A DIY Guide To Creating a Home Cinema

Chito Joseph

Who doesn’t like to enjoy movie marathons in their own home cinema? Imagine inviting your circle of friends over – perhaps even in their PJs – to watch movies with popcorn and some drinks. Wouldn’t that be a lot of fun?

In this article, we will discuss just how to turn any room of your home into a home cinema.

5 Tips to Turn Your Room into a Home Cinema

Don’t know where to start? Check out these tips and tricks to set up your own home cinema in the confines and privacy of your house:

1. Choose your preferred screen size

The right screen size will depend on how many people you intend to accommodate in your home cinema. For instance, a 65-inch LED TV will work for an intimate private screening. Meanwhile, a larger home cinema may need you to invest in a short throw projector.

Whatever screen size you choose, make sure that everyone – from the front row to the back – can enjoy the movie.

2. Add a good speaker system

While most TV units have built-in speakers, an external speaker system creates a more magical home theater experience. When buying the best home theater system, take note of the following factors:

• Audio quality: Never compromise the clarity and power of the audio output just because you’re being thrifty. Make sure to select a home theater system with crystal-clear audio and a deep bass.
• Number of speakers: You may choose between a 5.1 and a 7.1 surround sound system. The latter costs more, but generally produces better and more accurate audio.
• Wireless connectivity: If you can do away with wires and cables, then do it! Some home theater systems may be connected to your home cinema setup wirelessly, and may even be controlled using a remote control or smartphone app.

Bonus tip: Put a rug between the speakers and the seats to regulate the sound. Rugs will help in absorbing rogue sound waves for a better viewing and listening experience.

3. Use comfortable seats

Speaking of seats, a comfortable couch can already make the experience more exciting. You may upgrade to recliner seats or customized benches to bring your home cinema to a higher level. Of course, this involves extra expenses but for the benefit of an enhanced home cinema setting.

Also, positioning the seating furniture at an optimal distance from the screen will help in protecting our eyes during the movie watching.

4. Dim the room

This simple but effective trick will make all of your guests think that they’re inside a movie house!  Draping the room with thick curtains and adjusting the lighting system will definitely add to the room’s elegance.  Some even buy a simple bias lighting kit just to achieve the effect.

This tip is extremely useful when you’re dealing with projectors. While a lot of projectors can display clear imagery even in ambient light, dimming the entire room will produce better visuals.

5. Add some personal touches

For a change, instead of popcorn and soda, why not try something different such as a bowl of peanuts or unusual finger food together with a delightfully unique beverage?  If you have extra budget, print out bookmarks featuring the movie poster will add another layer of personality in your guests’ viewing experience.

How Much Are You Willing to Spend?

While you may want to bask in the good experience that comes with a home cinema, you may as well ask how much you are willing to spend to make things happen. This is because you need to spend not only on home cinema equipment but also on accessories to enhance the viewing experience.

Some value-adding items in a home cinema may include curtains for sound and lighting, and extra seats to accommodate more guests.

Anything Else to Consider?

Given that you have already considered your budget, you should also look into the following:

• shape of the room where you are going to install the home cinema
• level of illumination in the room
• kind of walls that the room has
• flooring material in the room
• level of soundproofing in the room
• wire management system to keep cables out of sight

On top of these, the following techniques should help in achieving an exceptional home cinema:

• Maximize the sound coming from the movie being watched
• Minimize light coming in from the outside
• Minimize the sound that will leak outside to prevent neighbors from getting unnecessarily disturbed

All in all, creating a home cinema within your place of residence isn’t that difficult, as long as you know the specifications that you need. Whatever kind of home cinema setup that you’re planning to install, treating your guests to an excellent cinema experience should be your ultimate goal.