Photograph by Anne Matheis, courtesy of The Screening Room
"This is a film you just have to see on the big screen." It's a popular refrain movie critics like to trot out for every big-budget blockbuster that boasts more ADD-inspired action than story, more earsplitting explosions than witty dialogue. Easy for them to say—they get free passes and have the luxury of lounging in a relatively empty theater where the only distraction is the sound of their pens scratching out superlatives like "breathtaking" and "gut-wrenching." You, on the other hand, have to peel off a couple $20 bills just so your family can sit elbow-to-elbow with nacho-chomping schleps and find out the flick is actually "soulsucking" and "riot-inducing." It's enough to make you want to stay home, and now that it's possible to replicate the best parts of the big screen experience in your living room, you can.
The landscape of home entertainment is changing considerably, with HDTV and flat-panel displays leading the way. Casual viewers who like their movies big are no longer challenged with trying to decorate around a monstrous tube TV, clearing the way for a big screen experience in the family room. It's a revolutionary development, but it has also created an entirely new set of headaches for the style-conscious homeowner: How do you integrate all those shiny electronic components and dangling cords into an artfully designed living space? With some help from the pros.
David Young, president of The Sound Room, dubs these double-use rooms "AV lounges," and he says they constitute more than 60 percent of the installations his company performs today. "It's a more casual way of enjoying home theater," he says. "This is how people live now, and it's how they want to experience movies and music at home."
Striking the right balance between technology and tasteful decor is the most challenging part of the project. Ed Levy, a sales manager at Theatrical Concepts, doesn't have to sell his male customers on home theaters—they're usually already won over by the coolness factor. Instead, he spends most of his time talking to their better halves, explaining what he can do to make the systems transparent. "Wives have accepted the fact that this is happening," he says. "But they're not going to accept it if it looks bad."
To put them at ease, he'll start by making a house call and surveying the floorplan. Is the basement finished? If not, he can run wires under the floor. If it is, he can design and build a cabinet that will house the TV, hide the wires and create a stylish presentation. "We haven't run into many situations where we've said, 'We can't do this, it's not going to happen,'" he says.
In fact, there aren't many design obstacles professional home theater installers can't overcome. One of the drawbacks to hanging a flat screen on the wall is finding a place for the various components that would normally reside in or on an entertainment center. Not a problem for The Sound Room. They'll put your stereo and DVD player in a nearby closet and run the wires through the wall to your TV. "All of those black boxes are out of sight, and the only thing that you see is the TV," Young says.
But if the thought of drilling holes in your walls and ceiling make you wish for the days of console TVs and turntables, there are less invasive options. Felix Williams, president of The Screening Room, says he can run wires along baseboards or chair rails and disguise them with a product designed and painted to match. "There are all kinds of ways to hide the wire," he says.
Speakers—especially in the days of multiple-speaker surround sound systems--present their own design issues. Although DVD/surround sound combo kits are available with a variety of speaker sizes, some of which can be artfully hidden in bookcases, many come in awkward tower configurations that have to be placed on the floor. On the other hand, higher-end models can be mounted in or even behind the wall. Young installs motorized speakers that mount flush with the ceiling and descend only when you need them, and Williams will build units into the wall that can be custom painted to match. "You can see the speaker, but it's much more hidden," he says.
It should be noted, though, that most attempts to disguise a sound system will inevitably decrease the quality of its output, but in the end it's a matter of preference. Mike Leitensdorfer, president of Communitronics, says in the battle between aesthetics and good sound, the former usually wins. "Speaker manufacturers spend a tremendous amount of time on the speaker's box," he says. "When you put it into a wall, they're still going to give you good sound, but if you're looking for excellent sound, that's not the best route."
If you do opt to stealth your system, expect to pay for it. Communitronics specializes in higher-end systems that start at $30,000, and Leitensdorfer recently completed a project for a Town and Country resident who had been piecing his system together for eight years and spent nearly $200,000 all told. It's a hefty investment, but if you're looking for a true movie experience in a room you can use, Leitensdorfer says, the investment is worth it. "If you want a good quality system, whatever your budget is, double it," he says. "You'll be disappointed if you go in with a champagne concept and a beer budget."
Lounging Around
Anyone can buy a big-screen plasma TV and a plug-and-play DVD/surround sound combo kit from the local discount electronics store and plop it in their living room. But if you want a quality presentation and elegant design, survey your would-be theater location before you buy.
• Windows: Not only can windows introduce glare and make daytime viewing difficult, they can distort sound by reflecting it around the room. Drapes can minimize light intrusion and keep rogue sound waves in check.
• Dimensions: Like windows, a room’s size and shape can also affect sound and video. A square room will impede even sound dispersal, and extreme rectangles can force the viewer to sit too close or too far from the screen. The optimum viewing distance is about three times the width of the screen.
• Closets: If you’re hanging a plasma or LCD screen on a wall, you won’t have the luxury of a TV stand to house your DVD player and other components. Store them in a centrally located closet and have an electrician or AV installer route the wires through the wall.
On Location
We love our TVs, and we’ll take them with us wherever we can. The family room, bedroom and basement are hardly the only places we can settle down to watch our favorite shows. “A lot of people want to watch TV where they’re comfortable,” says Felix Williams of The Screening Room. “So they’re becoming more popular for use in all parts of the house, even outdoors.” Find an appropriately placed outlet and stay one step ahead of the techminded Joneses in your neighborhood with these boob tubes that go places others can’t.
• The pool: Forget that nonsense about electricity and water not mixing. The 10-foot-tall SuperScreen LT inflates in less than five minutes and goes anywhere you can fit it—even next to the deep end. Our suggestion: Queue up Jaws the next time the kids have their friends over for a pool party.
• The mirror: Tired of dripping toothpaste on the bedroom carpet while you try to brush your teeth and watch the morning business report? Wisconsin-based Séura builds LCD screens into their Television Mirror product, saving you counter space and carpet stains. Turn it off, and you’d never know it’s there.
• The kitchen cabinet: Countertop TVs are nothing new, but The Screening Room can install LCDs under your cabinets that swivel and flip up and out of the way when not in use, giving you more room for that overpriced mixer you never use.
