March 21, 2025, 8:11 pm | Read time: 6 minutes
Want to watch the latest blockbusters or movie classics from the comfort of your couch? Enjoying a movie is even better in a home theater! But what do you need to set up a home theater? This article explains what to look out for.
With a home theater in the comfort of your own four walls, you can watch films spontaneously and completely independent of the operating hours of large movie palaces. No lengthy commutes, no frustrating searches for parking, and no overpriced snacks — just quality time alone, with family, or with friends. But what makes a great movie night at home? myHOMEBOOK reveals how you can set up your living room as a home theater.
These Are the Building Blocks of a Home Theater Setup
If you want to set up a home theater, there are no limits to your creativity. Depending on your own ideas and, above all, your budget, it is also possible to purchase the various components in stages. There is no one-size-fits-all definition of a home theater.
- Large screen TV (monitor) or screen
- AV receiver
- Playback devices: Blu-ray player, streaming boxes
- Sound system
The right cinematic atmosphere is created when the plot truly captivates the audience. And this only works with a large display area. Many home theater fans swear by projection using a projector and screen. More on this in more on this in another section. However, this isn’t always feasible due to structural limitations.
That’s why a classic television with a large screen diagonal can also fulfill this role. Whether screen or monitor: The size must also fit the room. If the distance between the viewer and the display is too small, pixels may become visible. And these then significantly spoil the enjoyment of the movie. If you are about to buy a new TV, it is best to sit in front of the screen in the electrical store at the same distance as in the home theater room. This is the best way to determine the best size.
Achieving the Best Picture and Sound Quality
A central element in setting up a home cinema is the AV receiver. This device is the control center between all components. All devices and components are connected to it via cable. The receiver not only acts as an amplifier for the loudspeakers. It also takes care of switching between different signal sources.
The best picture quality and interference-free playback are still provided by films in DVD or Blu-Ray format. In this respect, a playback device that also supports playback in UHD resolution is a must for every home theater. Many blockbusters are initially available as rental or purchase titles on streaming platforms. An up-to-date box (e.g., Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV) is not expensive but rounds off the movie selection.
Sound plays just as important a role in the overall impression of a home theater as the picture — and this should be taken into account when setting up the system. The classic soundbar, which is used in most living rooms, cannot keep up with this. A 5.1 sound system provides the right spatial impression. It consists of the three main speakers (left, center, and right), the two surround speakers (left and right rear), and the woofer (also often referred to as a subwoofer). However, setting up the speakers correctly also requires a suitably large room.
High Bandwidths and Good Cable Quality
Many streaming services now also offer parts of their program in particularly high resolutions and sound quality that is familiar to the cinema. The smooth transmission of these large amounts of data requires more than just a fast Internet connection alone. It is also important to transport the signals quickly from the connection to the output devices. If it is structurally possible, classic cabling via Ethernet beats any WLAN.
As there is hardly anything that spoils the enjoyment of a movie more than picture and sound dropouts, high quality should be taken into account when choosing connection cables. When choosing audio and HDMI cables, it’s worth spending a little more money. In the end, it’s well worth the investment.
Projector and Screen: the Luxury Version of Home Theater
A screen, which is available as a fixed or retractable version, offers the same experience as in a large movie theater. For a convincing movie experience, sources of disturbing light should be minimized as much as possible. This is the only way to create convincing contrasts.
As an alternative to a screen, a wall can be treated with a special paint. However, anyone using screen paint must work very carefully, and the wall must be as smooth as possible. Otherwise, the result will be less than convincing. Depending on the room size and budget, the canvas should be between two and four meters wide.
For the sharpest possible images, you need a home cinema projector. The classic projectors for office use are perfect for projecting the content of presentations and documents onto the wall. For home theater, it is better to use a special device. It then offers the necessary resolution, speed, color fidelity, and contrast.
However, when choosing a location, keep in mind that most home cinema projectors require a distance of about 1.5 times the screen width. If the screen is two meters wide, the projector should be positioned at least three meters away. This, therefore, requires a corresponding room size.
For smaller rooms, there are special short-throw projectors that work with a wide-angle lens
and can be placed directly in front of the projection surface.
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A Home Theater Is Never Completely Finished
Once you start setting up a home theater, it’s common to quickly become passionate about it. There are always things and ideas for how to make the experience even more impressive.
With a small popcorn machine, even the snacks during the movie feel more authentic. When setting up, you can also use LED strips to create different lighting moods and create the right atmosphere in the home theater. And one or two home theater owners have already installed decommissioned or as-new cinema seats in their own movie palace.