Home Theater or Media Room: Which Is Better for Your Home?

More and more homeowners are realizing they don’t need to go to the movie theater to see big-screen entertainment. Once a luxury upgrade reserved only for the wealthy, changes in projectors have made a home theater a potential reality for any homeowner.

But is a dedicated home theater the right choice for your home, or would a media room be a better choice—and what’s the difference between them, anyway? We’re here to answer all these questions about this popular home upgrade. 

Home Theater vs. Media Room: What’s the Difference

The main difference between a home theater and a media room is the level of specialization. A home theater is exactly what it sounds like: a dedicated space for watching movies and TV. Normally they’re built with this singular purpose in mind, with light-control measures and row-style seating like you’d find in a movie theater.

A media room uses much of the same technology as a home theater but is more versatile. You can use it to watch movies, but it can also be a place to play video games, listen to music, or enjoy your home theater equipment in any way you please. They’ll usually use couches and armchairs for seating instead of row-style theater seats. In this sense, you can think of them as high-tech living rooms, designed for the whole family to enjoy. 

How Much Does It Cost?

The budget for a home theater or media room varies widely depending on what you expect from the space. It could cost as little as $500 or as much as $10,000 or more, depending on what equipment you buy and how much renovation you do. If you already have a suitable room, most homeowners should budget around $2,000-$4,000 total. 

What Do You Need?

The biggest piece of the puzzle for both home theaters and media rooms is a high-quality projector. In a home theater, you want to emulate theater quality as closely as possible. The best way to do this is with a 4K projector, which give you the best picture quality you’ll find on the consumer market. You might want to check this 4K projector buying guide.

For media rooms, you may be looking at different specs when shopping for projectors. If you don’t want to worry about light control in the space, a projector brightness of at least 3,500 lumens is recommended. Gamers should check out the input lag, too. If it’s higher than 30ms you may notice a delay, and anything over 60ms is high enough it will impair your playing ability.

You’ll also need a screen to project the image onto. You can use a sheet (or even a blank white wall) in a pinch, but a dedicated screen is designed to enhance the contrast and color and is worth the investment for most. 

Most people will want a separate sound system, as well, since projector speakers aren’t known for their power and sound quality. For immersive surround sound, a 5.1 system will fit the bill for most rooms. This doesn’t have to be a budget-killer, either. You can get a decent set of speakers for $200-$300.

How Much Space Do You Need?

Projectors have a variable screen size. The size of the image increases as the projector moves further from the wall. Traditional projectors will need at least 8-10 feet of space to produce an image that’s around 100”-120” on the diagonal.

Having said that, you can make a media room out of a smaller space. Projectors with a short throw ratio can produce the same 100” screen with just 4-5 feet of distance, and an ultra-short throw projector can be even closer. 

Thanks to these improvements in technology, the size of the space is more about how many people you want it to accommodate. If it’s a media room for one or two people, a more intimate space may be more suitable. 

The Bottom Line

The versatility of a media room can make it more appealing to families than a home theater. Whichever way you go, though, it doesn’t have to be a costly project. With the right projector, anyone can enjoy big-screen entertainment in the comfort of their own home. 

Article courtesy of Karl Kennedy.