1. Acoustics thriller or killer?

You’re super excited about the state of the art technology, surround sound and high definition TV you’re about to invest in. But have you considered how the room will work acoustically? The materials you design your media room with will have a huge impact on its success. Depending on what you do, sound can be absorbed or bounce around the room creating an echo.

Acoustic glass

The first step to think about is what type of glass you will use for your media room windows and doors. If you use standard glass you will have unwanted noise interrupting your experience. This noise can come from your kitchen and laundry appliances, your children playing, or your neighbours and traffic.

For this reason we recommend you choose an acoustic glass which can reduce unwanted noise from intruding on your experience. The added bonus of this is the noise you create will also not impact other people in your home or your neighbours. This means you can listen to your favourite movie, show or sport extra loud with the knowledge that you won’t wake anyone up!

Suitable flooring

The second step is to think about what flooring you will select. If you choose tiles and hardwoods, these will not absorb sound. Instead they will create reverberations which will impact the quality of your experience. With this in mind we would recommend using carpets and rugs to absorb the sound and enhance the viewing experience!

2. Light or night?

It’s important to remember when you’re designing your media room that you will also use it for different purposes. Besides watching movies, you may also use it for entertaining or a place to relax and read a book. With this in mind, you will need to think about multiple layers of light in your media room.

Lighting will need to be chosen carefully to reduce the amount of glare on your TV screen. For this reason, we suggest you don’t use lamps or an overhead ceiling fixture. Instead, you can use recessed cans, sconces or even floor lighting.

Reduce natural lighting with window tinting

Another thing to consider is natural light from windows. Ideally, you want to have your window in a position that will not create glare on the screen. However, to reduce this you can always select a darker tinted glass with low reflectivity or a translucent glass which will transmit light with varying degrees of diffusion.

3. Cool and cosy comfort or extreme discomfort?

The last thing you want is for your media room to be overheated in summer and freezing cold in winter. Whether you’re seeking action, romance, comedy or a thriller it’s a place you want to immerse into, to escape the daily grind. The best options are to use enhanced insulation in your walls and ceilings as well as your windows and doors. Often windows and doors are overlooked, so we would recommend using a glass that combines insulation with acoustics for the ultimate experience. This gives you the best opportunity for creating the perfect ambience for your media room.

Jim’s Glass has a wide range of acoustic and insulating glasses perfect for a media room, please contact us for advice.

Have you created a media room? What worked well and what would you do differently? Tell us in the comments below.

Do you want to create a media room? What is your biggest priority? Tell us in the comments below.