I like watching movies in my home. A nice big screen TV, comfy chairs, a DVR or DVD player…I can pause whenever I want, stretch my legs, rewind and re-watch scenes. It can be a better experience than what you get at many commercial theaters these days.
But to do it well requires good gear: a decent amp, good surround sound speakers, a large, high resolution/sharply defined screen, well-controlled lighting, a simple to use control system, and good seating. What I’ve set up in our home is not bad, but it is still not quite what I want: one day, I would like to build a really good home theater room.
Well, I think I’ve found the model I would love to follow- this custom built Star Trek home theater system [1]. A 135 inch screen (note that the photos are taken with a fisheye lens which makes it look smaller), custom seating, a lounge and bar: all very nicely done. But the idea of building a home theater with a really first-rate theme never occurred to me before. A Star Trek theme is great, but you could do Star Wars, or a gothic dungeon, or…well, all sorts of interesting ideas occur.
It probably goes without saying, but this particular home theater is undoubtedly beyond the economic reach of all but the wealthiest movie lovers. Nearly everything is custom: I’d be surprised if it cost much less than half a million dollars. But it is intriguing….
Okay, honestly, I’d be happy with better seating and better-integrated sound…but if I was fabulously wealthy, I’d be jumping right into the idea of a themed home theater system. Kudos to the owners and designers- very nice!