Stunning Ultra-geeky Home Theatre Designs

As time goes by there seems to be a growing trend amongst those people lucky enough to afford it and mental enough to spend all available cash on it, home cinemas. Huge screens, incredible sound systems and luxurious seats are popping up in seemingly spare rooms and basements larger than my entire flat.

However this is also giving a few movie geeks a real chance to shine and it seems they're not content with a simple in-home movie theatre decent enough to hold a premiere in - they clearly want to be fully immersed in the worlds created by their favorite films.

So, in no particular order, here are 10 of the best themed home cinemas on earth.

1. The Sci-fi Cinema

2. Indiana Jones Cinema

This amazing indy-themed room was designed by home theatre expert Doug Charrois for Larry and Colleen Halliday in Canada. The room even features replicas of the Holy Grail, a jacket, hat, whips, torches and more -including the idol from the opening of the original movie.

3. The Bat Cave

Below is possibly the sleekest home theatre I've ever seen. It was created by Canadian-based experts "elite home theatre seating", who, as the name suggests, specialize in handmade, custom home theatre furniture for "high-end" clientele, and for Bruce Wayne.

 

4. The Enterprise NCC-1701d Cinema

      

Based on Starship Enterprise NCC-1701d, this stunner consists of a cinema, bar area and apparently "one of the largest kaleidoscope hard drive based storage systems (..) in a residential installation. At last count, there were eight servers with 3,816 DVDs". There’s even a red alert button which brings on red flashing lights and appropriately tense music.

5. The Bridge

Trekkie Gary Reighn decided to cut out the middle man and design and build his home cinema himself on a relatively small budget of $15,000. His basement was cleared to make way for the creation and from start to finish took 2 years.

6. Evergreen Ultimate Theatre

Apparently "one of the most technically and structurally advanced private theatres in the United States", this phenomenal Star Trek home cinema even contains motorized sliding doors, as requested by the unbelievably rich client who paid around $3,000,000 in total for the transformation.

7. Titanic

The ceiling dome in this Titanic themed set-up contains 1,230 fiber optic light strands in order to provide the artificial night sky and entry to the luxurious bar next door can be found behind a motorized bookcase. The whole project was designed by Donny Hackett of “Casa Cinema Design".

8. The Death Star

It doesn't get much cooler than this. The 10- seat Death Star home cinema was designed for Vic Wertz and Lisa Stevens and includes, amongst other things: automatic doors, a twinkling fiber optic star field and a THX sound system. The best fact? The room was designed by Doug Chiang, lead designer on episodes I & II.

9. The Nautilus

This beauty was built as a result of film geek Randy Moran's love of the Nautilus submarine from the film 20,000 leagues under the sea. He hired “Dillon Works inc." to build and fabricate all the trusses, wall panels, screen frames, and portholes and "acoustic innovations" to supply the plush red seating.

10. The Pirate Cove

The Pirate Cove was created as a result of P Konold's love of the Pirates of the Caribbean Disney ride and movies. To make the atmosphere as authentic as possible he and his wife ensured that when seated “You feel like you are floating down "the bayou" at night. To accomplish this we have built a star field in the ceiling, complete with real constellations and shooting stars!"

