Recommendations for a good home theater setup?

[MCally92]

Hey guys, I've recently decided to convert my basement into a home theater, and I'm having some trouble on exactly where to start. I have a general knowledge of how these things work, but I'm looking for any input as to projectors, seating, themes, A/V devices, sound setup, etc.

I've done a good bit of research, but I'm really looking for some good advice as to where to start. Since I'm pretty new to this, any beginner/starter advice or tips would be greatly appreciated! Looking forward to getting my hands dirty and finally getting the home theater I've always wanted!

 

[madmadworld]

what's your budget ? for what items and total always the starting point of everything
good luck

 

[jayn_j]

Hi MCally,

I've been working on a series of articles on this, but am not ready to publish yet. Here are a couple of guidelines though.

Before you do anything you have to plan and budget. How big should the theater be? Is it to watch movies, sports, TV shows, gaming, or some combination? Is the room going to be dedicated to viewing, or will there be other activities going on? Is sound isolation an issue? Do you have kids trying to sleep upstairs? How would you rank performance vs aesthetics of the space. Do you want to hide the speakers? All these things need to be decided early on as they affect every decision along the way. Frankly, equipment selection comes later for a couple of reasons. First, if you buy it early, it will sit in a box and become obsolete while you prepare the space, or worse, you will set it up, start watching, and never complete the space.

A home theater can be anything from a large flat screen with a good sound bar, all the way up to a dedicated movie palace like you see in the magazines. Each has its place, and depends on how you want to use the space. I have two "theaters" in my house. One is a 50" plasma in the family room with a 5.1 surround system and attached source material. We use it for casual TV viewing or whenever many activities are going on around the set. The second is a dedicated home theater with projector, 120" screen, home theater recliners and a dedicated sound system, complete with a large subwoofer. It gets used for serious movie watching, and by the kids for xbox gaming. THat sort of theater is stunning, but nothing goes on in the room except what is happening on the screen.

Hopefully that is a start on where you need to make your first decisions. Feel free to come on back and keep asking questions and showing us progress. I'd love to see some pictures of the space and what you are planning for it.

 

[MCally92]

Hi all,

Thank you for the guidance so far! I think that is what I needed, I've been wracking my brain about this project and I think I might have been thinking a little too far ahead into the future. I think I have a good idea of what I want the space to be, and that's a semi-dedicated theater/gaming center.

One of my biggest passions is video gaming, and I have always wanted to have a space where I can do that in peace and glorious HD. The room isn't huge, it's a 30 x 27 basement with a low ceiling. I'm thinking that I'm going to go for a clean, simple setup with a mounted flatscreen, a surround sound system that doesn't necessarily have to be hidden, and one good row of seating selection.

I'm still in the planning stages with this, and I have a lot of research to do, but if I can get pics up sometime I would love to share them with you guys.

 

[jayn_j]

For the TV you describe, you have a pretty large space. Assuming you are going to have a 65" flatscreen, the recommended viewing distance would be 7-10 feet. See this calculator for data: http://myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html

Given that, you may very well want to split the space into zones. Add a bar or a lounge area. Heck, given that space, add a bowling alley! I will say that you quickly get used to that 'huge' TV and it seems to shrink over time, so go bigger than you initially think. Playing videogames on a projector is awsome, trust me, but again, it is not right if anything else is going on. Some of that can be helped with curtains. I have the theater space curtained off from the other half of my basement so two sets of activity can be going on at the same time. The curtains are nice because they can be opened up for large Superbowl parties, or when my older kids want a big party space. The possibilities are endless.

 

[MCally92]

I'm definitely thinking about throwing in a bar, but I'm just trying to get the theater set up fully first. I think I am going to go for the biggest TV screen I can, because it is a pretty big space. Having a bar was one of my original thoughts, because I am a huge beer fan, and I would love to have my own bar to keep stocked with my favorite microbrews.

I really like the curtain idea, as that might let me have both a casual TV viewing area, but then transform it into a private and quiet area for my gaming passions. Thanks again so much for your input, I think I now have a clear vision of what I will be doing with the space!

 

[dfergie]

For impressiveness FPTV is the way to go ...

 

[Ilya]

Since it's a basement, light control shouldn't be a problem. I would definitely consider a front projector.

Sent from my iPad 3 using SatelliteGuys

 

[jayn_j]

Note that both DFergie and Ilya have FPs. I do as well, and highly recommend them in the correct atmosphere. You will also find that you can put together a system with a 120" FP screen for about the same money as a 70" LED set.

But I stand by my statement that a FP setup is for dedicated use. It is good for gaming and movies, but not for conversation or having something else going on in the room.