Tips On Choosing A Great Home Cinema System

A home theatre is a great way of enjoying a night at the movies with your family and friends without the hassle of driving into town and the interruption of other viewers' chat and popcorn munching.  So what should you look for when choosing a home cinema system?  Read on for some helpful tips.

The cost of a home cinema system

Although a home cinema system sounds like a very grand addition to your home, it need not cost you the earth. The cost will to some extent be related to the size of the system, and this will be dependent on the room that you have available in your home.  You can buy a complete 'plug in and go' system, which will offer you good value for money but won't have the flexibility offered by a system built from separate components.  You may also find that your complete system has many features that you will never use.  This means that you could be paying for things that you simply don't need.

For these reasons, you may find that a system built from separate components may be the most cost effective and user-friendly way to go.

The components of a home cinema system

If you decide to create your own home cinema system, you will need the following components:

• a set of speakers
• an AV receiver and amp
• Blu-ray player
• TV set or larger projector and screen, depending on the space you have available

Amps and receivers

Your amp decodes the sounds broadcast from the media so it's essential that you choose something that is compatible with your media device.  The receiver processes the sound and feeds it to the speakers.  You will therefore need to make sure that your receiver is compatible with your speakers. 

Speakers

The sound you get from your home cinema system is what really makes it feel like a big screen experience so a decent speaker set-up is essential.  You could go for a surround sound system or a more affordable TV sound bar option.  However, before you go spending a fortune on a set of fancy speakers, you must make sure that they are compatible with the rest of your system.

The speaker at the very centre of your set-up is the most influential when it comes to sound quality and coverage, so be sure to make your main investment here.

Projector or TV

When choosing your set-up, you need to decide whether to go for a projector or a large TV.  If you're going for a projector, you'll either need a clean, white wall or a good-quality projector screen.  A decent projector can still give you a sharp picture, although probably not as clear as you'd get on your TV.

What to do now

Now that you have a basic idea of what's required for a good home cinema system, your next step is to pay a visit to your local audio visual store to ask for more advice.  They will visit your home to assess the location you plan to use for your home cinema and will then be able to recommend what's most suitable for your circumstances.