| Home theatre systems have come a long way from | | | | recommends having a custom system installed. |
| the days of placing two huge speakers on either side | | | | "You have to start with speakers, remote control, and |
| of your television and listening to records while | | | | flat panel all installed and you can do that for about $9, |
| watching Saturday Night Fever on your VCR and | | | | 000," he says. |
| television. These days there are as many ways to | | | | But if money's no object then there's no end of fun to |
| design a home theatre system as there are | | | | be had. "We've done media rooms that are $500,000 |
| customers to buy them. | | | | for one room. For that you get projectors that have |
| "The basics of the home entertainment system | | | | better than movie theatre quality, sound so good that |
| haven't changed much in the last 15 years or so. What | | | | when someone's whispering on screen it feels like |
| have changed are people's tastes and priorities," | | | | they're whispering in your ear." |
| explains Adam Bowden of Bose Home Theatre. | | | | Some homeowners go for the total theatre |
| "Fifteen to 20 years ago a home entertainment | | | | experience and have custom theatre seating installed |
| system meant music. People would spend hours in | | | | in their media rooms, with one-touch remote controls in |
| stores and bring in a variety of music and listen to the | | | | the arm of each chair, massage units and heated |
| various speakers before selecting a unit to buy. Today | | | | seats. |
| a home entertainment system is a visual experience | | | | "We've even put motion in the seats so that when |
| focused on movies, and people make decisions based | | | | there's motion in the movie you feel it in your seat," he |
| on aesthetics, under the assumption (and rightly so) | | | | says. "And I don't mean it just vibrates...it actually |
| that the sound will be exceptional. They will purchase a | | | | moves." |
| home theatre system that is visually appealing and | | | | Other options for your home theatre system include |
| assume that the sound will be appealing as well." | | | | custom draperies, acoustic paint, and sound-proofing. |
| "Prices are falling on flat panel televisions and the | | | | This may seem like overkill but Strang says that most |
| quality is going up so more people are incorporating | | | | homes over $700,000 now come with a media room |
| bigger flat panels and surround sound into their home | | | | or dedicated home theatre room. |
| theatre system design," says Joe Strang, President of | | | | "I find that we usually install home theatre systems that |
| Show Case Home Theatres in Alberta. "The other big | | | | are about 10 per cent of the value of the home, not |
| thing is the all-in-one touch pad controls." | | | | just in the home theatre room but throughout the |
| The price of a home theatre system depends on how | | | | house, multi-room sound, lighting, automation and such. |
| seriously you take your entertainment needs. | | | | So for a $1.5 million home, you're looking at $150,000 |
| According to Strang, you can buy a "big box" system | | | | worth of home entertainment equipment. |
| for $5,000. But to really get the whole experience, he | | | | |