Time to Upgrade Your Home Theater?

With fewer social plans lately, people are getting good use out of their Netflix and Hulu accounts. If you have a home theater, you’re lucky to have an escape into exciting new worlds, whether you’re revisiting Lord of the Rings or starting Downton Abbey for the first time.

As you spend more days at home in San Marino, CA, now is an excellent time to upgrade your home theater installation. Not only can you improve the viewing experience, but you can also use the space for other reasons, like working from home. How? We’ll share below.

SEE ALSO:  Out With the Old Audio System, In With the New

Add Soundproofing and Acoustic Treatments

When you watch a movie with surround sound, does the rest of the house shake and vibrate from your subwoofer? If so, it may be time for soundproofing. A professional can install materials on your door, walls, and ceiling to contain noise inside the theater.

As for sounds inside the room, acoustic treatments will ensure your speakers sound their best. If you don’t already have absorption and diffusion materials on the walls, you’ll experience a distorted, flat sound bouncing off hard surfaces. For your speakers to sound like they were meant to, you’ll need to treat the room’s acoustics with fiberglass or foam.

Upgrade to Dolby Atmos

You probably already use surround sound in your home theater, but is it truly immersive? Rather than restrict sounds to specific speakers, Dolby Atmos technology lets each sound move as an individual object. If a car drives across the screen, for example, it can move across your room from speaker to speaker, like you’re really in the midst of the action. If you're looking to treat yourself during a pandemic, surround sound doesn't get better than Dolby Atmos speakers. 

Control Your Theater Lighting

When you go to the movie theater, lights automatically fade into complete darkness after the trailers. Does your theater do this? If you have any ambient light seeping through windows, invest in black-out motorized shades that will block any light.

Combined with smart lighting, you can sync your shades and lights into one control system. Tap a button or tell your voice assistant, “Movie Time,” and your room will automatically assemble for the film.

Relocate for Remote Work

If your entire household is working or schooling from home, it can be hard to find a place to work in solitude. After all, coffee shops are closed, and you can’t go to co-working spaces. The home theater may make an excellent hideaway to get work done.

Your theater’s acoustics are fantastic for video calls, and it’s a quiet, comfortable location to focus. You may need to add a surface and seat to work at (perhaps a standing desk?) and ensure you have a reliable internet connection in the theater. This may mean a wired network or extending your existing wireless connection. You can even use the big screen for your Zoom calls or displaying information. Play ambient playlists over the surround sound to get yourself in the groove. The theater may become your new favorite space to work!

Ready for a change in your home theater? Contact Personal Technology in Southern California to discuss your cinema’s options today.