So you’ve invested a ton of money into your new 60 inch HDTV flat screen and state-of-the-art 7.1 home theater sound system, but will you enjoy your new media or home theater room to its fullest potential?

Many people make the mistake of waiting until after they purchase all the home theater room equipment before deciding what type of seating to buy. Worse yet, they may have spent their entire home theater budget on equipment and not have enough left over for comfortable theater seating.

But if you think about it; whenever you’ve gone to a friend’s home to watch a movie or sporting event, was there enough seating for everyone to have a good view, watch in comfort and have a place to set food and beverages while enjoying the show? If not, you probably didn’t find your home theater experience as satisfying as you would have liked, regardless how big the viewing screen, how deep the bass sound coming from the sub woofer or how great the rear speaker sound effects!

Home Theater Furniture Planning and Layout

The first thing you’ll want to do is decide how many people your media room should seat comfortably, based on how many people live in your home and how often you entertain friends, neighbors and extended family. If you typically only have three or four people watching the TV, then you might go for spacious movie theater loungers or recliners, with built in cup holders and plush leather upholstery. On the other hand, if you regularly entertain a larger group, then it might make more sense to go with sofas or movie theater seats arranged in several rows for an authentic movie theater experience!

Plan your seating for the best viewing angle; you want the center of the screen to be at eye level and not too far to one side or the other. And while not everyone will have the optimal view, take advantage of the prime viewing area by placing your most comfortable seating in these positions so that at least you will enjoy the best view when watching a movie alone or with your partner.

While some people may have a room dedicated entirely as a home theater, in many cases this will be a media room used for general entertainment and as a day-to-day living space. As such, you want to consider the décor, theme and overall design of the room for the multiple activities and uses it is intended to serve.

Casual Home Theater Seating

In a family room or great room that also serves as a media room, casual seating is usually the best choice. Choose sofas, loveseats and/or recliners that can be arranged in an L or U-shape configuration so that everyone can easily view the television.

And while some people will have a better view than others with a casual seating arrangement, you will also have a better layout for conversation and hanging out. This is a perfect arrangement when people are casually watching a sporting event but the TV is not the primary center of attention.

Dedicated Theater Seating

If you are serious about setting your home theater up for maximum viewing enjoyment, then specially designed home theater seating makes more sense. The two types of seating include theater loungers or recliners or traditional movie theater-style seats.

Home Theater Loungers or Recliners

The home theater loungers are actually the best type of seating for a home theater in my own opinion; I would rather be able to recline my seat and kick up my feet after I’m done eating my popcorn. If I want to sit in an upright theater seat I’m going out to the movies. I spend more time playing XBOX 360 or watching sports than viewing movies as if I were a movie director reviewing takes, so comfort is king in my book and I just don’t find movie theater seats that relaxing. But this is a personal matter and you have a lot of choices.

Since many loungers or recliners are now specifically designed for media rooms, you can also find great features such as cup holder in the armrests center consoles with a mini fridge or flip up top that can be turned one way as a flat table for playing card games, etc. while you watch the show or flip it over and the other side has molded plastic wells to hold drinks in place when you’re playing Wii and things are likely to get bounced around a bit!

Another popular trend in home theater seating is the wall-hugger feature; this lets a theater lounger fully recline with out needing more than a couple of inches clearance behind the chair to a wall.

“Hybrid” Home Theater Seating Arrangement

Some people find the home theater lounger types of chairs less attractive than traditional sofas and chairs, but if comfort and convenience are your biggest desire they are tough to beat. The one I have in my gaming and media room is a Lazy-boy sofa with recliners on both ends and an ottoman we can move around and which serves as a foot rest when somebody is sitting in the middle. We also have a Lazy-boy recliner chair placed for prime viewing, so the room comfortably seats four.

We added a plush area rug on the floor that matches the room décor and makes a comfy place to sit on the floor and a couple of bean bag chairs are kept behind the sofa for extra seating when needed. And best of all; when I’m alone and want to take a little afternoon nap, the sofa is long enough to stretch out completely flat and the armrests are soft enough to use as a pillow! For us the reclining sofa and extra reclining chair was the perfect compromise between regular sofas and dedicated move theater seating.

Movie Theater Seats

For the ultimate Cinema experience, purists insist that movie theater seats are the only way to go! Designed and engineered strictly for the themed, dedicated home theater room, these have evolved to include features such as “bass shakers” or “tactile transducers” so that you can really feel the bass track, snack trays and storage bays to keep stuff handy, motorized recliners and vibrating massage modes for added comfort.

Most theater-style seats come in 2, 3, 4 or 5 person configurations and range in price depending on features and quality of the construction and materials. If you plan to have multiple rows, consider having the floor in your media room raised slightly in the back rows to provide optimal viewing for everyone.

Genuine or simulated faux leather are popular and an almost endless variety of fabric materials are available; if you like the smooth feel of leather it can’t be beat, or go with the woven fabric or micro-fiber material of your choice if you prefer a warm and soft feel. Look for signs of quality construction, including corner blocks screwed or glued together, foam core seats, solid joinery and kiln-dried wood frames.

A few other things to look for when selecting home theater seating include deep, wide seats with adjustable lumbar support, wide, cushioned arm rests and foam padding and steel coil springs.

Home Theater Decor Themes

To give your home theater or media room a truly unique designer look, choose a theme as you decide on the design, layout and features you want to include.

• Cinema Theme – A traditional Cinema or movie house theme is always popular. You can purchase framed movie posters, buy a an old-fashioned popcorn maker, add a pinball machine in one corner and put up red velvet movie theater drapes for an authentic movie theater theme.
• Sports Pub Theme – Another way to go for the sports buff is to add multiple TV screens and a wet bar to give your media room the feel of a sports bar or pub. If this is you then you already know what to do with all your pennants, autographed memorabilia and sports posters!
• Add a Karaoke Stage – If you really wanted to do something different, you might add a small stage for the kids to put on plays and puppet shows, have karaoke night or other fun stage events. This works very well if you have a projection HDTV unit and motorized screen; you’ll have great fun using motorized curtains to open the show in style.

Home Theater Seating Tips

When designing your home theater or media room, the primary considerations should be how to comfortably seat the number of people you will most often have, the size and shape of the room and your budget. Follow these tips as you plan your home theater space:

• Don’t wait until after you buy home theater equipment to plan the room layout and furniture; an integral design should consider seating, screen and speaker placement together.
• Measure your space and try to plan seating so that people are at least six feet away from the screen; even further if you have a projection TV and 100 inch or larger screen.
• Plan your space for an “optimal” number of people and then use chairs from other rooms in the house, bean bag chairs or even folding chairs if needed to accommodate a larger crowd for special events like a Super Bowl party.
• It really pays to shop around and compare features and prices; you may not know exactly the right sofa or home theater seats until you actually see and sit in it.
• Be sure to plan for adequate lighting, side tables, a coffee table, artwork, etc. that will accent and enhance your home theater seating.
• Install motorized window shades or blinds if needed to control window light and glare.
• Set your budget before you do your final shopping and selection; that way you can adjust your decisions on specific features, materials quality, etc. as needed. Some retailers may also be willing to discount if you purchase an entire “package”; we did this with Lazy Boy and were very satisfied with the overall value, quality and features! 

Furthermore, the quality of the installation can make or break a theater system.

The assembly process can be very daunting, especially for a first-timer.

Whether you decide to install your own home theater system or hire a specialty contractor or electrician to help, you need to understand the basic principles of sound, projection TV, wiring and equipment options before diving into your home theater project.

Follow these basic tips to insure that your own home theater installation goes as smoothly as possible.

Selecting and Installing a Home Theater System

The first step in the home theater installation process is to decide if you are going to do it yourself or hire a professional. If you are relatively good at following directions, plan a simple theater design, and have the time and patience to undertake such a complex job, you might consider tackling the project yourself.

The advantage, of course, is in the cost; contractors can be expensive.

However, it may be worth the cost to hire a professional. Why spend money on a system only to have it installed incorrectly? A contractor will maximize the potential of your system and save you time and aggravation in the process. This is particularly important if you’ve selected an elaborate system.

You have a lot of options component-wise. At minimum, you need a system with a 27” TV, speakers, a stereo receiver with surround sound capabilities, and a movie playing device. It’s possible to put together a system like this for under $4000. But options like a larger TV, Dolby receivers, or a laserdisc player may be worth the extra money. You can also start small and upgrade or add elements as the finances become available.

Equipment Configuration

Before you buy, it’s a good idea to plan things out. Draw your room on a piece of graph paper and draw in (or use paper cutouts to represent) your furniture. Figure out what will fit in your room. You may need to use wall mounts to optimize the space; it’s better to know that going in than to find out when you’re knee-high in electronics. If you plan to add to your system later, make sure to plan ahead accordingly.

Consider where you’re going to place the larger equipment. Entertainment centers look great but limit your access to the back of the equipment. Without an entertainment center, you may have to live with exposed equipment. Figure out what option is best for you.

