Quote Originally Posted by hmmmm
I am going to build a riser to have an extra row of seating in my home theater room and read that it should be 12" high. Now I only have a 47" rear projection t.v.(hope to upgrade within a year to much larger) And it needs to be raised also. I was told that the picture quality will change if I raise it because it was made to be viewed at the same level as the main viewer-but, I've seen them raised in several magazines etc...
How high should I raise it? I was thinking 6 inches to split the difference between the front and second row of seating (I'll check to see if I can see over the front seating). I figure I could re-calibrate the t.v. with my setup disk.
Also, my center channel speaker would then be about 18" higher than my left and right speakers. Would this be a big deal if it's tilted down? I also read it should be within 12" of the left and right. I just want to do it right the first time.
Thanks for the help.
Twelve inches is a lot of height to add. I haven't seen heights over 8" typically recommended, unless the front row chairs have very high backs or headrests, as it requires the addition of a stair that'll reduce usable seating space. The extra height (and height of high seats if used) can also be a problem because of the lack of ceiling height in most typical rooms and the blocking effect the extra height can have on rear channel sound to the front row viewers. Too much disparity in height can also, as you've noted, reduce the quality of the viewing by front and rear row viewers. I'd measure the height of your front row seating first (if you already have it). You may find a shorter riser to be fine.

A shorter riser would also help with your TV's viewing as there wouldn't be quite the height difference between your front and rear rows. How much you need may need to raise the TV will depend on two factors: how it looks at different heights and how often you'll have rear row viewers (you might want to skew the better viewing to the front if you can't get a good universal position). I'd put the seating in first then test your viewing by shimming your TV to different heights with plywood or 2x4s to see how things look.

Though it's better to have the fronts and centers aligned horizontally, it's by no means the norm. Again, a shorter riser height will help. It's best to have the tweeters aimed at your ears, so tilting the center down could help - as long as there's not something partially blocking the front baffle of the speaker like the shelf or TV it's on. If so, it's better to aim the speaker straight out even if it's higher.