Introduction Here you can see good use ofceiling lighting, side wall lighting, and a great projector set up! Theres a ton of different designs a home theater can have with these. It's certainly not cheap at $3000, but the frills of buying one of these are worth it. Theres a couple different lighting options you can install in your room. For more information on home theaters and how they work, check outthis article I wrote:How A Home Theater Works The Ultimate Explanation for Anyone! There are two things youll need to position before everything else: the screen youll be watching and the projector itself. Shades from SelectBlinds are made custom to fit your window opening and are a bit more elegant. And though it may seem trivial to you to split hairs about the quality of your HDMI cables, the right cable can make a world of difference in your visual quality, and even your audio quality if you're linking them up to audio devices like soundbars and speakers. The best way to achieve this that weve found is by installing blackout curtains or shades. Plus, it comes loaded with software from Roku, so even if you dont purchase the Roku soundbar, your home theater will be as easy to use as a streaming stick. Luckily, at home, the fix is a simple apartment decorating tip that youve tackled anyway: If your room is too reflective, consider putting down a rug or hanging up a piece of art on your walls, Crockett says. Theres a ton of home theater seating options from different companies. We receive a commission rate percentage of all transactions made from directing you to the source. Its 2021 iteration comes with a steep price hikeyou're now looking at around $900 for a new 6-Seriesbut for a comparable budget option that's still squarely in the $500 price range, the new 2021 TCL 5-Series TV is still a stellar deal. Every time you want to use it, plan for anywhere between 10-20 minutes of setup time. Plus, most have a special coating that improves the clarity of light reflected off its surfaces. Depending on your budget, you might want to consider getting dedicated furniture for your home theater. 10 Best Projectors With Built In Speakers (#10 is Our Favorite). We installed a thin, mini shelf so the strips arent peaking over the top and making it look visually unappealing. HDR gets you accurate colors, so that one of those nature scenes youve probably seen in a demo look lush and vibrant. And it can easily get you an image thats twice the size of a 55-inch TV without a massive black rectangle taking up space in your living room. This site also participates in other affiliate programs and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. I absolutely love this type of lighting. Our room heated up quite a bit until we installed a working AC vent in the room during the summer. We have a 110 screen mounted inside of a handmade frame and it looks absolutely incredible! It has clear audio quality and decent-enough bass response, plus a watching-at-night feature that boosts on-screen voices while slightly muting crazy loud moments, so you don't tick off a sleeping partner. Yeah, thats what I thought. All rights reserved. Speakers for your small room home theater are usually personal preference. Scenes that were previously muddy and hard-to-parse become a lot more exciting to watch. The light beam from the projector needs to be able to reach the screen unobstructed. Youll notice the effect immediately after plugging one in. TCL's popular 6-Series QLED TV is of our favorite budget TVs (and used to fall around $500, one of the cheapest available that uses QLED technology overall). If done correctly, I believe this could be a really interesting way to integrate a projector into your living room. Projectors are smaller devices, though, and their little 10-watt speakers dont have the same output. Make sure set up and disassembly is super easy and that the screen is lightweight. This BenQ projector is one of the few we've found at a reasonable price that is easy to set up and has solid image quality. I'm Nikhil Singh, and I love my home theater and gaming set up. If youre not mounting the projector, youll have no problem doing it yourself. But if you're just looking to affordably upgrade your current setup, you'll probably be pleasantly surprised by how much you can do to improve your home theater hardwareand your home theater spacewithout spending a lot of money. If you want a large screen in a narrower space, youll need to look for a short-throw projector, which often does mean spending a bit more money. Like any projector, its best used in a controlled, dark environment with a screen. The projector in my opinion is the most important purchase you make. Blinky electrical equipment? If youve been happy with the sound you get from your televisions speakers, a simple 2.1 surround sound system (two bookshelf speakers and one subwoofer) should be just fine. Hi! Beautifully stained wooden floors that ricochet sound waves? The idea is to bring just a touch of that velvet-curtained, MTV Cribs energy to whatever ficus-adorned, love-seat-and-flat-screen situation you're working with. This way, the audio is reflecting outward into the room [and not] bouncing against your TV. And even though subwoofers are omnidirectional, and project sounds in all directions, Crockett also says you should be thoughtful about where yours goes. Is a Curved Or Flat Monitor Better for Programming? GQ may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. For my future setup, I will definitely be getting some of these seats. All products featured on GQ are independently selected by our editors. