Anamorphic Basement Theater

This basement theater was built for films the way they were shot: a wide cinema-format screen, a projector with the resolution to fill it, and a Dolby Atmos speaker layout that puts sound overhead as well as around the room. The finished space is dark grey from floor to ceiling, with acoustic panels on the walls, low-slung seating, and a bar-height table behind the front row.

The picture comes from a Sony native 4K projector on a Da-Lite screen sized for the wide anamorphic image. The 5.1.2 audio system uses three in-wall front speakers behind the screen line, two in-ceiling rear speakers, two in-ceiling Atmos height speakers, and a 12-inch subwoofer in the room, all driven by a Sony ES receiver. Thirty-two acoustic panels were placed around the room to control reflections, which is what makes dialogue intelligible at theater volume.

A Control4 controller and remote run the projector, the receiver, and the theater lighting from one handset, and a rack in a separate equipment location holds the electronics with IP-controlled power conditioning so any component can be rebooted remotely. A Salamander Designs cabinet in the basement was added for the owner's turntable and future audio equipment.