Lighting Is Key For Creating A Good Home Theater

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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