Home Theater Lighting Key To Great Experience
Why is Home Theater Lighting important? Well did you
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.
| 