Home theaters and media rooms have been around for a long time, and the technologies powering them have seen significant change. Video, audio, and control technologies have seen significant improvements, and sometimes we forget how far they have come.

The home theater of a dozen years ago might be equipped with a Blu-ray player as a primary source of high-quality movie content. Today, while many still use this, it’s more popular to stream video in excellent quality from Netflix, Amazon Video, Vudu, and a host of other online services. In audio, surround sound was just beginning to go beyond the standard 5.1 surround setup with a front stage and two surround speakers. And with video, high definition 1080P was the standard resolution, just entering its growth phase as people replaced older standard definition TVs and projectors.

Fast forward to today, and we now have not only 4K but 8K resolution available, immersive Dolby Atmos audio, and supremely intuitive control systems. Let’s explore how you can update your media or home theater design in your Scottsdale, AZ home to elevate your entertainment experience.

SEE ALSO: Looking for Ways to Enhance Your Home Theater Design?

8K Video

Just when you thought 4K resolution was the latest and greatest, along comes 8K with incredibly detailed pictures. 8K doubles the resolution of 4K, from 3840 by 2160 to 7680 by 4320. What does it really mean? It means more detail in every image, and you can sit closer to the screen and not detect pixels. But the real magic in 8K is how it's been implemented.

Sony's 8K TVs like the Z9 series upscale all images to 8K, so everything looks more realistic, whether HD or 4K quality. 8K will make your home theater or media room future-proof for many years. You get improved picture quality beyond resolution. The powerful image processing allows for superb color rendering and contract using the power of artificial intelligence to analyze the content and optimize the settings on the fly. The result is a vivid, immersive picture that draws you into whatever you're watching.

Dolby Atmos Audio

We can't help using the word immersive because there are few ways to describe how Dolby Atmos audio and other advanced surround formats (like DTS:X) create a sound field that puts you in the movie or action. Dolby Atmos adds height speakers to create sound that comes all around you but goes beyond just additional audio channels. In the mastering process, Dolby Atmos gives sound engineers the ability to spread sound effects over 118 points to create a three-dimensional sound field.

Sound is coming from all around, correctly localized as if you were in the scene. With more streaming content available in Dolby Atmos, it's easy to experience. What's more, the up-mixing capabilities in today's equipment can also take stereo or standard surround and give it a more immersive effect, so even watching a football game can take on another sonic dimension. Depending on your room's size, you can have Dolby Atmos with as little as one pair of ceiling speakers for height to three pairs, along with rear and side surround speakers for an incredible cinematic experience.

A Modern Media Room

We can talk about these technologies, and a picture is worth a thousand words, but a video can do even more. Our series of YouTube videos can show you just how home technology looks and feels in a home. This short video below shows you a modern, clean home theater with 8K video, Dolby Atmos, motorized blackout shading, Lutron lighting control, and Control4 automation. The stylish Focal Sopra speakers mesh with the décor, while in-wall speakers provide the surround and height immersion for Dolby Atmos. It’s the perfect media entertainment space for today’s homes.

Need to modernize or redesign your media room or home theater? We can build one for you. Get started by contacting our team here or sending us a message in the chatbox below. We look forward to working with you!