The Essential Elements of a Home Theatre System

Getting Started: The Room, The Picture Display & Audio Reproduction
A home theatre system is an exciting entertainment option that can provide you with a totally immersive viewing and listening experience. Your home theatre system can be something as simple as a 34-inch TV with a home theatre-in-a-box system, or a sophisticated custom-built system with video projector, in-wall speakers and all the bells and whistles. However, there's a lot to be considered in-between.
Before you delve into all that may be required to get you up and running with your own home theatre experience it is wise to consider your budget (particularly if you're not the only person involved in the decission making process) so that everyone knows what to expect. It's extremely easy to get carried away with it all and before you know it you've blown the budget and you haven't bought anything to sit on to enjoy it all.
After detemining your budget here are the things you'll need to consider for a well-balanced Home Theatre:
1. The Room:
The first place to look at is the room you're planning to set up your home theatre system in. The size of the room will determine the size and type of video display device (TV or projector) that would be best to use. However, whether your room is large or small, additional questions need to be considered, such as:
How much natural light is present and what direction does it come from? This will affect where you place the screen.
Does the room have carpet or other floor coverings? This will affect the acoustics of the room.
What type of wall construction do you have? Different walls and finishes will also produce different acoustic results.
Will you be placing your home theatre system components in free space, or will you be housing your components in a cabinet or closet and installing your speakers in the wall or ceiling?
Where will you be sitting in relation to the screen image?
Before embarking on buying your actual home theatre system components, especially for a medium-to-high end system, it might be a good idea to consult with a home theatre installer to come onsite and assess your room and address the above questions. The installer can make useful suggestions on components or installation concepts that will work best in your room environment, keeping in mind your own specific home theatre system budget.
2. The Video Display Device:
This is the first actual component to consider for your home theatre system. After all, the idea of home theatre is to bring the movie theatre experience home. The most important element of this experience is the visual experience of viewing a large image on a screen. This is where you have a choice of:
A large screen (35 or 36-inch) traditional CRT-based television (New units are no longer available as CRT televisions have been phased out - but you may be able to find a used one).
A Rear-projection Television
A Flat Panel LCD or Plasma Television.
A Video Projector/Screen Combination.
The actual size of the room will help determine the size of screen that can be accommodated. From there, you need to decide what type of video display device would be most appropriate.
In addition, at this point in time, with the increase in the amount of available HDTV programming sources, as well as HD source components, consider a fully-integrated HDTV (ATSC tuner built-in), HD-compatible Television (requires an external ATSC tuner), or a Video projector, instead of a traditional analog television. HDTVs, HD-compatible Televisions, and video projectors will deliver the most from new HD sources, but will also work with your older analog components, such as a VCR.
3. Audio Reproduction - Home Theatre Receiver or Preamp/Amp Combination:
The next essential element of the movie theatre experience is sound. The way this is implemented in a home theatre system is with either an AV receiver or Preamplifier/Amplifier combination.
An AV Receiver usually combines the functions of three components:
A. A radio tuner for AM/FM and, in some cases, HD (High Definition Radio), Internet Radio, or XM and/or Sirius Satellite Radio.
B. A Preamplifier that switches and controls which audio and video source is selected (such as a DVD player, VCR, CD player, etc...) and processes the incoming stereo or surround sound signals and distributes them to the correct amplifier channels and the subwoofer output. The preamp in an AV receiver can also route video signals coming from source components (such as a DVD player) and direct the video signal to the television.
C. A built-in Multi-channel amplifier (5.1, 6.1, or 7.1 channels) that sends the surround sound signals and power to the speaker system.
A Home Theatre, AV, Surround Sound Receiver or Separate Preamp and Amplifier
The Home Theatre, AV, Surround Sound receiver is the heart of a home theatre system and provides most, if not all, the inputs and outputs that you connect everything, including your television, into. A Receiver provides an easy and cost-effective way of centralizing your home theatre system.
However, in many higher-end home theatre system installations, the functions of a Receiver are often provided by separate components: Preamp/Processor, Tuner, and either a single multi-channel amplifier or even separate amplifiers for each channel. Such a setup provides more flexibility in switching out and/or upgrading the separate aspects of the home theatre system as well as isolating any interference that's caused by having all these functions combined in a signal chassis and sharing the same power supply. For the average consumer, however, a good Receiver will function just fine.
4. Speakers:
The next components to consider for your home theatre system are the speakers. Just as the size and type of room dictates the type of video display device you need, the same factors also affect the speakers you need for your home theatre. Two key points to remember:
A. Before you buy - listen to several types of speaker setups.
B. Consider buying the same brand and related model speakers for your home theatre. This will insure that you'll have a better acoustical match between both the speakers and the room.
5. A Subwoofer:
The advent of home theatre has introduced the Subwoofer to many homes. A subwoofer is a specialized speaker that only reproduces the extreme low frequencies present in movies or music. There are several types of subwoofers you can use in a home theatre system, and, once again, the size and type of room, and issues such as whether the room is carpeted or not will help you determine which subwoofer is right for you. Once again, you need to perform listening tests.
6. Source Components:
At a minimum, you need some type of DVD or Blu-ray player for your home theatre system. Two things to consider in a DVD player: Progressive Scan and Upscaling capability. This will insure you get the best possible image from your DVDs, especially if you're viewing them on an HDTV.
Since all DVD players can play CDs, you many not need a CD player. However, having a separate CD-only player in a home theatre system is quite common, especially if it's a high-end unit providing better CD audio performance.
Also, if you decide to get a Blu-ray Disc player to access true high definition source content, instead, or in addition to, a DVD player, you can also use it to play standard DVDs and, in most cases, audio CDs as well.
In addition, you may also want to include a DVD recorder or DVD recorder/VCR combination in lieu of your old VCR. However, you can still use your old VCR (especially if it is a HiFi Stereo unit) with your home theatre system.
Also, you need to decide how you're going to receive your primary television programming: Antenna, Cable, or Satellite.
7. Surge Protector:
Surge protectors are the unsung heroes of a home theatre system. Although they're not foolproof, providing your system with some sort of surge protection is a good idea. You never know when you might have a sudden power outage, or even a brown out that may affect your system.
8. Connection Cables and Speaker Wire:
You can't have a home theatre system unless everything is connected; whether you buy basic connection cables and speaker wire or the really high-end stuff. The main things to consider is to use the right type, right length, and to connect everything correctly. Some connections are color coded - make sure the colors on the cable ends match the connections on your components - this makes life a lot easier.
In terms of speaker cable, the gauge of the cable can be a factor, depending on the distance the speakers are from the amplifier or AV receiver. Usually 16 or 14 gauge speaker wire will do the job. 18 gauge is very thin and shouldn't be used for long distances.
9. Universal Remote Control:
Surprisingly the most confusing part of a home theatre system isn't the many components and connections, but actually managing and controlling it all. Each component in a home theatre system comes with its own remote, leading to a collection that can number half-a-dozen or more. One solution is to opt for a sophisticated, but easy to use, universal remote that can control most of the functions of each of your components. After the initial hurdle of programming the remote for your system, this device will enable everyone in the family to use the home theatre system without frustration or destroying your settings.
10. Furniture:
So you have a fancy home theatre system, now you need some comfortable furniture that will make you want to spend time in your home theatre and enjoy yourself. Your furniture can be the traditional sofa and chair variety, or you can opt for specialized home theatre furniture that include features such as recliners, built-in cup holders and extra-overstuffed padding.
Final Take
There you have it, the basic elements of a well-balanced home theatre system. There's no home theatre system that's exactly like another, everyone has different rooms, budgets, brand preferences, and decorative tastes when it comes to home theatre. The key thing is to keep the basic elements of a well-balanced home theatre in mind, while assembling it according to your own needs and tastes.
Although putting together a basic home theatre system is not as complicated as it seems on the surface and may be a nice weekend project for most people, if you're installing a high-end custom home theatre, it would be wise to enlist the aide of a professional home theatre installer.

