Your home theater system doesn’t have to be as complicated a launching a space shuttle. It also doesn’t have to require much imagination to make similar to a real theater. Below are a few tips to help you make the most of your home theater:
Sound
When it comes to setting up your home theater, it’s all about the sound quality. Make the small investment into the purchase of a high-quality surround sound system. Surround sound will draw you into the movie or television show that you are watching and take you away from the rest of the environment around you.
Lighting
When lighting the room for your home theater, think: minimal. The dimmer the lights, the more relaxed and theater-like the experience will be. If you must leave a light on, make sure it’s a soft light in the back of the room so that it does not interfere with the image on the screen. You can also use dim track lighting that does not attract your eyes to it.
Accessories
Make your home theater as comfortable as possible. Choose soft furniture, such as fluffy sofas or recliners. Make sure to have plenty of pillows and blankets on hand to make your space more personalized and convertible. As for the décor of your home theater, to finish off the theater motif, you can invest in movie paraphernalia such as old film canisters, vintage movie posters or popcorn boxes.
Food
You should always have popcorn and tradition theater-style bonbons on hand for your home theater. Popcorn has a short shelf life and should be popped fresh for each home theater viewing, but you can keep bonbons on hand in their original boxes. Keep a variety of candy so that your friends will have options when they visit.
Movies
You should always strive to maintain a diverse movie collection, if you are a serious home theater owner. Make sure to have at least 5-6 of the following genres to please all guests and audience members:
• romantic comedy
• drama
• science fiction
• action
• suspense
• horror
• child-themed
• foreign
• independent
Controls
Make sure you know how to operate all of the home theater equipment. There’s nothing more disappointing than sitting down for an evening with friends to view a new movie and discovering that something is awry with your technologic set-up. Make sure that you learn the function of each remote control and that you can trouble shoot for common problems, such as turned-off equipment. Many times, investing in a universal remote control can help you avoid any problems that many arise from the use of multiple remote controls.
Extra-seating
You should always have extra seating available in the event that more friends come over than expected to take advantage of your home theater. The floor is a suitable seat for some friends, but not for all. Avoid investing in folding chairs for your home theater. While folding chairs are easy to store, they are style-less and uncomfortable. Instead, buy a few blow-up chairs or mini popazon chairs. These two selections are very comfortable and can be stored in any closet or under and piece of furniture.