Where to Place Your Home Theater Installation

One issue some homeowners face when planning a home theater installation in their Rock Island, IL property is space. Some homes offer an extra room for the installation, while others only feature a nook. But just because you have limited space doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the full benefits of an integrated home theater. In this blog, we’ll show you all of the different places you can install a home theater, and what you’ll need to enjoy it. Read on to learn more!

Dedicated Home Theater

What you’ll need:

• Drop-down front projector
• Fixed screen
• Immersive audio surround sound
• Customized seating

One of the best ways to enjoy your home theater is in a dedicated space. If you have an unused room, like a spacious attic or basement, you can re-create the commercial theater experience with a front projector and fixed screen. In this setup, the projector sits behind the viewer and shoots an image to the screen in front. Customized seating is designed to comfortably support you without impeding the sound system from reaching your ears.

Media Room

What you’ll need:

• Short-throw projector
• Retractable screen
• Dolby Atmos surround sound

Setting up a theater in a living room isn’t as crazy as it sounds. Some manufacturers produce short-throw projectors – ones that sit up close to the screen. They’re designed for smaller spaces that don’t have the room for front- or rear-projection. Also, they can often sit within specially designed pieces of furniture that hide them when not in use.

Additionally, you can integrate a motorized, retractable screen. This is a screen that rolls up after you’re done using it so you can enjoy the other functions of your living/media room when you like.

Lastly, Dolby Atmos immersive audio only requires a 5.1.2 configuration to work properly. If you have the space for five surround sound speakers, plus two up-firing or overhead units and a sub, you can experience 3D audio.

Garage or Covered Patio

What you’ll need:

• Ultra-bright front-projector
• High-contrast screen or paint
• Dolby Atmos or outdoor surround sound speakers

An unused garage is one of the most common places to integrate a home theater. But because of the ambient light conditions, homeowners may prefer a screen that rejects all light not directly shone in front of it. That’s the beauty of the high-contrast screen. It helps make pictures pop even when there’s some extra light in the area.

Moreover, it may be prudent to invest in an ultra-bright projector. The brighter the image, the easier it is to see when you can’t control the surrounding lights.

If you’re thinking of setting up a theater outside on the patio, you can also invest in high-contrast screen paint. Your integrator can measure the area and determine how large it needs to be, and it otherwise acts just like a regular screen.

But what about sound? If you’re set up in a garage, you can probably get away with Dolby Atmos, which uses the natural reflections of the room to immerse you in sound. If your home theater is exposed to the elements, you can also invest in outdoor surround sound speakers. They can withstand the weather and still offer crisp audio.

So is a home theater installation right for you? Contact Reference AVS today by filling out this form or by calling us at 563-386-7800.