Home Theatre Installation Checklist

The room

The room is the starting point. Its size, shape and construction determine everything else — screen size, speaker placement, sound behaviour and cabling options.

• Dimensions — measure length, width and ceiling height. A room that is roughly rectangular with a ceiling height of 2.4 metres or more works well. Avoid rooms that are perfectly square, as they create standing waves that affect bass response.
• Light control — can you darken the room? Curtains, blinds or block-out shades are essential for projector setups. TVs are more forgiving but still benefit from controlled light.
• Wall construction — in double-brick homes (common in the Eastern Suburbs), cabling requires surface trunking or ceiling routing. In plasterboard homes, cables can go behind walls.
• Flooring — carpet absorbs sound and reduces echo. Hard floors reflect sound and may need rugs for acoustic treatment.
• Door placement — consider where the door is relative to the screen. A door that opens across the screen wall limits placement options.

The screen

TV or projector? The choice depends on your room, lighting and viewing habits.

• TV — best for bright rooms, everyday viewing and simplicity. Sizes from 55 to 85 inches are common. OLED and Mini-LED offer the best picture quality.
• Projector — best for a large image (100 inches or more) in a room where you can control light. Short-throw and ultra-short-throw projectors can sit close to the screen, reducing installation complexity.
• Screen — for projectors, choose between a fixed-frame screen (best image quality, permanently visible), a motorised screen (retracts when not in use) or a pull-down screen (manual, budget option).

Viewing distance guideline: the screen should fill about 30 degrees of your field of view. For a 3-metre viewing distance, a 65 to 75-inch TV or a 100-inch projector screen works well.

The sound

Sound is where most home theatre setups fall short. Good audio transforms the experience more than a bigger screen.

• 5.1 surround — front left, centre, front right, rear left, rear right plus a subwoofer. The standard for home theatre.
• 7.1 surround — adds two side speakers for a wider sound field. Needs a larger room.
• Dolby Atmos — adds height channels (ceiling speakers or upward-firing speakers) for a three-dimensional sound field. Worth it in a dedicated theatre room.
• Speaker types — floor speakers (best bass and dynamics), in-ceiling speakers (discreet, good for surround channels), in-wall speakers (compromise between floor and ceiling), soundbar (simplest, least immersive).
• Subwoofer placement — placement affects bass response. A subwoofer crawl (moving the subwoofer around the room and testing) finds the best position. AVsion can position and calibrate during installation.

Cabling

Cabling is the part you don't see, but it determines how clean the installation looks and how easy it is to upgrade.

• Speaker cable — run from the receiver to each speaker position. Use quality cable of adequate gauge for the run length.
• HDMI — from source devices (Apple TV, Blu-ray, gaming console) to the receiver and from the receiver to the TV or projector. Use high-speed HDMI rated for 4K/8K.
• Network — a wired connection to the TV or receiver is more reliable than WiFi for streaming. Run structured network cabling to the equipment location.
• Conduit — if building or renovating, install conduit in walls so cables can be pulled or replaced without chasing. This is the single most useful thing you can do for future-proofing.
• Wall plates — terminate cables at wall plates for a clean finish. Label each cable at both ends.

Ventilation and heat

AV equipment generates heat. A receiver, amplifier, gaming console and streaming device in a cabinet can overheat, reducing lifespan and causing intermittent faults.

• Leave space around equipment for airflow
• If equipment is in a closed cabinet, install ventilation fans
• Projectors need clearance for exhaust air — check the manufacturer's throw distance and clearance specifications
• Consider a dedicated equipment rack in a cupboard or adjacent room for larger systems

Control

How you control the system affects daily use. A system that is hard to operate doesn't get used.

• Universal remote — a single remote that controls TV, receiver, source devices and volume. Several options are available at different price points.
• App control — many modern receivers and source devices have phone apps. Good for multi-zone audio, less convenient for everyday TV.
• Control system — for larger installations, a unified control system brings AV, lighting, blinds and climate into one interface.
• Voice control — voice assistants can control basic functions. Useful for "turn on the movie" scenes.

Future access

Plan for the day you need to swap a cable, add a speaker or replace a device.

• Install conduit in walls during construction or renovation
• Label every cable at both ends
• Leave service loops (extra cable length) behind equipment
• Use wall plates that can be removed for access
• Document the installation — what cable goes where, what each input does

Putting it together

A home theatre installation has many moving parts. The checklist above covers the key decisions, but the best results come from planning the room, screen, sound and cabling together — not one at a time.

AVsion has been installing home theatres in Eastern Suburbs homes for 14 years. Yariv can assess your room, recommend equipment, run cabling and calibrate the system. Call 0411 158 171 or visit the AVsion enquiry page to arrange a consultation. See the AV services page for more detail.