It might seem hard to believe, but home theaters have been around for over thirty years. During that time, audio and video have seen an incredible transition from predominantly analog to digital technologies. Hence, the home theater of a previous era is quite obsolete compared to today's options. 

However, some things are not necessarily obsolete. For example, great speakers, such as those from h-fi brands like KEF, might still perform perfectly well in your theater. Similarly, high-end analog amplifiers never go out of style for powering those speakers. 

But other components, especially the parts of the home theater that are based on digital technology, have changed radically. So if you have an existing home theater setup that is five years old or more, you might benefit from an upgrade. Here are three major areas a home theater design company can help you upgrade in your Chesterfield, MO, private cinema. 

SEE ALSO: 3 Comfy Seating Options for Your Next Home Theatre Design

4K and 8K Projectors

4K resolution TVs are ubiquitous these days, but the transition to true 4K projection was slightly slower than that of flat-panel screens. However, today, many models of 4K projectors are available, and 8K is also available at the high end. Another technology that has been upgraded in projectors is laser light sources, which provide superb brightness and far longer longevity than standard lamps. 

Once very expensive, laser projectors are now available in a wider spectrum of price points. Couple this advanced resolution and brightness with HDR capability and the highly advanced picture processing chips in modern projectors, and you have the makings for sharper, more vivid images than ever on your giant screen. 

Dolby Atmos Immersive Audio

Dolby surround audio is another home theater technology that's been around for three decades, but arguably one of the biggest leaps forward started in 2015 with the introduction of Dolby Atmos. Atmos was not just a change to the audio processing; it enabled film sound engineers to author more points of audio than ever and free them from the confines of a particular channel like left, right, or surround. 

Film engineers can author up to 128 sound sources that can be output to as many as 64 channels of audio in a theater for a three-dimensional sound field that places a viewer in the middle of a scene. You likely won’t need 64 channels in a home theater, but you can go to 9, 13, or 16 channels for an incredibly immersive sound experience. If your theater is older, you might not have wiring for the ceiling speakers necessary for this setup. If adding ceiling speakers is physically too difficult, there are other options to wall mount or standmount up-firing speakers for the Atmos effects. Dolby Atmos (and its DTS:X competitor) is a must for the modern home cinema. 

Seating and Acoustics

Another way to refresh your home theater is with seating and acoustic treatment. These two go hand-in-hand as part of a theater design, as one of the goals of a theater is to optimize the sound performance in every seating position. You might also want to redo your theater for a more informal setup, with a combination of lounge recliners and sofa seating. 

Or you may go the opposite direction, with a more theater-like, multi-row, tiered recliner seating arrangement. You’d be impressed with the expansive range of seating options, add-ons, and modular solutions you can use to update your theater. And even if your theater has acoustic treatment, an update in seating and an upgrade to Dolby Atmos would require an audio recalibration and update of the acoustic treatment for ultimate audio performance. 

Work with a home theater company to upgrade to a state-of-the-art home cinema experience! To learn more, call us today at (636) 939-4474, or reach out on our contact page. We look forward to working with you!