Maximum PC - USA (2022-03)

SO, YOU’RE THINKING about setting up a

home theater system? There are a whole

lot of elements that go into making it.

The obvious place to start might be the

screen, but there’s also seating, lighting,

and decor to consider—not forgetting

a projector, speakers, and behind-the-

scenes cabling for the audio, networking,

video, power, amplifiers, and digital

storage. There are plenty more devices

you need too, never mind connecting,

configuring, and calibrating it all.

Here at Maximum PC magazine,

we’re not experts on home renovation

(for tips on those, check out our sister

publications, Homebuilding & Renovating

or Ideal Home) so we’ll leave the soft

furnishing and decor decisions up to you.

However, we will cover how planning and

routing cabling should be part of any home

renovation. This gives you the chance to

properly chase, route, or hide necessary

cables away and to do so in a futureproof

way—you don’t want to be ripping out

redundant cables in 12 months’ time.

That said, we will focus on the three core

areas of video, audio, and infrastructure,

i.e. the hardware, networking, and power.

With video, we’ll concentrate on issues

surrounding projectors, though this is

generally the most straightforward area.

Projectors are somewhat impractical

in their own way, so we’ll cover big TV

options. Ignoring the snobbery around

audio, correctly setting up a theater-

level surround system can be tricky,

but modern theater amplifiers cut out

much of this nonsense with automated

calibration systems. While infrastructure

is built around whatever playback device

you choose and how it will be hooked into

your wider home, this can be as simple or

complex as you like.

PRO JEC TION

For an authentic home theater experience,

a projector is the only way to go, as long

as you have the space to install one. Even

a basic projector in a dark room will

generate an image of over 100-inches.

Although 75-inch TVs can be picked up for

less than $1,000, depending on the model,

a TV is a permanent blank feature hung on

your wall, unlike a projector screen that

can be rolled away. A projector requires

space to be mounted, though don’t

overlook the temporary option of dropping

a projector onto your coffee table and

using a blank wall for movie nights.

So, let’s start with the room itself by

considering how and where a screen

would go and where you would sit to enjoy

the scene. If you have a dedicated space,

that will offer more flexibility, but if you

want to use an existing living room, it’s

likely you’ll be working around an existing

couch, doors, windows, furniture, and so

on. You can’t just drop any projector into a

room, first, you have to ensure it’s suitable

(see the Projector Picker box right).

Now we’re up to speed, get out your

tape measure, see how big your room is,

the screen size you need, and the projector

too. Tap the details into a throw calculator,

such as http://www.projectorcentral.com/

projection-calculator-pro.cfm, to see if it

fits. If it doesn’t, see whether anything can

be moved around, try another projector

model, or compromise on screen size.

Once you know what projector you’re

after and how big an image it will project,

you can also consider what screen you

should use. You can use a wall, it doesn’t

even have to be white or particularly

smooth, you can always color calibrate

for off-white and your brain will adapt to

a good degree, though this is sub-optimal.

Instead, you should consider an

electronic drop-down screen with a

standard white matt material. In the

past, you could go for high-gain reflective

materials or even ones with grey tints,

these were to offset shortcomings with

old tech offering brighter images and to

compensate for poor contrast. Modern

projectors are so much better that it isn’t

an issue. You could consider a modern

Ambient Light Rejecting (ALR) screen,

which uses micro-angled surfaces to

reflect light projected towards it and

absorb ambient light—it sounds like

magic, but it’s simple optics. If you’re

planning to use it in a lit room, these

screens are a good choice, but they reduce

your overall screen and size options.

SOUNDS GOOD

So, you have chosen a big screen, but it

won’t have half the impact you’re after

until it’s backed up with a big soundstage.

This is where a dedicated home theater

amplifier comes in, powering a dedicated

surround sound speaker system that’s

been calibrated and balanced for your

optical and audio pleasure.

A decent AV amplifier is a great

investment as it’s more than just for movie

sound, it will be the central switch for your

home theater’s video and audio devices. It

can route video and audio from your PC,

Blu-ray player, console, stream box, or

turntable to your TV, monitor, or projector,

and it’s there to decode the audio stream

and play it spatially balanced over your

surround speaker system.

This is our tiny

home, drawing

a plan helps

visualize where

all the cables

will be required.

Suitable home

theater speakers

will deliver the

room-filling

surround sound

you need for a true

movie experience.

That’s 13 channels of audio for

your ears. Go on, count them.

maximum theatre!

52 MAXIMU MPC MAR 2022