img_1726.jpg © dustin rhoads. used with permission

How to Design and Setup a Media Room

IMG_1726.JPG © Dustin Rhoads. Used with permission.

Choose your components

Select your projector-The more you spend the more you will get with this component. We highly recommend Mitsubishi projectors.

Select speakers- Pick the speaker that sounds best to you, which means you need to demo as many as you can before you make your selection. THX certification is recommended.

Receiver- Base the power of the receiver on the size of your room. 100 true watts per channel is a good starting point. Once again THX certification is great!

Screen- Select the size you want, and get something with a light absorbing velvet surround.

Seating-Choose the color and comfort level which pleases you.

3 Stage Process Navigation Buttons

Click here for Room Setup

Click here for Audio

setup

Click here for Projector

setup

Round up your tools• Power drill• Key hole saw• Speaker Templates• Pencil• Level• Tape measure


Additional supply's• You may need 4 to 5 Hdmi cables.• Extension cords• Bluray player • Test disc• Speaker wire• Voltage regulator


Prepare your room for demolition

• Tape off and place protective plastic• Remove furniture from room• Open door for ventilation• Bring tools to outside of room• Notify all family members of your

work area• Strap on your tool bag

Speaker Location

• Locate where you want your speakers and mark them with tape

• Run the speaker wire to the location

Run speaker wireYou will need to start at you receiver location, leaving several extra feet for slack. Next you will need to run your speaker wire through the available crawl space and fish the wire down the wall with a fish tape. If running wire is not an option than several wireless options are available.


• Measure out where you templates are to be placed• Mark wall using templates(remember to check your

work before you proceed to the next step)• Cut out hole following the lines you marked with the

provided templates

Installing Speakers


Place Speaker in the wall• First connect wires to the speaker• Place speaker in the wall• Align speakers so that they are

level• Tighten the built in fasteners

(remember not to tight)• Check for and wiggle room and

correct any that is found


The best place to locate your sub is either in the back by your seating or up front right below the screen. You get the best sound with the sub being up front, but it requires much more power to achieve the same level of performance as one located in the back. If you have a lower powered sub than you can place it in the back, while this isn't ideal for balance it does lower the power requirements because the sub is in closer proximity to the listener.

Decide where to locate your sub woofer


Test Speakers• With the receiver off, plug in the speakers to their

corresponding plugs on the back of the receiver.• Inspect the wiring one more time before you turn on

the receiver.• Install a Bluray player and connect it to the receiver.• Place a disc of you choice in for testing.• Turn on the receiver and lower the volume all the

way down• Slowly raise the volume to a comfortable level for

the test.• If all tests well move forward , if you experience

problems trace your steps back to trouble shoot.

Click here for Component

selection /room setup

Click here for Audio setup

Click here for

Projector setup

Hang your screen

• Locate a good spot for your screen.

• Find two studs and mark them.• Screw in a 4 inch screw leaving

¾ an inch exposed for hanging.• Do this on two studs so that the

screen can hang from them.• Make sure you screw them in

level with each other so that the screen hangs straight.

• Once you confirm they are level you may hang the screen from them


The throw distance is different for all projectors so you will need to refer to your projectors owner manual to properly calculate your needed throw distance. This distance will be based upon how large your screen is. Our throw distance was determined to be 12 feet.

Determine your throw distance


Run your hdmi cable to the projector

Depending on your room setup you will need to run an hdmi cable from your receiver to your projector to display video.

Hang the projector• Now that you have determined your

throw distance mark the ceiling at your throw distance from the screen, while also being centered on the screen from left to right while looking at the screen.

• Next you will need to attach the projector mount to the ceiling using the supplied hardware.

• Now attach the projector to the mount and tighten the hardware so that the mount is snug, but still adjustable

• Plug in and turn on the projector• You will need to make vertical and

lateral adjustments to the projector mount until the screen is in line with your screen bot vertically and horizontally.


