Home Theater
Looking for home theater information? We've got it! With the right planning, the investment in a home theater can bring pleasure for today's lifestyle. Home theaters are great for relaxing, entertaining, and bringing the whole family together. One important thing to remember in considering your home theater options is that the sum of the parts is usually greater than the whole. Since 1966, Barrett's Home Theater has integrated technologies for thousands of customers.
Media Room or Home Theater?
The first step is to plan your space. Will you have a dedicated home theater room or will your system be in a multi-purpose media room? Either way can be fantastic. A dedicated home theater is designed specifically for entertainment: enjoying movies, sports, TV, and video gaming. Basements, attics, bonus rooms, or spare rooms are great as dedicated home theater spaces. A media room serves a similar purpose to a dedicated home theater but is usually also a living space, such as a family room where the family frequently gathers.
Screen Size and Viewing Distance
The next steps are deciding both the location and size for your video display. Both the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) and THX Ltd. (a developer of quality standards founded by Lucasfilm) have recommendations on this subject. This step is very important to get right, and is probably the most difficult one to fix if you get it wrong.
Acoustics and Soundproofing
Great sound immerses you in a film's sound effects and captivates you. All things being equal, acoustic treatments (these can be carefully done, normal room furnishings) have a larger impact on the sound than almost any component. Another thing to consider is soundproofing. Will late night viewing disturb others? Should you do something about it?
Choosing the Right Equipment
We carry only the best products from the best manufacturers in the industry, so you can't go wrong at Barrett's Home Theater. The reason people come to us though, is because they want someone to make it all easy. We're here to help you decide whether a flat panel is the right option for a room, or if you could benefit from a projector and screen. We know you want speakers that immerse you in life-like sound, but we can help you decided if they should also compliment the décor, or disappear into it entirely. We'll point you towards the best universal remote or touch screen keypad to control any type of theater any way you want it to. And don't forget the seating. We want to make sure that you enjoy your new home theater comfortably.
Home Theater Magic
In many cases, spending a few extra dollars on a great remote control, lighting control, or a popcorn machine can add wow to your creation. We've got lots of suggestions and advice about how to create your own personal magic.
Other areas to consider are expert audio and video calibration; electrical and power needs; ventilation and HVAC planning; and integrating video gaming.
When your installation is complete, we will instruct you in the best ways to get the most fun from your new installation. You can also rest easy knowing if you have a system emergency we offer on-call technicians and an in-house service department.
