New steel beam installed. This accomplished two things. First, it spans a longer distance than the old wooden beam without a support post in the middle, allowing a large open space for the home theater.
Second, by cutting the joists and pushing the beam up in between the joists instead of sitting below them, it allows us to have a higher ceiling. The beam has a plate welded to the bottom so that the bottom part of the "I" is wider than the top. This provides a lip or a shelf for the cut ends of the joist to sit on to support the weight of the house.