Home - Interior Design

By: Paul Lucas - at March 2, 2013

My Bedroom Movie Theater

Have you ever thought about putting a movie theater in your bedroom instead of a different room in your house?  Well that is exactly what I did!  Check it out:

Why did I Choose my Bedroom Instead of it's Own Room?
 

My current projector: JVC DLA-RS25.  It hangs right above my bed.  It is very silent.

Having a movie theater in my house has been one of the best purchases I have ever made, it really has brought more satisfaction and peace into my life.  But why did I choose my bedroom?

At first I was so close at choosing my basement for the location. My brother told me the sound would be better in the basement due to the fact that I can crank it up louder so I won't disturb my neighbors. Also that's simply what most people do anyway, they make a whole separate room for their movie theater.  So I was pretty close at choosing my basement instead.  But after putting a lot of thought into it, I decided that my bedroom was the ultimate choice, and here's why:

• Convenience!  This is my number one reason.  I use my bedroom naturally WAY more than I use my basement.  Plus my bedroom is much closer to my kitchen, living room, office etc..  Laying in bed at night falling asleep to a movie in my movie theater bedroom feels amazing lol!  I can set it up so it turns off automatically at a certain time to save lamp longevity.

• More relaxation!  Watching movies on a nice comfortable bed beats sitting on a couch! As long as you get the right pillows, laying down watching movies on a bed is better than a couch IMO.  I still have very comfortable leather couches in my bedroom for guests if they choose to join in on a movie.

• The setup was perfect!  I already had a 180 gallon fish tank in the room and a fireplace.  Plus I easily had enough room for a 130 inch screen (even though mine is 110'').  I also have another room in my house dedicated just for all my clothes and personal belongings.  So it was ready for it.

• Sound is No Problem!  I notice I can crank up the sound with no problems!  The only time it does pose somewhat of a problem is if I crack the windows open in my bedroom, then the sound leeches out and you can here it outside pretty loudly.  But when the windows are closed you can barely hear it outside.  Plus I'm sure having sound resistance walls helps a tad too ;)

• Uniqueness!  How many people do you know has a movie theater in their bedroom?  Not many eh?  You probably landed here on a Google search to find that I am the only one who has a movie theater in their bedroom lol!  Also speaking of uniqueness, you can also check out my Blacklight Garage!

And I have to tell you, it's worth it!  Check out a quick video demonstration of what this room can do:

Check out some more pictures:

Beautiful Non Perforated Movie Screen:

Genuine Leather Couches & Chairs For Guests

Gas Fireplace and Dimmable Track Lighting (with multiple scene settings)

Projector Above Bed & In-wall Speakers

Construction of the Theater

What I did for Construction
For construction, I did not go with a contractor.  I learned the hard way that it is more beneficial (and money saving) to be your own contractor.  Figure out what you want to do exactly and then do whatever you can yourself.  Figure out your budget, then hire individual companies to handle the rest.  Get quotes from multiple companies and check the BBB to see if the company is legit.  I personally had individual companies to handle the following tasks:

• Carpenter - To Knock down the wall between two bedrooms, and install a fish tank stand.
• GlassCages.com - This is where I bought my 180 gallon starphire glass fish tank.
• Home Movie Specialist - I had a company install the movie projector, screen, speakers, wiring, and the Theater Rack.  Although this could be done yourself with a little bit of research.  I was in a hurry and had some extra money so I went ahead and had a company handle it.
• Flooring Company - To install the carpet and tiles next to fish tank.
• Acoustic Wall Panels - I had a special company I was referred to by the home movie specialist to install the sound resistance acoustic wall panels (which are well worth it IMO).
• Electrician - To install the track lighting, and to do some other electrical wiring in the room.
• Fireplace Company - To install the fireplace.
• Individual Mason Contractor - To install the bricks around the fireplace.
• Furniture - Furniture store of course.
• Remote Control Curtains for Windows - I bought these online somewhere (I cannot remember now), and installed them myself.
• Paint - My brother-in-law painted the ceiling and the board trims black.
• Star Projector - I have two of these in the room and they are AWESOME!

My Home Movie Theater Tips I have learned!

Here are some tips I have learned in the process of setting up your own home movie theater:

• Use Standalone Speakers!  This will improve your movie visual clarity.  How? Because you will then not need to use a perforated screen.  Perforated Screens are meant for speakers that go behind the screen.  Perforated screens have thousands of small holes which allow sound to pass through.  The bad thing is, because of these holes, these screens reduce your brightness by 28%, and contrast by 14%, plus the audio will be attenuated in the upper octave.  By using floor standing speakers (standalone speakers), you can then use a solid non perforated screen, which will make your viewing experience (and audio as well) much better!
• Choose a projector that has good Black Levels.  Spending a little bit more on a projector pays off.  Do your research and find one that has good black levels.  JVC projectors do really good in this area, that is why I got a JVC.  There are other good brands as well, so do your research.
• Use Thick Carpet for the floor. This will help improve the sound quality and clarity, as thick carpet helps reduce sound echo, and helps slightly with sound proofing your movie theater.
• Make sure your receiver is powerful enough!  Most people buy cheap receivers and then live with them not realizing that they could have a much better experience if they spend just a little more on a more expensive (and better brand) receiver.  Once I returned my original and bought one that was just a bit more powerful, I did notice a difference in both sound and visual clarity.  So if I were you, buy a receiver that is a little bit more powerful than what you think you need.
• Keep the Movie Theater Rack in a separate room or closet.  Some of these have a lot of bright flashing lights, and noisy fans, so put your Rack in a separate room. Check out my Rack room:

- The Tao Of Badass -

My Home Bedroom/Movie Theater Construction Pictures

There used to be a wall separating two rooms where the old carpet separation is.
The movie screen will go to the right of the fish tank (behind the chair there).

 

110'' movie screen right there on the wall where that chair is at:

Yes! I even have speakers in the ceiling for extra surround sound:

My bed will be right between those 2 windows:
That closet will turn into a fireplace!
NOTE:  Originally I intended the movie screen to be between those two windows! But then I changed my mind!

A Few Months Later..

Beautiful Curvy Low Voltage Dimmable Track Lighting:

When all the work is done..

Check out this video, for details on about the theater AV rack:

I can also now optionally set a chair right up close to the screen for a different up-close experience!

Thanks for reading!  And you know what technology I'm looking forward to into the future?  Movie screens made from Organic LED material (OLED)! That will be the day! Until then I will settle with LCD projectors!

Interior Design
My 180 Gallon In-Wall Aquarium made from Starphire Glass
My Bedroom Movie Theater

 

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