A 98-Inch Sony That Fills the Wall
Size changes how a movie feels. At 98 inches, the picture stops being a TV on the wall and starts to feel like a window into the film.
The 98-inch Sony BRAVIA 5 we install is about 7 feet wide and just over 4 feet tall. Behind the screen, thousands of tiny Mini LED lights brighten and dim in small zones. A dark hallway in a horror movie stays truly dark, while the flashlight beam still looks bright. The TV also plays Dolby Vision, the format many streaming services use for their best picture.
A screen this big needs real planning. It weighs about 152 pounds, so it goes on a mount anchored into the framing of the wall, not just the drywall. Ryan also checks where you sit. Too close, and you turn your head to follow the action. Too far, and the size is wasted. The right height and distance are the difference between a big TV and a room people remember.
Daylight matters too. A family room with tall windows may need shades, so a Sunday afternoon game does not wash out.
Sound That Puts You Inside the Movie
The picture pulls you in. The sound is what makes you grab the arm of the couch. Movies are mixed with sound coming from every direction, and a room with speakers in front of, beside and behind the seats lets you hear the film the way it was made.
Triad speakers are hand-built to order in Portland, Oregon. They can be made to fit inside the wall or ceiling and painted to match the room, so you hear them without looking at boxes. Triad sells only through professional installers, not stores.
McIntosh amplifiers supply the power. McIntosh has handcrafted audio equipment in Binghamton, New York, for more than 70 years, and its glowing blue power meters are known around the world. Strong, clean power is what keeps a whisper clear and lets a sudden crash hit hard without strain.
Then Ryan tunes the system to your room. Rugs, glass, high ceilings and open floor plans all change how sound behaves. The goal is voices you can understand at a normal volume, so nobody reaches for the remote every 5 minutes, and bass you feel in your chest without rattling the kitchen.
Football Sundays, and the Big Game in February
Halloween is only the start of the season for this room. On Sundays, football runs from 1 in the afternoon into the night. On a 98-inch screen you can see the whole field, follow a play as it opens up, and hear the crowd rise around you.
Friends stop by after their own kids’ games. Someone brings food. By the second half, the room has become the spot on the block for Sunday football.
Then there is February. The Super Bowl is on Sunday, February 14, 2027. Picture your family and friends in this room that night. There is nothing to decide about it today. It is simply one more night the room will be ready for.
One Remote, and Anyone in the House Can Use It
A great room is only great if the whole family can use it. Most of us have lived with a drawer of 4 remotes and the one person who knows which buttons to press, in which order.
We set up one remote with plain buttons such as Watch TV, Watch a Movie and Off. Press one, and the screen, the sound, the lights and the streaming box all do their part. A grandparent can do it. So can a babysitter, or a 10-year-old.
That ease is what clients notice most once the room is done. One couple put it this way:
Built Around Your Room, Not a Box Store Kit
A box store sells you a TV and a sound bar and leaves the rest to you. A room like this is designed around your house first, and the equipment is chosen to fit it.
Before Ryan recommends anything, he looks at:
- Where the seats are, and how far they sit from the screen
- What is inside the wall, and how the wires will be hidden
- Where the equipment will live, so it stays cool and out of sight
- How strong the Wi-Fi is in that room, so streaming does not stall
- How the room looks when the screen is off
When the work is done, the room looks finished, not wired.
Ready Before Thanksgiving and Christmas
The holidays are when this room earns its place in the house. Kids home from college, the parade on Thanksgiving morning, football that afternoon, and a holiday movie after dinner with everyone on the couch.
A room like this takes planning. The screen and speakers have to be chosen and ordered, the wiring path worked out, and the work fit around your family’s schedule. Every home is different, so we will not guess at dates on a web page. The best step is to call now, so the work can be planned before the holidays.
Clear Advice. Clean Work. Easy to Use.
Ryan Herd: 30+ Years Taking Stress Out of Homes
Ryan is the founder of One Sound Choice, a former Mayor of Pequannock Township, a TEDx speaker, a patent holder and the author of Join the Smart Home Revolution. He has worked in thousands of New Jersey homes.
For a movie room, he starts by sitting where your family will sit, and he designs from that seat out.
Serving Homeowners Throughout Northern New Jersey
We build movie rooms in family rooms, finished basements and great rooms across Morris, Bergen, Essex, Passaic, Somerset and Hunterdon counties.
Questions Homeowners Ask
How much room do I need for a 98-inch TV?
Most family rooms and finished basements have enough space. You want a wall at least 8 feet wide and a main seat about 10 to 13 feet from the screen. Ryan measures both before recommending a size.
Will the speakers and wires show?
They do not have to. Speakers can go inside the walls or ceiling and be painted to match. Wires run inside the walls, and the equipment can live in a closet or cabinet out of sight.
Can a 98-inch TV go above the fireplace?
Sometimes, but it is often not the best seat in the house. A screen that high can strain your neck during a long movie. Ryan checks the height, the heat and the framing of the wall, and tells you honestly whether it is the right spot.
What happens if something stops working?
You call or text our team, and we take care of it.
Do you install just the TV, or the whole room?
The whole room. That means the screen, the speakers, the amplifier, the remote, the lighting and the Wi-Fi in that room, plus support after the work is done. If you later want music, cameras or better Wi-Fi in the rest of the house, it can all run on the same system.
More From One Sound Choice
A Private Look at Your Room with Ryan
Call or text Ryan at (973) 945-5275. He will come see the room, listen to how your family wants to use it, and tell you plainly what he would build.