Room lighting control is an important aspect for home theaters – especially if you have a front-projector and screen set-up. Video projectors often demand a controlled lighting situation due to the lower brightness of their displays. Room ambiance is another important function of lighting during a viewing as you most likely not want your guests to sit in darkness (unless it is a really creepy horror flick). Reflected room lighting is a consideration as well as you do not want a glare on the screen – whether it be ambient light from a window or merely reflections of a lamp within your room. Ambient window lighting is major when determining your living room layout or designing a dedicated viewing room. A dedicated room would of course be best without windows altogether – if you have the luxury of designing a room from scratch.

Glare Control and Picture Enhancement

Room lighting control is relatively easy with a little planning. If you want to incorporate your home theater within your living or family room you will want to postion your video display so that any ambient light upon the screen is diminished or eliminated altogether. Each time we have moved to a new home one of my first considerations (much to the chagrin of my wife) is where we will place the TV in our living room. Since video is my profession I plan our living room layout around the TV and entertainment center (again to the chagrin of my wife). The TV is always placed at an angle away from the main window in the room in order to eliminate window reflections on the screen. Our living room lamps have shades that direct lighting downward and are not very translucent in order to minimize their reflections. Since I have a front projector and screen display in the living room – in addition to the 32″ Mitsubishi we use for normal viewing — we have vertical blinds which do a nice job of darkening the room. We also have velour drapes which can pull to either side of the screen and do a great job of providing a controlled lighting environment for our projector. You will want to do much the same — have your video display directed away from any windows and use blinds with drapes to control daytime lighting from windows.

Setting the Mood

Wall sconce lamps located along the sides of your room for ambiance during viewing in a dedicated theater room is a nice touch and lends to the theater-esque atmosphere. Depending upon the overall decor and theme of your dedicated room sconces can be either plain or elaborately gaudy much like the movie houses of yore. Basic sconces can be found at a local Home Depot or lighting store. More elaborate theater-looking sconces are available at specialty stores. A dedicated room will benefit from remote controlled lighting – or at least it will add a touch of class to your theater. There are many varieties of remote controlled lighting which can be controlled either by their standard controller or be included within a macro-programmed command on one of the many all-in-one macro-type remote controls such as the Harmony H659 which I am quite pleased to own.

Regardless of whether you are incorporating a system into your living room or planning a dedicated room, the principles of home theater room lighting are the same. No glare or reflection on your video display and sufficient ambient room lighting for your guests during viewing. If you have any further questions about home theater room lighting feel free to use the contact form at http://www.Home-Theater-Systems-Advice.com/contact.html and I will be pleased to answer any of your inquiries to the best of my ability. You may also find more resources for home theater lighting and components at www.Home-Theater-Systems-Advice.com — from beginner’s component selection tips to room design and acoustical considerations.

Home Theater Projector Screens and Surfaces

The recent increased popularity of home video projectors and the large, clear images they can produce has led many new arrivals to the Home Theater realm to choose a video projector as their display device of choice. Video projector images look best when projected onto a properly matched screen surface. Although some anxious new owners may prematurely start by aiming their new projector on a white wall – they soon will want to get a projection screen for best results. Video projection screens come in many varieties – from the simple Do-It-Yourself (DIY) homemade screen to the most elaborate, manufactured remote control electric models and those various models in between. Video projector screens also come in a variety of surface finishes and reflectivity ratios. All of these factors should be considered when selecting a screen for your Home Theater.

Screen Surface Types

Home Theater projector screens come in a multitude of surface finishes. The variety of surface finish you will need depends upon your projector model. Screen surfaces vary from matte white, slightly silver or grey-ish, to reflective glass beaded models. Glass beaded models increase the effective brightness of your projector’s image similar to the way a highway sign reflects car headlights. Lower lumen-level (lumens=light output) projectors such as CRT models benefit most from higher reflectivity (or gain) of a screen’s surface. Higher gain surfaces increase the perceived brightness of the projected image. Conversely – a brighter projector looks best with a matte white or even a silver/gray surface. That is because the glass beads on higher gain screens have a tendency to “splatter” the brighter light waves produced by a high lumen output projector. A silver/gray surface will also enhance the perceived contrast level of LCD projectors which do not have the best contrast/black levels. So first you must decide the type and lumen output of the projector you are purchasing and that will help determine the surface type of the video projector screen you will need.

Model Types

Projection screens come in three basic styles – manual pull-down, electric and fixed varieties. Manual pull-down models are operated much like a window shade. Electric models have a motorized mechanism that does the work for you and fixed screens are motionless and stay right where you place them. Fixed screens also provide the flattest of all screen surfaces. Pull-down and electric screens can be susceptible to a slight waves on their surface. Although not obtrusive if properly cared for, some may prefer the absolute flat surface of a fixed screen model. The drawback to fixed screens is that you must live with them in place whereas retractable models can be deployed for viewing and afterwards be hidden from sight until next use.

Aspect Ratio

There is another very important factor to consider when shopping for a screen – that of the screen’s aspect ratio. The aspect ratio of a projection screen refers to the shape of the available screen surface. Screens come in two basic aspect ratios –– 4×3 which is your normal television aspect ratio and 16×9 which is the normal widescreen or HDTV aspect ratio. The aspect ratio of your screen is an important decision to make prior to its purchase. That’s because of the fact that once you buy it there’s no way to change the aspect ratio – other than by masking portions of the screen. You can mask the surface with material or curtains if you want to get creative and that can temporarily change the aspect ratio of your fixed screen.

You will save a lot of time and trouble by thoroughly researching your screen choice prior to its purchase. Whatever your application and needs — rest assured there is a projection screen surface and model available to fit your particular situation. For further and more detailed information on video projector screen applications for home theaters please refer to the section on projector screens which can also be accessed from the navigation bar at www.Home-Theater-Systems-Advice.com.