Are you a dedicated cinephile but find yourself putting off trips to your local multiplex? The answer might be right in front of you… right now!
If you have the space and funds available, you may be able to bring the cinema feel to your own home by creating a media wall.
Investing in the right tech and expanding your room’s storage capacity, you could even add value to your home further down the line!
What is a media wall?
You might have Hollywood images of a wall filled with as many TV screens as possible. Well… we don’t mean that.
A media wall operates as a focal point in a room to house your entertainment devices, bringing them all together in one working system. It should be a place to watch movies, listen to podcasts, and read a book all in one. Many are incorporated around fireplaces of living rooms to provide extra comfort.
A 4K television will ideally play the leading role in your media wall, backed up by an ample supporting cast. This may include smart speakers, game consoles, vinyl record players, and other tech.
What devices do you need?
Full freedom of choice is key to bringing a media wall to life, so devices like Roku sticks and bars make for the ideal companion.
With vast libraries of apps, you won’t need to fiddle with extra wires as you plug a laptop into your TV’s HDMI port. Simply find the platform you’re looking for and stream away!
Utilising a VPN for Roku can elevate the experience. This protects your data further. It can also counteract any bandwidth throttling – keeping buffering issues at bay.
The gift of sound and vision
If you’ve got the visual treats in place, don’t let them go to waste with a tinny audio experience. To enjoy movies, box sets, and video games to the max, you also need to optimise your sound.
You can take a few different approaches to up your sound system. Whether you go for a simple soundbar that will provide great depth of audio with a low cost and easy setup, or immerse yourself in full surround sound with a subwoofer and multiple speakers dotted around your room, it’ll help you lose yourself in your entertainment far better than relying on the audio of the TV alone.
And if music is playing a key part in your media wall, don’t neglect components such as subwoofers to bring basslines to life. This can also help to amplify the effect of classical musical cinema experiences, with action movies also gaining a tonne of immersion from the deep bass tones that a subwoofer brings.
If you really want the full immersive sound experience, you could even invest in some soundproofing to place inside your room; however, if you don’t feel like turning your living room into a studio, a carpet, sofa, and even canvas artwork on the walls can help to dampen the sound from echoing.
The ultimate luxury
You’ve got a crystal-clear screen in place. The audio makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. But you keep getting an aching back when you sit down for too long on your tired old couch.
You won’t get the most out of your media wall if it is not a place of comfort as well as dazzling displays. It may be a bold step, but you may also require cinema-grade seating.
Reclining seats is a premium option. Or just pick something you can sink into and enjoy your media wall in peace. This could be a variety of reclining chairs, a long sofa that can seat your family, and maybe even some bean bags on the floor for any younger viewers.
Lighting
The last thing you want is to finish creating your masterpiece of media viewing entertainment, to then realise that the sun's light shines through the window onto the TV, reflecting back a poorly visible movie.
The lighting in the room of the media wall is just as important as the tech. Look at the dim and cosy environment of a cinema, for example. Make sure to get some heavy-duty blinds or curtains that will block out natural light, allowing you to view the TV in its full resolution. You may way want to ditch any bright or powerful lights in the room; instead, get a few dimmable lights that you can dim down while you get into your favourite movie.
