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Turning your living room, den, or basement into a home theater isn’t as scary. Only a few components are needed to have a dedicated place to watch movies and TV shows in the highest quality possible, and you can adapt your system to your needs and space.
Best Home Theater System For Bedroom
We’ve put together this guide to explain all the choices you need to make when building a home theater system, along with some recommendations on what hardware to get. Whether you’re looking for a quick and easy solution that you can set up in minutes, or a larger system that you can build over time, we’ve got you covered.
Best Surround Sound Systems 2024: Home Cinema Speakers And Soundbars Put To The Test
The first step in setting up a home theater is deciding where you will watch your entertainment (ie, in your family room, basement, etc.). After that, you want to know
To watch For that, consider whether you want a traditional 4K flat panel TV, or a projector. Here are the pros and cons to consider
4K TV: There’s never been a better time to have a TV at the center of your home theater system. Most have large screens (typically 55 to 65 inches) with 4K resolution (almost twice the resolution of a 1080P display), and support for Dolby Vision HDR (High Dynamic Range), a new technology that significantly improves the color accuracy.
They’re also “smart,” meaning you can access popular streaming services right from the set, rather than having to own a media streaming device. All this technology is packed into a thin frame that’s light enough that you can mount it on a wall.
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Projector: Thanks to movie houses, projectors are the first thing people think of when they hear “home theater.” They can “throw” large screens (up to 300 inches) on a blank wall, and are easy to move. But, many projectors haven’t made the leap to 4K yet, and only support HDR-10, which doesn’t reproduce colors as well as TVs with Dolby Vision HDR.
They are more susceptible to light interference – a bright room will significantly dim the projector image. However, under the right conditions, a projector will create a truly cinematic experience that a TV can’t touch.
If you decide to get a 4K TV, I can only recommend one: the TCL 6 Series. The company’s 6 series (originally the P-Series) has earned a reputation over the past few years for offering stellar image quality in an attractive package. Having seen the TV for myself, I have to agree.
This TV supports Dolby Vision, and uses a technology called local dimming zones to intelligently brighten the picture it displays. This will lighten the parts of the scene that are colorful, and darken the parts that aren’t, making movies and TV shows look more realistic.
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TCL 6-Series TVs have a variety of ports, so you can easily connect game consoles, streaming boxes, and other home theater equipment to them. There are four HDMI ports, a USB port, an RF port, a set of composite video ports, a headphone jack, optical audio out, and Ethernet.
One last feature: This TV has Roku built into it, which means you have automatic access to major streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and more without having to pick up a streaming stick. You can download additional channels through Roku’s App Store.
In my experience, the picture and sound quality of the TCL 6-Series is excellent. Colors look vibrant on a Blu-ray copy of the
, and while playing various HD and classic video games. I’m also equally impressed with the very small bezel around the screen, which almost disappears when you turn off the lights.
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If you’re going the projector route, I’d recommend the Optoma HD28HDR, an updated version of the HD27 I’ve used for a few years.
The HD28HDR’s specs are impressive for a projector in its price range. It has a native resolution of 1080P, a maximum screen size of 300 inches (100 inches from 11’3″ away), HDR-10 support, and a peak brightness of 3400 lumens. These specifications are best suited for medium room size. with minimal light pollution, and the screen quality will increase significantly when the sun goes down.
It has a variety of ports: two HDMI, one USB, one Sync 3D, and audio out, so you won’t have any problems connecting it to a media streaming stick, game console, and stereo receiver. The HD28HDR doesn’t have any built-in smart features, so you’ll need to physically connect streaming hardware to it to watch movies or TV shows.
My experience with the previous generation of this projector was very positive; The picture quality is very solid, even in daylight and without HDR. The addition of these two features makes it a great choice for people who really want a cinema-like experience in their home.
Home Subwoofer Placement
A home theater sound system is as important as its video source – what’s a good picture without sound? This is especially important because the speakers on 4K TVs and projectors aren’t that great.
Setting up a home theater sound system was a big deal until recently, but now there are many options, whether you’re looking for a one-box solution, or you want to choose all the components yourself. . Here’s an analysis of the pros and cons between sound bars, a 2.0 (or 2.1) sound system, and a 5.1 sound system.
Sound Bar: Sound bars have become popular in the home theater world due to their small size, smart features, and easy setup. The downside is that while they’re better than your TV’s built-in speakers, they can’t quite match the sound quality of a larger speaker system. Also, because the speakers are grouped together, you get less of the full stereo stage, making movies and video games sound less realistic.
2.0 (or 2.1 Sound System): A 2.0 or 2.1 sound system is the same type of stereo system you would set up if you wanted to listen to music. It features two speakers, and can be added to a subwoofer for extra bass. It takes up more space than a sound bar – especially if you have a subwoofer – but not as much as a 5.1 surround sound system. The downside is that you have to connect the speakers to a stereo receiver, and stereo speakers can’t match the immersive experience of surround sound.
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5.1 Surround Sound: Many people associate a 5.1 surround sound system with the term “home theater,” which makes sense. The surround sound audio system creates a highly immersive environment by simulating the experience of being in the middle of the action happening on screen. There is nothing like it. But, setting up a surround sound system means running a bunch of wires across your room, and placing five speakers in the right places, which can be impractical, especially if you’re in a small that room.
We kept this in mind when writing this guide, which is why our chosen sound bar and 2.0 sound system can be turned into a 5.1 surround sound system by setting up additional speakers. This gives you the flexibility to start with a smaller system, and work your way up to surround sound as your home theater evolves.
The Sonos Beam won the top spot in our best home theater soundbar guide, and it’s the one I recommend based on personal experience. It’s been my only piece of home theater audio equipment for a year, and I’ve really enjoyed my time with it.
Sonos says the Beam is like a “smart, compact soundbar,” and that’s a perfect description. At 25.6 x 2.7 x 3.9 inches, it’s slim enough to fit under most TVs (not most soundbars!) Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant are built into it, so you can use the Beam to control smart home accessories, answer questions, set timers, and more using just your voice. And, it supports Bluetooth and Apple’s AirPlay 2 audio standard, so you can wirelessly stream audio from your PC, Mac, Android phone, or iPhone to it.
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As I mentioned earlier, soundbars are the easiest home theater speakers to set up, and the Beam is no different. Connect it to your TV with an HDMI cable, plug it into the wall, and run through the quick setup process using the Sonos app (available on iOS and Android). The app will allow you to control all the Beam’s controls, from adjusting the volume, to switching between several EQ (equalization) settings.
It doesn’t matter if the Sonos Beam doesn’t sound good, but it does – it’s really good. Its five drivers (the part of the speakers that produce the sound) do a great job of delivering solid amounts of bass, midrange, and treble without distortion, even at high volumes. Sonos calls the beam a 3.0 sound system: the two right and left speakers are considered a stereo pair, while the