Comfort is king when it comes to your home theater. There is an exact science developed to help maximize comfort for you and your audience. While we do not have the time to go through everything you should be considering when designing your home theater seating, lighting and sound, we can offer you a few tips to help you avoid major catastrophes and guide you in a direction that promises optimal comfort for your audience.
Lighting
When considering the lighting you want in your home theater it is a good idea to involve a lighting designer. The style of lighting fixtures, bulbs, and positioning can all have dramatic effects on your home theater and odds are you have little experience when it comes to home theater lighting. Having a professional to guide you in the right direction can be a great investment and save you future headaches.
That being said there a few recommendations we suggest you consider when making home theater lighting decisions. Have very low or dimmed lights available while watching movies. Having enough light for your audience to excuse themselves or see their snacks will ensure less movie distractions and fewer spills. Also no light at all has proven to be straining on the viewers eyes.
Any great lighting designer will tell you to make sure your bulbs are videophile approved color temperature of 6500 degrees Kelvin. Be sure to remove any objects in your theater that may reflect light or with a shiny surface and cover up any windows.
When lighting your home theater try to achieve a balance between what is best for you and what is best for the system. Consider dimmer switches. They can adjust the ambient level of light and are relatively cheap and easy to install. There are even models that can be controlled by a remote control. Now that will really impress your friends!
Seating
Home theater seating is a critical element for home theater comfort. There are many options to choose from when selecting your home theater furniture. It is important to pick seating that comfortably fits in your home theater room.
A crowded home theater can ruin any theater setup. It is also important to make sure you buy home theater seating that fits your audience needs or furniture that seats your entire audience comfortably. Investing in movie theater gliders and sofas with cup holders and extra padding is a great suggestion to ensure your audience is comfortable.
Be sure your television or projector screen is positioned so that your audience has to move their heads as little as possible. Forcing your audience to turn their head irregularly or awkwardly can make your home theater an uncomfortable experience.
Sound
Your home theater's success is dependent on the quality of your home theater's audio components. There are a lot of guides for the best home theater speaker layout.
Your audio setup usually includes front speakers, center speakers, side surrounds, back surrounds and subwoofers. Strategically aligning these speakers around your audience will make all the difference in creating an unparalleled home theater experience.
Place your front speakers next to your screen at ear level and place them at a 45 degree angle towards the home theater seating. The center channel speaker should be placed either above or below your display. Aim the speaker either
up or down upon the audience depending on your set up. Your side surround speakers should be placed between 90 and 110 degrees from the listeners. For best results, place them two or so feet above the audience. Back surrounds can be placed on the wall behind your audience; place the left and right back surround speakers directly next to each other in the center of the wall.
Lastly, your subwoofer or subwoofers can be positioned in various areas depending on how many you have. If you have one, place it in the middle of the front wall. If you have two, place them on opposing walls. If you have four, place them with each of your other speakers creating the classical cross design.
