Home cinemas have come a long way since the 1950's when home movies first became popular.  These days setting up a home cinema means enjoying a real cinema experience in the privacy of your own home.  To that end, a home cinema now typically consists of a set of high quality components; but depending on your specific preferences, the setup of your home cinema can be quite simple and inexpensive, or custom built to various degrees.

Home Cinema in a Box or Not?

Taking the time to plan your own home cinema setup with components that you select individually will undoubtedly provide you with the best combination of equipment and better cinema experience; but a home cinema box kit can offer an easy setup and is also an inexpensive option.  These kits can be attractive to home cinema novices and especially nice if you're seeking minimal intrusion.  They usually include a set of speakers for surround sound, an amplifier and tuner, and sometimes a DVD player.

A custom built home cinema setup on the other hand might include a high definition television with a cinema style 16x9 widescreen format, a high definition video format such as Blu-ray, and a home theatre receiver with several surround sound speakers.  Some more advanced home cinema setups include a projection system with a movie screen to project the image on.  Regardless of the investment you make in the equipment for your home cinema, you will want to pay special attention to your home cinema speaker setup.  Nothing is as important as speaker placement when it comes to not only being able to watch a movie, but be fully immersed in the experience.

If you are on the fence about how much to invest, consider how much you spend going to the movie theater.  Investing in the right equipment can bring that experience to your home with the right sound and display equipment, comfortable seating and subdued lighting, and over time can bring a rewarding return on your investment.

Room with a View

If time, money and space are no object, building or dedicating a room for your home cinema can be a fun project with great rewards.  With these more sophisticated home cinema setups, special considerations are made with respect to seating and the overall design of the room, often decorated with movie décor and specialized storage for equipment. Some dedicated home cinema rooms are even specifically constructed so as to isolate sound and provide an ideal listening environment.