How To Get The Best Home Entertainment Setup On A Budget
These days, it’s never been easier to find the best in quality entertainment. Streaming services like Netflix and Hulu allow you to watch your favorite shows on demand, and now it’s even easier to watch new releases in your home without having to go to the video store or buy anything online. However, while our entertainment options are becoming broader and more enjoyable, most of us are stuck watching it on a small device such as a smartphone or tablet. While it’s nice to experience things on the go, there is still something to be said for watching a movie or TV show with surround sound and an immersive picture.
So, for that reason, let’s go over how to make the ultimate home theater setup for your living room. Whether it’s doing TV installation in Atlanta or adding speakers to every corner of your entertainment space, there are plenty of options for you to upgrade your watching experience. Best of all, you can do all of it on a budget, so now you don’t have to break the bank to watch your favorite movies as they were supposed to be seen.
Focus on the Basics
If you were to go to a department store and tried to figure out what you need for your home entertainment setup, you would most likely walk away thinking that your system needs things like gold-plated sound cables and a 4K television. While they may seem nice, the fact is that you don’t have to go overboard with a bunch of unnecessary filler. Instead, figure out what’s most important to you and focus on that. Do you want immersive sound that puts you right in the picture, or are you more concerned with having crystal clear definition?
While sales clerks will try to sell you on the latest gadgetry, you don’t have to buy into the hype. All you really need for a quality home entertainment system is a TV, speakers (or sound bar), a connection hub (like a Blu-Ray player), and cables to hook it all up. Extras luxuries are things like mounting brackets to hold your TV to the wall, surround sound speakers, or smart TVs. If you don’t need it or can’t afford it, don’t worry about it.
Value Over Cost
At first glance, you may think that the best thing to do will be to find used or refurbished materials at a lower cost so that you can save a lot more up front. While that can be useful in the short term, you are borrowing against your future self by buying equipment that is more likely to break down sooner rather than later. Instead of trying to find the lowest price, what you want to do is compare brands and see which has the best features and most reliable service. Also, don’t forget about prime sales where you can find top quality merchandise at deep discounts. It’s much better to get a brand new system on sale then it is to get a used setup that might break after a few months. In short, the more time and effort you spend on finding the right option, the better off you’ll be in the long run.
How to Find the Best Equipment
Once you’ve gotten into the mindset of finding high-value items at a lower price, the next step is for you to determine which models are right for you. Again, you should have decided what aspects of home entertainment are most important, so this will help you in your search. With that in mind, here are some things to consider with each component of your system.
Projector vs. Flat Screen TV
These days, big televisions have never been cheaper. You can find brand new models that are 42 inches or larger for just a couple of hundred dollars, whereas ten years ago they would have cost over a grand easily. Thankfully, that means that you should be able to find something that fits your budget and your size needs without having to wait for something like Black Friday to roll along.
However, if you are looking for something even more intense, then you might be wondering if a projector is the way to go. That way, you can get a much bigger screen without having to pay a lot more, but is it worth it?
First of all, if seeing your movies and TV blown up to ridiculous sizes is important to you, then you might like having a projector. However, they can be more expensive to maintain, and they have some severe limitations:
- You can’t stand in front of the screen
- Ambient light will fade the image
- There is not a speaker system that comes with the projector
- Requires more maintenance and installation than a TV
Overall, unless you really want to capture the cinema experience, you’re better off with a flat screen.
Speakers
For most people, while having a large viewing area is nice, the sound is much more important. As a result, you might be thinking that you have to have surround sound to make the experience much more potent, but the fact is that you can get similar results with a Sound-Bar at a fraction of the cost. Here are some things to consider with surround sound:
- Requires more installation
- Takes up more room in your living area
- For the best results, you have to mount speakers and run cables along the wall
- May need professional help
In the end, if you are willing to take the time and do it right, then surround sound can be an awesome way to go. However, if it sounds like too much work, a Sound-Bar will be a much more cost-effective and straightforward option.
Entertainment Player
Finally, the other main component of your setup should be a DVD or Blu-Ray player. For our money, we highly recommend getting an all-in-one unit that can play DVDs, Blu-Rays, and connect to the Internet. This way you can stream your favorite subscriptions as well as watch videos online or listen to Internet radio. Best of all, these systems are not very expensive and can be found for less than a hundred dollars.
Hopefully, this information will allow you to make the home entertainment system of your dreams without setting you back too much money. Happy watching!
