Its a humble setup, relatively speaking, but it works for my small New York apartment.
What do I need for a home theater?
Do you want a TV?
What about blackout curtains?
But for the rest of us, its helpful to have a plan of attack before we start shopping.
Keep the following in mind, and youll get an option thats best tailored for your space.
How big is your room?
Thats what our setup is like, and were perfectly happy with our 55-inch screen.
Anything bigger would have us craning our necks.
If that sounds a bit cramped to you, keep in mind that everyones house is different.
Heres a trick: UseRTings TV-size-to-distance calculatorbefore you start shopping.
Should I get a TV or projector?
Its what they use in the theaters, and were trying to get the same experience at home.
Oh, and you dont have to worry about fan noise like on some projector models.
One note: If you also want to use your setup for gaming, I suggest a TV.
Theres still a lot to research before you get a gadget, after all.
Next, youll need to pick the jot down of gear you get.
All this vocab means different things, and there are even more brand-specific terms out there.
Lets cut it down to the basics.
With long throw, the benefit is usually price and brightness.
Short throw and ultra short throw, meanwhile, tend to cost a bit more and struggle with brightness.
Because theyre so close to the image, they also suffer more from light bumps.
These all have their pros and cons.
The big thing to keep in mind here is how many channels you want.
The more channels your audio solution can use, the more detailed your sound can get.
For instance, if you grew up in the 90s, youre probably familiar with mono and stereo.
Fast forward to today, and weve got a few more options.
The one youre probably most familiar with is the soundbar.
Fancier ones can mimic surround sound by shooting sound across the room, but its not quite the same.
Thats where 5.1, 6.1, 7.1, and other types of surround sound come in.
What will work best for you will vary on how much space you have as well as your needs.
If you dont want any text on your screen, you might want to splurge for some extra channels.
Heres a few picks to get you started.
Heres where you’re able to start to get fun.
Its a great way to get a more traditional setup if you dont own a basement.
If you are using a projector, also be sure to pick up a screen.
These can be bought for as cheap as $50, so its well worth it.
Next, figure out how you want to get your movies.
ButI suggest going physical if it’s possible for you to.
Blu-rays, meanwhile, are so large that they can pack in far more detail.
But what about you?
Youre at home, so why not enjoy what comes alongside that?
Which brings me to my last pointsnacks!
Watching a movie without something to chew on feels wrong.
Heres a few choice home theater accessories to get you started.
The rabbit hole here is huge, and I could go on all day if I wanted to.
You could get into soundproofing, tiered seating, bias or overhead lighting, the works.
And never underestimate the power of buying used, so keep an eye on your local Facebook Marketplace.
