Obviously, knowing the intended use of the facility is paramount. A
media room that is going to be used primarily for a group of guys to
watch sports on weekends is going to have some very different
requirements than a dedicated theater used chiefly for a couple to
watch movies. It is important to know as much about this as
possible. Sometimes the client will come out and tell you. Other
times, you have to ask careful questions to get the best picture of
how the room will be used. If it is a personal project, you obviously
have a much better idea. Keep in mind that once the room is
complete, you may use it differently than originally intended.
If the room will be used primarily for sports for example, the sound
system and room acoustics become less important. More of the
budget can be shifted to video and control. You may be able to get
by with a good A/V receiver based audio system with good in-wall
speakers. Less of the budget needs to be allocated for interior room
acoustic treatments and sound isolation. This allows a greater
percentage of the budget for video and the required control system.
If the room is a single purpose facility, used only for watching video,
concealed components such as motorized video screens and
projector lifts become far less important, freeing resources for other
areas.
A very popular configuration for sports rooms is having multiple
HDTV feeds to a primary display and several secondary displays. In
this application, a large plasma or front projection primary display
would be complemented by several smaller LCD or plasma displays.
The secondary displays can be laid out either flanking or above the
primary display. Mounting them below usually doesn’t give
comparable results. It will cause the primary display to be elevated
above optimum sightlines. If a motorized projection screen is being
used, secondary monitor placement will be limited to the sides of the
primary display.
This type of multi-display system needs much more sophisticated
signal distribution and switching than does a system with a single
display. When using multiple displays, a touch screen control
interface is far easier to use. Touch screen controls tend to be far
more expensive for both the initial purchase and programming than
a simple smart remote. This cost is compensated for by the absolute
simplicity it confers to the system’s operation.
If the room will be a single purpose, dedicated home theater, a
different set of design criteria enters the equation. The sound
system, interior room acoustics and acoustic isolation become much
more critical. The primary purpose of a home theater is to create
what’s known in the motion picture industry as “suspension of
disbelief”. To facilitate this, the director crafts a sound track that
elicits certain emotions and immerses the viewer in the movie.
Many of the requisite sound track elements are very subtle. To
experience these subtleties, it is essential the theater’s noise floor is
very low. Lowering the ambient noise requires acoustic isolation
techniques to reduce sound transmission from the exterior
environment. If the noise floor is not suitably low, the volume of the
small sounds must be increased to compensate. If the sound system
has good dynamic range, (the ability to reproduce very quiet
sounds and very, very loud sounds without distortion) increasing the
volume of the quiet sounds will render the louder portions of the
sound track painfully loud. THX reference level is 105db, which
means the loudest sounds will be quite loud but the very subtle
sounds will be lost in a room with even a medium level of ambient
noise. Suspension of disbelief also requires the elimination of
exterior sounds that will distract the viewers. Nothing is worse than
hearing the neighbor’s argument during a touching emotional
moment in the movie.
The other goal to strive for in reducing sound transmission is to
keep the sound of your theater from disturbing others. This
especially true if you enjoy action/adventure movies with really
dynamic sound tracks. Bass from your cool, new subwoofers can
penetrate walls very effectively. Your neighbors and other family
members may not appreciate this as you enjoy the new Star Wars
box set until 1am on a weeknight.
The best construction technique for eliminating sound transmission
is thick, concrete walls, underground, if possible. Failing this, there
are other approaches that will reduce sound transmission. Interior
acoustic panels are not for reducing sound transmission. They are
for treating the room’s interior surfaces to improve internal room
acoustics. This deals with the behavior of sound inside the room
and will be addressed shortly.
One of the easiest, and most common sound transmission reduction
techniques is to mount the drywall on resilient channel, also known
as “c-channel”, “hat-channel” and “R/C channel” or “R/C”. This is
thin metal that is affixed to the wall studs and ceiling joists. The
drywall is then mounted to the resilient channel, effectively
decoupling it from the room’s structure. Sound is then not
transmitted as effectively from the drywall to the room’s structure or
vice versa.
When locating electrical outlets, vacuum outlets, or any other wall
penetration, be sure two penetrations on opposite sides of the wall
do not share a common stud bay. A penetration on opposite sides
of the wall, in a common bay, gives sound an unobstructed path
from your media room to the adjoining room or vice versa.
Staggered stud wall construction is an extremely effective technique
to reduce sound transmission as well. This technique keeps
opposite walls from sharing studs. Dedicated studs will reduce
sound transfer from the media room’s drywall, into the wall studs
and into the adjoining room’s drywall. Drywall is a great sound
radiator, and will re-radiate the sound from the studs into an
adjoining room with amazing effectiveness. When constructing the
wall, use top and bottom plates one size larger than your studs. For
example, if you are using 2x6 wall studs, use a 2x8 for the top &
bottom plates. Use at least R-19 batt insulation inside the wall. Lay it
horizontally and weave it between the studs. (see picture)
media room that is going to be used primarily for a group of guys to
watch sports on weekends is going to have some very different
requirements than a dedicated theater used chiefly for a couple to
watch movies. It is important to know as much about this as
possible. Sometimes the client will come out and tell you. Other
times, you have to ask careful questions to get the best picture of
how the room will be used. If it is a personal project, you obviously
have a much better idea. Keep in mind that once the room is
complete, you may use it differently than originally intended.
