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Recreating the movie theater experience at home is no small task. Designing and building a home theater requires intimate knowledge of home theater design concepts and systems integration.

When designing a home theater, there are a variety of factors that need to be considered. To create a truly immersive experience, you need to be sure that the setup is done so in a way that the screen, audio system, and lighting is placed to provide the best possible results.

Knowing home theater designing mistakes is as important as knowing design best practices. With this in mind, we take a look at some home theater design mistakes and how to avoid them from local Sonoma home theater installers, Sync Systems.

Wrong Seating Arrangement

Home theater seating arrangements can make or break your home theater experience. Uncomfortable seats or the wrong arrangement can kill the mood, ruining the viewing experience.

When designing your home theater’s seating arrangement, consider how you want to use it. If your home theater will primarily be used by your family use a big, communal couch where everyone can huddle together under a blanket.

However, if you intend to create a place where you can hang out with your friends, it makes sense to use multiple seats or other spacious seating arrangements that let everyone have their own space while enjoying the show.

Improper Screen Placement

When placed in the wrong position, a screen can force the viewer to tilt their neck into an uncomfortable angle. Abnormal eye, neck, and head movements can cause vision problems and chronic neck pain.

Make sure your screen is properly mounted while taking the viewer’s eye level into consideration. To accurately determine the viewer’s eye level, have your seating in place before you install your screen or work with an experienced local installer who can help you visualize the theater before construction begins.

We cannot emphasize enough the importance of choosing the right screen size. The right-sized screen can be placed centrally on the wall, so that it is not too high or low.

Glare or Washed-out Images

Like a movie theater, a home theater should have just enough illumination to allow people to move around safely. Too much light in a home theater can reflect off the screen, washing out images.

To avoid washed-out images, reduce ambient lighting in your home theater and install blackout shades to reduce the amount of natural light in the room. Consider also including dimmer switches or smart lighting that allows users to control the light level and color profile so that the lighting can be perfect every time you watch a movie.

Painting your home theater in a darker color such as burgundy, or black is a great way to reduce the amount of uncontrolled ambient light in the room. Do not install mirrors, glass tabletops, and other reflective objectives in your home theater.

Inefficient Placement of Speakers

Hiding speakers behind furniture is a flawed approach. Improper speaker arrangement results in muffled, uneven sounds. Opt for in-ceiling and in-wall speakers or use perforated screens that allow you to place speakers directly behind your display. The sound makes up a large part of the movie-going experience and can make or break the immersion.

Sync Systems is a leading local home theater installer in Sonoma. Over the years, we have helped many homeowners design and build the home theater of their dreams. To schedule an appointment, call (707) 799-9558.