How big does a room need to be for a home cinema?

Smaller than most people think. A spare bedroom can make an excellent cinema for two to four people. We’ll size the screen and speakers to the room you have.

Projector or television?

A projector gives the biggest picture and suits a room you can darken. A large television is brighter in daylight and suits living areas. We’ll recommend one after seeing the room.

A sound format that adds speakers overhead, so sounds can come from above you as well as around you. Most new films and many streaming shows are made for it.

Can I add a cinema to my existing home?

Usually, yes. Where there is roof space above, ceiling speakers and cables can go in without major building work. We’ll tell you honestly what’s possible after a look.

Will a home cinema disturb the rest of the house?

It can. We place speakers and subwoofers with the neighbouring rooms in mind, and can advise your builder on doors and insulation for a quieter room.

Can I control everything with one remote?

Control4 can bring supported cinema equipment into one remote or phone interface. Where compatible lighting and motorised blinds are connected, a programmed movie scene can coordinate them too. NorthTech confirms the exact functions during design.

What does home cinema installation cost in Melbourne?

The cost depends on the room, screen, speaker layout, acoustic treatment, control and whether the work is part of a new build, renovation or existing home. NorthTech designs the system first, then provides a tailored proposal rather than a misleading fixed package price.

Do you build home cinemas across Melbourne’s north?

Yes. NorthTech is based in Thomastown and designs, installs and supports home cinemas across Melbourne’s northern suburbs.

Can I see a home cinema before deciding?

Yes. Our showroom is built around a working cinema. Visits are private and by appointment with Glenn.

Home cinema installation Melbourne

See your cinema before it’s built.

NorthTech designs, installs and supports home cinemas across Melbourne. Picture, Dolby Atmos sound, lighting and Control4 are planned as one experience — before a single cable goes in.

Compare the options in our private Thomastown showroom, then see the screen, seats and speakers drawn for your own room.

Book a private cinema demo See how we design it

Working Control4 cinema · Thomastown

Hear a complete system before choosing one for your home.

Control4 Platinum Dealer
Certified showroom, Thomastown
Designed before installation
One team, design through support

What makes it a cinema

Four things, designed together.

The pictureA projector and a large screen for a dedicated room, or a big television for a living area. Sized to where you sit, not guessed.
The soundSpeakers in front, beside, behind and above you, so a helicopter really does fly over your head.
The roomControl of light, the right finishes on the walls, and seating set at the right distance from the screen.
One buttonPress “Watch a movie” and Control4 can start the picture, select the sound and coordinate compatible lights and blinds in one programmed scene.

Control4 home cinema

Press Movie. The room changes with you.

A properly commissioned Control4 scene can coordinate the compatible equipment in your cinema, so the experience starts without a row of remotes or a list of instructions.

The exact actions depend on the connected products, supported drivers and agreed programming. NorthTech confirms those details in the design.

Explore Control4 smart homes Try it in the showroom

Scene step 01Picture startsThe chosen television, projector and source switch on together.
Scene step 02Sound is readyThe cinema input and listening mode are selected for you.
Scene step 03Lighting settlesConnected lights can dim to the scene designed for the room.
Scene step 04Blinds can closeCompatible motorised blinds can reduce glare where they are part of the design.

Dolby Atmos

Sound from above changes everything.

7speakers around you
2subwoofers for the rumble
4speakers in the ceiling

Ordinary surround sound comes from speakers at ear level, so it can feel flat. Dolby Atmos adds speakers in the ceiling, and films made for it place sounds above you — rain on the roof, a plane passing over. It’s how we hear the real world, and it’s what film-makers intended.

You’ll see cinemas described with three numbers, like 7.2.4. The first is the speakers around you, the second the subwoofers, and the third the speakers overhead. We’ll recommend the right numbers for your room — bigger isn’t always better.

Because the overhead speakers sit flush in the ceiling and are painted to match, the room still looks calm when the lights come up.

Three ways to a home cinema

From a dedicated theatre to your living room.

Tell us where you’ll watch and we’ll show you where we’d start.

Where will you watch?

1. The full experience

Dedicated cinema room

Best for: A spare room, rumpus or purpose-built theatre

A room built for film: projector, large screen, Dolby Atmos and tiered seating. This is the cinema at the centre of our showroom.

What we use: Triad speakers, an Integra cinema receiver and a Dragonfly projection screen, all run by Control4.

Sound through the screenA woven screen lets the front speakers sit behind the picture, where the voices belong.
Screens up to 160 inchesSized to your seating distance, for a picture that fills your view without straining it.
Built for the roomSpeaker positions, light and wall finishes planned together from the start.

2. Our most popular

Living-room cinema

Best for: Family rooms and open-plan living

Cinema sound in the room you already use. When the film ends, the speakers disappear into the walls and ceiling and it’s a living room again.

