You may have heard of dedicated home theaters or private cinemas, but what makes them different from media rooms? For Home theater design companies like BRAVAS and our partners like Builders, Architects, and Interior Designers, the distinction is important. This blog will touch on the difference between the two, so you can define your vision with your contractors.

Media Rooms are usually multi-purpose spaces that may utilize various activities depending on the time of the day. Typically, they are an existing family room with more robust audio and visual options. Unlike home theaters, these spaces aren't as restrictive in location, outside noise, and functionality.

If you build a dedicated theater, then everything about the room should be about the theater. Dedicated theaters are most effective when you create a dark and quiet room. In great home theaters, there is not a lot of ambient light to distract from the immersive experience of the movie, unlike media rooms, which may have a wall of windows nearby.

Quiet is not just about noise getting out of the room but also getting back into the room. Part of watching movies is the ability to become enveloped in the story. If there's noise coming from outside, it will distract from the immersive experience. Acoustic treatments help with the "noise floor" in dedicated theaters. In other words, you want to hear the quietest parts of the movie, like people whispering without needing to turn the volume up to cover the whirring of your neighbor's lawnmower, only to be blown away by the sudden increase in suspenseful music.

There's so much more to media rooms and private cinemas than discussed here. We just covered the most basic and apparent room differences. Other elements go into these room designs like screens, sound, acoustic treatments, and lighting options that create a great space to match your home and preferences. If you are interested in learning more about creating a dedicated theater, check out our recent podcast here.

However you want to enjoy movie night, BRAVAS can figure out a solution with you. Our team of expert home theater designers and installers would love to help you create the private cinema (or media room) your family will love.