A home cinema is every movie lover’s dream – create your ultimate home experience

For many of us, movies are a big part of our lives.

Going to the cinema might be a weekly occurrence for some of us, but even the most ardent movie-goer will admit that the cinema can sometimes be a frustrating and futile experience.

A bad night at the cinema starts with not finding a parking space, making you late for the movie. Bumbling your way through the dark, apologising as you step on people’s toes isn’t the best way to start the latest blockbuster.

But even if you get there with plenty of time to spare, you can’t control who sits beside you. If you’re unlucky you’ll have someone with a bad cough, passing their germs on to everyone in the room – starting with you.

And if you’re really unlucky you’ll get a talker, happily chatting away to the person next to them.

What do you do then?

Ask them to keep quiet and risk starting an argument?

Or quietly sit there fuming and have the rest of the movie ruined?

There is an alternative and one which, compared to the extortionate cinema prices, will end up saving you money over time.

A home cinema is the movie lover’s dream, and it’s one which is no longer simply for the uber rich.

Home cinemas come in all shapes and sizes, varying in price from a few hundred dollars for a big TV and some nice speakers, through to a fully functional mini-cinema with all the bells and whistles, and even these can be cheaper than a short holiday.

So get comfortable and dim the lights as we take you through how to build the ultimate home cinema experience.

The screen

Bigger isn’t always better when it comes to the screen.

When planning a home cinema, it’s important to build to your unique situation, rather than what you think a cinema should look like.

If you’re just turning an old bedroom into a home theatre, then you won’t need a screen that takes up most of the wall. In fact, you probably won’t even need a projection screen – a large 4K television will do just as well.

If, however, you want a large, cinemaesque room with half a dozen recliners, then a ceiling mounted projector is the way to go.

The sound

Believe it or not, the sound is probably the most important aspect of a home cinema, even more so than the screen.

Immersive surround-sound brings you right into the movie, making you forget everything else, including where you are.

Even the smallest room needs at least a 5.1 speaker system; three at the front of the room (left, centre and right), and then two behind (left and right), giving that surround-sound aspect. Point 1 is the subwoofer, which gives the bass and low frequencies.

For bigger rooms, you might be tempted to go for 6.1 or even 7.1, or Full Atmos but that doesn’t necessarily mean a better sound quality.

Other things can affect the mood, such as ambient sound. There’s no point building a home cinema if the washing machine is rumbling away on the other side of the wall!

The lights

Lighting is often overlooked when building a home cinema, but it really is essential to the overall feel and ambience.

Being able to dim or raise the lights with the touch of a button really adds to the effect, and saves you from getting up and down during the movie.

Soft, ambient lights, hidden away under chairs or along the top of a wall really makes it feel like a real cinema.

But cinema lighting is also designed with the screen in mind. There not much point spending a fortune on a nice big projector and screen, only to get the light from the window coming in and filling the room.

Even cracks under the door can ruin an otherwise great set-up, so when planning your home cinema, make sure the room is as dark as can be, including walls and ceilings painted in a dark, neutral colour like grey or navy.

Setup and control

The audio-visual component of a home cinema is the brains behind it all, and like anything else, it may look pretty, but it doesn’t mean much without a brain behind it.

The AV System is the hub of your source components and might consist of a BluRay player, Sky decoder, network media streaming box Like Apple TV or Roku for Apps like Netflix and YouTube, a home theatre receiver and more.

Many movies and programmes are streamed now, so a fast connection and network are needed to run things smoothly.

With all these electronic devices working in close proximity, they generate a lot of heat and so need to be well ventilated.

Let us build a home cinema for your budget

If a home cinema is something you’ve always wanted but never thought you could afford, give us a call.

No matter what your budget, there are always options available.

From small, two-chair home cinemas in the spare bedroom, to large mini-theatres in a dedicated room , we can help plan, budget and build one to suit you and your needs.

Incorporating lighting, surround-sound, and AV controls, we use the Control4 smart home system to operate it all, making everything as simple as a touch of a button.

Contact us today and let’s have a chat about taking your home movie experience to the next level.

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