QUICK GUIDE: HOME CINEMAS
Once the preserve of luxury mansion owners, personal cinemas are becoming more achievable for self builders and renovators on more modest budgets. These zones can be a great place for the family to come together and unwind – and they can even double up as games rooms or similar spaces, depending on the design.
These zones are best realised with the support of an experienced professional integrator, who can take the lead on issues such as soundproofing and acoustics, infrastructure specs and dimmable lighting scenes. Controlling exactly how much natural illumination enters through doors, windows and skylights is crucial, too.
Using motorised blinds hooked up to the lighting can make for a seamless effect.
In terms of the kit, certain features are must-haves. “If you want a true picture house experience, I’d suggest a projector screen rather than a large flat screen,” says CEDIA’S Matt Nimmons. You’ll want at least a 5.1 surround sound system, which consists of three speakers at the front (left, centre and right) and two at the rear (left and right) plus a subwoofer. “In practice, most audio systems are more sophisticated than this, offering many audio channels and multiple subwoofers,” says Matt. Generally, the sound for cinema experiences should be kept separate from the whole-house audio.