersive home theater experience, so keep out natural light or light from other rooms. Consider installing accent lighting on your walls or floor to help illuminate the walking areas while keeping the room dim when you’re watching a movie or your favorite TV shows.
6. Choose Seating Arrangements
Finally, make sure the seats are not installed too close or too far from the screen. If you can afford it, splurge on theater-style seats, but the truth is, any forward-facing seat that is comfortable — particularly recliners — will serve just fine.
If you have the space for two rows of seating, consider building risers for the back rows to improve the viewing experience.
7. Control Ambient Light and Sound
Minimizing outdoor light and sound should be another top aim for your home theater. For windows, you can install blackout shades and curtains to block light and sound from the outdoors.
To minimize sound, you can insulate the walls and ceiling and install soundproofing material on the walls and doors. This prevents sound from coming in and out of your theater. These steps will also help keep your theater at a comfortable temperature.
8. Choose Your Movie Screen
For your movie screen, you have two main options — a projector setup or a large 8k TV. Projector screens will give your theater a classic cinema feel and potentially a larger viewing area. With a projector, you can use a pull-down projector screen, or you can project directly onto a wall.
Projecting onto a wall saves you space, but you have to use high-quality “paint on screen” paint to get a good picture quality. You can find this type of paint at any home improvement store.
If projectors aren’t your style, 85–100-inch smart TVs with 4k–8k resolution are now available from several manufacturers at reasonable prices (compared to projectors and screens).
I recommend getting the best picture quality possible for your big-screen TV — look for 8k resolution and features like OLED, QLED, HDR, and wide viewing angles.
9. Use Dark Wall and Ceiling Paint
To prevent glare and reflections onto your TV or projector screen, paint the walls and ceiling a dark color — I recommend matte black.
Glossy finishes will reflect light and you don’t want that happening. If you’re not a fan of straight black, you can be more subtle with a matte paint of a darker color instead, like matte dark blue or purple.
10. Use Smart Home Technology
Use smart home technology in your home theater to make things more convenient. For example, you can use voice-controlled devices like Amazon Alexa or Google Home to adjust lighting, control your sound system, change the thermostat temperature, or launch your favorite streaming services.
Install smart light bulbs or smart light switches to easily create the perfect ambiance. You can also control most smart TVs and projectors with a smartphone app.
Final Thoughts
Making your own home theater requires careful planning, budgeting, and attention to detail. I recommend prioritizing sound quality, selecting the right screen, controlling ambient light and sound, and incorporating smart home technology.
With these tips, you can create the most immersive cinematic experience in the comfort of your own home.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I soundproof my home theater room?
Use heavy curtains, soundproof panels, and dense insulation materials on walls, doors, and windows. Consider hiring a professional insulation company for the best results.
What is the optimal speaker placement for a home theater?
Use the standard 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound configuration, with the front speakers placed at ear level, the center speaker below or above the screen, and the surround speakers to the sides and slightly behind the viewing position. Experiment with speaker and subwoofer positioning and use a sound calibration tool to fine-tune the audio of your surround sound system for your specific room.
How much does it cost to build a home theater?
On average, expect to spend between $5,000 to $50,000 to build a home theater. A basic setup starts at around $5,000 and a high-end, fully customized home theater can cost upwards of $50,000.
What are the best streaming devices for a home theater?
The most popular streaming devices for a home movie theater include the Nvidia Shield TV Pro, Apple TV 4K, and Roku Ultra. All have 4K HDR streaming, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio support, and a wide range of streaming apps.
Further Reading
- Suggestions for Creating Your Dream Home Theater
- Tips for Planning A Whole-House Audio System
- DIY Home Theater Installation