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 to a cinema room installation:
- System hardware
- Your choices
- Installation works
But also, the main variables are:
- 'How big is the room?' and
- 'How good would you like it?'
System hardware
That's the sound system - surround 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 - to say 'Level I' standard - varies like this:
3 x 4 x 2.2m, Vol 26㎥
Screen: width 2.8m, area 4.4㎡
Level I from £19,000
4 x 5 x 2.8m, Vol 56㎥
Screen: width 3.3m, area 6.1㎡
Level I from £36,000
6 x 8 x 3.2m, Vol 154㎥
Screen: width 4.2m, area 9.9㎡
Level I from £55,000
The viewing angle is what dictates how big the picture seems - it's the same across all three rooms. It's like you're two-thirds back in a commercial cinema, where the premium seats are.
You'll see how much the room volume and screen area increase, and how in larger rooms we need more speakers.
To get these figures we worked everything out, according to film industry standards - the correct speaker positions, enough sound pressure level for all seats, reduced echo (RT60) for the room, ensured enough screen brightness and worked out the sightlines so that everyone can watch in comfort.
You say 'from' - what's the catch?
It's not really a catch, just that there are options. These upgrades are all well worth doing:
• Laser-based projector - comes on instantly, no replacement lamp costs, better blacks and contrast, brightness never drops over time
• High projector brightness - especially in a multi-use cinema/media room
• More amplifier power makes the performance more effortless
• More speakers to give a more immersive, convincing, and three-dimensional sound effect
• Aspect masking - this is where the black border moves, to match what you're watching.
Some performance aspects are hard to pin down to a number, but really easy to experience. It's a bit like driving - functionally, a Panda or a Porsche will both get you there, but one of them is much more fun!
Your choices
The System Rack
Stores all equipment safely, allowing good airflow and super-tidy cable management. It's not optional, but the size depends on your system - do you have a Sky box and an Apple TV, or do you also have a disc player, consoles, streamers, video matrix and movie server...
A whole home worth of smart technology is often stored with the cinema system - that'll need much more racking.
From £500.
Control System
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 handset with real buttons is best.
There are different levels of processor, handset and programming - chosen to suit the system size and complexity. From £1500.
Lighting
Great lighting makes a huge difference to the feel of the room. In cinema rooms we use lighting for dramatic effect - plus task lighting for the seats so you don't spill your drink. Lights should be remote controlled and dimmable.
From £750, plus lights.
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 £1250 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 'Level IV' acoustic treatment to match.
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 seating. For these more involved tasks, we can either work with your builder, or bring ours.
Documentation
Critically important but often missed - your system must be correctly documented. This will help you upgrade in the future, or assist the next householder if you move on.
Our in-house documentation is excellent, and meets the exacting standards of a CEDIA Award winning project.
What happens 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.
The guidelines above should give you a feel for the main costs.
Please get in touch if you have questions, and if you'd like to start planning out your very own private screening or media room, use our New Project Planner.
