Hayi Mansoor asked:




Now that you have bought a home theater system, it needs to be installed as well. Instead of doing it yourself, it is advisable to opt for professional home theater installation services. But the important question here is: how do you find professional theater installation services?

There are several aspects that you need to consider when looking for a professional installer and some of them include:

Expertise: A home theater system consists of several components and not to mention the wiring, which includes the speaker cables, the video cables, and the network and automation cables. It is a complicated wiring procedure that can only be done with precision by an expert in this field. So you need to start looking for a home theater installation company who has a lot of experience in handling both residential and commercial theater installation as well as single room and multiple room installations. You need to check how long the installation company has been in the market and the number of clients they have handled. Experts in home-theater installation will also ensure that you have a trouble free experience for the next couple of years.

Reputation: Reputation is an important criterion when it comes to choosing the right home theater installation services. There are two ways to check the reputation of the company: one is over the internet and the other is by speaking to some of the clients they have installed for. The internet is easily accessible and you can Google the company name to find more about the company, their services, their reputation in the market, and feedback or complaints if any. Secondly, you can request the installation company to provide you with at least 3 references. Speak with the 3 customers and enquire about the installation and their levels of satisfaction. Make sure that these 3 customers have different types of home theater systems installed. The main reason is that different types of installations mean higher levels of expertise.

Cost: The pricing is also an important factor and different installers will charge differently. The pricing of installation depends on several aspects like the type of television or project screen, type of audio systems, type of video systems, type of audio, video, and networking cables, types of lighting, type of connectors, wall plating, in-wall or wall hanging fixtures, active or passive splitters, power systems, ups or voltage regulators, cable assembly, audio patchbays, and much more. The cost will also increase if you require a custom theater installation where a plan needs to be chalked out and certain other aspects to be considered like space, type of system, lighting etc.

Location: Most people would oversee the location factor but it is important as well. The professional home theater installation services that you choose should be located in your vicinity, city, or state so that if any problem arises post installation then they can take care of it with ease and in no time.

The bottom line is that choosing professional home theater installation services can ensure that your installation is done based on your requirement and to perfection.

Alma

Hayi Mansoor asked:




Home theater installation can be residential or commercial, single room or multiple room installation, and can even be custom installation. The toughest of all is definitely a custom theater installation because for that the installer needs to work out a complete plan for the process with you. First things first, custom installation of home theater is not a DIY job that can be completed in no time; you need to plan well in advance. There are certain factors that you need to take into consideration for a custom installation as they play a crucial role in the planning process.

Some of the factors to be considered for a custom home theater installation include:

1. Room Size: Yes! The size of the room definitely matters and more so if it is small.
2. Furniture and Seating: Next on line is the furniture and seating arrangement. You have to work out the seating arrangement relative to the home theater screen.
3. Acoustics: You need to find out from an expert about the acoustical properties of the room in question.
4. Lighting: You will need to identify the amount of lighting required and how this requirement can be fulfilled. Ambient lighting issues are one of the important factors that majorly affect video display when using a home theater. Hence, the issue of lighting should be taken seriously and solved prior to a custom theater installation.
5. TV or Screen: Once you have identified the room space, seating and lighting, you need to identify whether you need to install a large screen LCD TV, Plasma TV, HDTV, or just a simple projection system.
6. Speakers: Now you need to think about the sound. Since you are buying a home-theater system, it will comprise of surround sound speakers. You have to determine whether you want to keep standalone speakers or in-wall speakers in order to increase the effectiveness of the home theater system.
7. Components: A home theater system comes with a variety of components like cables, speakers, DVD, DVR, satellite box, TV, preamplifier/amplifier, satellite radio, AV receiver, preamp/processor etc. You need to identify the exact location or installation area for each of the theater components. You have to also take into consideration certain technicalities in custom theater installation like positioning of the speakers and amplifiers so that the overall sound is not distorted.
8. Ventilation: Last but not the least; you have to work out how the room is going to be ventilated. After all, you wouldn't want your guests gasping for air or feeling claustrophobic in your specially created home theater room.

Once you have identified all that is required for custom home-theater installation, it is time to look for a good installation company. You can contact CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association) or check their website to find information on some of the licensed installers in your area. CEDIA is basically a worldwide association for custom electronics and theater specialists.

Jesse