Lights, Camera – Action!

Posted: 29 July 2009 by Metricon Homes

Tags: automation, electrical, entertainment, furniture, layout, sound

The soundscape on a major Hollywood movie – that astounding amalgam of music, speech and sound effects which contributes so much to the overall effect of the film – can often take dedicated teams of sound recordists and engineers weeks or months to create.

And its impact cannot be under-estimated. If you doubt it, just trying watching a scary movie or the latest action flick with the sound off. It just looks silly! Similarly, Wimbledon without the plunk plunk of the ball and the grunts of the players is just ... two little white people running about on a green surface. The AFL without the cheers of the crowd echoing around? Immeasurably less exciting.

That’s why hi-fi and TV manufacturers have spent the last fifteen years releasing increasingly sophisticated sound systems for our home, so we can genuinely enjoy that amazing “cinema” or “live” experience in our own living rooms.

But that’s a problem right there. Most living rooms aren’t “tailor made” for watching TV, movies, or even playing the latest computer games. Even if one invests in expensive “surround sound” systems, the materials in the room, its layout, and its shape are very likely not optimal for a great media experience.

Hence the increasing interest in a dedicated home theatre or “media centre” in our homes, especially new homes, where one can truly immerse oneself in all the excitement. As home entertainment becomes more integrated and more impressive, so the need for a room dedicated to the experience is increasingly seen as a requirement, not a luxury. (Similarly, the wiring of homes is becoming increasingly significant, so that media - which will increasingly be delivered digitally - can be controlled from anywhere in the house at the touch of a button.)

Making good decisions as the home is being built is the key to success. Some pointers are obvious. Most importantly, make sure the room can be “sealed off” from the rest of the home with good doors and windows - even use sound absorbing materials if you can - so that one person’s fun does not drive everyone else nuts. It also increases the impact of the sound system in the room itself.

Stadium seating is a great idea, and if you can elevate one row of seats above another with a small step in the floor, then everyone can get that “Gold Class” experience without having to crane their necks to see the screen.

Mix it up a bit: put a nice long couch at the back (instead of making all the seating individual chairs) and you’re halfway to that “up close and personal” moment when your favourite girl’s movie comes on. And carpeting works better than wooden flooring, because it’s quieter when people move around, and it produces a richer, warmer feel to the sound as well.

As for the equipment, knowing what you want in advance can make installing your entertainment systems much easier, and a ceiling mounted projector and roll-away screen are increasingly being added to these rooms instead of a large TV, or as an addition to it.

Many Metricon display homes feature a home theatre, and visiting a few will not only wet your appetite for what’s possible, but also give you lots of good ideas to work on. Happy viewing!