For a long time, sitting in a cozy armchair and watching a movie on a huge screen was something that you could experience only in a movie theater. However, with the development of technologies, it’s now possible to make a movie theater right in your home. And it doesn’t even have to cost a fortune for you (if you are not planning to build an ultimate home theater, of course). Our simple tips will prove to you that it’s possible to create a magical atmosphere of a real cinema with a modest investment.
1. Use a projector or a large TV
Projectors are used in actual cinemas, so having them is preferable to having a TV. Something like the Epson Home Cinema 2045, with Full HD support, over 2000 lumens of brightness, and a ceiling mount option, will be the most cost-effective and high-quality alternative. Most Epson 2045 reviews agree that this projector delivers a colorful, sharp image with a high contrast ratio.
However, if you are building a small home theater, a standard 40 – 55 inch flat-screen TV with 4K or Full HD support will be a good choice.
<H2>2. Install a surround sound system</H2>
It’s hard to imagine movies without surround sound since it makes them more realistic. A surround sound system with seven or more channels, including left, right, front, back, and center speakers, as well as a subwoofer, will give you an experience that is really close to the one in a real movie theater. You can either buy a set of speakers or choose each type of speaker individually and tie them together with the help of a receiver. The main thing is that speakers, as well as a receiver, should support high-definition audio.
3. Get comfortable seats
A home cinema is not just a large screen and volumetric sound. It’s also your comfort. If you are willing to spend some money, you can buy special home theater seats. They typically incorporate everything you are going to need for a comfortable watching: fold-down table, storage space, cup holders, and even an atmospheric backlight in some cases. There are affordable and premium-quality home theater seats on the market, but they are still usually costlier than regular seats. So if you don’t want to spend a lot of money, you can just use any plain seats that are comfortable for you and your guests.
4. Soundproof the room
There are several reasons why soundproofing is a good idea. The first is obvious: to keep outside noises from other rooms from leaking into the home cinema area. The second one is to improve the quality of sound through suitable acoustics. The last one is to keep the sound inside the room (which is especially important if it’s located in the middle of a house). You can use soundproof foam for that or cover the walls with acoustic panels.
5. Create a cinema-like atmosphere
To begin, ensure that no daylight enters a room by covering the windows with thick curtains. It’s especially important if you use a projector, as they all operate better in complete darkness. It’s also recommended to paint the walls black because white or bright hues will be distracting. Black color reduces light reflection and allows you to focus on the screen.
6. Add some lightning
Given that the room will be completely dark, you must be able to see something. That is why some type of lighting is required. To illuminate the path to them, install an LED rope on the floor and under the seats. To light up the entire room, you can install some smart LED lamps on the walls or/and ceiling and control them via your phone or remote controller.
7. Decorate the interior
You may make your home theater look like a movie theater by customizing the interior. Add some movie posters to the walls, for example. You can even buy some original posters on eBay or print some arts dedicated to your favorite movies. Put them in frames (maybe with a backlight) and hang on the walls. It’s also a cool idea to buy a popcorn machine that will fill the space with an incredible aroma of popcorn.
8. Get a universal remote control or a smart voice assistant
Having a bunch of remotes to control the projector, TV, sound system, receiver, and other devices may be annoying. Especially when you are doing it in the dark. Fortunately, there are plenty of universal remote controls on the market that can replace all your existing controllers. If all of your home theater elements (or most of them) support smart voice assistants, you also can buy a smart speaker and control the whole system remotely via voice commands.
9. Find a storage solution
When designing your home theater, make sure to include dedicated places to store remotes, batteries, and other stuff. Otherwise, you risk damaging or losing them. Think about some clever solutions like integrated cabinets, for example. And don’t forget about snacks and drinks. It’s a good idea to have a mini-fridge and mini-bar, so you don’t have to go to and from the kitchen all the time.
10. Remove all reflective objects
All the shiny objects between the viewers and the screen should be minimized. If you can’t remove or replace them, consider using matte paint to reduce their glare (you can use it for doorknobs, hinges, etc.).