- 1). Choose a flat screen television that's large enough to be viewed from the entire basement and place it on a television stand that has enough space to accommodate your video equipment.
- 2). Position your main seating arrangement so it's directly in front of your television. Set up your seating arrangement so it's at the one-third to one-half mark of the room, facing the television. Leave plenty of walking room between rows of seating. Choose reclining seats with cup holders so you don't have a need for end tables or coffee tables. Avoid placing anything between the speakers and the seating.
- 3). Build stadium seating by constructing wooden risers. Size the riser at least 2 feet larger than the seats that will be used on them. Build a frame of 4-by-4 lumber. Screw the 4-by-4s together with wood screws and drill. Add additional braces of 4-by-4 lumber every 6 to 8 inches so your riser can support the weight of the furniture and the people seated in the furniture. Cover your frame top and sides with plywood and carpet it with carpet that's the same or very similar to the carpet on the basement floor. Make each row of seats 6 to 10 inches higher than the seats in front of it.
- 4). Hook up your theater equipment according to the manufacturer's instructions. Position your surround sound speakers. Put the left and right front surround speakers to the left and right of the television when you're facing the television. Place the back left and right speakers behind the seating arrangement straight back from the front speakers and higher than the seating arrangement. Position the center speaker immediately above or below the center of your television. Set the subwoofer one-fourth the way between the front and rear left speakers, closer to the front.
- 5). Hang blackout shades and curtains over your basement windows. If your room echoes or the sound reverberates through the space, add heavy draperies to the walls. The fabric absorbs the sound, reducing that reverberation. It also helps give your basement home theater a true movie theater ambiance.
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