Creating an incredible home theater takes a lot of thought and preparation. You want to be able to immerse yourself in your viewing experience similar to viewing at a movie theater. When a home theater is designed in order to truly enhance your viewing, you feel like you become part of the movie itself when you're watching it. The placement and volume of your speakers as well as viewing distance and angle are just a few of the factors that need to be considered when creating the best home theater.

Video Placement

In order to design your ultimate viewing experience, you need to begin by determining your room dimensions so you know what you have to work with. The first piece of equipment to consider is your big screen HDTV or your projection screen. This is the main focus of any home theater so everything else follows it. When deciding where to place your big screen TV, there are four things to consider including: the screen size, the amount of viewing distance available, ambient lighting, and how the home seating will be placed. Your screen size and image resolution correspond directly to the optimum distance for viewing. Your TV size will also determine the maximum number of seats in the room for an immersive experience. There are different recommendations for optimum viewing angles and distances. An easy, general rule of thumb is that the nearest seating distance to the screen should be approximately one and one-half to twice the screen width, while the furthest seats should be no more than five times the width of the screen. These limits adhere to the quality of your viewing. This rule of thumb works best with big screen TV's which measure in excess of 40 inches diagonally. With an HDTV, your maximum viewing distance changes to three times the screen width. With a standard definition TV, the nearest seating moves back to more than three times the screen width for optimal viewing. These rules give you an idea of how far to place your TV from your seats. A recommended maximum angle for viewing should not exceed 35 degrees in order to avoid excessive neck strain (measured at seated eye height from the center seat, front row to the top part of the projected image on the screen).

Determining your maximum number of seating rows for your home theater is affected by the amount of space available and by your screen size (the size or your screen width relative to your theater seat size). Again there is a basic rule you can use to determine your optimal maximum seating. You simply divide your screen width in inches by 30. Round the number to the nearest integer. Your answer will determine the maximum number of rows you can have according to your screen size (corresponds to standard size theater seats).

In order to the get the best theater-quality picture from your TV, you may want to have it calibrated. These calibrations could include adjusting your grayscale. If you purchased your TV at a specialty retail store, the store may be able to give you names of professionals who can calibrate your TV for you. Some retail stores even include the price of TV calibration in the purchase price of your TV. Another option is to use an independent contractor to do the calibration. If this is the option you desire, try to find a contractor who is certified by the Imaging Science Foundation and who owns their own equipment.

Sound

Did you know that the shape, size and layout of your room can dramatically affect the acoustic performance? For your best sound results, you want to balance the harsh, echo-filled sounds that come from hard, reflective surfaces and the dull and lifeless sounds that stem from soft, absorptive surfaces. There are some good tips that can help with the control of sound absorption in your room. Carpeting should be placed between the front speakers and the listeners in order to catch the reflective sound waves that are first. Curtains or acoustical wall paneling placed close to the front speakers will also help with sound absorption. Soft furnishings can help to absorb some of the echo (such as soft cushions or couches). You want an all-hard ceiling surface in order to carry sound from the front of the room to the back. A general rule for sound absorption is to try to have 50 percent of your room surface area (ceiling, floor and wall) be absorptive. The majority of these surface areas should be located in the front of your room while reflective surfaces should be in the rear.

Speaker placement is a integral part of any home theater experience. There are at least five speakers involved in any home theater sound system. They include: front left and right speakers, two surround speakers, and the center channel speaker. There can also be a sub woofer or LFE speaker. In order to get the surround sound that you desire, there are specific spots in a room where the various speakers must be placed to produce the different sounds. Room acoustics will differ though, and different speakers respond differently. Manufacturers of speakers typically offer recommendations on speaker placement, so you must consider their advice in addition to the advice of this article.

Sound Placement Continued....

The center channel speaker is completely dependent on your TV screen's placement. Its job is to anchor dialogue and various on-screen sounds to the screen. You will adjust your left and right front speakers so their sounds will blend with sound from the center speaker. The placement for the center channel speaker is centered on the top or directly below the TV screen. If you have a front projection configuration, the center channel speaker should be placed behind the acoustically transparent screen approximately six to 12 inches away. The center speaker tweeter should be at ear level when you are seated (with a rear projection or direct view TV it is best to place it on top of the TV screen). Some tips for the center channel speaker include: align the front edge of the speaker precisely with the front edge of your TV, point the speaker directly at your primary audience, and the center speaker should be the exact same distance from the listening seats as the two front speakers.

The left and right front speakers carry the majority of the music and sound effects. They should be placed at equal distances on each side of your TV. The two speakers should be at least six inches apart. If group viewing is the theme for your home theater, the two front speakers and center channel speakers should all be in a parallel line with the front row of seats. The front left and right speakers need to enclose a 45 (for movies) to 60 (for music) degree angle with the center viewing position to truly give you the sound quality you seek.

How it all comes together

The surround sound speakers are responsible for non-localized sound. They should be located alongside and slightly to the rear of your main seating spot. Sidewall placement is preferred for these speakers, but you can also use appropriate speaker stands. These speakers should be placed two to three feet above your seated ear level. Speaker calibration, just like TV calibration, is an important part of your viewing experience. You want your speakers to produce the best sound quality that they are capable of. You probably will want to adjust the delay between your front and rear speakers. There are two tips for adjusting the rear delay. If your surround speakers are too close to your listening position, you should adjust the rear delay short (five to 15 ms). If your surround speakers are too far away from your listening positions (20 to 30 feet), you need to adjust your rear delay long (15 to 35 ms). It is important to set your delay correctly in order to have the proper time synchronizations occur. To balance the sound from all your speakers, try the following steps. First decide upon a common listening spot. Next adjust the master volume of the Receiver/Preamp to the level that you are used to or comfortable with. Begin the Receiver/Preamp test tone. Each channel will need volume levels adjusted until the sound of all the speakers are similar in volume. Using an SPL meter (set to C-weighted) will give you greater accuracy in your determinations. If you need to adjust bass for your sound system, there is a good tip. Any speaker that is set to small needs to route that speaker's bass information to the main channels when there is no subwoofer, or to the subwoofer if there is one.

There are many important factors that combine to provide home theater viewers with incredibly realistic viewing. The previously mentioned considerations are at the top of the importance list, but there are also other important factors such as home theater lighting and seating. Screen and speaker placement were discussed in-depth because they come first in the creative process. The other factors revolve around them.

Key Resources for Home Theater Design:

• How to Set Up a Basic Home Theater
• Sound Ideas Solution Center
• HGTV Home Theater Tips
• Top Home Theater Remodeling Decorating Ideas
• Innovative Technology by Innovative Theatres
• Start Building: DIY Home Theater Design
• Electronic House Home Theater Design Ideas
• Your Home Theater Design Presents-Your Introduction to the World of Home Theater
• Home Theater and Media Room Design
• Home Theater Art and Design
• Home Theater Furniture and Interior Design Ideas by Can-Am
• Home Theater and Media Room Design Ideas by home Pros
• Home Theater Project Gallery by Halsten Entertainment
• 3 Popular Home Theater Design Ideas
• Dimensions and Other Considerations for a Home Theater Room
• How to Get More From Your Home Theater Without Paying a Dime
• Setting Up Your Home Theater Basics
• Home Theater Design
• Home Theater FAQ
• Home Theater Tips
• Home Theater Systems
• Equipment Placement in the Home Theater
• CNET's Quick Guide to TV Calibration