A great home theater is a valuable addition to any residence. These days, many people prefer to stay home to watch a movie, rather than venturing out to fight the crowds at a movie theater. By setting up a great theater at home, you can recreate the movie-going experience in the privacy and comfort of your own home. Doing so is easier than ever with the latest equipment.

The first thing that you need to do is choose the platform that you will use to play movies. There are two basic choices here. You can buy a dedicated player, such as a Blu-Ray player or a gaming console that plays movies, or you can set up a dedicated home theater PC. Both platforms have their advantages and disadvantages.

If you are not that technologically apt, or you just want to start watching movies right away, buying a dedicated player is probably the right choice. You do not have to worry about configuring anything or setting up your own player. You can just plug the player in to your TV and start watching movies right away.

If you plan on streaming movies from services such as Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime, look for a player that is compatible with these services. This way, you can easily connect your account to your player and stream movies right to your TV with ease. By choosing a Blu-Ray player, you can make sure that you will be able to watch movies on both Blu-Ray discs and DVDs.

However, if you are more technologically savvy and enjoy setting up your own equipment, a home theater PC may be the best choice. This is a PC that is used solely for playing movies and streaming video. In many cases, these PCs are a lot more powerful than store-bought players. You can also configure them to your specifications so that you will know that they will do exactly what you want.

Another great advantage of a dedicated theater PC is that it is easy to upgrade. Players that you buy off the shelf can be difficult to upgrade, and it is often easier to just buy a new one. However, doing so can be expensive. With a dedicated PC, upgrading is a snap, and is much cheaper than buying a whole new player.

One further advantage of a dedicated PC is that you can easily watch DVDs and Blu-Rays from around the world, no matter what their region code may be. Most players are region locked and will only play discs from a single region. A PC can easily be configured to play discs from any region, so you can watch movies from other countries with ease.

If you do set up a PC for your home viewing experience, you will also need an interface program. This is the software that you will use to select your movies. Look for a program that is powerful and compatible with many different streaming services and types of discs. Try out several choices to see which one works best for you.

After you have chosen your player, you need to choose a screen to watch movies on. Many people automatically go for the largest screen they can find, but this is not always the right choice. You need to pick a screen that is properly sized for your room. Be sure to measure your space and take this information with you to the store when you are selecting a screen.

Another option is to purchase a HD projector. These can be found quite inexpensively these days, and they produce a superior image to a television. However, you need to make sure that you can get it dark enough in your home. Of course, if you have enough in your budget, you can use both a television and a projector for viewing movies.

Once you have the components of your theater system in place, you just need to connect them up in the proper fashion. Doing so is a snap these days. Be sure to choose the right HDMI cables for your system so that you can get the best picture possible.

Setting up a great home theater system is easier than ever before. By doing so, you can enjoy the movie theater experience in your own home.