Home Theatre the Norm

Take a stroll through any display home and you'll see that home theatres have become a standard for new homes.

With the increasing sophistication of technology, the once popular games rooms equipped with pool table, dart board and beer fridge has made way for the home theatre.

"The current generation have a tendency to stay at home a lot more", says Louis Sultan, state manager of AVJennings Homes. "It's all about entertainment and not going out on a windy, rainy night. It's about putting on a movie, or watching the football in the comfort of your own home.

"You don't see rumpus rooms in homes anymore but you do have the home theatre."

Builders are designing home theatres to make the best use of technology like surround sound, large-screen TVs/projectors and intelligent lighting. Creating a stand-alone room for the home theatre that is light and sound-proof more closely replicates the experience of a night out at the cinema.

The room's isolation from the rest of the house also has its advantages. "Our home theatre is great when our teenage kids have their friends over because they can crank up the volume and we're in another part of the house and don't have to hear it", says home owner Felicity Lions.

Of course no two home theatres are the same because so much depends on budget and personal preference. One style is a hi-fi system with large screen TV, the other is screen and projector (fixed or drop-down). Sub-woofers are often considered an important ingredient in replicating true cinema sound because they put the boom in your home entertainment system, giving you the chance to 'feel' the sound as well as hear it.

Being able to brighten and dim the lights adds drama and excitement to the home theatre room, which is why intelligent lighting systems are a popular choice. The style of the fixtures, as well as the positioning of the lights all has a direct impact on the overall effect.

"With one press of a button the lights dim as the movie starts up. The system automatically leaves the soft recessed lights on overhead so I can see my popcorn, as well as the dimed perimeter lights so I can see the floor if I need to leave the room," says Lions.

Whatever your budget or personal preference, home automation experts agree that pre-planning is the key to a successful home theatre. Once the wiring is in place, it is easier to add new features down the track as the technology becomes available.