What we use: Triad or Episode in-wall and in-ceiling speakers, an Integra receiver and your television.

No boxes, no cablesSpeakers built in and painted to match, so nothing sits on the floor or the cabinetry.
Daylight-friendly screensPrefer a projector here? A light-rejecting screen keeps the picture strong with the blinds open.
Music tooThe same speakers play music through the day, and join the rest of your home’s audio.About multi-room audio

3. Our simplest

Soundbar and subwoofer

Best for: Apartments, bedrooms and existing homes

A big step up from the television’s own speakers, with no building work. We mount it neatly and hide the cables.

What we use: Sonos Arc Ultra with a Sonos Sub, and rear speakers if you’d like them.

Dolby Atmos in one barUpward-firing speakers bounce sound off the ceiling for an overhead effect.
Installed in a dayWall-mounted with the television, cables hidden, and set up on your phone.
Room to growAdd rear speakers or more Sonos rooms later, all in the one app.

Our design service

How our design works.

It’s the difference between a room with speakers in it and a cinema that works. Every cinema we build goes through these four steps.

A floor plan with every speaker
A side view that checks every seat can see
A full equipment list
Cabling notes for your electrician
Revisions until it’s right

Send us your plansBuilder’s drawings, a sketch or a few photos of the room. We’ll take it from there.
We draw it to scaleThe screen, every seat and every speaker, with the sightlines checked from the back row.
Mark it up togetherSit down with Glenn — in our showroom cinema if you like — and change it until it’s right.
Build from the same drawingsYour builder, electrician and our team all work from one plan, so what’s drawn is what’s built.

The heart of our showroom

Sit in our cinema before you build yours.

You can’t judge a cinema from a web page. Book a private visit, pick a film you know well, and hear what Dolby Atmos, a big screen and a properly planned room can do.

Book a showroom visit

Bring your plansSend them ahead and Glenn will sketch a cinema for your room before you arrive.
Compare side by sideHear the difference between a soundbar, a living-room system and a full cinema.
Private, with GlennEvery visit is by appointment, so the cinema is yours for the hour.

Building or renovating?

A great cinema starts on the plans.

Most of what makes a cinema sound and look right is decided before the plaster goes up. Bring us in at the drawing stage and we’ll work with your builder and architect so the room is ready for it.

Choose the roomIts size and shape decide the screen, the seating and the sound. Fewer windows makes light control easier.
Set the screen and seatsWe work out the screen size from where you’ll sit, and whether a second row needs a step up.
Place every speakerAround the seats and in the ceiling, clear of joists, downlights and air-conditioning vents.
Cable at pre-wireSpeaker cable, a conduit to the projector, and power and network where the equipment will live.
Plan the equipment cupboardA ventilated rack, close enough to reach and far enough to stay quiet.
Finish the room for soundCarpet, soft furnishings and the right wall finishes stop echo — without the room looking like a studio.

Architect, builder or designer?

Working with design professionals

Common home cinema questions

How big does a room need to be for a home cinema?: Smaller than most people think. A spare bedroom can make an excellent cinema for two to four people. We’ll size the screen and speakers to the room you have.
Projector or television?: A projector gives the biggest picture and suits a room you can darken. A large television is brighter in daylight and suits living areas. We’ll recommend one after seeing the room.
What is Dolby Atmos?: A sound format that adds speakers overhead, so sounds can come from above you as well as around you. Most new films and many streaming shows are made for it.
Can I add a cinema to my existing home?: Usually, yes. Where there is roof space above, ceiling speakers and cables can go in without major building work. We’ll tell you honestly what’s possible after a look.
Will a home cinema disturb the rest of the house?: It can. We place speakers and subwoofers with the neighbouring rooms in mind, and can advise your builder on doors and insulation for a quieter room.
Can I control everything with one remote?: Control4 can bring supported cinema equipment into one remote or phone interface. Where compatible lighting and motorised blinds are connected, a programmed movie scene can coordinate them too. NorthTech confirms the exact functions during design.
What does home cinema installation cost in Melbourne?: The cost depends on the room, screen, speaker layout, acoustic treatment, control and whether the work is part of a new build, renovation or existing home. NorthTech designs the system first, then provides a tailored proposal rather than a misleading fixed package price.
Do you build home cinemas across Melbourne’s north?: Yes. NorthTech is based in Thomastown and designs, installs and supports home cinemas across Melbourne’s northern suburbs.
Can I see a home cinema before deciding?: Yes. Our showroom is built around a working cinema. Visits are private and by appointment with Glenn.

Ready to plan your cinema?

Tell us about the room and how you like to watch, and we’ll recommend the right cinema — and explain why.

Start your home design