What does a home cinema cost?
It's not really a single figure, but we can look at and explain the cost ranges.
There are three main elements in a cinema room installation:
- System hardware
- Personal choices
- Installation works
But also, the critical factors are:
- 'How big is the space?' and
- 'How good do you want this to be?'
System hardware
These are the main building blocks - the sound system - processor, amplifiers, speakers and acoustic treatment, and the video system - projector and screen.
The main factor is room size. All these rooms would make a great Home Cinema, but the cost to equip them varies like this:
Small
from £24k
no upper limit
3 x 4 x 2.2m, Vol 26㎥
Screen: width 2.8m, area 4.4㎡
Medium
from £51k
no upper limit
4 x 5 x 2.8m, Vol 56㎥
Screen: width 3.3m, area 6.1㎡
Large
from £104k
no upper limit
6 x 8 x 3.2m, Vol 154㎥
Screen: width 4.2m, area 10㎡
You'll see how much the room volume and screen area increase, and how in larger rooms we need more speakers.
The viewing angle is what dictates how big the picture looks from the seats, and it's the same across all three rooms. It's as if you're about two-thirds back in a commercial cinema, which most of us prefer (some cinemas charge extra for those seats).
To get these figures, I worked everything out, according to film industry standards - the correct speaker positions, enough sound pressure level for all seats, reduced sound reflections (RdT60), plenty of screen brightness and worked out the sightlines - so everyone can watch in comfort.
In 2023 CEDIA released the latest CEDIA/CTA-RP22 guidelines for immersive audio design.
I had early access to the document as a member of CEDIA Standards working groups, so I've been working to the new standard for longer. More about RP22.
You say 'from'?
At any room size, you can make performance improvements. These upgrades are all well worth having:
- Brighter, better projector - laser light source is fairly standard these days - however, it's always worth going for better quality and extra brightness, especially for modern HDR content, and if you sometimes want to watch with the lights up a little.
- Video processor - for better aspect handling, much better colour accuracy and superior tone mapping to optimise the dynamic performance of the picture - pictures look significantly better. The best video processors also enable aspect scaling and where wanted, non-linear stretch.
- More system power makes the whole performance more effortless.
- Larger subwoofers, and infrasonic subs - for even bass that goes deeper, and is more consistent across the whole listening area.
- More speakers improves spatial resolution - giving a more immersive, convincing, and three-dimensional sound, and better results for more seats.
- Active acoustics - pioneered by Trinnov and DIRAC, active systems enable improvements particularly at the low-end, overcoming problems of room modes and standing waves - better bass, for everyone. Read more about Trinnov WaveForming
- Aspect masking - the black screen border matches whatever you're watching - no more grey bars. More about aspect ratios and screen masking
Performance is hard to write down in a way everyone can understand, but clear and obvious once you experience it.
It's like driving; functionally, a Panda or a Porsche will both get you there, but one is just... better.
My starting point is, this has to be better than going out to the cinema, or what's the point?
Read more - about top level home cinema
Book a visit to our showroom and feel the difference.
What if I want to spend much less?
For a Cinemaworks project, the starting point is CEDIA RP22 Level 1 - or, as I like to put it, better than going out.
That means proper design work: loud enough without distorting, bright enough image, great results for everyone in the room. That has a cost, and on a significantly lower budget, we won't hit those targets.
At this point, it isn't sensible to work with a specialist designer. With a tighter budget, you need to maximise the equipment spend - and I'd only be telling you the maths isn't adding up.
I've just told you that, so save the money.
Big TV and Soundbar
Often a perfectly good answer. TVs don't sound much good by themselves, and a decent soundbar - Sonos, Bluesound, that sort of thing - adds bass weight and a reasonable sense of space. It's what I have in my front room.
You don't need a specialist for this. If it's your lounge and you just want to beef up the TV sound, crack on.
DIY cinema room
Harder, but doable if you're practical - or someone in the household is. Speakers can be wall-mounted, cables can be run, screens can be built. I'll even supply fabric wall kits if you're feeling ambitious.
One thing to watch: people doing this by themselves often get sold the wrong stuff.
Most hi-fi speakers don't have the dynamics or output levels a cinema room needs, even if they sound lovely playing music. Not everyone in the trade got that memo, and supplier relationships run deep - the friendly guy in the shop knows the basics, but he's also got a sales target tied to one or two brands.
Budget home cinema tips:
Research properly. This needs more thought than, say, planning a kitchen.
Spend a bit more on the surround amplifier (usually called an AV receiver). The features matter less than the output - just as modern cars all have CarPlay, but it's the engine and chassis that make the difference.
Smaller budgets go further in smaller spaces. Will you really have eight friends round to watch films in the dark? No, neither would I - people come round, but when they do we eat, drink, and talk nonsense.
- Try to use two identical subwoofers if at all possible, and be prepared to spend a bit of time moving them about until the bass is really good.
The design section of our Guides & FAQ is worth reading at any budget - particularly the articles on seating layouts. And if you're not scared off by maths, the RP22 guide is there too.
Your choices
System Rack
Stores all equipment safely, allowing good airflow and super-tidy cable management. It's not optional, and is a bit dull, but the size depends on your system - how powerful is the sound system and how many boxes does it have, plus disc player, gaming consoles, movie server and so on...
From £550.
System controller
Fire up the system, dim the lights, switch inputs, operate all the equipment, switch everything off again afterwards - a control system is a must. It's a dark room, so a backlit handset with real buttons is what you need.
Savant Pro X2 Remote (featured) and control processor from £1250.
Lighting Control
Great lighting makes a huge difference to the feel of the room. In cinema rooms we use lighting for dramatic effect - and task lighting for the seats, so you don't spill your drink.
Lights should be remote controlled and dimmable
Rako lighting: from £800
Seating
Sofas, cinema style seating, or both? 'Cinema sofas' are popular too - the clean look and feel of a sofa but with motorised reclining for ultimate comfort in a mixed-use space.
Dedicated cinema seats from £1400 per person.
Wall finishes and treatments
The cleanest look in a cinema room is a fabric wall system to hide away all the acoustic treatment and loudspeakers, so the room looks great despite all the technical equipment.
Different levels of luxury finish and audio performance are available - a 'Level IV' or 'Platinum' cinema system will need a suitable finish.
Home Cinema Installation
This is the biggest single variable.
The basics of a home cinema installation are to run all the cables neatly, install loudspeakers and set up the display, then calibrate the audio and video systems.
Construction
For larger spaces, one or more tiers for seating becomes appropriate - then everyone can see properly. For this, we need a good strong platform for the seats.
I'm very keen on fabric wall systems to hide the tech and the acoustic treatments - this will need building out from the existing walls.
For these more involved tasks, I can either work with your builders, or bring my own trusted trades.
Documentation
Critically important but often missed - your system must be properly documented and labelled. This will help with future upgrades, and help the next owners if you move on.
My in-house documentation is comprehensive, and achieves the exacting standards of a CEDIA Award-winning project.
So what happens now?
By now you should have a good idea of the room size, or how many people you'd like to entertain, and anything special you'd like to add.
I know I can build you a better home cinema.
Please get in touch with any questions, and to start planning out your very own private screening or media room, use our new project form.
WRITTEN BY
Owen Maddock
Owner & designer, Cinemaworks
I've spent twenty years looking for ways to make films feel more real in people's homes.
CEDIA® Member of Excellence, award-winning designer, podcast host, and the one you'll actually work with.
