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Whether you are a true movies lover or audiophile, or just a regular guy who wants to watch a movie from time to time, it is hard to dispute that nothing can beat that feeling of immersion into the movie theater provides.
21st-century technology came so far in audio and video reproduction, thus becoming affordable enough allowing anyone who has some room space and a reasonable budget to set up a home theatre to enjoy.
To do that, you need two things: Room and equipment. A dedicated theater room would be best but if you don’t have a spare room to turn into your movies heaven, you can set up everything in your living room as well.
You can buy some branded home theater equipment setup, or you can make one of your own, picking from a wide variety of products on the market, but it all comes down to buying, connecting, and setting up the following components:
Big widescreen TV or projector with a screen
Most people say you can’t go too big with the screen but even that may be true for some, try not to end up cramping a 52” screen in a room 2m deep. Try to size up your TV or screen with space you have available so it covers a big portion of your vision field, but not entire peripheral vision.
You can test this out with some measuring tape on your screen wall.
If you opt for the projector, make sure you test where to position it exactly relative to the ceiling before buying the mount for it. This will save you a lot of time, frustration, and money because you will know what kind of mount fits you beforehand. Also, test out the size of the projection so you can choose the right screen size. If you are on the budget, or can’t find a screen that fits your needs, painting the wall white will work as well. Just make sure you don’t use glossy or reflective paint.
Since this is the year 2021, try to find and buy a TV or a projector that supports 4k resolution since anything below that will soon become obsolete.
Home Theater Receiver
This is a key component In charge of your audio. There are many on the market, with or without speakers included in the set, but you should not buy anything that doesn’t support at least 5,1. surround. The first digit here represents the number of full-range speakers receiver supports, and the second digit represents the number of supported subwoofers. If you have a big room and a high budget cap, a general rule is – more is better. This is because additional supported speakers provide you with a better experience. (Especially sealing mounted ones in rain scenes or airplane/chopper overfly scenes etc.)
Speakers and Location
Like we previously said, you can get a receiver with supported and matched speakers, but buying them separately gives you much more freedom of choice and a chance to get a perfect fit for your needs.
In a 5,1 configuration, you will need a central channel speaker, which needs to be located directly below the screen,two main speakers located in line with the screen, not less than 2m apart from each other, and two surround speakers need to be on or just above your ear level, but feel free to do some experimentation on your own to figure out what sounds best for you.
Lastly, place the subwoofer pretty much anywhere in the room where you feel you have the best sound (and you can reach it with cable).
HDMI cables to connect your home theater receiver with a TV or projector. In case you choose to go with a projector, bear in mind you will need a very long one so be careful what you choose. Also, if you go with the projector, you will need an additional HDMI cable to connect the media player.
A surge protector or even UPS. This is optional but recommended for every piece of equipment that is somewhat expensive and sensitive to electrical surges or blackouts.
Also check: A Guide to Purchasing Electronic Devices Online
Speaker Cables
You will need them to connect your speakers with the receiver. Measure the distance between your receiver and each speaker and add 10% to be sure you will have enough. You should also buy enough banana plugs to put on the ends of the cables
The thickness of your cables will depend on the power of the speakers you’ve chosen but you should go with 14 or 16 gauge for most applications
Media Player
the media player is a source of your entertainment if you choose to go with the projector setup. Most projectors don’t have built-in media players, as most modern TVs do so you will have to buy it separately. There are many options on the market so find something that best fits you and your budget.
Universal remote
This is an optional component since everything will work without it but imagine having one remote to turn on your projector or TV, the other one for the receiver, the third one for the media player, etc. This will soon become very tiring, frustrating, and ruin your enjoyment. So, we recommend buying a universal remote controller. There are so many options to choose from. Some will even work with your phone turning it into a universal remote but whatever option you choose, be sure to buy one that allows you to set up activities, so you can turn everything on with just one push or touch on the remote.
If you chose the room, bought, placed and set up all the components correctly, all that remains is to make popcorn, pour some soda, lay back, and immerse by pressing the play on your remote controller or your cellphone under your favorite movie or series title.
Enjoy!
