Bringing the Big Screen Home

Lounge back as you take in the dazzling images and deafening sound, and it’s easy to imagine you’re in a state-of-the-art movie theater. But thanks to the latest technology, you can have that ultimate experience without leaving your house. In fact, today’s media rooms are more sophisticated than ever, and whether you’re planning to build a fabulous home theater from scratch or are updating the one you have, proper planning is key to getting it right. Here, the top tips that will keep you entertained in style:

• Hire a “personal trainer” for your electronics. With so many subtleties involved, creating a system yourself can be overwhelming. The pros know what’s best, what’s new and what’s just unnecessary flash. “Quality, dependability, simplicity, logic—these are what define a great home theater,” says Nick Lehotzky of Electronics Design Group in Piscataway. “We’ll choose  components that ‘play well together.’”  Estimate a 16- to 20-week time frame from planning stages to final installation, advises Joe McNeill, Electronics Design Group’s senior systems consultant. He also suggests periodic updates to maintain your cutting-edge system. To find a professional certified by the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association, log on to www.cedia.net.

• Custom-program a single remote for easy navigation. “A dependable, high-quality remote that’s easy to use is the key to your entire system,” says Ron Roslasky of Home Systems in Pompton Plains. “Let’s say friends drop by when you’re on the phone and you ask them to wait in the media room. If you find them happily channel-surfing when you walk in, that’s the mark of a good system.” You have two choices: a touch-screen remote (one with virtual “buttons” on a backlit screen that usually requires two hands to operate) or a traditional tactile hard-button remote (once you get familiar with where the buttons are, you can operate it with one hand without looking).

• Blow the budget on sound. Walk into a movie theater and close your eyes: A huge part of the experience is the surround sound. The same is true for home theaters. “We’re seeing much more focus on audio these days,” says Daniel Clark, system designer at  Frankentek in Medford. “Today, the gold standard is 7.1 surround sound.” Translation: The latest models have seven speakers: three up front, two in back, two at ear level in the middle, plus a subwoofer to replicate the lowest frequencies. High-end  surround sound can mean an investment of $100,000 or more just for the aural components.

• Wire everything now. It’s easy to replace a projector or a TV, but much of a home theater system is fairly permanent, often hidden behind the walls. So consider installing a complete wiring system if you’re building or remodeling your home. “It costs three times as much to retrofit a room once the plumbing, insulation and drywall are in,” says Edward G. Wickham, CIO at  Frankentek, “but it’s easy and cheap when the walls are open. We’ve been running fiber,  together with our standard wires, into new construction for 10 years now. Our customers are always happy to have it when it’s time to upgrade their electronics.” Plus, if you move, a complete wiring system can make your home more attractive to buyers than one that’s not wired. Some builders estimate it can boost resale value as much as 14 percent.  

Mary Seehafer Sears writes about lifestyles from Morris Plains.