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Ill break it down in the simplest of terms for you. I share everything Ive used from LED lights, home theater screens, projectors, accessories for gaming rooms, and more! I began working for an A/V installation company years ago and realized my passion for home theaters! It also has the recommended screen review that I use in there. Having a heavy projector screen is super annoying to adjust and implement. A 65" TV is impressive. The amount of throw needed is dependent upon how close the coffee table is to the screen. If you want your Fast and Furious marathons (or, fine, if you're fancy, your Criterion Channel subscription) to have the full cinema experience, jump down to the home projector section. One downside of OLED technology is that these TVs dont get as bright as conventional LED modelsplan on drawing the curtains (some suggestions on that below) if you're doing an all-day Scorsese marathon. What I really like about the picture below is that the furniture slowly becomes more elevated as you walk to the back of the room. The good news is setting up a projector-based home theater is no more difficult than more traditional layouts, though it does need a bit more planning. Many of them are custom made by specific companies, as they are more for looks than they are for actual lighting utility. What services offer professional consultation? External speakers are optional for TV-based home theater systems but theyre necessary if youre using a projector. Posted on Last updated: February 25, 2022. The number of lumens needed for a room is determined by the amount of ambient light in the room. The key is to put a bit of thought into your project before you start buying all of your equipment so you know the best places to spend your budget and how to make your space the best home theater it can be. Read through these different options, and I am sure you can find one that will work best for you. Weve used these speakers for years and theyre perfect for our small room. At the very least, youll need the projector and the screen. It used to be much more expensive to get a projector with a high lumen count, but now it is much more affordable. Basically it means that if theres a tiny part of your screen thats supposed to be black, its blackeven if every pixel around it is supposed to be lit. How A Home Theater Works The Ultimate Explanation for Anyone! To revisit this article, visit My Profile, thenView saved stories. The Roku Smart Soundbar is extremely simple to set up and use. Its free too! If you already know what lighting you will use, then feel free to skip this section. From award-winning writing and photography to binge-ready videos to electric live events, GQ meets millions of modern men where they live, creating the moments that create conversations. Remember that someone will need to install this equipment too, though. If you already have one, just make sure whatever projector you buy is compatible. When we reviewed it, we noticed that, on its own, it struggled with anything in super low or super high frequency ranges. Especially when projected onto a massive wall in a dark room, its certain to impress more than a budget LCD TV. Full-array local dimming gets you a sharper, higher-contrast image, so that anything shot at night time is actually intelligible. If youre willing to spend the money to get a projector capable of resolutions as good as todays TVs, consider ones of the more premium models from BenQ. Most of the "home theater setup ideas" the Internet has to offer assume that you're starting from scratch and working with an architect. Its a great way to transform a normal living room into an entertainmentviewing masterpiece! What about grey colored screens? Do Projector Screens Actually Matter? Many projector screens are also specifically designed to heighten contrast or otherwise improve image quality, which can be a big help in rooms with lots of ambient light or other constraints. You would probably only roll it out for certain movies, big games, or occasions you deem necessary. In this article, we will go over a few reasons why it is totally awesome to use a projector in a living room! It is completely possible to set up a home theater in a small room. These are the same ones you tend to see when you walk into a public theater and they dim and light up depending on when the show is about to start. These thick canvas curtains go around the opening of your window to completely block out light, but also act like a pair of noise-cancelling headphones for your apartment. This is typically where a TV would be mounted. But a screen the size of an entire wall? If youre mounting the projector, do this before you secure the hardware so you can make sure youre putting it in the right place. My family actually did this for a while when we were testing out how well a projector would work in my room. Ill give you a quick rundown on the different options people choose and you can decide which one is best for you. In 2017, I set up my familys first home theater projector in my extremely small 9ft x 9ft room. Head-to-head, youd choose the buttery-smooth accuracy of the Sony X950G every time. Dialogue from the bar sounds crisp and clear, but its not as good for music. The projector's 4K enhancement technology refines and demystifies images so you can fully experience all the vivid detail of a nature show, and the excellent native contrast ratio ensures that you see all the stunning bright light and parse out the more dimly lit space scenes of something like 2001: A Space Odyssey. A bass-heavy song with a female vocalist, like the essential Beyonce remix of Megan Thee Stallions Savage, might sound a little flat, without some of the punchiness and sparkle it would have on better speakers. A QLED TV already employs a special filter over its light source that allows it to produce more accurate, higher contrast color. For most homes, a simple white screen thats around 120 to 150 should be ideal, and you can find a decent one in the $50-$100 range. Unless your living room has one large, windowless, art-free, pock-free, perfectly white wall positioned directly across from your couch, you'll need to get a pull-down screen to get the most out of your new projector. