Media rooms and home theater rooms serve two different functions. A home theater room is essentially a dedicated room with viewing movies as its main purpose. The room generally has no windows, and the lighting control system can be programmed according to the room’s use, allowing for near darkness, even during the day. The seating is usually fixed in a home theater room, commonly in multiple rows and often with risers, similar to the stadium seating found in conventional theaters.

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Furniture in a media room is generally more casual than that in a home movie theater, with the room more resembling a traditional family room. A media room may often incorporate a couch or a table that matches the same style of decor found throughout the rest of the home. Many media rooms are converted living rooms, dens, or basements, and are normally used more often than home theater rooms in everyday living.

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This doesn’t mean that media rooms can’t be just as well equipped as custom home theaters, however. The system may still employ a large flat-panel television or video projector with a retractable screen and concealed speakers and racks.