Latest in Home Theater Trends
Home theater trends are driven mainly by technology, but as technology is constantly advancing, we see these trends coming and going regularly. Higher quality TV’s become available at more affordable prices and new sound technology is introduced seemingly daily. Below we’ve put together some of the latest trends and features that are important to home theaters today.
Multiple screens
Video walls have become very popular in home theaters recently. A video wall setup will include multiple TV screens on one wall, or even multiple screens placed across two or three walls. The screens may be of various sizes, possibly having a central large screen with smaller screens accenting the sides. This allows the user to view sporting events and programs simultaneously, maybe even using one screen for gaming while using others for social networking.
In addition to the multiple screens, some homeowners have added a projector and screen that can be rolled down as the main focus when it is time for a more formal theater experience. This allows for causal daytime viewing along with the traditional nighttime theater experience.
Home Network
The Home Network has become a crucial factor in the success of a home theater as well. With all of the new video streaming capabilities, your home network must be able to keep up with the demands of the times. Many families are switching completely from traditional cable or satellite TV to internet streaming live and on-demand programs only.
Streaming videos, especially live TV, can put a lot of stress on your home network system. You will want to have your home theater devices connected via Ethernet to ensure the strongest connection at all times. Additionally, you will need your Wi-Fi to have the highest bandwidth possible to be able to keep up with the demands from all of your wireless devices.
Hybrid Space Theaters
Recently many homeowners have decided to combine the home theater with another social room in the hopes of making the room more useful. Having a grand exclusive home theater is great, but not if you never actually use it. The way around this is to make your home theater a multi-media room.
To make the room useful for other activities, consider combining it with a “man cave” or a family room. Include more casual, functional seating, incorporate a social area, or even install a bar! With more versatile furniture and space for other activities, the room will be used more often and by more members of your family.
Stand Alone Speakers
Traditionally, home theaters have been outfitted with built-in surround-sound speakers. Lately more home owners are opting for stand-alone speakers. Outside of the wall, the speakers tend to produce noticeably better sound quality, but when making this decision, you should still consider your preference of having the speakers hidden in the walls or visible around the room.
Speaker systems have also become more and more compact. Sound bars have been leading the speaker system trend as they have the ability to compete with surround-sound quality at an affordable price point. They are compact and more manageable then having multiple speakers all around the room while still mimicking the surround-sound effect.
Your choice of home theater speakers should also depend on your room size and layout. If you are building a large theater room you may want to stick with traditional surround-sound speakers, as the sound bar performs best in small to medium size rooms.
For more information on custom home designs, check out our blog.
Comments (2)
Reload the page to not see this specific ad anymore
Procom Enterprises, Ltd.
Oakwood Automation
Related Discussions
Make my room more impressive
Q
Any suggestions for our ground floor layout?
Q
New bathroom
Q
Is this kitchen to minimum or just right ???
Q