How to Design a Home Entertainment System
Home theater technology has advanced to the point where you can create a system which easily matches that of most movie theaters. The design specifics depend on how much money you have to spend and what you wish to do with it. In order to get the entertainment system you want within your allotted budget, you need to do some basic design work before you spend a single dime. Not only does it keep you from wasting money, but it ensures that the final results are exactly what you need.
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Instructions
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Select the area you wish to use for your home theater. It can constitute a basement, an attic, a spare bedroom or anywhere else which fits your planned system. Measure the space for your requirements and note the figures in a notebook, paying particular attention to the space between your planned TV screen and your viewing area. You should provide a distance between chair and screen measuring one and a half to two times the screen's diagonal width. If your space can't fit that distance, you need to reduce the size of the screen until it can fit comfortably. In addition, consider the need for people to move into and out of your home theater. Include space behind the seating area for a walkway, so that no one steps between the viewer and the television.
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Examine the acoustics of the room and plan to accommodate the entertainment center's sound system. Most sound systems utilize five or seven speakers--three in front of the viewer, two in back of the viewer and two on either side of the viewer, if you're using seven speakers--plus a subwoofer to help accentuate the bass sounds. Determine their placement based around the planned seating positions and make sure they have access to power sources. Measure the distance between the speaker positions and the proposed center of the home entertainment system--you'll need to run wires between them and the A/V receiver if they are to work as they should.
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Determine the placement and type of TV screen you wish to use. It should be either placed on a stand strong enough to support it or mounted securely to a given wall. You may also wish to consider a projector, which will be mounted on the ceiling behind the seating positions and will project the image onto a blank screen in front of you. Regardless of the specifics, the TV screen should be placed at a height which allows you to look comfortably at the center of the screen while sitting in your viewing chair.
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Plan spaces for any additional components to your home theater system that you wish--DVD player, cable or satellite box, A/V receiver and the like. They need to be near enough to the television to connect easily, as well as having nearby power outlets sufficient to hold all of them. Plan for an entertainment stand or series of shelves to hold them all--somewhere clear of the planned spot for the TV, with enough room to hold each component.
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Tabulate your budget to include all the components you need and make your purchases accordingly.
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Tips & Warnings
Hardwood floors are bad news as far as sound from a home entertainment center goes. It causes undue echo and may distort your enjoyment of the final results. If you have the means, consider adding carpeting to the floors in order to reduce the echo.
A/V components such as receivers and DVD players need space to vent their heat; otherwise, they will overheat. When measuring for shelves, make sure you have an extra inch or two of space for each component in order to let them "breathe."
