Decide what type of Home Cinema surround sound you want. Are you able to have a dedicated Home Cinema room, or will the space have to be shared for day to day television watching.

Typically a dedicated room is termed a Home Cinema or a shared space, a Media Room.

Although Media Rooms can be very high performance, a dedicated Home Cinema room will enable you to get the very best in an immersive cinema experience.

Usually, with a projection system to get the darkest blacks and the best contrast image, the room will have to be as dark as possible.

However, with the introduction of Short Throw projectors, and Ambient Light Rejecting (ALR) screens you can enjoy the big screen experience in lighter rooms, and still get the cinematic colours of a more traditional projector experience.

If you have windows in your room, black out blinds or curtains can be used effectively to control the light. Careful use of step and seating lighting can retain comfort without affecting the projected image significantly.

With the latest surround sound technologies of Dolby Atmos, Auro 3D and DTS-X you really can get the 3D surround sound experience at home.

With all new films, many existing films and lots of box sets now using 3D audio, you will be missing big parts of the intended experience if you don’t set your system up for these effects.

Careful and correct positioning of loudspeakers enable 3D audio compatible amplifiers to position sounds and effects precisely in your room.

Projection systems will give you the biggest image and the best Home Cinema viewing experience.

Televisions can be installed with sizes up to 98” (1960mm wide), and these are great choice for rooms where you cannot control the light or are unable to install a projection screen.

Media Walls are way of getting the big screen in your home, but this technology is currently more suited to commercial installations.

To get a Home Cinema system to sound as good as it can, at the volume levels required, you should allocate a portion of your budget for room acoustics. Adding specialist treatments to absorb and diffuse the sound in your room will greatly improve your listening experience.

If you are unable to install specialist acoustic treatments, some consideration should be made for the type of floor/wall coverings, and position of doors/windows when designing your room layout.