Axiom's Home Theater Axioms Help Boost Enjoyment - Canada Free Press

 By Jim Bray  Saturday, October 16, 2010

Buying and setting up a home theater can be a real adventure in frustration. Living with it shouldn’t be, though.

Fortunately, it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to get decent sound and video today, with some of today’s “Home Theater in a Box-type” setups sounding far better than they have any right to. And if you opt to invest a few – or many – grand into a better system it can definitely pay off if you’re into the experience enough to justify the expense.

Playing with all such types of equipment is part of my job, which is a darn fine coincidence since I happen to love such stuff – and though I claim no special knowledge of things technical, my work does let me play with a wide enough variety of equipment to form some reasonably informed opinions.

So when the folk from Axiom Audio, the Canadian manufacturer of some pretty intriguing-looking speaker products, sent out a piece entitled “Is Your Home Theater Setup Ruining Your Movie Experience?” it grabbed my attention. The piece offers some basic strategies that audio and videophiles (who play with this stuff seriously every day) probably know already, but which may not have occurred to the average person who just wants a good system that performs right out of the box.

The problems/hints Axiom cites are: Too much light (possibly the biggest problem I’ve noticed); movie dialogue that’s hard to understand; improperly placed surround speakers; the importance of larger speakers for a larger room; and why your subwoofer and screen location are crucial to a great experience.

Too much light is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it can stem from a home theater that’s set up in a room with too much sunlight – rooms, such as living room or family room, that share their home theater duties with others. Though it’s particularly crucial with a front projection system, in my experience most people with such setups have them in dedicated rooms where they can control the light.

But LCDs and plasmas, which can be placed just about everywhere, have reflective screens and direct sunlight can make them almost unwatchable. Why bother having a screen? Close the curtains!

Axiom’s talking about another type of brightness, though, and it’s equally valid: TV pictures that are often adjusted brighter than they need be. TV brightness is generally set at the factory so it looks good in a store environment, but it’s too bright for most homes.

Your first tweak, therefore, is to turn the darn thing down! Some TVs come with an “ISF” or other such calibrated setting, which is a great place to start if your TV has it. If not, try the movie setting, whether it’s called Cinema, Movie or whatever. You’ll probably find it darker than you’re used to – which brings back the importance of controlling the room’s ambient light as well – but it will not only give you a more lifelike picture it’ll also be easier on your eyes. And you’ll be getting closer to the filmmaker’s original intention of what you should see.

There are also calibration discs, either DVD or Blu-ray, you can use to test and/or adjust your TV’s geometry – whether or not all the pixels are where they’re supposed to be – and various other settings including the color. My favorite is the Digital Video Essentials HD Basics, which also has some great tutorials from which you can learn.

