Smart Shades, Smart Lights

A dedicated room represents the ultimate space to attain movie watching nirvana. With the ability to minimize visual distractions, maximize acoustics, and optimally position seating and speakers, a dedicated room more easily lends itself to the creation of a no-holds-barred home theater than a space with an open floor plan.

- JOHN SCIACCA

Other real benefits a dedicated home theater room offers include a single point of entry and no windows. This allows for total control over ambient lighting—a factor that elevates a good movie viewing room to a great one. As any projector owner can tell you, the absolute best way to improve the contrast ratio of a projected image is to make the viewing environment as dark as possible. (Another contrast boosting tip: paint the front wall where the screen is located as dark a color as you or, more likely, your significant other can stand.)

Even if creating a dedicated room isn’t possible due to either budget restrictions or your home’s layout, it will still be possible to create a great movie-viewing space. My media room is located in the center of my open floor plan home, and I’ve been involved in the design and installation of many similar spaces during my years working as a custom installer. The good news here is that you can use technology to improve the A/V potential of almost any room.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER