Starting design of dedicated HT

Hi all,

New poster, frequent reader.

I'm starting a HT project in the back section of my garage (a 2 car with a third tandem section). The dimensions of the space are:

19'6" L x 11' W x 11'3" H.

I have been reading through a ton of great threads on different design aspects, and here are some things I am going to do. First goals I guess, which are for watching movies and playing 360 games. Also, needs to be as soundproofed as possible because I have two young boys (2.5y and 7 mos)

Now design stuff:
6' L x 7'6" W riser in the back, with door entrance in the back, which means the riser isn't centered, but no real choice on that.

Probably going to be putting soffits around the top for lighting, maybe rope lighting in crown molding, and sconces along the wall. Screen size will be in the 110 range. Also probably framing the screen so it is inset with speakers hidden in the sides/top.

Here are some things that I'm questioning now about designs I can do.

I have concrete floors, and I'm wondering how that does for bass with just carpet on it. Assume sub in front left (that's the external wall, right is my family room). Is it better to rise the sub up slightly with a small riser and sand in it?

My ceilings are high. This seems like it should be a non-issue, but I've seen countless theater posts and they all seem to be 8-9 foot high ceilings. So I was wondering how that was going to look in regards to soffits, the height of the lights, how high the projector will need to be, etc. Should I decide to build the ceiling down a bit (seems like a waste) or am I fine.

I haven't bought a projector/screen yet, so I can have some flex room to help accommodate a DLP or LCD as fit.

Another question, I'm trying to get my 600+ DVD/Game collection into this room somehow, and was wondering if anyone had done anything with that. I don't have a super amount of width here to work with, and would also prefer it to look classy over dorm roomish (as my wife says). Anyone actually toy with building a shelf behind a fixed screen and have it swing open for access?

Finally, again because of my width, and rear door limitations, I'm trying to figure out where to put components. The best place logically is in the front under the screen maybe in some shelf, with dark glass doors or something to remove component lights from my line of site.

Thanks for any help/suggestions. I'm really enjoying reading everyone's designs/hard work and am amazed at how willing others are to lend a hand to someone else's cause.

Yeah, working on the vizio diagram now. Finding a way to put the equipment out of the room is tough, but i may be able to vent out the heat if it's under the screen to the outside, since it's an external wall (and would be low to the ground).

Well, is it better than to just let the sub be on carpet and that's it, or do you need a special pad for sure?