By Donna Andrews Russell
Photos by Tommy Downs
In his 1953 sci-fi novel Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury envisioned a world where homes had TV walls and books were illegal. A half-century later, books haven’t been banned, but home theater is a reality in a quickly growing number of U.S. households, says Becca Hatton, communications coordinator for the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). “Based on a study done is September 2004, the penetration of home theaters has increased 33 percent in the past three years, spurred by high-definition television sets, DVD players and home theater in a box (HTIB) systems,” she notes.
The History of Home Theater
While motion pictures have been around since the turn of the 20th century, it was not until the mid-1970s, when Dolby Labs invented a new surround-sound process, that moviegoers experienced fully realistic sound. George Lucas and Lucasfilm get the credit for developing THX audio, the standard that has made surround sound available not only at the movies but for home theaters as well. His Star Wars epic was the first Dolby MP-encoded release.
Sony’s introduction of the VCR in 1975 made it possible for Americans to watch box office hits from the comfort of their family rooms for the first time. Within a decade, 30 percent of American households owned a VCR and were spending $2.25 billion a year on video rentals.
Fast-forward to March 1997, when DVD players were introduced in the U.S. By 2004, 60 percent of all television households in the country owned one, setting a new speed record for adoption of a consumer electronics device. Americans also spent some $24.1 billion in 2004 buying and renting videos — about two and a half times what they spent at the box office — and the average DVD household added 16 purchased DVDs to their video libraries.
The last five years have produced major advances in television. Analog sets with square 4:3 aspect ratios, snowy pictures and ghosts are being supplanted by digital TVs offering perfect picture quality, a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio and the ability to pick up High Definition (HD) broadcast signals. The introduction of flat screens and ultra-thin chassis has allowed TV to go where it has never gone before — mounted on walls, in corners and above fireplaces.
Home Theaters Today
The CEA defines a home theater as having a minimum 27-inch screen connected to a four-speaker surround-sound system. But today’s home theaters usually boast much more — a big-screen TV (42 inches or larger) or projector with 100-inch screen, DVD and VCR players, surround-sound systems with five or six speakers, satellite or cable access and a universal remote to operate everything. The average cost of a professionally installed system, say local home theater specialists, is about $15,000-$20,000.
Between a third and a half of home theaters are in dedicated rooms, usually in basements, where the lack of light is an asset when creating a Tinseltown-type setting. (Most cinema-style projectors and screens are best viewed in a fully darkened room.) Accoutrements can include dimmable lights, tiered rows of theater seats and special acoustic treatments so viewers can watch War of the Worlds without rocking the rest of the household. Corrigan Home Systems’ Brandon Gentry says that dedicated rooms appeal to those who want “a two-hour escape from their lives. They let the viewer experience the film the way the director intended.”
The remainder of home theaters are generally installed in great rooms or lower-level entertainment areas that can also incorporate wet bars, dance floors, playrooms, and poker and pool tables. They’re a good solution when space is limited and for parents who want to keep an eye on the kids while they’re watching the latest blockbuster. Many employ TVs rather than projectors and screens; however, it’s possible to hide a screen almost anywhere by going the retractable route. “With a retractable screen you can have a living room by day and a home theater by night,” says Gentry, adding that women like them because they don’t interfere with the room’s decor.
Gaining popularity in lower-level entertainment areas are sports-bar-style theaters with multiple TVs, so hard-core fans don’t have to miss any of the game-day action.
Planning a Home Theater
If you’re in the market for a home theater, set your expectations and budget before you shop. “Know what you want your room to do for you,” says Gentry. Here are some other helpful hints from area pros:
• If you’re opting for a big-screen TV in lieu of a projector, decide first if you want a wall-mounted unit, because there are size limits on wall-mounted TVs. Very large TVs will require dedicated furniture or custom cabinets, which should be factored into your budget.
• Use a professional to help plan your theater and install your equipment. Experts not only can recomm/files/storyimages/tried-and-true products, but they can make a big difference in how your theater operates. “Out of the box, most TVs are set up to be seen under a showroom’s fluorescent lights,” says Digital Lifestyles’ Tony Rossini. “An expert can get to special service menus and adjust your equipment so it works its best in the room you’re using it. A modestly priced system will outperform a higher-priced system that hasn’t been properly set up.”
• Place components (receivers, DVD players, junction boxes) at the back or side of the room so blinking lights won’t distract viewers.
• Plan lighting carefully and include dimming in your budget. Also important: the ability to darken the front of the theater, while leaving lights on in back.
• Wall sconces are a great choice for dedicated theaters. “The best shoot light up and down, so they don’t interfere with the projector,” says Gene Crawford of Crawford Entertainment Systems. His favorite choice: paintable bisque sconces available for as little as $20 at home-improvement stores.
• For flooring, padded carpet soaks up sound. And while those glow-in-the-dark patterns are fun, they’ll distract viewers when the lights go down.
• “Any deep color will work on the walls,” says Gentry, who did one theater in “Barney” purple. Also important: using a matte finish on both the woodwork and walls.
• When selecting seating, consider who will use the room. Sofas are fine for family nights but aren’t the best choice when the guys are watching the game. “When you get a bunch of guys together, they don’t want any nuzzling,” says Crawford. “It’s much nicer with individual seats.”
• Two-tiered seating requires a minimum ceiling height of eight feet, since risers are a foot tall, says Chris Bierman of Century Entertainment & Furnishings. In older basements with low ceilings, tiered seating may be impossible.
• If you’re using a projector and screen in a room with lots of natural light, plan for room-darkening window treatments or special screens (Stewart Fire Hawk, Silver Star, Mirage) designed to work in brighter light conditions.
• Since dedicated rooms stay closed off, stuffiness can be a problem. Rossini often recommends not ducting the room for heat/air and installing an air exchanger for circulation instead.
• Make sure your theater has Internet access. “Someday you’re going to be downloading movies from the Internet rather than driving to the video store,” predicts Bierman.
• A universal remote is one of the smartest investments you can make. A home theater can easily require five or six regular remotes. Even men develop aversions to electronics, says Bob Sims of The Tr/files/storyimages/Companies. “They’ll go ballistic when they can’t operate their TV.”
• Don’t forget to protect your equipment against lightning strikes and power fluctuations, cautions Bierman. Normal blinks, browns and noise on the electric lines can cause loss of picture and sound quality and shorten your equipment’s life.
