Home Theater Lighting Key To Great
Experience
Ever watch a movie with all the lights on and the sun
blaring in through the windows?
Did you miss much?
Of course you did. No television in the world is meant
to be viewed with full light. The subtle colors and lots of the
action can be lost when light is flooding into a room.
When it comes to creating a great home theater, lighting
should be a priority consideration. Too much light and the room
is doomed from the start. Too little and the viewers might
break a leg.
If your home theater is being designed for the singular
purpose of watching movies and television programs, you have a
lot of
flexibility when it comes to lighting. Here are some
options to consider:
- If there are windows in the room, get good blinds and
drapes to block the light for optimum daytime viewing.
- Use lights on a dimmer switch for pre and post movie
lighting and turn them either way down or off when the
show's started.
- Avoid any glare on the screen. This is especially so
for big screen television that simply look awful with
glare. Lighting that's poorly placed can wreck a viewer's
enjoyment of a film by washing out the picture. View the
screen with different lighting comminations from every seat
in the room to ensure the best possible vantage from all
seats.
- Use easy to turn off track type or under the shelf
lighting to highlight any accents you choose to decorate
the room with. In the case of movie posters that are framed
or other curiosities that fit a theater theme, go with
attractive gallery lights that can be doused during
viewing.
- Do keep some light going during a film just in case
someone needs to get up, but test the light under different
conditions to ensure it doesn't ruin the picture on the
screen, but still provides enough light to safely navigate
the theater.
For those who have a room that will also be used for other
purposes, for example, a living room home theater, lighting is
still key. To assist here, it might help to create two sets of
lighting, one for regular living and one for viewing. For
example, use an overhead light, perhaps on a ceiling fan or
chandelier, with a dimmer switch in combination with table
lamps for regular use. Switch to the dimmer light only for
viewing.
Whether your home theater is a single purpose room or it will
be a gathering point for other family events, keep in mind that
lighting is almost as important as the screen. If you can't see
the screen, there's little point in watching a movie.
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