Kristine Ericka May H.

Coz BUILDING UTILITIES 3 (9:00 – 12:00)

BS ARCH – III Research

How Home Theater Works

What Is Home Theater?

Home theater is difficult to define -- it's really just a vague term for a particular approach to home
entertainment. Generally speaking, a home theater system is a combination of electronic components designed to
recreate the experience of watching a movie in a theater. When you watch a movie on a home theater system, you
are more immersed in the experience than when you watch one on an ordinary television.

To see how home theaters do this, let's take a look at the original model -- the movie theater. When it comes
to picture and sound, the theater can offer an amazing experience we just don't get at home. That's usually why
people will pay to go to the movies, even though renting a movie is cheaper. There are a few main components that
make watching TV and going to the movies very different.

One of the biggest differences is the sound experience. When you go to see a movie in a quality movie
theater, you'll hear the music, sound effects and dialogue not just from the screen, but all around you. If you've
read How Movie Sound Works, you know that a standard movie theater has three speakers behind the screen -- one
to the right, one to the left and one in the center -- and several other speakers spread out in the rest of the theater. In
this surround sound system, you hear different parts of the soundtrack coming from different places. When
somebody on the left side of the screen says something, you hear it more from the left speaker. And in a movie
like "Star Wars," you hear a rumbling swoosh travel from the front of the theater to the rear as a spaceship flies
toward the camera and off the screen. You are more involved in the experience of watching a film because the world
of the movie is all around you.

The second chief component of the theater experience is the large size of the movie screen. In a theater, the
screen takes up most of your field of view, which makes it very easy to lose yourself in the movie. After all, you're
sitting in the dark with only one thing to look at, and everything you're looking at seems much bigger than life.

We also enjoy going to the movies because we can see everything so well. Film projectors present
very large, clear pictures. The detail is much sharper than what we see on an ordinary 19-inch television, and the
movement is much more fluid. We may not consciously recognize this, but it does make a significant difference in
how we enjoy a movie. When we can see more detail, we are more engrossed in the world of the movie.

The basic idea of a home theater is to recreate these elements with home equipment. In the next section,
we'll look at an overview of what you need to get started.

The idea is simple enough: A home theater provides a theater-like experience in your home. But what
exactly does that entail? The quick answer is, there's no quick answer. A home theater can be as simple as a few
AV devices in your living room or as complex as a completely renovated basement designed to look
like Hollywood's El Capitan Theater. At its core, a home theater system should provide a high-quality video
experience and an immersive audio experience that breathe life into your favorite movies, but a number of roads
can lead to that destination. This primer offers a general overview of the basic home theater ingredients--from the
AV equipment to the seating to the other room elements that can shape your perfect home theater.
 Picking the Right Display for Your Home Theater System
When you envision a theater-like video experience, you probably think first of a projection system and a very large
screen. That's certainly the display of choice in the prototypical home theater. The two-piece projector/screen
combination is generally best suited for a dedicated theater room in which you can completely control the lighting,
although many manufacturers now offer high-brightness projectors and ambient-light-rejecting screens that are
specifically designed for use in brighter environments).

As for the projection screen, you can choose between fixed-frame, pull-up/-down, or motorized screens,
and most screen manufacturers offer a wide variety of screen materials to suit different projectors and environments.
You also need to think about what screen shape you want: Do you want a standard 16:9 screen that's perfect for
HDTV and many movies or a 2.35:1 screen that lets you watch CinemaScope movies with no black bars (this
requires a suitably equipped projector and sometimes an add-on lens).

Of course, the two-piece projection system isn't the only option in the display
realm. Flat-panel TVs are pretty much the driving force in the home entertainment marketplace; and, thanks to
constantly falling prices, you can now get a much bigger screen for your money. Whether you invest top dollar in
a 75-inch-plus panel or go with a more modest 50-inch screen, the flat-panel HDTV can still make a great foundation
for a home theater system, and the benefit is that you can watch it in all kinds of lighting conditions.

