Effective Home Theater Lighting

Most of the time, people turn off all the lights when watching movies at home and to them this is pretty much what home theater lighting means but it is actually quite the opposite. Notice the lighting in an actual move theater. You are not watching the movie in total darkness but rather in very dim lighting coming from only the sides of the theater.

Keeping some light on prevents the eyes from strain that happens when a person stares at a bright and only source of light in a room. Home theater lighting should recreate this environment for the same purpose of preventing eye fatigue or even headaches after you and your family watch a two-hour long movie.

Whether intentional or not, any form of lighting affects the feel of a room. Home theater lighting should work to enhance the viewing experience of a person. It should create a certain ambience just like in an actual theater that puts the viewers in the mood for watching a movie. You cannot achieve this using fluorescent lights. You need to install dimming lights or variable lights for effective home theater lighting.

Variable lighting works perfectly either in a dedicated home theater room or in a home theater/living room. Consider a central control for lighting or a dimmer switch to allow you to adjust the light in the room easily according to your needs - whether you will be watching a movie, entertaining guests, or reading a book.

Another thing you have to consider when planning home theater lighting is not only where to position the lights but where to position the television. Home theater lighting should never make use of any direct lighting and ideally, the home theater should have no windows to avoid glare. However, in most cases, the home theater is also the living room so you need to place the television where natural light coming from the windows will not reflect on the screen. Position the TV at an angle to the room's main window to reduce glare or use heavy curtains.

If remote-controlled variable lighting is more than your budget can allow, you can use wall sconces instead for your home theater lighting. Choose those with low wattage bulbs. Place a wall sconce on each side of the screen to create a relaxing ambience to the room fit for movie watching. Effective home theater lighting does not have to be very expensive. It just needs some careful study and planning.