5 Home Theatre Installation Mistakes

Sure, Melbourne is a beautiful city with plenty to do. But, instead of taking a tram to Melbourne Central just to go to Hoyts, why not kick back in your own home theatre instead?

Having a home theatre is the perfect way to make your home a haven worth calling your friends over for. But just like with any big project, there are a lot of mistakes you should avoid if you want to save money and time.

Here are 5 common home theatre mistakes you must avoid:

#1. Not accounting for the size of your room

Having a large 85 inch TV or a 100-inch projector setup can lead to amazing immersion and cinema-like experience. But if your room isn’t the correct size, this can result in an uncomfortable viewing experience and being completely overwhelmed by your screen.

While it can be tempting to purchase the largest screen you can afford, you should first measure out your room and determine the best screen size.

One rule of thumb to follow is to multiply the diagonal length of your television by 1.6 and sit that far away from the screen. The goal is for your TV to account for 30 degrees of your vision.

However, other factors such as your resolution will change how far you can comfortably sit from your screen. If you have a higher resolution display, such as a 4K definition (UHD) TV, you can sit closer to the screen than you would be able to with a 720p screen. This is because the pixel density is greater and the image won’t be distorted until you sit closer.

Before purchasing a TV or setting up a projector for your home theater, measure the size of your room and calculate your seating distance from where your screen will be placed.

#2. Choosing the wrong room

In addition to measuring the size of your room, you need to make sure you use the right room to begin with. Some factors you need to account for when choosing your room include:

  • Where you will mount your TV or projector
  • How many seats you can comfortably fit
  • Whether or not you can access your cable or satellite service
  • The wifi signal for chromecast or apple tv usage
  • How much natural sunlight there is (less is better)
  • Sound isolation factors such as doors, windows, flooring
  • Ease of installation of wires

While building a completely new room that is professionally designed for usage as a home theater is the best option, this isn’t always a financially viable one.

The next best thing would be to take into consideration the aforementioned points and choose the best room in your home for your home theatre. In most cases, you’ll need to compromise in several areas.  However, working with home theatre installation experts can help you get as close as possible to your dream home theatre while sticking to your budget.

#3. Prioritising the wrong purchases

If you have a limited budget for your home theatre installation, you need to properly prioritise your purchases to get the most out of your money. While it’s easy to just purchase the most expensive screen you can afford and skimp out on everything else, this isn’t always the best use of your money.

To help you prioritise your purchases, you should create two lists. One list for ‘musts’ and another list for ‘wants’.

For some people, having an isolated room where you can watch movies late at night without disturbing your children is the priority. For others, having the best viewing experience and room-shaking audio would be the priority.

Consider your needs and create a detailed list of musts and wants. Force yourself to follow this and you’ll find yourself saying no to what would have been silly purchases.

#4. Not future-proofing your home theatre

Adding on to the previous point of prioritising your purchases, you need to keep in mind that a home theatre is often an on-going project.

If you’re not on a budget, you can purchase the best-in-class projector, screen, audio system, and even renovate your entire room completely. But if you are on a budget, like most people, you will have to make decisions on what you will purchase now, what you will purchase later, and what you are willing to upgrade in the future.

One example of future-proofing your home theatre is investing extra money into a TV or projector that supports 4K and HDR. While technology advances quickly (and later becomes obsolete), sound isolation for rooms and speaker technology doesn’t advance as quickly. Because of this, you can hold out on those purchases and invest more into the latest technology. This way, your device will remain compatible with future technology as well.

#5. Wrong placements

Your screen and speakers both have optimal positions for the best experience. For example, speakers need to have a clear path to the viewers and not be blocked by furniture. Similarly, screens have to be at a height where viewers don’t have to tilt their heads upwards or downwards to comfortably view.

In order to properly place the pieces of your home theatre, you need to start with the end in mind. By having a clear vision of how you want your final home theatre to be like, a home theatre installation expert can help you with your placement to optimise your viewing experience.

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