Home Theater Speaker Systems (5.1, 7.1 and more)

The other main element that makes a trip to the movie theater so memorable is the enveloping audio, in which sound
elements come at you from all directions. At home, the most basic surround sound speaker system consists of 5.1
channels. The "5" stands for speakers in the front left, center, front right, rear right, and rear left positions, while
the ".1" belongs to a subwoofer that helps flesh out the bass for explosions and other low-end effects. Some home
theater installers recommend the use of multiple subwoofers to help deliver smoother bass response across a wider
listening area. It's also popular to go with a seven-channel speaker system, which uses two side-channel and two
rear-channel speakers for a more complete surround experience. The latest trend is 3D (or object-based) audio, in
which formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X add an overhead sound element that provides an even more immersive
audio experience.

Speakers come in all shapes and sizes, from freestanding towers to bookshelf models to thin speakers that
mount on or in the wall. It's easier than ever before to find speakers that are low in profile but high on performance-
-through companies like Definitive Technology, Paradigm, GoldenEar Technology, and many more. The general
rule of thumb is, the smaller the speakers, the more important it becomes to add a subwoofer to help fill in the low
end.

If you're building a dedicated theater room, you have more freedom to pick the exact speakers you want,
regardless of size or aesthetic, and to position them in the ideal positions to get the best performance. If, on the other
hand, you're trying to incorporate your home theater system into an existing living or family room, you might not
have as much flexibility to position freestanding speakers in their ideal configuration. Or perhaps you (or your
significant other) just don't like the idea of cluttering the room with speakers. In that case, in-wall or in-ceiling
speakers may be just what the home theater fan ordered. SpeakerCraft, Sonance, Polk Audio, and Atlantic
Technology are just a few companies that offer high-performing in-wall/in-ceiling models at many price points. In-
wall subwoofers are also available.

If you like the idea of surround sound but simply can't find a way to practically integrate a multichannel
speaker system into your room, the soundbar has become a popular solution. A soundbar incorporates multiple
speaker channels into a single speaker bar that mounts above or below your TV. These devices often use
pyschoacoustic manipulation to create a sense of surround envelopment, sometimes through digital sound
processing and sometimes by bouncing the sound off the walls (and sometimes both). This solution generally doesn't
offer the precise effects placement and higher-end performance you can get from separate speakers, but it's a good
small-room or apartment solution. It's also a great option for somebody who is unhappy with the quality of their TV
speakers and wants an upgrade in sound quality, a common issue with flat-panel TVs. Polk Audio offers some great
soundbar solutions, as do Vizio, Yamaha, Zvox, and Definitive Technology.

Home Theater Electronics or Components

The electronics are the brain of the home theater system. They receive the audio and video signals from your source
devices and distribute them out to the speakers and display device. (Some video enthusiasts prefer to only feed
audio through their electronics and send video directly from the sources to the display.) Electronics fall into two
main categories: AV receivers and separates. An AV receiver puts everything you need in one chassis: One box
contains all of the AV inputs to connect your devices, the processors that decode the audio and video signals for
output, and the amplification that powers the speakers. Some popular receiver manufacturers are Denon, Marantz,
Yamaha, Onkyo, and Pioneer. As the name suggests, the "separates" approach requires two boxes: a
preamp/processor for signal input/processing and an amplifier (or multiple amplifiers) to power the speakers. The
latter approach is more common amongst high-end audio enthusiasts who want more precise control over their
system's performance, particularly in the amplification realm.

Whether you opt for a receiver or separates, when shopping for electronics, you want to make sure that the
product has enough inputs for all of your source devices, with a few extra to accommodate anything new you might
buy. HDMI is currently the AV connection of choice for most source devices, so you need to make sure the unit
has enough HDMI inputs. Also, make sure an AV receiver or amplifier has enough channels to handle the number
of speakers you want to use, be it five, seven, or more. Even if you only plan to use a 5.1-channel speaker system,
you might want a 7.1-channel receiver to accommodate future upgrades or perhaps to use the extra amp channels
to power a pair of stereo speakers in another room. Finally, if you have any plans to invest in a UHD Blu-ray player
or media server, you should buy a receiver or preamp/processor that can decode the best high-resolution audio
formats, like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. If you want to enjoy 3D audio formats like Dolby Atmos
and DTS:X, you need to make sure your AV processor has those decoders, as well.