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Well, probably not. You can use one of these if you dont want the projector to be visible at all times. You need about 9ft in length to create a home theater with a projector, movie screen, and speaker system. Have large windows that let in a lot of light? Notice how theres a little but of area behind the couches, as that could be used for a wet bar setup or popcorn machine. How To Connect Projector To Laptop Without VGA Port. A lot of living rooms have a fireplace with a brick/rock structure and a mantel right above it. A common misconception is that you cannot have a projector in a living room, but times have changed and it is perfectly acceptablenow! You may also need to buy a sound system and peripheral accessories, like a ceiling mount or extra cables. You cant expect to just take your projector out of the box and start watching movies like you would with a television. You also want to spend some quality time actually reading through your projectors manual. While a soundbar alone wont get you all the way to the impact of a fully built-out surround sound system, it will certainly render sound that is much more accurate and dynamic than your TV possibly can. Not every perfect home theater will look the same, so dont just try to emulate someone elses space. What we like so much about this screen is that its affordable, can mount to the wall without stands, and can be easily used for outdoor movies as well. Others have micro-perforations so you can put speakers behind the screen for true theater surround sound. In our quest for home theater ideas that include actually affordable gear, we reached out to Brett Crockett, the Vice President of Sound Technology R&D at Dolby, for tips on improving and building out one's own screening room (even if that room is technically the corner of a living room). Typically, people think of projectors being limited to dedicated home theaters or basement converted man-caves. If you're on a budget, these $10 gold-plated Atevon cables have highly durable zinc alloy braided cords, with the bandwidth to support 4K video, plus a universal compatibility with HDMI-connected devices like the Apple TV, Blu-ray players, Fire TV, and Roku devices. They have motorized lifts that can move the projector into a cavity in the ceiling, but these can get pretty expensive and may be difficult to install. Make sure to check that all your gadgets, WiFi router, smart speaker, thermostat, and beyond, are not inadvertently reflecting unwanted light onto your screen. None of these are enormously impactful sources of light, but if youve spent money on curtains, why let the blinking light of your Netgear keep you from enjoying your annual screening of School of Rock? Ive also personally used a lot of the projectors from this article, as it took a couple tries for me to land on the one my family and I still use to this day. You can purchase a high-quality short throw projector if you have an even smaller space without sacrificing image quality. If you were to compare an image on a Sony X950G with the same image on a TCL 5-Series TV, you might not notice much of a difference. A lot of gamers use dedicated gaming monitors. Remember that not all living rooms are suited for a mounted projector or even sitting it on a shelf. Like the Smart Soundbar, it includes a voice remote control that comes with shortcut buttons for Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+ and Hulu, though the remote control on the Pro includes slightly more programmable features (plus a headphone jack for private listening sessions). If you're going to be shelling out thousands of dollars for a souped-up TV or projector, you don't want to buy a cheap corner-store HDMI cable to support it. You may want to use a mobile stand if you dont plan on having the projector in the living room permanently. Even songs with complex arrangements and production moments that cheap speakers turn irritatinglike the click-y drums and thumping bass of Kanye's Blood on the Leaves from Yeezussound only as distorted as intended. There are actually many ceiling mounts that can hide the projector while it is not in use. In a pinch, you can project the image from a projector directly onto a wall, or hang a white bedsheet. At 2,600 lumens, it's one of the brightest projectors out there in its price range, and the motorized lens means that the projector can automatically zoom in or out and correct the size of the image to fit any givenscreen size. This is the part of your home theater that likely wont change much when you change from a TV to a projector. The larger the screen, the more distance youll need between the lamp and the screen, and the more susceptible to light pollution the image will be. It only takes a bit more thought to create one thats truly your own. I never wanted to go back to viewing movies and playing video games on a TV again. Typically, there is quite a bit of ambient light entering a living room, so you can simply install blackout window shades or curtains and dimmable lighting. While its not not surround sound, its an affordable option until we decide to upgrade. I doubt very many people would choose this option. As long as your TV has an HDMI port, you can basically just plug it in, connect it with your WiFi, and immediately start streaming, no receiver required. Ceiling-mounting is the most secure option for long-term installations, but you can also make smart use of tall shelves and other furniture. We actually remodeled our living room to install a projector and a fixed screen. If its pitch black in the room and there are 3500 lumens blasting onto your projector screen, its going to feel a little blinding. For most homes, a 1080p resolution projector in the $500-$1,000 range should suit your needs nicely. If you get stuck or confused, youre probably not the first one. If the projectors location is fixed because of the constraints of your space, you could alternatively wait to permanently mount the screen, changing its placement to adjust the image size. While its not difficult to set it up, you do have to think about different things than you would if you were setting up a home theater based around a TV. Few homes have many completely blank, white walls the size youll want for a projector screen. Running the cables on the floor is actually a pretty good method if you have carpet or something to hide the cables with. [Spoiler: Yes, they do]. But you must also think about the projector screen. If you want to position your couch between the projector and screen, think about how youll raise the projector