Media Room -v- Home Cinema

 By Kieron Eales – 26th August 2021

We’ve seen requests for home cinema’s skyrocket over the past year. The result of several lockdowns has meant many of us have been wanting to recreate the feeling of going to the cinema from the comfort of our home.

But if your budget doesn’t quite stretch to a home cinema, a media room could be an ideal option. Read on to learn about the pros and cons of each set up.

Media Room

Alongside home cinemas, media rooms have become increasingly popular over the past year. The rise of streaming sites like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Apple TV mean that you know longer need to leave your house to experience your favourite films or TV shows in superb quality. A Media Room allows you to enjoy all of your favourite shows with increased calibre of imagery and sound. Media Rooms can be as simple or complex as you would like- and perfectly tailored to suit your budget.

One of the positive aspects of a media room is its flexibility. A media set up means you can create multi-functional rooms- combining a living room with a home theatre. A TV can also be hidden behind a piece of art or a mirror to make it invisible altogether, or you could create a media unit- perfectly kitted out to suit your wants.

You don’t need an exceptionally large budget for a high-quality media room. Our favourite pairings when it comes to media set ups are implementing 4K OLED Smart TVs, Soundbars and Subwoofers. Installing rear in-ceiling speakers also works really well when it comes to creating a rich, immersive sound.

But a media room isn’t your only option. One of the main disadvantages with a media room is that it doesn’t provide the same complete immersion as a home cinema. If you’re a serious film fanatic and you’re finding a media room doesn’t quite cut it, a home cinema could be the right choice for you.

Home Cinema

One of the main advantages to a home cinema is the increased quality of picture. Using a projector and screen as opposed to a TV dramatically enhances the calibre of an image. A laser projector will further add to this increase in quality. Another positive aspect of a home cinema is the increased quality when it comes to sound. A dedicated cinema room means more speakers can be added throughout the space. Additionally, implementing acoustic fabric, acoustic panelling, certain carpets and furniture can all enhance sound. Cinema style chairs are also designed specifically for optimum comfort and minimal screen glare, giving you the best experience possible.

Despite these advantages, a home cinema doesn’t have the adaptability of a media room, and if you’re wanting to install a home cinema, you’d need to dedicate a room specifically for that use. However, the space doesn’t need to be especially huge. A spare room or an unused dining room can also make perfect spaces for a cinema.

Whatever set up you decide to go with, you can tailor each to suit your specific needs, budget and design choices.

If you want to learn more about implementing a home cinema or media room, speak to us about your wants by contacting us!