Extension Building - Home Cinema From Scratch

[admin_exported]

We are bulding an extension of two rooms and the new 'lounge' will measure 2.9m x 4.7m and I'd like to install home cinema kit.

What are your thoughts on the following:

- Optimum screen size for a room of this size (prob mounted on 2.9m wall)

- In-wall or free standing speakers (e.g. Wafer or a home cinema kit with wireless rears)

- Screen sunk into wall (the 2.9m side) or wall mounted

- Cables chased behind / into the plaster during building or free

- Professional install or DIY / builder does it? NO idea of cost of a supplier like Sevenoaks.

- One box home cinema kit or separates (already have a PS3)

- All one brand of kit (e.g. to minimize number of remote controls) or not

I don't want to go over the top on budget - around 4-5k and this room needs be as much a family lounge as a screening room (hence the requirement for discrete / wireless cabling).

Thoughts welcomed.

Ceri James

 

[TheHomeCinemaCentre]

£5k will get you a nice set up. There are a few things to consider and if you have a quality local dealer I would suggest you speak to them.

In answer to your questions the majority are down to personal taste and budget, I would certainly install the cables behind the walls at construction. I would opt for a system based on separate components and with wall mounted rather than in wall speakers. This will allow you to easily upgrade and if you wish.I wouldnt sink the screen into the wall as it limits you going forward.

A universal remote would be a good investment and I would not involve your builder unless you really have to.

 

[True Blue]

Lucky you.

1. Depends how far your usual viewing distance will be, see the video on here regarding screen size.

2. Free standing? on wall mounts or stands no need for wireless see 4

3. Modern slim line brackets get the TV close enough to the wall to allow access to inputs. Remember if you are buying a reciever you will need to route cables to your TV (HDMI and Power), possibly aerial feed as well.

4. If building from scratch may I suggest you work out where you want everything and then get trunking plastered into the wall of the appropriate size for the cable going through. Make sure thee is a piece of string in it to enable cables to be pulled through later. Add some nice face plates job done.

5. Depends how much you are spending, how confident you are planning and doing the work. Get a proffesional TV installer to hang the TV though otherwise it wont be covered on your contents if it falls off!

6. Seperates. Use PS3 for BR buy a reciever to your budget + cables + speakers.

7. Does not matter, you can buy one for all remote like the logitech harmony range

Hope this helps

 

[BlackSpy]

If you're building the room don't do wireless speakers, just run the cabling in the wall while you can.

I would wall mount the screen, and make it about teh same size as teh wall allows, but think carefully about the colour of the walls and how much light will be thrown back off them. If you're going to have light walls then make the screen a bit smaller.

 

[Anonymous]

have you considered a ceiling mounted projector?

It may be worth putting in a long HDMI and power cable to a point in the ceiling and leaving the cables coiled up there just in case you want to put a projector in at a future date. Just measure from a couple of reference points where the cables are so you can punch a neat hole in the ceiling later to get the cables through and then cover that with a ceiling mount for said projector.

If you never need it it cost you a few quid but if you do saves a lot of swearing as you channel out your new ceiling.

Good luck with the project