Home Cinema Design Considerations

Our home cinema installations London team are pros when it comes to setting up home cinema, and/or media rooms. Before embarking on your project, there are crucial home cinema design considerations that you need to keep in mind.

Home Design Considerations: What Are They?

1. Type Of Screen

When it comes to home cinema design considerations, the first and most obvious element to consider is, of course, the screen type. Projector or Television?

Budget and screen size required are probably going to dictate choices here but there are plenty of options for everyone. In a smaller or lighter room you may opt for a large screen TV, Samsung have a great selection with a mid range and premium offer.

With more space on hand, you may want to invest in a projector screen and projector by Epson or JVC. Projectors perform better in a darkened room and so basement cinema rooms are popular and whilst TV’s are big these days, a projector screen usually provides a much larger viewing area. For some, both a TV and projector screen with projector is an option. This offers the versatility of a comfortable TV room for casual viewing and then at the touch of a button, the transformation into a fully automated home cinema experience.

At Element 29, we specialise in home cinema installation in London, and our team is well-versed in helping you make the right decisions for your specific requirements.

1. Type Of Sound

There are again many options to the surround sound system you choose. A good system to start with could be a 5.1 surround sound system (5 speakers, 1 sub-woofer) or increase this to a 7.2 (that’s right, 7 speakers, 2 subs) setup. A further investment in Dolby Atmos system would deliver an unparalleled atmospheric sound to give you the ultimate home theatre experience.

You can customise the set up to suit your room allowing you to get the best out of your system. Bower and Wilkins have an extensive range of speakers covering all budgets and speaker types, whereas Artcoustic offer design-led, bespoke solutions for speakers.

Speakers look great and can be a focal part of your room design, or you may choose a more aesthetically discrete solution where speakers are hidden in walls and ceilings.

3. Audio Video Receiver or Amplifier

This is the central, critical hub of your entire system, all the audio and video elements of your system connect to this device, your Bluray player, or media player (e.g Apple TV), Sky receiver, games consoles etc… Again, there are a number of audio video receiver options depending on the setup of your system and they range in price from a few hundred pounds to tens of thousands of pounds.

Home cinema design considerations all boil down to budget, personal choice and what your demands of your system are. Denon is a great brand offering an excellent range for all budgets with Arcam’s offerings covering the premium end.

4. What ‘Sources’ Do You Want?

Your home cinema system is a great way to deliver all sorts of entertainment from a variety of sources. A BluRay/DVD player from OPPO for outstanding movie watching. If you’re a gamer, plug in your console such as a Playstation or XBox. Or watch live TV through Sky or Virgin. Even media streaming devices such as Apple TV and Sonos can be connected.

There are lots of options, most of which come with their own remote control. At this point it’s a good idea to consider a bespoke remote handset that operates all of your sources from one unit. Control4 and  Crestron are two great systems to help make the control of your system super easy!

5. Home Cinema Room Set Up

Whilst your deciding on the technical elements of your system it’s vital to take a look at the room and how you can enhance the surroundings to really get the best out of your system.

Take a look at your seating, is it positioned for best viewing and sound? Is it comfortable? Lighting is key and there are some great products to automate different lighting effects from Lutron and Rako. You may like to consider automatic blinds as a window treatment, again from Lutron but also QMotion. This again can be programmed into your bespoke handset and so at the touch of a button the room can be set up for whatever sources you require.

Speak To Our Home Cinema Installation London Team

To discuss your home cinema design and installation project, or simply just to find out more about us and the services we provide, feel free to contact our home cinema London team who will be happy to guide you through all of the various options.