Browse Forums Home Theatre & Automation 1 Oct 06, 2014 2:07 pm Hey everyone, This is my first post here and like most men when about to plan to build a house, the Theatre is the number 1 priority! The plan is that we are sacrificing our 4th bedroom to combine that space into the games room so we are looking at one big games room measuring 7.2 x 4.9. This room is going to act as a theatre/games room somewhere where we can watch movies yet have the space to play air hockey or walk on a treadmill etc. I was just wondering (because I have never done this before) if anyone has experience in this type of room and could share any advice or ideas in terms of layout, colours, themes etc. Many Thanks Ben Re: Games/Theatre Room 2Oct 09, 2014 8:25 pm Hi Ben. Sounds like a great space. What you are talking about here is a general media room and not a dedicated theatre. It would be good to know what's important yo you. Do you want a projector or panel? Do you want a massive audio system or a cheapy all in one HTIB (home theatre in a box). Light control, windows, doors etc. The more info you have the better your responses will be. Cheers! Re: Games/Theatre Room 3Oct 10, 2014 10:25 am Thanks for the reply RG! The layout of the room is entrance by a sliding door, to the right of that is a sliding glass door (that goes out to the alfresco) and along the same wall is another window. So we will have dark curtains for that side of the room so that when you walk in the room the screen is on the back wall facing you. Lighting wise we haven't really figured this out yet, more than likely dimmer switch down lights. Projector vs TV is something that I am still trying to decide (pros vs cons). I don't think we will have enough in the budget to allow anything too extreme in terms of media equipment. In my head I can see a decent size screen that can be used for movies and regular TV. a big enough couch for 4 people to be comfortable and behind that (closest to the entry of the room) is space for a pool table/air hockey something like that and on the walls have some movie posters framed. I know that the room is best to be darkish in terms of carpet colour and paint choice, it would be good to see samples of what some people have done. When you do a google search the ideas presented cost $$$$$$$$$$$$. I want to know what the average Joe has been able to do without spending a fortune. Cheers Re: Games/Theatre Room 4Oct 13, 2014 9:27 pm Sorry for the delay to responding. In my opinion, you need a projector to give you that real movie experience. I built my own dedicated room with 145 inch screen and I also gave a 58 inch plasma in another room. TV is fine on the plasma but movies are awesome on the projector. The costs have come down massively. You can get a Benq projector for a 120 inch screen for less that 1k. How much you spend in total depends on how much you do yourself. I fully lined my room in material which cost a fair bit more than painting but gave me the effect I was after. You need to make lots of decisions about budget first and then move from there. To ne, soundproofing my room was the most important part but that may not be important to you. My recommendation for ideas would be to look at avsforum.com and dtvforum.com . au for ideas. Re: Games/Theatre Room 5Oct 14, 2014 6:48 pm I have heard mixed reviews regarding projectors, I have also heard that it can display 1080p media even sharper than any TV screen. Is regular TV better to watch on a projector than a Plasma? Thanks for the link I will definitely check that out! Re: Games/Theatre Room 6Oct 14, 2014 7:42 pm A 1080p projector can give a fantastic image these days. The biggest issue with projectors is light. Unless you can control the light in the room the image will appear washed out and lose contrast. But if you get a high lumens projector and good block out cutains, a projector can be better than going to the movies. You can't get that sort of immersion from a 64 inch plasma. Re: Games/Theatre Room 7Oct 15, 2014 12:34 pm Hi Ben, I think if light entering the room is going to be a constant issue, then a large LED LCD screen (eg. 60-70inch) may suit best. But if you're able to block it fairly adequately then go the projector option with a 120+" fixed screen. If budget allows you could entertain both possibilities with a motorized screen in front of the TV screen. For a screen and HD projector your looking at around $1000+ depending on the projector model and screen used. I initially went with a $250 120" screen and a 720p projector and this was still great quality viewing. For colours I would suggest earthy colours (a nice shade of brown) on the walls only as it is a multi-purpose room. Other things to consider are to have a power point on the ceiling where the projector would mount and HDMI cable (even data cable if possible), where your video/audio equipment unit would go (eg. below TV/screen) as this would be where the HDMI from ceiling goes back to, use of AV receiver/Amp for surround sound and HDMI switching, whether speakers used will be in wall/ceiling (flush) speakers or just at rear, or floor/book shelf speakers. Of course speaker cable would at least need to be run to the rear speakers. Data point/s at the equipment end will also be very useful. Builder: Dennis Family Homes House: Hartley Facade: Provincial Suburb: Lyndhurst Moved in! http://cynash.blogspot.com Re: Games/Theatre Room 8Oct 16, 2014 12:16 pm Fantastic advice there! Thank you guys! Our current floor plan will have no windows where the screen will go, there will be sliding stacker doors towards the front/right of the room but with thick enough curtains it will be a dark room with no lights on or at least dimmed. I will keep doing some research so I have something to present the mrs for her green light of course! Re: Games/Theatre Room 9Oct 21, 2014 10:18 am Hey Ben .....sage word of advice. Women will never understand your desire for a projector and teeth rattling bass. Much like us with their shoe collection. Now, do you really think she tells you how much she really paid for that new pair????? A half decent full hd projector will cost you about 1000 to 1500 dollars. The Benq range are great value or even the Epson Tw3600. You can pick up one of the latter from the USA for about US1100 dollars landed. There are arguments for and against buying projectors overseas. Can have a few shipping risks plus warranty. Screen will be a few hundred. A sound system with bluray and 5 speakers plus sub will be about 1000 to 1500. A projector mounting bracket on ebay will be about 100.00. Of course, you can spend much more than this but this set up will give you an experience as good or better than the cinemas. If you go all out on the audio side you can easily hit 50 to 100k and easily drop 20k on a new ultra hd projector. But the point is that you don't need to. Invest in great curtains, paint your walls a nice dark colour (ceiling too if you are allowed) and I think you'll be very happy. And I would suggest a power board with an uninterrupted power supply for your projector. They are pretty cheap these days. Bulbs can blow if the projector shuts down abruptly in a black out. Hey, I am wanting to add a second toilet to my house, bit we have limited room. There is a hallway/entry that is never used, so was thinking this could be an option. 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