Home Theaters

Many people will simply assume, when putting in a home theater, that, since their name is not Trump or Lucas, they should simply put the components in the living room and call it good. After all, this saves on furniture for the home theater, and usually causes the fewest problems with the other occupants of the house.

This is probably a bad idea for several reasons.

If you think about it for a moment, you realize that one of the differences between simply watching the television in the living room, and being at the theater, is that when at the theater there is a minimum (hopefully) of interruption. This provides a much better experience than anywhere that has a good chance of turning into chaos at any moment. Shutting out the telephone, the doorbell, the people who might be at the door, and any other disturbance is a pleasure to be indulged.

For those lucky enough to live where basements are found beneath houses, these usually make very good viewing rooms with very little effort. Everyone wants to have a showplace for their theater, but it is something that can be worked on, all the while enjoying the basic joys of limited noise, interruptions, and space. St first, the home theater may simply be a comfortable chair in the appropriate location, and the components themselves.

Those who have no basement need to be more creative. A small bedroom may seem like a very bad start for a home theater, but with some creativity, it can be a cozy place for two to four people to enjoy theater. Smaller scaled furniture, smaller speakers (which will be fine because of the room’s reduced volume) and possible placement of equipment in the closet can make for a very nice setup. It can be like a castle within the castle.

Worse still is the person who has every bedroom full up, and no basement or other space available that has not already been allocated to some other usage. This person must be extremely creative, before giving up, and simply going with the  problems of the living room.

The master’s bedroom is the last resort, and with some effort, may turn into a resort away from the cares of the world, and the rest of the house.

Again, care must be used to not upset the other members of the household, especially anyone sharing the master bedroom. However, a bedroom can usually hold a television on the wall or in a small etagere,  the electronics can be placed in a vertical stereo stand, and that placed under the television. Again, smaller speakers will suffice, as the reduced volume of the room will negate the need for larger amounts of air to be moved.

Many bedrooms will have no space for chairs or other seating, but being creative again will make it possible to watch comfortably, using large throw pillows, foam wedges, and anything else that provides reasonable comfort for viewing. (Many times I’ve wished I could lie down at a theater with bad seating!)

Where the theater goes is up to you, but putting it out of the living room (or any other room with lots of traffic and noise) is always a good idea.