If you choose to skip this step you will suffer for it later.

Protect your investment

Before you go any further you need to turn off all of your equipment and install your voltage regulator. A voltage regulator is a smart power strip that will eliminate fluctuations in the power currant that goes to your equipment. Make sure you plug all of your equipment into the voltage regulator, including your projector because it will extend the life of your projector bulb.

Clean up• Now that you have installed all of your

electronic equipment it is time for you to clean the mess you have made.

• Make sure to pick up any fallen screws and large pieces of drywall.

• You will need to make and touch ups to paint or drywall at this time.

• Make sure you vacuum the floor very thoroughly.





Click here for

Projector setup

You need to select your room

Picking your room is one of the most important steps in the Media Room setup process. Try to select a room with minimal light interference and one that is acoustically isolated from the rest of the sleeping areas.

Locate your optimal seating locations

Now that your room is clean and all touch ups have been made you will need to locate the optimal locations for your recliners. To do this you will need to turn on all of your equipment and insert your desired test disc. Using a light movable chair move around the room until you find the most desirable vantage point. Once you find the optimal locations mark them on the floor with blue painters tape.


Set up your chairsUnbox and place your chairs where you have your blue painters tape, removing the tape just before you place the chairs.Hook the chairs together for stability


Test out your seatingNow that you have placed your seating you will need to check the reclining mechanisms to ensure proper function.If there is any squeaking you will need to apply a spray silicone lubricant to all metal parts under the chair.Make sure the chairs meet your comfort requirements , because the return policy is short and strict on media seating.

Now lets calibrate your audio receiver

First you will need to locate the remote and Audyssey mic that was supplied with your receiver. Once you have located them turn on the receiver and proceed to the next step.


Audyssey tuning

Place the mic in the primary seating location and plug the mic into the receiver. Press the Audyssey button on the remote to start the tuning process. Follow the on screen instructions , and be very quite during the process because the setup process is sensitive to ambient sound.


Test surround tuning

Now that you have tuned the system start your test disc. Raise the volume to a level that you are comfortable with and insure that the system sounds great!If something sounds off rerun the test, this will take care of most problems that occurred.


Tune your projector

Now that you have tuned your sound you will need to tune your projector.While there are several settings that should only be adjusted by a professional, you can adjust the keystone for proper screen fitment. This setting can be found in the settings menu with the remote. Once you have adjusted the keystone you can adjust the brightness and contrast under the same settings menu. This will adjust the lumens out put to best fit your environment.


Now that you have set up your media room and made all of the necessary adjustments to fine tune your system, it is time to play. I recommend using a fast paced action movie to test the media setup. Watch a full length movie and enjoy the experience. If you think your system is to bright or dull now would be the time fix it because over time we get used to the problems and are less likely to adjust them in the future.

Test you entire setup.

IMG_1750.JPG/IMG_1752.JPG/IMG_1753.JPG/IMG_1754.JPG © Dustin Rhoads. Used with permission.

Decorate your media rom• Now that you have setup your electronic equipment

it is time to decide how you want to decorate your media room. Some will add storage for games and movies , while others will not. How you choose to decorate is entirely up to you. Is it a man cave, or a family room? Its up to you to do the finishing touches.

IMG_1738.JPG/IMG_1720.JPG/IMG_1736.JPG/IMG_1737.JPG © Dustin Rhoads. Used with permission.

Adjust the A/CMost people forget this step , which leaves them frustrated and uncomfortable in their media room.You have now increased the heat load on your room by adding several heat generating components. In order to fix this you will need to contact a heating and air professional to do a load balance on your air conditioning. Once they balance the system you should be able to be comfortable in your media room with all of your equipment on at the same time.

Finally enjoy your investment and hard work you deserve it!!




Click here for

Projector setup

img_1726.jpg © dustin rhoads. used with permission

Documents

location slide

speaker place speaker

dustin rhoads

projector setup slide

room setup

speaker location

receiver location

tool bag slide