What would you add to your theater? (1 Viewer)

[SethOakley]

For the past few months, I've been working on my Home Theater. Throughout this time, I've frequented the site and just now decided to register and post. In my construction, I always come to the thought of what am I going to wish I had done 6 month to 5 years down the road. What would I wish that I had done?

I'm interested in what some of you may have added to your theater if you could start over. Preferably under $1000 in additional costs. Once I read your responses, I will then turn around and place your idea into my own theater.

Well, a little of that, plus I just want to hear some of these.

 

[Jeff_Oak]

A wet bar!

 

[MikeWh]

Nicole Kidman.

Not sure I could get a Nicole Kidman for $1000 or less, but believe it or not, the WAF is actually very high with this one!

Actually, I moved from RPTV to FP after 2 years, so I wish I had planned for some conduit runs and risers for more seating. I had originally considered doing it, but decided not to-- thought I would be selling the house before ever modifying the HT. Oh, well...

Smaller $$$ additions that I have planned: a candy counter and some different lighting. The lighting is one thing I really wish I had planned better-- I have recessed cans in the ceiling, and the front 2 of them are in the upper edges of my field-of-view when watching a movie. In my remodelling, I'm ripping those cans out.

 

[Neil Joseph]

I would have run a larger conduit for my video wires and then ran a mini bnc cable. I probably would have run a DVI cable as well. The other things are stuff that I am still planning and will evetually do anyway like painting the front soundstage flat black, then maybe adding a riser for the rear seating.

 

[Bob Kavanaugh]

The only problems I've had with wishing I'd done something else have been with my big purchases.

In other words, if you have your heart set on something, buy it, not what seems a suitable replacement. You will only end up buying what you wanted in the first place, and then you'll have two.

I did this with my TV, receiver, and 6 dvd players. Yes, 6 dvd players in 10 months:

Playstation 2
Aiwa
Old Sony
New Sony 315
New Sony 715
New Sony 755

I'll never learn.

 

[Dave Poehlman]

I wish I would have bought a house that is under $1000 more than my current one and has a bigger basement.

Actually, I wish I had put fewer recessed lights in. With the low ceiling and all of the insulation... it can get quite warm in there with the lights on. Yet, we're in the basement, so the floor remains cool. So, we wind up with this wierd cold, yet sweaty foot condition.

 

[Glenise]

Painted the sheerock before getting the ceiling tiles installed.
Also, I now want a different color on my walls.
I repaint my walls next year or the year after that.

 

[BrianKR]

I wish I would have taken more time with the planning of my room.
2 conduit pipes for running wires in the ceiling instead of 1. I cant fit another set of wires in my pipe running thru the ceiling and now I need to add 2 more sets

I also did not plan for rear/side speakers for 7.1 which I will be adding within the next several months.
And I should've made a route/pipe run in the ceiling for a different location of my audio rack. I currently have my equipment on my stage with my RPTV but I am getting an FP and screen next month and I want to move my audio rack to the one side of the room.

Looks like I have some renovating to do already :frowning:

One of the reason I did not plan ahead was to keep cost down. Spend now and save time, money and aggravation later. :b

 

[Doug_H]

Bass shakers, they add a big punch for a small price. They really do help take you to the next level.

 

[Andrew Pratt]

I remodeled a room for my HT and in hindsight I should have rebuilt the common wall between the laundry room and the HT since it rattles with when the IB sub gets going.

 

[Mike Strassburg]

Bass shakers, they add a big punch for a small price. They really do help take you to the next level.

Funny you mention those as they're something I will now never add. I was at BB the other week in the very nice electric reclining Berkline seats watching Ice Age on a FP, and didn't realize they had them installed. First time was kinda neat as it caught me off guard, but after a few minutes it quickly lost its appeal and became VERY cheesey feeling to me.

My sub does a MUCH better job of shaking things!!

I'll be building a HT next Spring when my new house is done, so I'm paying close attention to this thread so I can learn from some of your guys hindsight

 

[BrianKR]

I'll be building a HT next Spring when my new house is done, so I'm paying close attention to this thread so I can learn from some of your guys hindsight

That's a good idea Mike.
There are a lot of things I wish I would've done ("hindsight") that really would not have costed me alot of time or money. No biggie though, I am working on plans for another dedicated HT room in my home on the first floor. The wife likes the basement HT room so much she is very close to allowing me to build an addition just for a ht room. I am already planning it out and I am going to make sure every possible future upgrade will have a source.


Seth, gives us some more detail on your HT room.
What do you currently have in it or for it (equipment, seating, stage, riser, curtains, posters/frames, lighting, circuit/amps....etc...

 

[Trace Ahlers]

Mike,
Don't discount bass shakers completely. I've noticed that the stores generally set them at too high of a setting. Mine offer a great impact because I have them set to only react to the lowest bass tones.
Trace

 

[BrianKR]

I don't like bass shakers bolted to seating at any setting but I do like them when they are fastened under the riser.

 

[SteveLeach]

I'm also in the process of designing my HT addition. One thing I'm planning on is 2 conduits in the ceiling for 2 FP locations. That way in the future I'm not limited if I want to upgrade to the newest "killer" FP that comes out. Chances are that it won't work in location of the existing one.

 

[Brett Sw]

My one major suggestion (too late for my own use) would be...If you even have an remote almost non-existant inkling that you may one day rearrange the basement, run conduit to that area before installing the drywall to ease the future pulling of wire. Make sure you draw a fairly accurate diagram and put it with your other HTS paperwork. Wetbar!!! A must have...!!! Run the plumbing and cap it off behind the wall (taking note on you drawing). And NEVER let you wife talk you into an eyeball light in the ceiling to "highlight" a picture on the wall but now only serves to bounce a glare off the front of the TV...!!! Good luck...

 

[PhilBoy]

Neil,

Flat black paint feels like chalk and marks very easily..

I would suggest a dark, dark grey. It'll work with your room. When the show is on, the wall disappears... and so will the speakers and stand.

 

[SethOakley]

Well, I wasn’t expecting so many people to respond. That’s why I love this forum more so than all the other forums, because it seems that people here are willing to help others and not just compare one another’s home theater system. Each and every one of you gave a great suggestion, so thank you. Nicole Kidman definitely would be a great improvement to the theater, What was Tom thinking?

Mainly out of this post, I came to the conclusion that I did do my research (mainly by reading this forum the last couple months) and I am doing all the right things. With the exception of a wet bar and bass shakers, I feel like I’m fully ready.

Thanks again

 

[MikeWh]

Hey, Rock Chalk Jayhawk! I didn't even notice at first....

Tough loss there to Stanford. I'd like to personally thank you for Coach Williams. It's been a couple years since my Tar Holes have had any fun on the court.

Signed,
Go Heels.

 

[Rob Bruce]

I ran 4 RG6 lines in the walls from my Equipment cabinet to my TV for video. I now wish I ran 10. That's mainly due to the fact that my receiver only has 2 Component inputs, and I want to use two more additional component inputs on my TV. I can always run them on the floor, around the edge, but it would be so much cooler if it was in the wall! I also wish that I had ran lines for a projector in the celing. It didn't even cross my mind during construction, then when we needed a new TV, getting a nice projector was instantly cut out of the question, only becuse I forgot to run lines for it.

To sum it up, run lines for ANYTHING you can think of before drywall goes up.