Sometimes taking a trip to the movies can seem like a hassle, and over time it can get quite expensive. If you own a home theater, this could essentially solve any problems with going to the movies, with many more additional benefits. Owning a home theater means can be seen as a worthwhile investment.
Sometimes owning a home theater goes beyond improving the quality of entertainment in your home, as a whole, it can make your home seem more desirable. However, this usually depends on many factors, and you will have to do your research correctly if you’re looking to make money back on a home theater.
Answer: Home theaters are worth it for many reasons, they add value to your home especially if you live in a high-end neighborhood. Besides adding value to your home, they also add value to the entertainment quality of your home featuring massive displays and high-quality surround sound systems.
Home Theaters Can Add Value
With the addition of home theaters, some homes can actually rise in price due to them becoming more desirable. This usually holds true if the home theater is present in a high-end neighborhood, this is because 80% of homes in a high-end neighborhood feature a home theater setup.
This is because many affluent people tend to use home theaters as a solution to a problem, having a home theater can increase the value of your home and you also do not need to go to the movies especially if they’re too far.
If you’re looking for a home theater to increase the value of your home, you will need to take the design seriously, the value of the home theater is often unpredictable as it depends on how the overall design is perceived.
Another way to think of it, it doesn’t matter if you spend a lot of money on the home theater, you can spend thousands on the highest quality equipment. What really matters is the quality of the home theater, the personality it adds to the home, and the practicality it offers.
If you’re serious about investing in a home theater, don’t focus too much on the technical side of things as this doesn’t really matter. Focus on adding a luxurious touch to things such as adding lights, fireplaces, premium materials, and textiles.
When setting up a home theater setup, the general rule of thumb is that you will get at least 65% of your investment back on the original cost. This means if you spend £15000 on a home theater setup, you should get at least $9750 back.
The Vastly Improve The Cinematic Experience
Besides adding value to the home, home theaters can improve the cinematic experience to the point where it’s identical to a real theater. You also have complete control over the quality of the experience, so you’re able to tailor it to your desires.
You have a wide selection of displays, this is a huge benefit if you know exactly what you’re looking for as not all display types will operate the same. If you’re looking for an authentic theater/cinematic experience, we recommend going with a wide projector.
Or you could be someone who fancies a bit of immersion, this can be achieved by using a high-quality OLED display. OLED displays are able to provide “infinite contrast ratios” which can hugely improve the cinematic experience.
Contrast ratio is extremely important for many types of content, it works by enhancing the brightest and darkest points in a specific scene. What this aims to do is reach a level of realism by highlighting details that would otherwise go unnoticed. High contrast ratios can also improve HDR content.
Besides the display types, the sound quality is another key factor of immersion, for the best cinematic experience we recommend a surround sound setup. When setting up a surround sound system, usually involves a few speakers and a subwoofer.
Like most home theaters, they are present in massive high-end rooms therefore surround sound is ideal for them. A typical surround sound setup is the 5.1 setup which means you will have 3 front speakers and two rear speakers with one subwoofer which can be placed anywhere. Another benefit of surround sound is that they offer an authentic cinematic experience.
Home Theaters Are For Family And Friends
A home theater setup can be perfect for your family and friends, home theaters will provide a more comfortable/homely environment for watching movies which a normal theater will not be able to offer. Here you can expect a lot of bonding to happen which is unlikely to happen with strangers.
A benefit that shouldn’t be overlooked is the fact that the home theater is located inside your house, which makes it easily accessible.
This means it essentially takes a few steps to enter a room full of immersion, you can expect a lot of family and friends to take advantage of this ability.
And when you’re not watching movies, your home theater can be used to play games, yes they are versatile systems. Home theater gaming can be pretty great if you’re using an OLED display as they have fast response times.
You can choose to play your favorite games with your friends and family, and the huge television and surround-sound system are likely going to make the experience unmatched.
