Gimme (better) shelter: home theater market expands into suburbs.

FROM the outside, there's nothing out of the ordinary about Chris and Pamela Mayard's ranch-style home in Sierra Madre.

The walkway leading to the front door is covered with pink, blue and yellow chalk drawings. Inside, the family room has a lived-in look, with a sectional leather sofa that allows the couple's seven- and 10-year-old daughters to sprawl. Dog toys are scattered about.

But the room is also a high-tech lair, with a 42-inch Marantz plasma TV anchored on the wall. Alter months of cajoling by her husband, Pamela agreed to shell out $18,000 last December for a home theater system, complete with DVD player, built-in wall speakers, a high definition TV satellite receiver and an $800 wireless remote that resembles a GameBoy.

Pamela is now the theater's biggest fan. She hosts movie nights with popcorn and bowls of M&Ms for the kids. On other nights, the Maynards and their friends battle it out with the DVD version of Trivial Pursuit.

"Spending that much money was hard to swallow," said Pamela, who works at home as a grant writer. "But it creates a great atmosphere for family gatherings and dinner parties. It makes watching TV a social rather than solitary event."

Call it what you will: cocooning, hiving, chilling or vegging. Nowadays, showbiz types and technology moguls aren't the only ones setting up high-tech entertainment centers in their homes. Sales of home-theater equipment are booming, thanks to a new class of suburban aficionados. Lower prices, easier installation and the tech deftness of everyday consumers haven't hurt either, nor have low interest rates, which have led homeowners to focus on remodeling underused space.

"This used to be a high-end luxury item that has moved to something that's mainstream," said Avi Greengart, vice president and research director of Darien, Conn.-based JupiterResearch. "There is a strong consumer interest and willingness to spend money on this."

Growing sales

The market for home theater sales is still relatively small--a projected $977 million nationwide this year--but it has grown rapidly since 2000, when nationwide sales totaled $355 million, according to the Arlington, Va.-based Consumer Electronics Association.

What's more, buyers tend to have sticking power. Nearly one in three homeowners who have domestic theaters will make additional purchases this year, ranging from $99 surround-sound speakers to screening rooms with stadium seating costing $1 million or more, according the industry group.

"Lower prices, easier set-up and installation are all driving the market forward in a big way," Greengart said.

The home theater trend has struck a particular chord in Los Angeles, where the concentration of the entertainment industry, celebrities and athletes is fueling consumer interest. TV programs showcase L.A. celebrity homes featuring elaborate home theater systems and screening rooms.

"There is a pretty strong correlation between the popularity of home theaters and the presence of Hollywood in the same town," said Steve Koenig, CEA's senior manager of industry analysis. "Nobody would argue that the two aren't reasonably correlated."

Koenig said demographics and income makes for a stronger argument for the trend's staying power in Los Angeles. "It's really a function of higher incomes and the presence of more higher-income households in that region," he said.

Typically, a big-screen TV (anything from 30 to 65 inches) is where the home theater starts. Once the size of the television is established, the next question is whether it will have HDTV (high-definition television) capability. HDTV provides a sharper and brighter image than standard televisions. Surround sound speakers, CD and DVD players and video game system are other common elements.

An entry-level system can start as low as $2,000, with individual components selling for less at Target and Best Buy. Prices on some luxury items are also inching down: Projectors that once retailed for as much as $70,000 now go for $10,000.

While most buyers incorporate the system into a family room or bedroom, a growing number of clients opt to trick out separate rooms with luxuries such as leather movie seats, top-of-the-line projectors, curtains and lighting controls.

The National Association of Home Builders estimates that 34 percent of homebuilders now offer structured wiring packages as standard or optional amenities, while a number of developers feature stand-alone theater rooms in model homes.

"The biggest catalyst has been the home remodeling industry," said Richard Kim, owner of L.A. Audio and Video at First Street and Western Avenue. "Every time you remodel, people add a theater to their master bedroom or create a media room, which amounts to about half the amount of our growth."

Talfela drapes 

Hollywood Hills resident Susan Morgan Cooper turned a game room into a home theater with red taffeta curtains and walls, and overstuffed chairs and sofas covered in animal prints. The system was just under $20,000 and includes a projector and 110-inch screen.

"My 13-year-old daughter suggested it," said Cooper, who works in the film industry. "We would walk through the room occasionally at Christmas to play a game of pool but it was generally unused. Now it's very hard to get me to the movie theater because basically you can get a DVD almost immediately after it's released and watch it in the comfort of your own home with refreshments and the works."

Interior designers are increasingly in demand as clients ask for professional help to integrate the technology into their homes. Laurie Fraser, owner of Studio City-based L.A. Fraser Designs & Associates, recently designed a theater room in Cerritos for Dennis and Frances Gorospe, who wanted their family room to accommodate at least 10 people twice a week. She installed curtains with blackout lining to block outside light, moveable furniture for movie watching and automated lighting. The project will be aired during an Oct. 7 episode of Home & Garden Television.

"Just about every home has one built in," Fraser said. "It's all coinciding with a change in how we live our lives."