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Home Theater

Popular Mechanics US

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January - February 2023

Cue up a cinematic even Spielberg experience that would envy.

Home Theater

MOVIES TRANSPORT YOU to another place or time-letting you forget external distractions and cares from your day. But if you're not up for going out to a theater, you can create that same cinematic experience in a killer home theater of your own.

Not only does a home theater immerse you in the movie-watching experience, it has some other perks as well. It can bring your family together in a dedicated space. (Get everyone off their phones for a bit!) It provides an opportunity to re-experience films you've already seen, but from a different vantage point and in a more intimate setting. And don't forget-you can also watch the big game in this same space with amazing sound and video quality. Plus, your high-tech setup for watching sports and movies will be the envy of your friends and neighbors.

THE EXPERT

Chris Wyllie has been designing and installing home theaters for more than 15 years through his company S.E.A.L. Solutions Inc. His projects have run the spectrum, from a living room space designed for a client's disabled child to dedicated theater rooms for celebrities, including Liam Neeson and the late James Gandolfini. A former Navy SEAL, Wyllie uses his military experience to implement a mindset of no limitations in everything he does.

SET THE SCENE

When planning where to set up your theater, consider any unused space in your home-think basement, attic, or even a spare room. If none of these options are available, then a living room, a great room, or an area where you normally watch movies can be transformed into a more dedicated viewing space.

Note where the entrance-or the entrances, if there's more than oneis located in the room and how people move through the space. The best wall for the screen is the one that won't be in the path of people walking in and out and in front of your viewing area.

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