When we moved into our house last year, we quickly decided we were too middle class to have a giant telly in the front room. 😉 We don’t have any kids, so we can get away with this. It also means we have a spare bedroom that is going to serve as a media room/’library’.

We currently trying to think through the layout possibilities and come to some sort of decision on the TV vs projector question.

The house is a Victorian semi, so high ceilings, but needs plastering, including cornice repair, floor sanding etc, so funds for new tech may be limited initially. We may continue using our existing Bravia+ sound bar until funds allow.

We’re thinking of one wall with custom built shelves the whole length, up to about a 30/45cm from ceiling height (we have lots of books to accommodate). We then either sit the projector on here firing at the opposite wall, or accommodate a TV centrally on the shelf, we’re a bit concerned about it looking like a ‘media centre’ to the extent we are looking at options for hiding the TV when not in use. On the face of it a projector is tidier, but we’d still have to accommodate speakers and a screen, so I’m not sure how much room it woul realistically save us.

How do modern hi-def projectors compare with the latest TVs anyway?

Anyhow, looking for some inspiration, we’re aiming more for light, comfortable sitting room we can enjoy even with the telly off, than a dingy ‘home cinema’ with uplighters and purple walls.

So you don’t want a big telly in your lounge and you don’t want a big telly in your ‘media’ room. But you do want two lounges is that right?

Thanks for your input 🙄

I’ve not got a clue what you’re asking, are you asking about the downstairs lounge or the bedroom lounge/media room?
Is it you who doesn’t know what they want or your wife?
Do you want a big TV or not?
Make yourself clear man!
🙄

😆

Thread of the weekend.

😉

Best bet is to buy a house with two living rooms. Having to go upstairs to watch the TV in a bedroom is more teenager than posh.

we’re a bit concerned about it looking like a ‘media centre’

But it’s a media room. What do you expect?

Just put the telly in the lounge!

we’re a bit concerned about it looking like a ‘media centre’ to the extent we are looking at options for hiding the TV when not in use

Brilliant! Stacking your walls floor to ceiling with books and pretending that you’re well read won’t fool anyone. You’re “working class” at heart; embrace it. Remember to stick some movie posters (Fight Club/Pulp Fiction/Lock Stock) up on the wall to make it more authentic.

WTF is a media room when it’s at home?

Is that a thing? To middle class to not have a television in the lounge?

Here you go! You can fool all your friends and your boss when you invite him round to dinner about how frightfully middle class you are, so much so that of an evening you gather around the old piano and perform the classics of Gilbert and Sullivan.

Media room. Get in the **** sea.

Jeez, guess I should have anticipated this typically STW response.

Media room …………..you know what to do !

Jeez, guess I should have anticipated this typically STW response.

Do you want some Chamomile tea?

Were it me, I’d have a 40’ish inch tv in the lounge and a full blown dedicated media room with a massive screen and an awesome sound system if I had the cash/space. Why hide the tv when you aren’t watching it – surely, it’s just you and the mrs who will see it?

Jeez, guess I should have anticipated this typically STW response.

WTF did you expect ?

Is that a thing? To middle class to not have a television in the lounge?

Only hoi polloi have “lounges”, my dear. I’m sure it’s only footballists who are legally permitted to have a “media room” as well.

Thats what the swingers grotto/ dungeon is for surely?

OP in all seriousness if you want a cinema it will look like a cinema, if you want a lounge then you will have to compromise on the TV in terms of seating arrangements. Personally I’d have the books and TV separate as you can usually do one or the other but not both. Also as far as I know projectors ain’t all they’re cracked up to be and need expensive relamping after a few years.

I get where you are going with this, personally Id be sodding off over to avforums or such for adult advice. Good luck.

Jeez, guess I should have anticipated this typically STW response.

Well I’m a bit surprised. I would have thought a meeja room is very STW. Thought probably a converted cellar or outside “man cave” with the obligatory wood burner.

I’ve no interest in home cinema, but I would love to have a separate music room. Is that overly middle class too?

Why don’t you create an ‘iceberg’ house, dig down 2 or 3 stories and then you can have a proper cinema, gym and a swimming pool.

I would love to have a separate music room.

For playing – U
For listening – Non-U

HTH.

You can get short (and ultra-short) throw projectors now which can look a lot neater – some can be right up against the surface they’re projecting on to.

Speakers in modern TVs are terrible as they’re so thin. So you’ll be needing separate speakers anyway.

How do you anticipate using these two rooms? I’m as confused as everyone else. I’d be happy with a comfy library-type lounge, then a dedicated home cinema room elsewhere.

Only hoi polloi have “lounges”, my dear. I’m sure it’s only footballists who are legally permitted to have a “media room” as well.

Double SNEER with added mini latent sneers. Good going!

Footballerists surely have Cinema Rooms?

Surely a media room/library is a…

Media study?

I reckon they have media suite

I wish you all the luck in the world having a room dedicated to watching tv/films whilst making it look like you dont watch tv/films in this room

For playing – U

Oh I’m very U.

What about one of these and you can keep your spare bedroom?

There’s normally some magazines by the bog.
Does that count?

Record a video of some bookshelves and play it on loop on your telly?

too low tech
3D holographic projection of a library

Does anyone really want a

3D holographic projection

of their gentertainment?

😯

*adopts plum in gob voice*…..Oh dahhling, do let me show you ahh media rooom, for it’s ebsolyutely…adohrable…’

Sod off you tit, It’s where the telly is.

We had a “media” room. It looked like a media room. Cable conduit all round the edge of the ceiling, bloody great speakers, projector and screen. And one wall full of books/DVDs/blurays. And a massive sofa. 7 seater I think.

No idea why you’d want it to not look like a media room though. Much of the kit is too big to hide and any stuff that is easy to hide is very often form over function (Bose?), so you may as well put it in the living room. And most/much of the time you are in there, it’s dark.

We have a telly in the living room too.

Our projector is a fairly basic 720 one picture quality is good unless your decide to sit a metre from it, at normal viewing distance it’s as good as the HD TV we have, it’ll probably need a new lamp next year, 165 quid IIRC. Considering we’ve already had 6 years out of it for £499 plus the screen. I don’t think that’s too bad, we bought it as an equivalent TV (99″ 720p) was about a million quid. 😉

Might even upgrade.

Oh, our living room is upstairs, the media room was downstairs.

I say was, we did a major refit a couple of years ago. We have a play room now :/

My house is going to make my head explode in a fine red mist of class confusion when I go home tonight thank to this thread….

I have a lounge with no TV…. and a dining room where I have dinner on Sundays and at Christmas. It has a piano in it.

However, I’ve got a living room with an electric fire and a massive TV and a “back room” with a table and 6 chairs and a sideboard. That’s where I have my tea of an evening.

I have an office and a dressing room……but I’ve also got a doonstairs lavvy.

I’m so confused. Am I a middle class scumbag …. or am I a posh chav?
I’m a class war refugee. Please give generously. Only £3 a month would buy me a glass of Pimms / Buckfast.

No media room though. 😳

I have a lounge with no TV

So, you live in a huge old country estate and you get your groundsmen to chase off trespassers should they manage to get past the 18 foot high brick walls and massive gates that protect your massive grounds

😉

So, you live in a huge old country estate and you get your groundsmen to chase off trespassers should they manage to get past the 18 foot high brick walls and massive gates that protect your massive grounds

They’d better be bloody quick about it. They need to have the ballroom floor waxed before the Duchess arrives… 😉

That’s where I have my tea

There’s your answer. Right there.