Blog

Home Theatre Electrical Tips

3 Sep 2020 Licensed Electrician

Whether you are looking into setting up a new theatre system in your home or you want to optimize your existing entertainment centre, it can help to get some professional home theatre electrical tips to ensure that you get the best home cinematic experience possible. At BNR Electric, we are passionate about helping our clients come up with the best home electrical plans available to improve their living spaces.

Electrical Tips for Setting Up Your Home Theatre

A home theatre does not have to be a room dedicated solely to watching movies; your home theatre could simply be a fully optimized entertainment centre in your living room or a multipurpose room. Regardless of where your home theatre is, some tips to set it up include:

1.     Think About Device Placement

Many people have more devices than they have room for in their entertainment centre. Planning ahead for where your devices will go, how they will get power, and how the wires will reach the television or projector is important. If you have multiple devices that need to connect, such as a cable box, DVD/Blu-ray player, or gaming console, it is worth getting a proper shelving unit and input switcher, as most TV’s and projectors come with limited HDMI ports. A hard-wired cabinet set up to ideally house your devices can offer a great solution to this dilemma.

2.     Plan Out Wiring in Advance

The wiring setup in home entertainment centres can often get out of control. Make sure that you have all of the wires that you need, plus a few extras. In order to keep the wires from getting tangled up and disorganized, mount them in place using proper clips, and bundle them together as they leave the cabinet or entertainment centre to get to the power source or TV. Make sure that each cable is labelled before getting started to ensure nothing gets confused. Consider having an electrician come in to wire the connections into your walls if the wires will be stretching long distances, as is common with projectors. Nothing distracts from the completed look of a home theatre like loose or exposed wiring.

3.     Have Multiple Options for Lighting

Only being able to have the lights on or off does not make for a very luxurious theatre experience. Make sure that you have the main lights on a dimmer so that you are able to have a range of light options. Multiple accent fixtures for your home theatre can also go a long way to creating a cool ambience. Sconce lights and low lights that make it easier to walk around in the dark are great ideas for any home theatre.

4.      Mount Your Speakers

If possible, mount your surround sound speakers or hide them in a way that does not restrict or alter the flow of sound. Speaker stands can work if they are out of the way, but they often take up floor space and the wires can be unsightly. Mounting speakers allows the wires to be contained in the wall and keeps the speakers out of the way.

If you would like to learn more home theatre electrical tips, or if you want to find out about our suite of residential electrical services, please contact us at 604-819-7887.