To get the most out of your home theater setup, let’s not forget seating as this can have a huge impact on the levels of immersion. Make sure to have many seating options for your friends and family
Uncomfortable seating will likely make your home theater unpleasant which is the last thing you will want. Couches, beanbags, and comfy chairs can go a long way
What Goes Into Building A Home Theater?
There are a few things that go into building the best home theater setup possible, this includes having the right display, viewing angles, and audio equipment.
Once you get all these aspects sorted, you should have a working, immersive, and hopefully enjoyable home theater setup.
Just keep in mind to follow these good practices for the best experience that will add a lot of value to the home. At the lowest end of the spectrum, you can expect to spend around $500, and on the high end you can spend around $30000 so there’s a lot to choose from.
The Display Has A Huge Impact
Whether you’re going down the TV or the Projector route, there is one thing that is universal and that is the viewing distance of your display. Generally, the larger your screen, the further back you can sit, but this is an overly simplified explanation.
The most typical aspect ratio is the 16:9 aspect ratio, and by SMPTE, the optimal viewing angle is said to be around 30 degrees. This means the screen should cover your field of vision by at least 30 degrees, following this rule will massively improve the viewing experience of your home theater.
Calculating the viewing distance requires you to measure the diagonal length of the screen in inches and then multiply it by 1.6. This will give you the optimal distance between you and the screen in inches, there is an online calculator you can use to measure the viewing distance.
The main objective at hand here is to sit at a distance that isn’t too hard to see and not too close that you need to turn your head. This influences the size of your screen as well as the seating positioning.
If you know what distance you would like to sit at, then we can calculate what the correct TV size is for the 30-degree viewing angle. To calculate the recommended display size, the formula is simple, you multiply the viewing distance by 0.6, and you should find the optimal display size that roughly fits the 30-degree viewing recommendation.
| Viewing Distance (ft) | Recommended TV Size (In) | Viewing Angle |
|---|---|---|
| 4.3 | 32 | 30° |
| 5.7 | 42 | 30° |
| 7.5 | 55 | 30° |
| 8.8 | 65 | 30° |
| 10.2 | 75 | 30° |
| 11.2 | 83 | 30° |
| 13.3 | 98 | 30° |
Surround Sound Setups
The idea behind surround sound is to provide an immersive sound experience as well as help everyone else enjoy the experience. No matter where you’re sitting in the room, you should experience similar amounts of immersion.
Most home theater rooms can do just fine with a 5.1 setup, it is definitely worth trying this setup initially unless your room is too small. However, most high-end home theater rooms should be able to support the 5.1 surround sound setup.
If your room is too big that the 5.1 surround sound setup isn’t as effective, then you will need to go with the 7.1 surround sound setup. This usually means adding two extra speakers at the back, 5.1 and 7.1 systems are better than each other, it just depends on the situation(room size).
If your room is pretty small, you should stay away from 7.1 surround sound setups, or any setup which is to overkill. This is because if your room is too small, there can be adverse effects such as overpowering the rear speakers. this can make voices harder to understand.
| Room Size | Recommended Surround-Sound Setup |
|---|---|
| 350 sq ft | 5.1 Surround Sound |
| 350 sq ft+ | 7.5 Surround Sound |
Seating Options
The seating should never be overlooked especially when you’re trying to add value to the home, having luxurious seating options will mean that the value of your home will potentially be higher, just ensure that the seating options have a decent style.
You can often get away with a sofa, beanbags, and comfy chairs if you’re not trying to break the bank, this means that your home theater may not add as much value, but it can be a great option besides financial investments.
Just ensure before implementing any seating options you take the viewing distances and angles into consideration, poorly placed seats mean that your viewing experience won’t be as immersive. This is mainly due to the fact that you may not see the screen, or you may have to physically turn your head.
Verdict
In conclusion, home theaters are definitely worth it, they’re great setups that add plenty of value to your home if you know what you’re going for. However, if you’re more interested in a great experience, your friends and family can benefit from the accessibility the home theater can offer.