If the room will be used primarily for sports for example, the sound
system and room acoustics become less important. More of the
budget can be shifted to video and control. You may be able to get
by with a good A/V receiver based audio system with good in-wall
speakers. Less of the budget needs to be allocated for interior room
acoustic treatments and sound isolation. This allows a greater
percentage of the budget for video and the required control system.
If the room is a single purpose facility, used only for watching video,
concealed components such as motorized video screens and
projector lifts become far less important, freeing resources for other
areas.
A very popular configuration for sports rooms is having multiple
HDTV feeds to a primary display and several secondary displays. In
this application, a large plasma or front projection primary display
would be complemented by several smaller LCD or plasma displays.
The secondary displays can be laid out either flanking or above the
primary display. Mounting them below usually doesn’t give
comparable results. It will cause the primary display to be elevated
above optimum sightlines. If a motorized projection screen is being
used, secondary monitor placement will be limited to the sides of the
primary display.
This type of multi-display system needs much more sophisticated
signal distribution and switching than does a system with a single
display. When using multiple displays, a touch screen control
interface is far easier to use. Touch screen controls tend to be far
more expensive for both the initial purchase and programming than
a simple smart remote. This cost is compensated for by the absolute
simplicity it confers to the system’s operation.
If the room will be a single purpose, dedicated home theater, a
different set of design criteria enters the equation. The sound
system, interior room acoustics and acoustic isolation become much
more critical. The primary purpose of a home theater is to create
what’s known in the motion picture industry as “suspension of
disbelief”. To facilitate this, the director crafts a sound track that
elicits certain emotions and immerses the viewer in the movie.
Many of the requisite sound track elements are very subtle. To
experience these subtleties, it is essential the theater’s noise floor is
very low. Lowering the ambient noise requires acoustic isolation
techniques to reduce sound transmission from the exterior
environment. If the noise floor is not suitably low, the volume of the
small sounds must be increased to compensate. If the sound system
has good dynamic range, (the ability to reproduce very quiet
sounds and very, very loud sounds without distortion) increasing the
volume of the quiet sounds will render the louder portions of the
sound track painfully loud. THX reference level is 105db, which
means the loudest sounds will be quite loud but the very subtle
sounds will be lost in a room with even a medium level of ambient
noise. Suspension of disbelief also requires the elimination of
exterior sounds that will distract the viewers. Nothing is worse than
hearing the neighbor’s argument during a touching emotional
moment in the movie.
The other goal to strive for in reducing sound transmission is to
keep the sound of your theater from disturbing others. This
especially true if you enjoy action/adventure movies with really
dynamic sound tracks. Bass from your cool, new subwoofers can
penetrate walls very effectively. Your neighbors and other family
members may not appreciate this as you enjoy the new Star Wars
box set until 1am on a weeknight.
The best construction technique for eliminating sound transmission
is thick, concrete walls, underground, if possible. Failing this, there
are other approaches that will reduce sound transmission. Interior
acoustic panels are not for reducing sound transmission. They are
for treating the room’s interior surfaces to improve internal room
acoustics. This deals with the behavior of sound inside the room
and will be addressed shortly.
One of the easiest, and most common sound transmission reduction
techniques is to mount the drywall on resilient channel, also known
as “c-channel”, “hat-channel” and “R/C channel” or “R/C”. This is
thin metal that is affixed to the wall studs and ceiling joists. The
drywall is then mounted to the resilient channel, effectively
decoupling it from the room’s structure. Sound is then not
transmitted as effectively from the drywall to the room’s structure or
vice versa.
When locating electrical outlets, vacuum outlets, or any other wall
penetration, be sure two penetrations on opposite sides of the wall
do not share a common stud bay. A penetration on opposite sides
of the wall, in a common bay, gives sound an unobstructed path
from your media room to the adjoining room or vice versa.
Staggered stud wall construction is an extremely effective technique
to reduce sound transmission as well. This technique keeps
opposite walls from sharing studs. Dedicated studs will reduce
sound transfer from the media room’s drywall, into the wall studs
and into the adjoining room’s drywall. Drywall is a great sound
radiator, and will re-radiate the sound from the studs into an
adjoining room with amazing effectiveness. When constructing the
wall, use top and bottom plates one size larger than your studs. For
example, if you are using 2x6 wall studs, use a 2x8 for the top &
bottom plates. Use at least R-19 batt insulation inside the wall. Lay it
horizontally and weave it between the studs. (see picture)
Copyright 2004 1 touch movie.com
All rights reserved.
All rights reserved.
1TouchMovie.com
Media Room Design
p.2
Media Room Design
p.2
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |