I am posting my stealth home theater, which is hidden, in my living room. When my wife convinced me to do an interior remodel I was able to negotiate installing an HT in our seldom-used living room. However I had to live with some constraints such as: no exposed speakers in the space, hidden screen when not in use, no ceiling mounted projector, no visible equipment, standard living room furniture, and colors chosen by her.
My solution includes:
- Panasonic PT AE-1000U projector; mounted in a recessed pocket in the rear wall of the room.
- Elite Home 106” electric screen.
- CSI Speco Dream Series in-wall left, right, and surround speakers. CSI CSS-300 Center speaker. JBL SUB 12 300 watt rms 12” powered subwoofer.
- Pioneer VSX-1014TX 700 watt rms 7.1 receiver.
- DirecTV HR10-250 satellite receiver with 250GB HD DVR.
- Home Theater PC with Windows Media Center, 250GB hard drive, HD TV tuner, DVD drive (will be upgraded to HD DVD/Blu-Ray).
- Sony Playstation 3 (I couldn’t wait any longer for a right-priced Blu-Ray PC drive.)
As you can see in the pictures all speakers and wiring are in the walls. This required cutting holes in the drywall at each stud and running the wiring, then repairing the walls. The subwoofer is in a cabinet constructed in the adjacent bedroom closet with a grill concealed in the wainscot molding. The screen is concealed in a crown molding above a mirrored wall unit with an antique buffet below it. The AV equipment is located in the hall closet with an RF remote extender. The light wall and ceiling colors limit contrast slightly but the AE-1000 makes up for it with a powerful image.
While the compromises forced by this dual use room keep it from being a perfect home theater we are very happy with the results. I encourage anyone who wants a home theater but does not have a dedicated room available to go this route!
Screen capture copyright acknowledgements:
“The Wedding Date” Copyright 2005 Universal Studios
“Rides” Copyright 2007 Discovery Channel HD
“1000 Places to see Before You Die” Copyright 2007 Discovery Channel HD
“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” Copyright 2006 Walt Disney Company, Buena Vista Pictures
[Edited by adamsocb2 on Jun 17, 2007 at 1:52 PM]
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The original design did not have the mirrored wall unit or the buffet. I was simply going to put the screen in a box dressed up with crown molding... then my wife went antique shopping and found the buffet. Her interior design consultant suggested the mirrored wall treatment and accessories.