It’s time for you to ensure that your media room is ready to host fans and provide the best atmosphere to cheer on your team. The American Lighting Association (ALA), has great tips and tricks to lighten your media space.

Reduce Glare on More Than Your TV

Brent Protzman, Lutron Electronics Company Inc.’s manager of energy data and analytics, said that Lutron conducts extensive studies to understand how lighting and shading controls affect visual entertainment. Some people prefer to watch the game on TV while checking their fantasy football team or catching highlights on their tablets, smartphones or laptops.

Protzman says, “Glare from the amount of daylight can be overwhelming on these devices. The trick is to lower shades and dim overhead lights to make it easier to do tasks.”

Joe Rey Barreau, an education consultant at the ALA and associate professor at University of Kentucky’s School of Interiors and College of Design, says, “Using different lighting layers is always the best option for media rooms. A single lighting layer could be fixtures that are of the same type. For example,”He explains. “one layer could be recessed lighting in the media room, another layer could be wall sconces, a third layer could be an integrated architectural lighting system such as a cove or niche.”

The homeowner has the most control over the lighting in their home by adding three layers to the mix with dimmers. This allows them to effectively lighten the space without too much glare.

You can dim the light to suit your personal preference

Pendants and glass globes, as well as glass globes, can cause bright spots in a space. This can pose a problem for television screens that have direct glare and reflections. Protzman recommends dimming light fixtures at a low level to create the ideal viewing environment. “Your eyes will be able to quickly adjust and adapt to the changes in light levels,”He says.

Protzman states that people perceive less light levels than they actually change. You can dim the brightness of a light by 30 percent, but it will actually decrease its light level by up to 90 percent. Light dimmers can be used to create media spaces that you like. They also help to conserve energy.

For the best media room lighting options, shop at your local ALA member retailer to get the best selection and expert advice.

For a list of ALA-member showrooms, please visit AmericanLightingAssoc.com