The home theatre is the hub of many a house. With ticket prices to the movies going ever upwards, it’s starting to make more and more sense for us to all just save our cinema money and put our dollars towards investing in a top-of-the-line home theatre system, a la Kanye West. While we might not all have Kanye’s big bucks, there are some key things that you can do in order to achieve cinema-quality viewing at home, without absolutely blowing your budgets and landing yourself in debt. You will find that by investing in some great quality speakers (I’ve heard great things about sound bars) and a good TV, you will enjoy the experience a great deal more – but there’s more than just great audio-visual equipment that makes up a great viewing experience. Let’s take a look at some of the most important parts of your home theatre experience so that you can begin to start watching in style.
The comfiest lounges in the world
The best part of going to Gold Class cinemas is definitely the seats. Well, that and the fact that you can drink wine while you’re watching the latest blockbuster. But I digress, back to the seats. Those plush leather lounges with their kicked up feet recline – it certainly makes for an exceptional viewing experience. In order to achieve the best possible home theatre experience, you need to have the plushest movie theatre seats this side of Beverly Hills. If you’re not flush with cash, think about hitting up the trading post or shopping second hand for your recliners.
Exceptional surround sound
Yes, the sound is a huge part of your home theatre experience, so be sure that you don’t scrimp on this. Make sure that you have various speakers that can be positioned around the lounge room (or the home theatre room, if you’re into that sort of thing) and pump up the bass for that true Hollywood feeling. You’ll feel it when explosions go off and bad guys are walking away from them, and you’ll feel it when the big ship’s horn goes off in Titanic. You get the idea.
One screen to rule them all
In order to get the best impact from the movies you’re going to watching, the screen is going to be a huge (dare I even say crucial) part of your viewing experience. You do have options as far as the screen is concerned – and if you’re someone who has a great big blank wall in your lounge room, you’re going to be spoilt for choice in that not only can you get a TV, but you’ll have the option of getting a projector as well. If you’re plumping for the projector, make sure you get one with high enough resolution so that it’s going to show a clear picture for your viewing.
Blackout blinds for excellence
There’s nothing worse than having the sun glinting off your TV when you’re trying to relax and watch a film on a cold Sunday afternoon. Dupe the sun and win at life by getting yourself some awesome blackout blinds.
Snacks on snacks
Ok, this one technically isn’t something that you can invest in per se – in that’s it not a part of the furniture or the home, but it is sure as hell something that you need to get the best and most authentic home theatre experience. Snacks that are worth a mention include Maltesers, popcorn and M&Ms. If you’re feeling crazy enough, why not invest in a Frozen Coke machine and get the true cinema feeling.
Happy viewing!