Home & Garden: Bringing the Movie Theater Home

Indiana Jones. Luke Skywalker. The Transformers. Even the lovable, purple Barney. Every homeowner’s had them as guests in their house, visitors via entertainment systems. But how many people get to know these screen stars up close and personal? That’s what a primo home theatre achieves. Darren Huddleston of Custom Home Electronics and David Truitt of Great Choice AV know home electronics inside and out, front to back. And they know how to make these stars show up on your screen bigger than life.

First and foremost, the best entertainment centers are user-friendly. How many homeowners struggle with four, five or six remotes just to watch a DVD? “If you can’t run your entertainment center with one remote, the system’s not worth anything,” says Truitt. High-end home theaters may have six or more devices incorporated into them. That’s a lot to keep up with just to watch or movie or see the big game.

Both Truitt and Huddleston specialize in equipment integration that accommodates just about every homeowner’s budget, from the low end to the high end. Cost matters, but you don’t have to be a millionaire to own a great entertainment center. “Our focus is people that can get something really cool on a very moderate budget,” said Truitt.

Huddleston’s company, which also specializes in system integration, has worked on some very high-end entertainment centers. He says he’s had clients spend well into six figures to design and implement what he calls a “home cinema experience.” One of his clients, he notes, spent $90,000 for a projector lens alone.

Two years ago the buzzword was “home theater system.” That’s changed. The new buzzword is “home cinema experience,” says Huddleston. For the best cinema experience having the right furniture is essential.

“Once you have the perfect entertainment system, you’re halfway there,” says Brent Barnes of Bruno’s.  The next step involves the furniture that will be the home to this incredible system. Many people these days still put entertainment equipment into units that take up an entire wall. There are so many options for entertainment system storage and a nice part of these units today is that they have adjustable sizes and accommodate plenty of sizes of flat screen TVs.”

Once the audio and video system have been matched with key furniture pieces, establishing a great lighting scheme is usually next on the list for a perfect home cinema experience. According to Johnny James, owner of James Lighting, wall sconces are the lighting choice for most home theaters, ideally at a height of 5 to 5 ½ feet off the floor.

“They set the mood,” he says. “In Oklahoma, most people opt for more traditional styles, but there are many contemporary and art deco styles that work quite nicely in theater rooms. When combined with the more functional recessed canned lighting, you have all the lighting you need for movie showing.” A nice wall sconce can cost anywhere from $65 to over $100 per piece.

A good entertainment center entertains. A bad entertainment center leaves the eyes and ears wondering what hit them. Great planning can make for some fun occasions.

For more information about Custom Home Electronics, call 405-341-4700 or visit www.customhomeelectronics.com. To learn more about Great Choice AV, call 405-209-9287 or visit www.greatchoiceav.com. To find out more about Bruno’s, call 405-524-1488 or visit www.brunosfurniture.com. For information about James Lighting, call 405-947-6663.