For some, aesthetics might be more important than comfort, and for others, comfort is paramount. Sitting down and establishing priorities and allocating a percentage of spending according to preferences is a wise first step, it helps set expectations for the project ahead.
Read more about home theater budgets here! There are a few things to consider before mapping out the room, and the first is deciding on the dimensions. One of the major factors for deciding on the overall dimensions is figuring out how many chairs are needed. Read this blog for more on mapping out the layout of a home theater. A top tip: Not all home theatre chairs are created equal, and that includes their dimensions.
The size of the seating will impact how many the theater can comfortably accommodate. A good rule of thumb is that the viewing distance from the screen to the seating should be 1. Consider this the step where swatches will surround you. Most designers settle on color schemes at this point, whether or not they want acoustic-friendly prints on the walls or block colors.
Similarly, accessories, upholstery, paint, and any other elements of the design should all be selected at this stage. Layout and chairs have taken care of the visual experience, but when it comes to design — every aspect of the room can impact the sound performance.
If you can afford a professional design package, this is an excellent stage to invest one. Ideally, it should contain floor plans, elevations, chair layout, construction drawings, sightline studies, and the electrical layout.
It will be the roadmap for executing the theater of your dreams. It is also the ideal time to review the budget and check in with the decisions made so far to make sure everything is on track and aligned. This stage will require a professional as accommodating the extensive wiring a home theater will need is tricky.
Wiring should wait until this stage so that all the elements of the theater have an adequate power supply. Read our guide to home theater lighting here. Home theaters require someone that has plenty of experience with screens, projectors, speakers, and smart home controls. Lay the speakers' wires out in straight lines. Each of your speakers' wires should be able to reach the TV without changing the location or angle of the speakers themselves.
If this doesn't work, you may need to buy longer cables for your speakers. Strip your speakers' wires if necessary.
Though many modern speakers have auxiliary plug-ins similar to a headphone jack, some speakers still use speaker wire and clamps to connect the base speakers to the outer speakers. If this is the case for you, you'll need a set of wire strippers to remove about an inch from each end of a speaker wire. Make sure that your speaker wire is not attached to anything when you do this.
Part 4. Understand what a receiver does. A receiver acts as a hub for all of your components e. Receivers aren't strictly necessary if you only plan on using one input, but they will help organize your. Determine your TV's ideal video input. Both HDMI and DisplayPort are comparable to one another, so it may come down to the type of cable that you have on-hand. Look for a receiver which will accommodate all of your inputs.
Receivers come in many different shapes and sizes; you'll want one with enough audio and video e. A good rule of thumb for receivers is that you should have one HDMI port per connected item. Buy your receiver. Make sure that you're buying a home theater receiver which handles both video and audio, not an audio receiver.
Again, the size of receiver that you buy will depend on the number of components that you have to hook up to it. Don't feel like you need to buy a huge, expensive receiver with more inputs and outputs than you need. Place your receiver under your TV. Since most of your other non-audio components will go here as well, placing the receiver below the TV ensures that each of your components will be able to reach the receiver without stretching.
Place any other components below the TV. Components include other video input options, so make sure that they're evenly spaced and not overcrowded. Once you've placed all of the necessary items below the TV, you can finally proceed to hooking up everything. Overcrowding your components can lead to overheating, which can be the death of things like game consoles and DVD players.
Part 5. Turn off and unplug everything. Reduce the risk of electric shock by unplugging any currently powered items. In particular, make sure your TV and speakers are off. Connect your receiver to your TV. Connect your video input to your receiver. Plug one end of an HDMI cable into the back of your video component e. Virtually all modern video components will connect to your receiver via an HDMI cable. Test and troubleshoot your video connection before moving on to the speakers.
At this point, you should have everything you need to test the video. You should see a picture from your DVD player or smart component. For troubleshooting: Check all of the inputs for loose connections. Attach the media player output directly to the TV input , skipping the receiver, to make sure that the media player works.
Check that you have the right signal flow. Connect your speakers to the receiver. This is often the most complex part of any home-theater installation because every room has different needs and challenges. While the basic wiring is easy, hiding the wires professionally takes time and forethought. Speaker wire is actually two attached wires, a red and a black. Some modern speakers have plugs instead of speaker wiring.
In this case, the wires are color coded for easy access. Most speaker wire is covered in a wax sheath to protect it. You must use scissors or wire cutters to trim this sheath and pull it off, exposing the bright copper wire inside. This wire makes the connection, not the sheath, so you must remove the wax to get your speakers working.
Test your first two speakers. Connect your two front speakers first, then test them out by playing a movie. Once you can get them to work, move on to the rest of the speakers. If you're using a soundbar, you'll most likely use an optical cable to connect your speaker to your receiver.
This will conclude your home theater's speaker setup. Connect the right speakers to the right inputs on the receiver. Surround sound works because the DVD tells the receiver where to send the information. If there is a stalker creeping up in the movie, you want your rear speakers to sound like leaves are crunching behind you, not the front ones. Make sure you attach each speaker to its appropriate channel, which is usually labeled "rear audio," "front speaker," etc.
Some pre-packaged systems have label ports while high-end systems can automatically detect which speaker goes where, allowing you to plug them all in anywhere. Hide your wires. In addition to looking professional, it also prevents people from tripping and ripping cables or pulling down speakers accidentally. Run cables under rugs, staple them to the baseboards along the sides of the walls, or run them through the walls if you are comfortable with carpentry. There are a variety of services, including teams at Best Buy or Geek Squad, that will run your wires for you for a fee.
Troubleshoot your speaker system if you can't hear any sound. Speakers are generally easy to attach, but that doesn't mean problems won't arise: Check the channel on your receiver. Make sure the channel on the front of the receiver matches the channel you plugged yours speakers into. Check the inputs. They should be firmly attached. Make sure that the same wire connects the red end of the speaker to the red end of the receiver or they won't work.
Test your speaker by plugging in an iPod or music player and testing that before trying a DVD. Most sound systems have a test feature, which plays a chime or sound through each of the speakers to assure you each is working and in the proper location.
Yes No. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 3. That's all! Not Helpful 9 Helpful 3. How do I connect a home system to my computer so that it will work with my TV?
Not Helpful 1 Helpful 1. It depends how large your room is and how large your TV and speakers are. Most home cinema systems have a seats. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0. I have connected the speakers and turned the system on but it only produce a sound, it can't play.
What should I do? Not Helpful 1 Helpful 0. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Depending on your location, it might make more sense to install in-ceiling speakers when configuring your surround sound, as doing so will ensure a cleaner, more authentic surround sound experience.
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0. You can buy wireless speakers or a soundbar, both of which are easier to hide than traditional external speakers. Consider purchasing a universal remote to consolidate your home theater system into one remote. Audio is just as important, if not more important than, your TV. A home theater company found that 95 percent of employees viewing a TV with higher-quality audio than an identical TV thought that the higher-quality audio TV had a higher screen resolution than its counterpart.
Always use caution when doing any type of construction. Make sure that when you work with electricity you cut the breaker at the panel before touching any wires. If you aren't skilled handling construction with electricity, call an electrician to do any electrical upgrades for you. You Might Also Like How to. How to. More References About This Article. Written by:. Co-authors: Updated: September 15, Categories: Featured Articles Cinemas. Italiano: Installare un Home Theater.
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read , times. Reader Success Stories Anonymous Nov 14, The step-by-step process is very helpful, as well as the explanation of the various type of sound systems. More reader stories Hide reader stories. Did this article help you? Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy.
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