Is media room really worth for the money? (homes, to buy)

[Katana49]

Originally Posted by JustMike77

Media rooms or "home theaters" became popular when the only really big screen you could buy was a projector which almost demands a dark room. Nowadays, TVs have gotten so big that I don't think it's necessary. I have an 80" TV with 7 speaker surround sound in my living room. I guess that's my media room.

Have you ever actually had a media room/projector setup? I also have an 80" tv in our family room. It just does not provide the immersive experience of a full blown projector setup. Not even close.

Originally Posted by EDS_

We use ours all the time.

1b.Whenever younger relatives come over the media room is in constant use for play, movies etc.

1d. Our media room most days serves as my second man-cave which is great.

2. It's hard to explain but I have a separate audio system in the same room for music listening as well.

3. So far as $10K.........does that include furniture?

We use ours frequently as well. Our media room has two large double doors that separate it from the game room. Attached to the media room is a 12x8 bar area with a wine fridge and beer tap, popcorn machine, etc. Whenever we have a party, inevitably all the guys tend to gravitate upstairs to hang out, and we'll turn on the stereo if not the projector. We recently had everyone over for the Mayweather/McGregor fight and even though we had it going on our 80" tv too, everyone wanted to be in the media room.

Agree with your points 1b and 1d. Kids love hanging out in there, and it's where I go for some peace and quiet (the rest of the house is pretty open concept.)

I also run a dual music/theater setup. Was very surprised after buying my last Pioneer Elite receiver to hear how close to my audiophile grade receiver the sound has become.

It's possible to throw together a complete media room setup for under $10k. You won't be getting top of the line stuff, but you can purchase 4 media chairs, a projector, and basic theater receiver and speakers for $5k. 1080P projectors (good ones) are very cheap now. A top of the line 1080P projector from 5-6 years ago costing $3-4k can now be bested by projectors starting under $1k. Prices are coming down now that 4k projectors are becoming more prevalent.

OP, in my opinion, if you have kids, you should definitely get one. If you love listening to music or watching movies, it's also worth it. If neither of those things are important then I'd agree that an outdoor kitchen or put towards a pool would be a better investment.

[FalconheadWest]

We built our media room with a window and use it as a 5th Bedroom for guests. It's good because we needed the extra space, but probably would not care to have it actually set up for media.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by UnfairPark

Most homes with media rooms have a game room/loft with those things. That would be redundant.

So you're telling me I did it wrong?

ETA - that was said in jest.

[stephwin]

It doesn't sound like it would be a good choice for you.

Our house already had one when we bought it and we wanted one. The house also had a step-up/tiered level. We usually use it 3-4 times a month. Every now and then we'll have friends over to watch a game up there, but most of the time it's just us watching something we rented from Redbox.

[UnfairPark]

Originally Posted by EDS_

So you're telling me I did it wrong?

ETA - that was said in jest.

You obviously are totally into it and do enjoy it so it’s worth it for you. You bought an older home so obviously different options than ones OP has.

[Pinkett]

When building, you can modify the plan to where the media room isn't attached to game room, or has windows, or has an easy to access bathroom/closet. I changed my structural with Toll Brothers so my media room has windows, is a completely separate room, away from game room and has a bathroom right outside. I did pay extra to make the change though. I think it's money well spent. We will never use it as a media room though it's wired for one.

[mikestrong]

Only if you plan to use it regularly. Thats what I tell my customers every time. Most people use them rarely.

[shrapr]

Originally Posted by Katana49

Have you ever actually had a media room/projector setup? I also have an 80" tv in our family room. It just does not provide the immersive experience of a full blown projector setup. Not even close.



We use ours frequently as well. Our media room has two large double doors that separate it from the game room. Attached to the media room is a 12x8 bar area with a wine fridge and beer tap, popcorn machine, etc. Whenever we have a party, inevitably all the guys tend to gravitate upstairs to hang out, and we'll turn on the stereo if not the projector. We recently had everyone over for the Mayweather/McGregor fight and even though we had it going on our 80" tv too, everyone wanted to be in the media room.

Agree with your points 1b and 1d. Kids love hanging out in there, and it's where I go for some peace and quiet (the rest of the house is pretty open concept.)

I also run a dual music/theater setup. Was very surprised after buying my last Pioneer Elite receiver to hear how close to my audiophile grade receiver the sound has become.

It's possible to throw together a complete media room setup for under $10k. You won't be getting top of the line stuff, but you can purchase 4 media chairs, a projector, and basic theater receiver and speakers for $5k. 1080P projectors (good ones) are very cheap now. A top of the line 1080P projector from 5-6 years ago costing $3-4k can now be bested by projectors starting under $1k. Prices are coming down now that 4k projectors are becoming more prevalent.

OP, in my opinion, if you have kids, you should definitely get one. If you love listening to music or watching movies, it's also worth it. If neither of those things are important then I'd agree that an outdoor kitchen or put towards a pool would be a better investment.

I too agree with you and EDS points. We used to live in a house for 15 years with no media room and always wanted one. My wife really didn't care as she never used to watch much tv or movies but I am totally opposite. So in the old house tried several things but never had the privacy like in a media room. When we shopped around and built the new home, I was concerned about the cost just like the OP, but my wife was firm, if we are buying it will not be without a media room. We paid I think $42 per sq ft and currently that square footage is valued just like any other living area of the house, around $150. I have it setup nicely without breaking the bank and now we spend at least once a week in it and just like you when I need some peace and quiet time, it comes to rescue.

In our neighborhood I have seen some houses come to market without media room and stayed for a while before price reduction and sold. If the majority of the houses in the subdivision has media room, it is a bad idea to not add one.

[JustMike77]

Originally Posted by Katana49

Have you ever actually had a media room/projector setup? I also have an 80" tv in our family room. It just does not provide the immersive experience of a full blown projector setup. Not even close.

Sorry, my home is not big enough to have a separate media room, so I just limp along with my 80 incher.

[Katana49]

Originally Posted by JustMike77

Sorry, my home is not big enough to have a separate media room, so I just limp along with my 80 incher.

LOL

Don't get me wrong, 80" is a great size for a tv. (When I was a kid, our main tv was only 25", and all the secondary tvs were 19 or 20"!)

But, it's just not going to give you a theater experience. We have a 120" screen, and for sitting approx. 14-15 ft away (which is about the same distance we have from our 80" tv downstairs) it's a very dramatic difference. Throw in a full surround system and media chairs, and there's no reason to even go to a "real" theater.