beam over everyones heads. As we said, its not hard to set up a home theater with a projector. And finally, once youve got a handle on the light coming into your entertainment area, you should pay attention to the light sources from within your apartment. That's the dream. Test that both the sound and picture are working and that theyre in alignment on all input channels before you call it a day. If you want something thatll pair with the Beam while youre watching TV, but that you can take with you throughout your apartment, or outside when thats a thing again, the companys portable Move speaker might be a great option. One of the biggest differences when you set up a projector-based home theater is the way you think about light. This is probably one of the most popular methods for using a projector in a living room because its so simple. Sometimes connecting things in a certain order can help make sure they all work correctly once you power on your system. If you have a spare HDMI port, you can also use it for a wireless adapter to connect your speakers via Bluetooth. They might be overkill for most peopleif you have the space, Crockett suggests simply moving your home theater setup as far away from a window as possible. If youre setting up an entire home theater, though, its worth it to invest a portion of your budget into a high-quality screen. Screens that are too hard to set up are frustrating, and youre going to want to play around with the orientation of it before youre satisfied. Grey color screens are perfectly fine too. The less light pollution reaches the projector lamp and screen, the brighter and sharper your picture will be. Since 1957, GQ has inspired men to look sharper and live smarter with its unparalleled coverage of style, culture, and beyond. My family purchased this one for a great price which is still the same now as it was in 2018. Obviously, you should make sure to turn off any lamps, but Crockett says you might need to go further. Speaking of sound, even if you dont have your home theater setup near a window, your space might be composed of reflective materials that can make anything played within them sound echo-y. Best Buy offers free consultation for your future home theater set up. It was truly a great way to bring the whole family together! With unlimited time and resources, the best way to improve your setup, of course, would be to shell out for a lot of new equipmenta premium projector, surround sound, an AV receiver, the works. Once we had the wall finished, we added the screen and mounted our projector. This tells you how many directions youll need to split your total budget. Not too long ago, one of the biggest issues with projectors was their ability to produce a superbly bright image without the picture being drowned out by ambient light. Can I use a white bedsheet as a projector screen? Though we haven't gotten a chance to try it yet, it's around the same price range if you wanted to spring for the update. With a lot of small rooms, it can feel like there isnt any space for people to sit in front of you. This cost us a couple hundred to install ourselves and then the light strips were purchased on amazon and came with their own remote. If you want to get really immersed in your favorite show, youll want to make your room as dark as possible, says Crockett. Getting one that's a high-speed cable will also ensure that you're going to be streaming without a lag, and that the quality of your sound is crystal clear without any added fuzz or noise. The cables can run a few different ways with this method. If youre going to dedicate a TV for deep, theater-like movie experiences, this is absolutely worth the money. Permanently hang your screen, mount your projector if youre going to, and find a long-term home for your speakers. There are plenty of design tips online that show you how to make it look better than an average entertainment room. Even if you were to buy the nicest speaker system and projector, these things would stand in the way of you and a better home theater experience. Weve hosted multiple parties and gatherings of friends/family. This may be a little far-fetched, but if you are not a handy person then this may be a great option! Knowing what to expect going in, both in terms of cost and labor, will keep your home theater project from becoming overwhelming. TheHomeTheaterDIY.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. You can run them inside the wall up through the ceiling/attic, inside the wall down through the floor (depending on what is beneath the living room), or simply down the wall and on the floor. Using a ceiling mount, custom-built shelf, or store-bought shelf will still require some handiness in running the cables and mounting the projector. Would you rather watch the newly released action-packed movie or even the next big game on a 55 television or on a beautiful 100+ inch projector screen? Both TVs have HDR support and full-array local dimming. The HT3550 is on the cheaper end of 4K home theater projectors, which can be up to four times as expensive, but still manages to produce sharp and dynamic images. [Spoiler: Yes, they do]. Theyre pretty good with giving advice on a budget too. Side wall light mounts are really cool and they make it look more like an actual movie theater room. Before you consider purchasing any new AV equipment, survey the space where you currently screen films (or, y'know, stream 'Too Hot to Handle.' Put the projector on top of a ladder to get it to the right height until youre ready to make the placement permanent. Good luck bringing it all together! Our projector is ceiling mounted, and we had to run the cables through the attic, over, then down to the A/V equipment. For some living room layouts, installing the projector in a good location and running the cables could be extremely difficult. If youre not a skilled DIY-er, this might be a project you want to outsource to a professional, especially if you want to run the wires through the walls or otherwise interact with your homes electrical system. Throw Ratio Explained! There are a few different options for positioning a projector in a living room.