Home Movie Theaters

We purchased an ocean front home in White Rock. BC, Canada 8 years ago. The house had an unfinished basement, and we always envisioned using the space for a dedicated theater. We have handled many home improvement projects over the years, and as a long-time subscriber to Home Theater magazine, I knew that I was up for the challenge. The project took five years from start to finish, and we are ecstatic with the results.

Our first challenge was to decide on what equipment would best compliment the project. I visited Paul Wong at the Sound Room in Vancouver and knew immediately that he was the right person to share my passion. Paul advised me that apart from the equipment the most important aspect of any home theater is the acoustics and the location of the speakers.

Section T Consulting helped design the theater layout and completed the bar area. They addressed all other sub-systems as well including ventilation and heating, which had to be modified to suit the intended use of the space, a detail that is often overlooked.

The Theater is 15ft. x 20ft. with an 8ft. ceiling. We wanted to keep the ceiling as high as possible especially since we were planning to install acoustic tile with fibre optic lights, which proved to be a greater challenge than I expeted. The interior walls were completed with a double sheet of drywall attached to resilient RC-1 channels, creating isolation between the drywall and studs to enhance sound quality. I installed all the cables and equipment and an installer from the Sound Room optimized the audio and video as part of the final phase of the setup phase. Keylime Design & Marketing Inc.created and supplied the acrylic LED sign and handled the photography.

When deciding on a paint color that would help darken the room and coupled with gold trim, the final look is very classy, reminiscent of older style theaters. The doors are solid core and custom made by a local supplier. We installed seven Palliser black leather seats with bass transducers built-in. The three in the front recline, and a riser allows the back row of seats to have an unobstructed view of the screen.

We chose Lutron lighting, which is easily controlled, along with all the AV gear, with a Harmony 900 remote control. Since audio is my passion, I included a Pioneer SACD player and a Sonos audio streaming system so we can enjoy all our music from the theater and the bar area. Paradigm speakers were used throughout with a Definitive Technology subwoofer in the front. The video is equally impressive with a JVC DLA HD500 project paired with a 77” DaLite screen. A Middle Atlantic rack was installed for all the components and provided easy access from the rear for installation and maintenance. The separate bar area includes Paradigm in-wall speakers and a Samsung 40” flat screen HDTV.

The sound is simply amazing and the two areas – theater and bar – compliment our social activities where we enjoy entertaining our family and friends.

Choosing a name for our Theater was a highlight of the process, as it meant we were near completion and could start to enjoy the theater we worked so hard to build. The name ”Into theMystic” exemplifies a sense of mystery and wonder.

When we celebrated our long-awaited opening night of “Into the Mystic”, we hired a personal chef to cater the event for 60 guests. We even had a red carpet and photographer to welcome them, making them feel like celebrities.

We couldn’t be more thrilled with the results and plan to host many social functions around the theater including sporting events, Oscar night, and, of course, movie nights. Ultimately, this was all possible because of the information and expertise I gained from reading Home Theater magazine.

Photography by Keylime Design & Marketing

Theater Equipment
JVC DLA HD550 Projector
Yamaha RXV 3900B Receiver
Pioneer SACD PD-DMK2
Pioneer Bluray BDP-23FD
Sonos Z90 Player
Ultra PGX-500 Power Conditioner
APC 750 Rack Mount UPS
Lutron 3600 Grafik Eye
Harmony 900 Remote Control
Dalite 77” HD Screen
Middle Atlantic MRK 4026 Rack
Paradigm Inwall SA 35V2 Speakers
Paradigm Studio 60 Speakers
Definitive Super Cube Subwoofer
Paradigm CC-590V5 Centre Speaker
Pace HD Cable Box

Bar Area
Samsung 40” LCD Flat Screen
Yamaha RVX 565 Receiver
Panasonic DMP BD60 Bluray
Sonos 90 Player
Paradigm AMS 300 Inwall Speakers
Pace HD Cable Box