Lee Dobbins asked:




Over generations, the layout of our homes has evolved to meet the changing lifestyles of the family. For instance, although televisions were once normally restricted to a single corner of the living room, we now devote entire rooms to our entertainment systems. In this article, we've included some great tips on designing a home theater room for the modern home.

Consider choosing a large room that is rectangular in size. You may also want high ceilings to make the room feel more authentic, more like an actual movie theater. Also, to allow for increased noise you will probably need to add some type of soundproofing device or equipment.

A home theater is a great way to take advantage of a dark room in your house. If there's an area in your basement that doesn't get much natural light, you should consider taking advantage of it. Even if you want to design a home theater for a room with windows, you can simply use heavy drapes or black out shades.

Next thing in designing a home theater room is the sound and space. The room should be away from bedrooms or other rooms where noise would be bothersome. If the room is near other rooms a good option would be to soundproof the room by adding insulation before you hang the sheet rock or adding soundproofing panels to the walls. The space should be large enough to fit some nice comfortable seating for you your family and friends. Remember to keep the seating at the right distant from the television for best viewing.

You will probably also want to set up stereo TV and surround time, but we will save that for another article. Just make sure to research what electronics are available to fulfill your needs and how you can make them work properly.

There's more to designing a home theater room than just the shape, size, and electronics. You'll also want to add your personal style with small details that really make the room special. Find couches or chairs that reflect your personality, or even memorabilia from your favorite movies. If you have enough room, you could even include a popcorn machine or a bar. These finishing touches will really be the aspects that you take great pride in.

Edgar

SBARTSTV asked:


3-D TVs sold out in the US in their first week Best Buy New Full HD 3D Home Theater Panasonic World's First Ever Full HD 3D Home Theater System Hits Shelves Panasonic and Best Buy Announce Exclusive and Immediate Availability 3D is coming to a living room near you! Recently honored as Best in Show winner at CES 2010, the world's first ever Full HD 3D home theater system was developed with new, faster screen phosphors and new displays that output imagery at 60 frames per second, creating the best possible picture. Coinciding with the first sale, Panasonic and Best Buy will announce the exclusive and immediate availability of the system. Available models will range in screen size from 50 to 65 inches and a complete line of products will be available nationwide later in 2010.In addition, a 15-city nationwide tour will kick off in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles beginning March 15 with stops in Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, DC Atlanta, Miami, San Francisco, Phoenix, Seattle, Detroit, Minneapolis, Dallas and Houston in March and April.

David

Lee Dobbins asked:




So, you've bought the big screen TV, the surround sound speakers and various home theater equipment and you have them installed and ready to go. But what's missing?

If you're installing a home theater, you need to think beyond the system components and consider the furniture and accessories you want to add to the room to create a really cool environment for your entertainment pleasure.

Just like decorating any other room, the accessories are what will make your home theater stand out from the crowd. Here's some things to think about when considering your home theater decor:

1. Think about what kind of look you want in your home theater. If the room is a dedicated home theater, you can pretty much pick whatever look you want. If you want to go with a movie theme, you can do that. If you want Old World elegant with a big screen and speakers thrown in, you can do that too. If the room is serving a double purpose, such as an office/home theater or living room/home theater, then you need to keep that in mind when decorating. Most people wouldn't want giant, framed movie posters for horror flicks within eyesight of their dining room. And if the room is also used for children's play, safety considerations might dictate decorating.

2. Choose your theme first - maybe you already have a collection of old movie posters and you want to work around that. Or perhaps, you always wanted an indoor garden of sorts. Either way, picking your theme should be the first thing you do before you rush out to the store to buy accessories. Knowing the theme in advance will help guide the rest of your decisions from colors and wall hangings to furniture and lighting.

3. Start a collection. A popular theme for decorating home theaters is to fill it with old movie memorabilia. This can be really fun to collect and it could even be considered an investment as the items you use may well go up in value. Some things you can collect for your home theater include: movie posters, autographed photos of movie stars, an old fashioned movie popcorn maker, movie props and other memorabilia from old movie ticket stubs to real movie theater seats. One thing to keep in mind when collecting anything is that condition is of the utmost importance so buy the best condition items you can afford. It is better to get 1 item in excellent condition, then to get 10 that are in fair condition.

4. Don't forget the rooms real purpose when selecting furniture and lighting. Make sure lighting enhances the movie experience. If the room is used for another purpose too, think about a combination of lights to make it work for both instances. Low lighting is ideal for movies, but it's not so hot for kids trying to do homework on a coffee table. You also want your furniture to be of the utmost in comfort. It wouldn't be much fun to watch a movie on your expensive new home theater system if you are not comfortable, would it? Luckily, with the selections today, you can get both comfort and style in your home theater furniture.

5. Make your home theater feng shui friendly. Keeping some basic principals of feng shui in mind when designing your room can help you attain a relaxing atmosphere. Don't put seating with the backs to the doors. Try to set the room up with a nice flow and workable space for walking. Don't try to cram things into the room that won't fit properly. Make sure to keep your home theater organized, a room that is filled with piles of junk and a mess will not create a relaxing atmosphere. Instead, it will serve to remind viewers who live in the home of any and all work and projects they need to do. Keep the room decorated and nice, but don't over pack it with junk. Make sure you hide the wires and have plenty of storage cabinets to put your DVD's in.

Wilma

vtown_german asked:


Ok I really enjoy watching movies and sports. I have a pretty good dvd collection and watch them a lot. I am looking into getting a bigger tv and surround sound system. Any good advice on what and where to get it. I don't have the biggest budget. Any good websites or stores where I can save and still get quality? May be even interest free payments to get something nicer. Please give me some advice. Big screen or flat screen? How many watts for an average living room? Thanks

Melvin