Last month, we went through the top trends we’re seeing in 2018 for home theaters. One of the most interesting and fun trends we are watching is that of hybrid home theaters. Hybrid home theaters earned their name from folks trying to get the most bag for their buck from their home’s square footage by giving their entertainment spaces multiple purposes. Think: ping-pong table meets Xbox, meets watching the big game, meets snacks and beer.
Essentially, hybrid home theaters are just that – a hybrid of entertainment options. The combined use of space is brilliant and long overdue. However, the combined use of space means a lower overall budget that can be solely dedicated to theater purposes. I mean, how do you choose between a 4K Ultra HD TV and a vintage Iron Maiden pinball machine? It’s a tough choice that we must make when designing the ultimate hybrid home theater rec room. So let’s take a look at how to design your home’s hybrid theater space.
Hybrid Home Theaters
Cables
Still using the same cables your TV or sound system came with? Ditch ‘em and upgrade to something more heavy duty. You will instantly get a better picture, better sound and even reduced interference for a fraction of the cost of replacing your equipment altogether.
Sound
First thing’s first. Soundbars. They are a GREAT solution for anyone on a budget and with a tight space to work in. They are attractive and easy to setup. That being said, speaker systems are still alive and offer a sound quality unlike any other. If you have a speaker system currently and are thinking you need an upgrade to make your rec room truly rec-diculous (see what we did there?), think again.
Seating
One of the best things you can do to enhance the quality of sound in your hybrid home theater is to strategically plan out your seating. Discovering electricity is not the last thing science has done for television lovers; they have also developed a tried and true science to determine how far one must sit from a television to experience the best sound quality.
Control
Get a good remote. Aside from your pinball machine, pool table and home bar, your hybrid home theater rec room is going to produce a lot of wires and a lot of different electronic systems. You will never regret reducing the unnecessary added clutter of the 68 remotes you will need to control them all. A worthy and very cost-effective investment is a multimedia remote.
Staying on the topic of control, nothing is a bigger buzz kill than when your Great Uncle Larry trips over the cable to your router and your streaming connection goes down. Controlling your cables does not have to be expensive OR difficult. A great hack for cable control is to dig out all the binder clips you can find in your junk drawer and snap them around as many cables as you can. Rec rooms are only fun if they keep Great Uncles safe.