When you build your own home theater space, it can be one of the most interesting and fulfilling things you ever do to your house. If you don't know where to start, how do you figure out the dimensions of your home theater and how to set it up?
You'll also want to think about how far the screen is from the walls and how far the rows of seats are from each other. A lot of things to think about when planning your space and figuring out how many home theater seats you need have been put together. These things include answers to questions like, "What's the best distance between rows in a home theater?" You should do this to make sure that you get the most out of your new entertainment space.
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| Home theater Seating distance between rows |
In the beginning, you should think how many people you want to fit in your home theater room. The more people you plan to invite, the more space you'll need. However, many people desire to turn an old room into a movie theater.
This means that it might have to work the other way around: The size of your home theater may affect the people you can have over for a party. Start with a room at least 15 feet wide and 20 feet long. You should be able to start building your home theater. If you choose to go smaller than this minimum home theater room size, you might be a little cramped, but that's fine. Do not forget to make space for things like your home theater appliances and extra furniture like a bar, a table or a concession stand.
Your screen size will have the biggest impact on how far you can sit from the screen and still be comfortable. A home theater layout should give each seat a 30-degree field of view of the screen, says the Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers, or SMPTE. You'll need to do some math to figure out the theater seating dimensions that will keep everyone happy. Sitting too close to the screen can cause pain and eyestrain, while seats far away don't get the benefits of HD and widescreen resolution.
The following suggestions are meant to give you a general idea of how big your design should be. The home theater calculator is a good place to start if you want to get more precise measurements.