(https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/home-theater.htm)
The Guidelines from the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers recommends sitting at a distance where the
screen fills up about 30° of your field of vision as a minimum for a good experience.

Using a
theater style field of view requires sitting a bit closer

This generally provides good guidance, but users that use their TVs mostly for watching movies might benefit from
sitting a bit closer to get a more theater-like. The SMPTE "reference" position for movie theaters and the THX
recommendation is about 40°. The minimum angle of vision works well for most usages though and sitting at a distance
where the screen fills 30° of your horizontal field of view should be comfortable for most people.

The tool above is based on the 30° guideline that is suitable for a mixed usage, but you can find distances for a
variety of sizes at 40° here. Learn more about the human visual field.

Recommended Mixed Usage Distance Recommended Cinema Distance

Screen Size
(30°) (40°)

25" 3.4' (1.04 m) 2.5' (0.77 m)

30" 4.1' (1.24 m) 3' (0.92 m)

35" 4.8' (1.45 m) 3.5' (1.07 m)

40" 5.5' (1.66 m) 4' (1.22 m)

45" 6.1' (1.86 m) 4.5' (1.37 m)

50" 6.8' (2.06 m) 5' (1.53 m)

55" 7.5' (2.28 m) 5.5' (1.68 m)

60" 8.2' (2.48 m) 6' (1.83 m)

65" 8.9' (2.69 m) 6.5' (1.98 m)

70" 9.5' (2.9 m) 7' (2.13 m)

75" 10.2' (3.1 m) 7.5' (2.29 m)

80" 10.9' (3.31 m) 8' (2.44 m)

85" 11.6' (3.52 m) 8.5' (2.59 m)

(https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/by-size/size-to-distance-relationship)
Basement Interior Design

The design of basement interior is a specialized skill. In absence of natural light and air, interior design of
basement requires more attention and care to fulfill requirement of house owner.

Points to be consider while designing basement interior

As the basement is situated at the bottom of building and is either built underground or slightly above ground,
interior designer should consider some special aspects or steps while doing basement interior design as given
under:
Basement Lighting Tips:

• Arrangement of artificial lighting while basement design to compensate absence of natural light.
• Workspace lighting having separate control should be added where necessary.

Basement Ventilation Tips:

• Installation of windows towards road/street side above ground up to slab level.

• Exhaust fan is provided in the space between the ground and roof of basement towards road side.
• If basement is fully underground, the air is exhausted through duct (pipe) above top roof.
• Faux windows /open space with duct may be provided to counteract effects of enclosed space.
• Air conditioning is done in absence of natural air.
• Vent is provided to give natural ventilation.

Other Tips for Basement Interior Design

• To make independent use of basement, toilet facility is provided with the walls towards road or street.
• In case of leakage or flood etc. arrangement for pumping water may be provided with outer wall of the
basement.
• The space is designed according to the requirement of house owner.
• The wall and ceiling are painted according to the use of space.
• If there is big basement, the space is divided according to the requirement and it should have independent
locking arrangement.

• Electrical pipes, wires and water supply pipes are hidden by paneling with walls so that they can be
checked during any fault occurred in the line.
• In case of large basement area, the number of entrance gate is more than 2 for easy approach and
emergency.
• Fire fighting arrangement is provided while designing the basement.
• If interior design of basement is done in existing building, care should be taken that dismantling is
minimum.
• Suitable space is made for water heater, furnaces and water storage etc.

(http://www.gharexpert.com/tips/articles/Construction/1874/Basement-1874-Basement-Interior-Design_0)