Media Rooms
Delivering More Entertainment Bang for Your Buck, For Any Space
Multi-purpose media rooms are gaining even more momentum as the preferred place to watch movies, play video games, socialize with beautiful background music and – simply relax. Given their amazing versatility and proximity often to areas such as the kitchen and powder room, for many families they sometimes make more sense than devoting an entire room to one singular activity. Dedicated Home Theaters are awesome if you have the space. They can add a sense of cinematic drama and prestige to entertaining and your life. But they are not always the ideal solution for your exact needs and space.
An option for you might be to consider making a few updates to a room you already have and use regularly. This can generally be less expensive than building a dedicated theater from the ground up and can also be faster and easier to achieve your entertainment vision without a major remodel. Over the past two years, we have seen a big increase in requests for media rooms and open media spaces. This trend seems to be centered around families spending more time together, entertaining more and clients wanting to make the most of their home spaces.
At Sage AV, we’ve been modifying family and living rooms, dens, guest bedrooms and other common household hangouts into more useable, lively entertainment spaces for years. And we understand what it takes and how to get there in a manner that fits your budget and will exceed your expectations.
Let’s talk about entertainment. Do you want to play video games? Do you envision both background and full-on party music? Do you have room for a TV or a bigger screen? We can help reconfigure your space layout for an elevated audio and video experience, outfit it as simply or elaborately as you like, conceal the equipment, integrate new cinema-style furniture or keep what you already have. That’s the beauty of a multipurpose media room. The options are endless. Our goal is to make your vision a reality and deliver an outstanding, multi-faceted entertainment experience, whether that entails a full overhaul or a few basic additions.
We’ll walk you through each step of the transformation in person, selecting products that will work best in the chosen environment, are easy for everyone to operate, and install them in a way that suits your home aesthetics.
Here are just some initial considerations for your media room design as you think through your lifestyle:
Deciding on a Display
There are two primary schools of thought when choosing a display for a multipurpose media room: a TV or a projection screen. TVs are generally easier to install, and today’s models are so thin they blend in so much better than TVs of the past. For example, The Samsung Frame, which can also pass as a piece of premium artwork when it is turned off. The alternative, a projection screen, delivers a bigger image yet can remain completely hidden inside a motorized cabinet or a custom cabinet with a flush top when you want to use the room for other activities. Today’s displays and projectors produce images so bright they won’t wash out when the lights are on, or the draperies are open.
Beyond these two primary video display options, if you have a very large wall and want to enjoy the “end-all” system, technology today offers direct-view LED video walls. While these used to be mainly used for outside billboards, now these are an option for the home! They combine very bright, vivid images with virtually any size, like a projector. These are huge and can create massive, realistic images. They can look like one TV image or multiple images. While they will not be the ideal solution for some homes, if you have an ultra large wall and want to create the ultimate 8K viewing or gaming experience, this may be for you. We like the Samsung Wall, which is truly incredible to witness. We also have one of the widest offerings of any company in New York for indoor and outdoor TVs, including Sony, Seura, SunBrite TV and more. This means we can help guide you to the exact video option to suit your space and activities.
Soundbar and Speaker Selection
Do you love your TV picture quality but sometimes get muffled movie sound? Soundbars have greatly altered the home audio landscape. They do the job that otherwise requires flanking your display with three separate speakers or installing in-ceiling speakers if that is not an option for you. Soundbars can boost and provide clarity for sound and on-screen conversations. With the addition of two rear speakers and a subwoofer, you can enjoy a more immersive effect with less compromise on the home interior. We can customize your soundbar to match the width of your exact display and even match your surrounding architecture with custom wood finishes. Striking both visually and audibly, this is an option that works well for most multi-purpose media rooms.
Many people may not consider lighting as part of their entertainment experience. However, just the right lighting can be critical to your media room and activities. Even though ambient light is less of an issue than it once was when viewing content, you’ll still want some way to quickly and easily control it to achieve the look and feel you want for each activity in your multipurpose room.
We can swap traditional light switches for sleek, modern keypads that adjust the intensity of the fixtures at a moment’s notice. Go dim for watching movies or a party, and brighter for everyday living or listening to music, as a few examples. We can set up “lighting scenes” that are presets with easy-to-understand names just for you. These can be on your remote or mobile app and can instantly set all the lights exactly how you like for, say, “Evening.” Smart, controllable lighting is a relatively simple update that can make an instant impact to your entertainment experience.
Choice, Beauty and Your Personal Guide
You have more choices than ever before when it comes to home entertainment. Choice in space, choice in aesthetics and choice in features. With the widespread availability of streaming services, where you can enjoy movies, concerts, YouTube videos, music and more is no longer restricted. Perhaps the biggest choice you will make is the company who guides you through the options and process.
We also understand how important it is to select the right team for your project. Entertainment, lighting and control are some of our greatest passions. If you’re interested in creating the media room of your dreams that will bring fun for years, reach out Sage AV today. We would love the opportunity to design your multipurpose room that can effortlessly shift as needed to make your home a better place to work and play.
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Photo Credits: Leon and Samsung, our partners. All rights reserved.