The first thing I usually do with a new TV is seek out that Cinema setting as a starting point and then turn down the sharpness setting and all the digital noise reduction and other such things all the way. Feel free to experiment with the TV’s settings until you find the combination that suits you best. I like as close to the raw picture as I can get, but to each his own. It’s your eyes, ears and money.

In Axiom’s second point, about unintelligible movie dialogue, they’re referring not to some actor’s mumbling, but to a center channel speaker that isn’t loud enough for your satisfaction. Their point is that you can (and perhaps should) adjust your 5.1 channel surround sound system to your room and your ears. 

You’ll probably find such tweaks in the setup menu tree and called “test tones” or the like. The amp will then send a tone to each speaker in succession and you can turn them up or down until they all sound right to you. Fear not! It isn’t difficult and you can’t really mess anything up irreparably – and there’s usually an emergency reset that’ll restore the unit to its factory defaults.

Some equipment has a built in application that does all this calibration stuff on your behalf. The ones I’ve seen work quite well and are quite cool to experience once.

And, as Axiom advises wisely, put your center speaker in a good place. Don’t stick it too far back on a shelf and do put it as close as you can to the screen – mounted centrally below, in line with the logo in the middle of most TV’s frames. If you can, angle it a bit toward ear level at the listening area. Ideally, dialogue should sound like it’s coming from the screen, not the speaker.

The third “Axiom” of home theater enjoyment is the advice to “Mount the Surround Speakers at the Sides and Higher Up”. Putting “surround” speakers “beside” you may sound strange, but it works.

Rather than putting the surround speakers in the rear corners of the room or in/on a bookcase back there, mount them on the side walls (and not the ones from your tires!) either directly beside or just a tad behind where you’ll sit and a couple of feet higher than ear level when you’re seated. Do that and you’ll have a setup that approximates more closely the studio in which the soundtrack was mixed.

A 7.1 system adds two channels to the rear, and that’s where they should be mounted – at about the same height as the “side surrounds”.

I also agree with Axiom’s fourth point, “Using Too Small Speakers in a ‘Great’ Room or Big Room”, wholeheartedly. While compact so-called “bookshelf” speakers truly can give you a very enjoyable 5.1 channel experience in one of those living room or family room scenarios (and small dedicated home theaters), size matters under some conditions.

“HTiaB-type” speakers and their amps aren’t designed to fill a larger room, and if you expect the Death Star to explode at a decent volume in such a venue and there won’t be enough oomph to make you happy. Fortunately, there are companies like Axiom…

You can upgrade gradually, but if you do go that route, start with the main front left and right (the most important speakers), then replace the center and then the surrounds.

And don’t forget the importance of a good subwoofer.

A sub not only gives you the deep bass you want from music and movies, it also really helps give the “punch” of an explosion, or a fist hitting a face, or – well, you get the idea. You might not see the subwoofer much – it might be hidden away in a corner – but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

Some subwoofers are “passive”, in that they don’t have their own amplifier built in and therefore get their oomph from the amp or receiver, but powered subwoofers are better as long as you have the extra electrical outlet.

Which brings us to Axiom’s final point: “Speaker, Subwoofer and Screen Locations are Crucial to a Great Home Theater Setup”.

The size, power and location of your subwoofer can vary widely. My sub sits a couple of feet from the rear wall, about a foot to the right of the left main speaker, and it does a fine job there. My friend’s is parked near the rear wall, beside the couch, making it a nice end table, too. 

Bottom line: there are as many good places to put your subwoofer as there are rooms.  To optimize the bass it generally helps to put the sub closer to a wall or corner, but if you play around with a few positions (and a few settings of the various controls on the sub and your receiver) you should be able to find one you like.

As for where to stick your screen (and avoiding a cheap and obvious joke), neither Axiom nor I like the idea of mounting it above your fireplace. Maybe it’s because I’m not particularly tall, but a screen that high off the floor is only good if I’m standing; it’s just too darn high when I’m sitting.

If you can, put the screen at about eye level, seated, or maybe a tad higher. Whether this means a wall or stand mounting is up to you. I hate the idea of something as permanent as wall mounting, especially when you can use the rest of the stand to pile stuff (like a center speaker and other toys), but that’s just me.

Remember, a home theater should be fun, and it should serve you to the best of its ability. Don’t be afraid to experiment and always, always, let your own eyes and ears be your guide; it’s your stuff!

Copyright 2010 Jim Bray
TechnoFile.com

Jim Bray Most recent columns

Jim publishes TechnoFile Magazine. Jim is an affiliate with the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada and his careers have included journalist, technology retailer, video store pioneer, and syndicated columnist; he does a biweekly column on CBC Radio One’s The Business Network.

Jim can be reached at: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Older articles by Jim Bray

View the original article here