Elevate Your Home Cinema with these Smart Features
A home theater can be described differently by many people. At a minimum, however, a home theater needs to provide a big screen, big sound, comfortable seating, and an immersive entertainment experience.
How all of these components come together is entirely based on your preferences. You may have an ample space to dedicate to a home theater, perfect for guests. Alternatively, you may have a smaller room geared toward family viewing.
Regardless of your priorities, the home theater design for your Steamboat Springs home should include elements that deliver big picture and big sound along with comfort and ease of use. Read on to take a look at three key technologies that will make your home theater a pleasure to enjoy for years to come.
SEE ALSO: Take Advantage of Smart Technology and Design in Your Home Theater
Immersive Surround Sound
The latest trend in surround sound is object-based multichannel formats. Where once 5.1 and 7.1 surround were adequate, new formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X have created even more lifelike soundscapes in movie soundtracks. These formats require height speakers to convey sounds all around you, placing you in the scene as never before.
New theaters now often have up to 13 speakers in addition to the subwoofers, where two or even three pairs of those speakers may be dedicated to overhead height channels. The best way to achieve these immersive effects is by installing ceiling speakers. When considering the design of the theater space, know that very high ceilings will diminish the impact of height effects because the speakers will be farther away.
Another plus for adding height speakers for Atmos and DTS:X is music. Even for stereo music, the latest home theater receivers and processors have up-mixing modes that can provide a heightened soundstage for your favorite music. You may want to relisten to old favorites through your theater system to enjoy a feeling of being at a live concert with music all around you.
Light Control
Your home theater may be a room with windows. For the best video performance, especially with dark movie scenes, a darkened room is essential. Controlling light is critical, as you may not always be watching at night! The most convenient way to do this is with motorized shades or window treatments.
You can choose blackout shade materials or motorized tracks to close drapes. Regardless of style choices – there are many – motorized window coverings let you enjoy your theater at any time of day. Want partial light for watching afternoon sports on the big screen? It’s easy with motorized shades.
The second key to controlling light is smart lighting. Automated lighting control makes short work of shutting off and dimming lights to set the perfect ambiance for your entertainment. With automated lighting, you can access multiple modes for your home theater – one for movies, one for watching TV content, and another for video gaming and listening to music.
Control and Automation
Your home cinema should be easy to manage and not a chore to get started, so one of the most critical elements is getting all of the technology in the room working in concert for the best experience. That’s where smart home automation solutions come in.
You have the lighting, window treatments, projector, screen, and sound system. Bring them all together with automated scenes that require one button or voice command to start the show. The screen will light up, the audio plays in the right mode, the content is chosen, and your lights and shades will go to your preferred positions and settings. All you need to do is enjoy the show.
To get a home theater design that provides enjoyment for years to come, let us help. Cloud 9 Integrated Systems is your local home theater company serving Steamboat Springs and the Vail Valley, and we back up our work with the best post-sale support in the Colorado Rockies. Reach out to our expert design team today or click below to connect with us quickly. We look forward to working with you!