Home Cinema or Media Room - What's the difference?

So Home Cinema or Media Room, what’s the difference exactly?

You may have seen these terms used when discussing converted rooms with a home that are used for watching movies, tv, playing video games or even zoom and skype video meetings.

Some people feel that they are interchangeable, that they mean the same thing, after all cinema and movies are media. and that’s OK, you can call it what you want but when I’m discussing designing an amazing room for our customers I tend to delineate it like this.

A Home Cinema is a custom room with a projector, projection screen and a minimum of 5.1 Surround sound (more likely 5.2.1 Dolby Atmos - nowadays) and cinema recliners or special cinema seating. The room is likely to be tucked away in a closed/confined space without too many doors or windows so that it can be blacked out to get the best picture possible.

A Media Room is a room that will more likely feature a TV screen (albeit Huge) and either surround sound or a soundbar and subwoofer, this sort of room more often than not features more lounge like layout and furniture/seating. The room will likely be more central to the home, perhaps taking the place of a lounge (or even a 2nd lounge), perhaps with some computer desks or other seating and tables scattered around for people to do other things, rather than just watch movies and TV.