So you’ve finally decided to invest in your very own home theater system. Make more out of it by avoiding diving head-first and applying instead best practices in home theater installation.
In this light, Hooked Up Installs brings you a list of top tips for your dream home theater system. Keep in mind, though, that support and service by professionals cannot be replaced, even as you work toward creating the ultimate entertainment experience at home for yourself.
Search and shop online: Before buying anything, make sure you do your research on the Internet. Browse through trusted shopping sites, compare prices, read reviews and forums, and educate yourself before making any heavy purchase decisions.
Pay equal attention to audio: Superb video quality is just one part of the equation. Work on audio, too, and find out the best acoustic wall treatments applicable to your situation. Keep in mind, too, that not everyone will enjoy your audio, so it’d be smart to consider things like cork floors, carpets, book shelves, and wall hangings.
Get in-home consultation: You may have acquired top-of-the-line products, but that will be for naught without top-of-the-line service. So ask for help – and ask it from audio and video experts with the necessary knowledge and experience.
Visualize and plan: As we’ve said, there’s no use setting up your home theater in a reckless manner. Visualize what you want – and consult with professionals to see if it will work. You don’t want your windows, fireplace, doorways, and other home systems compromised by an unintelligently designed home theater; you also don’t want your viewing experience ruined because you situated it where there was no space to work with in the first place.
Adjust your TV: Just bought a spanking new plasma TV set? Don’t forget to adjust the settings, which may originally have been configured to look good inside the showroom at the shopping center – but not in your living room. By calibrating your TV, you’re not only improving the picture and video quality of home entertainment; you’re also allowing the TV to work more efficiently for you, and suck up less energy.
Don’t cheap out on a remote: A lot of people spend thousands of dollars on a sophisticated home theater system, only to cringe at the thought of how much a good universal remote control will set them back.
Size isn’t everything: Take speakers, for example. You don’t need speakers the size of a kitchen cabinet to pull off great sound quality. Today’s technology makes it possible for humbly-sized speakers to pack plenty of power, as well as have the ability to reproduce the subtlest of sounds.
Get quality cables: Most of the cables that come with your newly purchased entertainment appliances are usually not of the best quality. So don’t hesitate to spare a few bucks and buy yourself cables that enhance – instead of get in the way of – your home entertainment experience.
Feel free to accessorize: You can customize your home theater with a few design touches here and there. Framed old movie posters, comfortable recliner chairs, a freestanding bar in the corner of the room: there are no limits, really, and that’s regardless of whether you’re building a stadium-style home theater or a small, space-savvy, and intimate entertainment center.
