Don't you just love curling up on the couch and watching a movie? It's a particularly cozy and enjoyable activity once those cool fall days begin. If you're thinking of spending more time watching movies this fall, it's worth setting up a home theater in your living room or family room. Our real estate agents have seen some incredible home theaters over the years, and they have a few ideas to share.
Upgrade to a Projector System
While watching movies on a large TV is certainly enjoyable, upgrading to a projector will make movie time even better. People often find they experience less eye strain when watching movies on a projector. Projectors are also smaller and take up less space than TVs, so you can easily move them around if you need to clean, redecorate, or stage your home prior to sale.
While projectors were often prohibitively expensive in the past, this is no longer the case. In fact, some projectors are more affordable than HD televisions.
Perfect Your Viewing Angle
Rearrange your furniture to ensure everyone can see the TV screen or the projection from the proper angle. You want to be looking slightly up at the screen. This will minimize neck strain throughout the movie.
Move your furniture back from the screen to reduce the viewing angle or closer to the screen to increase the angle. If you're having trouble moving back far enough, you may need a smaller screen.
Place Your Speakers
Carefully Watching a movie in your home theater is so much more immersive when you have a surround-sound system. But to take full advantage of such a system, the speakers must be placed properly.
The simplest orientation for speakers is to place them in front of you, to either side. The distance between them should be somewhere between 4 and 8 feet. If your system also has back speakers, place them behind you and the same width apart. Do you have a 5.1 soundbar? The best place for this equipment is just over ear level, toward the front of the room.
Add a Snack Station
When you're engrossed in a movie, you don't typically want to get up and walk all the way to the kitchen for a snack or drink. So, having a snack station in your home theater will definitely come in handy. This can just be a small cabinet filled with favorites, such as individual-size bags of popcorn, chips, and candy.
You may also want to put a mini fridge in your home theater. Fill it with soda, seltzer water, and any other drink your family members enjoy while watching films.
Adjust Your Lighting
Ideally, you should have dimmable lights in your home theater. This way, you can turn the lights down while the movie is on and back up once the movie is over.
If you don't already have a dimmer switch, an electrician can easily install one. While they're out, you may want to have them reposition your ceiling lights. They should be located on either side of the TV or projection screen instead of right in front of it. This placement helps reduce glare on the screen.
If you take the time to create a home theater, it's a space you'll enjoy again and again this fall. Don't forget to contact us if you're still looking for Ridgewood homes for sale. We can help you find the perfect house—maybe even one with a gorgeous home theater.
