These days, more of us are staying in and enjoying a kind of “home theater” experience – even if we don’t have true home theaters. We’re passionate about movies, so we want to enjoy them in the most comfortable, most impressive environment possible.
But what strategies and upgrades are most effective for improving that environment?
How can we make watching movies at home even better?
How to Upgrade Your Home Theater Experience
These are some of the best ways to upgrade your home theater experience:
1. Upgrade the TV. One of the most obvious upgrades you can make is to the device responsible for displaying your movies: the TV (or the projector, if applicable). Most modern TVs are great and relatively affordable, but some are strictly better than others. OLED TVs are some of the best that money can buy, offering an incredibly high-definition picture, sufficient lighting, and remarkable clarity of color. While most people flatly believe that bigger is better, it’s also important to find the right size for your viewing space, so do some research before you decide what size to get.
2. Invest in a fireplace. Don’t you love the warmth and cozy atmosphere created by an indoor fireplace? Most of us do. And that atmosphere is even more enjoyable with a great movie occupying our attention. The fireplace emits a soft, warm glow that can illuminate your environment without disrupting your viewing experience – and the soft crackle of an open flame can make the experience much cozier.
3. Rethink your lighting. Lighting can make or break your movie watching experience. Consider installing some colorful LED lights behind your TV for some soft, secondary illumination, and use very warm, dim lights to help people move around if necessary.
4. Install smart seating. Comfortable seating can make any movie more enjoyable, and if you plan intelligently, you can use your seating plans to fit more people into a small area. For example, if you install multiple rows of seating at different vertical heights, you can accommodate twice as many people as usual.
5. Immerse yourself in surround sound. Any high-quality sound bar can give you an excellent auditory experience, but you’ll enjoy your movies even more if you immerse yourself in surround sound. A booming subwoofer and a couple of pairs of rear speakers can instantly transform your film listening.
6. Adjust your TV settings. Your TV comes with some default settings enabled that aren’t optimal for the best movie-watching experience. Take the time to review all these settings, one by one, and tweak them to your liking. There may be a setting specifically for watching films, or you may have a specific preference for color, brightness, or contrast. Also, most people benefit from turning off motion smoothing, which unfortunately, is enabled by default on most modern TVs.
7. Prep the right snacks. Experienced moviegoers understand that the right snacks can elevate any film, so take the time to restock the essentials. A bowl full of hot, buttered popcorn and a few boxes of your favorite candies can make you feel like you’re in a real theater.
8. Take care of the little distractions. Whether you realize it or not, your watching environment could be full of little distractions that take your attention away from the movie you’re currently watching. For example, if you have a cluster of tangled cables at the bottom of your entertainment center, you might end up looking at this eyesore rather than the screen; better cable management can take care of the issue almost instantly.
9. Set some ground rules. Together with the people watching the movie with you, set some ground rules for the viewing space. This helps to ensure that everyone gets the viewing experience they want, with no arguments or interruptions in the middle. For example, you should collectively agree on whether the movie can or should be paused for a bathroom break.
10. Track your watching. Finally, make it a point to track your film watching if you aren’t already doing so. There are many services and apps available to help you organize your media viewing, allowing you to rate movies you’ve seen, organize lists of movies you’re going to watch in the near future, and explore new titles that might be worth pursuing eventually.
Making Incremental Improvements
if you don’t currently have the money for a gigantic, 4K TV or a state-of-the-art sound system, don’t worry. While some film purists may disagree, it’s perfectly possible to enjoy a good movie with even the most rudimentary setup. Make whatever upgrade you can, when you can, and don’t sweat it if you don’t have the budget or the drive to get all the bells and whistles.
