Lavish Home Theaters

There’s nothing like getting cozy in front of the big screen. Especially if said big screen is in your own home. From movie-themed home theaters to overly expensive sound system setups, how far would you go for your very own home theater? These 12 lavish home theaters go above and beyond detail and show that you can never spend enough time or money on your own personal movie theater.


Posted by David Galbraith

 
"the Rice home called for a grand sound system. Since the Rices wanted just one intuitive type of keypad throughout their house, Chen settled on an AMX system and ended up placing 80 keypads throughout the home to control audio, video, temperature, and lighting. The 20,000-plus-square-foot Rice home has a lot of rooms, and some of the larger rooms have more than one keypad—there are up to four or five keypads for the biggest rooms to ensure that one would always be close at hand. Indeed, Chen believes that the Rice project may have been the largest AMX residential project at that time."
"Jacob Yarmuth may not hold the official title of world's biggest Stargate Atlantis fan, but I doubt anyone would question his claim after he designed this home theater system inspired by the show. So what's $70k getting you these days?

Well, for starters there's the a fiber-optic starscape ceiling that shows comets appearing every minute or so. Then there's the two Sony megachangers that accommodate 800 DVDs, THX speakers, a ten foot diagonal circuit screen, and oh, before I forget, a motion sensor that opens the custom air pocket doors. All that, and an interior that looks like it was imported directly from the set."

"Amazing $3,000,000 Star Trek themed home theater. This theater won several top Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) design awards. The theater was designed by Electronic Systems Consultants."
"Cyberdyne Systems was the fictional company depicted in “The Terminator” films. However, this project wasn’t meant to harm humans, only to entertain them.

Cyberdyne Systems may want to keep some of that doomsday information classified, but Mortensen loves to show off his stuff. “The majority of the equipment is located on glass shelving within the recessed A/V shelving at the front of the theater,” he says. “I did this intentionally to lend to the industrial look and feel of the theater.” The equipment is then obscured when the mammoth 159-inch Da-Lite screen is activated; this prevents distraction from equipment lighting.

However, there is a little magic in this ode to movie monsters. Behind the display of drive-in movie speakers, there’s a nifty hidden equipment door. This allows for easy access to the back of each component, making upgrades and maintenance a breeze."

"a Batcave themed home theater created by New Hampshire-based installer DC Audio Video Systems. The set-up includes prop bats which hang from above, a motorized 110″ 16:9 Stewart Electriscreen, Triad Silver THX Speakers, and a Sony G90, a $36,000 commercial 1080p 2500 x 2000 CRT projector. The room also features eight black, motorized leather recliners and a LiteTouch LC5000 System for lighting control."
"Trekkie Gary Reighn is finally a happy man. His fruit of labor has resulted in the basement of his house being transformed to a Star Trek abode. He spent about 2 years planning and building this incredible home theater setup. His budget: only $15,000."
"Walking into the theater the first thing you notice are the solid bronze 10" thick doors which had to be hung on custom designed bank vault hinges. Next is the beautiful velvet and real 24k gold decor. The fabrics are hand-screened and hand-embroidered, and all of the sconces were cast from original antiques. The carpet is handmade in a single piece. Elegance.

Now the tech stuff: The Theater features 6 separate Digital Signal Processors for the 31 channels of sound. The speakers and amps are CAT/MBX with 24, yes count them 24, 12" subwoofers. The projector is the same Digital Light Projector going into many higher end commercial theaters. The acoustics were all planned ahead of the decor. The home theater system, the multi-room audio system, and the Crestron home automation system filled five racks of gear, all accessible from front and back through a hidden secret door. The equipment room has to be cooled by 24,000 BTUs of air conditioning."

"Here's a home theater designed to resemble the control deck of the Death Star. The entire thing was designed by Doug Chiang, the lead designer on Episodes I and II. DVDs are tucked behind a hidden door replica of Han Solo in Carbonite, and the entire starfield is lit by fiber optics."
"Based on the vessel from the Disney movie classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, this private, 10-seat residential home theater completely immerses the moviegoers in dimensional rusty steel that would make even Captain Nemo feel at home.

Tufted red velvet panels, a hand sculpted screen surround, and molded squid medallions complimented the other finishes in the space..

Complete with portholes that provide views into the murky depths, a full-scale replica of the movie dive suit, and a specimen case, the only thing missing is Peter Lorre!"

"Pictured is a home theater owned by Jeremy Kipnis, a music engineer/producer. It's got 39 separate speaker units and 36 amplifiers. The entire equipment list will make you cry. He plans to sell similar systems to other rich folks like Lucas and Spielburg, but for right now he's the only one that's gone so crazy."
It took them about a year and a half to turn Steve’s garage into Chancellor Palpatine’s office, complete with computer-generated imaging that makes it seem like you’re overlooking the Galactic City. It’s just like the movies! Sure, it’s got a 1080p DLP projector and B&W speakers just like many other expensive home theater systems, but it also has a style that would make even Mr. Lucas jealous.
"Customwood has been sprayed with concrete and painted to resemble rusting steel beams, while plastic sheets have been melted to give the impression of bent steel ripped apart when the submarine hit an island. Speakers emit sonar and ocean sounds throughout the 12-metre by 5.5m room.

At one end of the room, a bar has been created from materials likely to be found on a deserted island. Shelves have been made out of halved tree trunks, while there is a washed-up surfboard.

The bar top is engraved with the random writings of a shipwrecked soul, while vines work their way through the submarine and smoke seeps out of interior walls."




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