Light is one of the most important considerations when deciding where to place your home theater projector and other equipment. Bright rooms aren’t the best choices for projectors, although it can be done if you have good blinds and/or curtains. For this reason, basements are often the best choice for a home theater system.

If you’re on the ground floor, make sure that your screen is in a shady spot and cover the windows. Place any lamps or electric lights behind the screen if possible. If not, try putting them beside the screen.

Wiring and Cabling

Having a wiring and cabling plan is very important. It’s not very practical to run wires under the carpet, but you definitely don’t want them to be running across rooms where people can trip on them, either.

You could select a wireless system, but some people find that the quality on these systems is lower. The best option is to make sure that you have sufficient wire to run it around the baseboards. Always buy more wire than you think is necessary for your project. And consider buying wire holders to reduce tangling.

Check your circuit breakers to make sure that they will be able to support the power load. Your home theater will suck more power than a typical TV.

One option is to have an electrician run a dedicated line to your theater. This option reduces the possibility of circuit overloads and only costs a few hundred dollars. Also make sure that your plan allows access to wall sockets. Still, you’ll need more plugs than you probably have access to, so make sure you have an extra power strip or two hanging around.

Speaker Installation

The audio quality is the major distinguishing feature between a big screen TV and a home theater. Therefore, it’s important that your home theater speakers are installed correctly, and it’s a good idea to get the best speakers you can afford. Ideally, you should purchase a set of six home theater speakers. You will place three across the front of the room, one surround on each side, and a bass or subwoofer in the back.

Your home theater speakers can be placed on the furniture, sit on specially designed speaker stands, or mount on the walls. Wall mounts are the best choice if space is at a premium, but make sure that your mounts are able to withstand the weight of the speakers you’ve selected.

Projector Installation

You’ll need to decide between a front-screen or rear-screen home theater projector. The front-screen has the advantage of easier assembly and takes up less floor space. However, the front screen projector requires a completely dark room, or the picture will be difficult to see. The rear screen takes up additional space but hides all of the equipment behind the screen.

In terms of picture quality, you’ll need to select between video (with the lowest resolution), computer (mid-grade resolution), or graphics (with the highest resolution). Of course, these options come with corresponding price tags. The higher the resolution, the more it will cost.

Overall, home theaters are complex projects, but they are well worth the effort. Again, the key is planning.

But how do you protect all these discs long term?

If you’re like most people, you need a place to store your many CD and DVDs. Built in shelving, cabinets and many other home entertainment storage options can fit the bill.

With the ever growing collection of CD’s it is important to organize and store your media properly. This helps find music and movies easily when you want and keeps your living room bedroom or home theater clutter free.

CD and DVD cases help to protect them from the dust and scratches. Cabinets used for storage can be placed on the table, floor or can even be hung on the wall.

There are portable DVD and CD storage options in various designs and shapes. You’ll find small, medium and large types. You can choose the size, shape and the color according to the decor of the room. This serves as an important accessory in the house.

Cabinets and cases can be made of wood, glass, metal, plastic etc. There are even portable cases which are water resistant. Cabinets which are designed to store media may have a lid attached on the top or a detachable lid, which can be separated from the body.

There are quick button access CD storage cabinets also available in the market.  Cabinets also consist of drawers in it. This enables to store a wide number of CDs and DVDS. One can stack many CDs on top of each other.

Tips for Long Term CD and DVD Storage

• Try not to put finger prints on either side of your media. Grease and acid from your skin can cause damage. It’s best if you pick discs up with a finger tip through the hole and your thumb on the edge only.
• Always keep discs in the jewel cases. Those soft-sleeve cases may be convenient but they don’t protect discs from scratches. The plasticizers on some of these plastic sleeves may also cause long term damage.
• Never bend or drop your discs.
• Use only labels designed for CDs or DVDs. Other types of adhesive labels are not recommended.
• Store discs in a dry, cool place. While small changes in humidity and temperature won’t harm them, rapid changes from very warm, wet environs to much cooler, dry conditions may warp and distort the media.
• Always keep discs out of very bright light, which may damage dyes used in recordable DVD and CD media. Direct sunlight has high levels of UV which can also cause damage.



• You can remove fingerprints, liquid stains, dirt and smudges with a clean cotton cloth, wiping gently in a straight line from the center of the disc to the outer edge, but not in a circular motion.
• Try using methanol or isopropyl on more stubborn smudges.
• Store discs vertically in the jewel case for maximum lifespan. Long term it is best not to store in a horizontal position.
• Conditions of about 40% relative humidity and 65°C room temperature will be optimal for long-term storage.
• CDs and DVDs may get very hot while being read so it’s best not to leave your discs in the drive for extended time periods.