This summer, give your family room the love it deserves with a new home theater setup! We figured out all the details for you—from the smart-TV features to look out for to the streaming services worth subscribing to, Spencer’s TV & Appliance has the lowdown on the latest essentials.
Smart TV
The pièce de résistance in any home theater setup, your choice of television should entail careful and deliberate consideration.
In 2020, there is little justification for not springing for a wall-mountable smart TV for your home theater. But even after narrowing your selection according to those features, there is still a wealth of products and features to choose from.
4K Ultra HD
In terms of screen resolution, 4K Ultra HD sets are highly coveted. These TVs come with a super-fast processor that unlocks hidden detail at four times the quality of full HD. The result? Stunning picture quality in vivid colors. As a bonus, Samsung smart TVs with 4K Ultra HD resolution are compatible with Google Assistant to provide the ultimate hands-free movie-watching experience, allowing you to adjust the volume and rewind to your favorite moments with just your voice—you can’t do that in a movie theater.
Not to be left behind, LG 4K Ultra HD TVs can automatically adjust picture settings depending on ambient lighting conditions and film genre, placing you in the middle of the action with multi-dimensional surround sound. If you’re looking for the most lifelike experience possible, LG has your back.
Did you know there are now 8K Ultra HD TVs? While 8K television and film content is not available yet, you can glimpse into the future with our digital catalog.
OLED and QLED
The vast majority of TVs are stocked with LCD LED. Despite having different initialisms, an LED TV is just a specific type of LCD TV. Properly, these TVs can be called “LED-lit LCD TVs,” but they are more commonly referred to as “LED TVs.”
Speaking of image quality, two other TV technologies have jumped into the fray. When it comes to choosing between an OLED or QLED TV, that tiny line that turns an “O” into a “Q” makes a world of difference.
LG is the leading manufacturer of OLED TVs. Compared to most TVs, OLED sets aren’t LED-backlit—instead, the light that composes the image is produced by millions of individual OLED subpixels. Because of this, OLED TVs are said to have better image contrast, screen uniformity, and viewing angles.
In the other corner, Samsung QLED TVs are hailed for having a brighter image quality, and they are available in larger sizes. Whereas OLED lighting is emissive, QLED lighting (like LED-lit LCD TVs) is transmissive and relies on an LED backlight.
Size
When it comes to screen size, we are inclined to think bigger is better. While a large television screen seems to be a non-negotiable element in a home theater setup, in addition to available space, the size you choose should depend on the distance between the viewers and the TV.
The average person sits nine feet away from the TV. By this measurement, industry experts assess that a 65- to 70-inch television would be ideal for normal viewers. Given a larger room (i.e., the distance between the viewers and the TV is at least 11 feet), the calculations for a more “cinematic” experience suggest that an 85- to 90-inch screen is optimal.
Home Sound System
As far as home-theater audio goes, only one manufacturer comes to mind: Sonos. Sonos soundbar speakers fill any room with crisp, lifelike sound. Boasting features that are specifically tuned by Academy-Award-winning sound engineers, Sonos soundbars are designed with the purpose of delivering full, cinematic sound.
The Sonos Playbar can be placed on furniture or be hung with its custom-designed wall mount. Its nine amplified speaker drivers create a wider sound stage to really immerse you in the action. It also comes with a Night Sound setting so that you don’t disturb any slumbering family members or neighbors.
But wait! There’s more. You can easily connect Sonos speakers in different rooms (or corners of a room) to create a wireless home sound system with soul-shaking bass—so you can truly appreciate every crash in an action flick and the soaring euphonium in a film score. For this, we recommend the Sonos Entertainment Playbase set.
Seating
We got the tough decisions out of the way—now, onto the seating!
If your home theater setup takes up your family room, we think sectional couches are the way to go; they ensure ample space and comfort, providing versatility so that you can enjoy the latest Disney release with your family or sprawl yourself out for solo movie nights. To achieve a regal look, we’d stick to neutral colors for your room furnishings.
If your home theater setup is in your basement or in a spare room, we expand our recommendations to include swivel recliners with cup holders. For the ultimate simulatory experience, a nearby mini-fridge stocked with snacks and cold beverages is always welcome.
4K Ultra HD Blu-rays
Before you dismiss DVD and Blu-ray players as relics of the past, hear us out. Even in the era of streaming, 4K Ultra HD Blu-rays are anything but archaic.
This disc-storage format supports higher frame rates and high-dynamic range, resulting in a brighter, sharper, and more lifelike image so that you can see every floating dust molecule and individual strand of hair.
Long story short: keep a juried collection of Blu-ray favorites within your home theater setup—especially if you’ve got kiddos that are prone to boredom.
Streaming Services
Most of us have a Netflix subscription (or access to one), with many others also investing in Hulu and Disney+. Here are other streaming services we think are worth your while:
- YouTube TV: This streaming service has more top channels for the base price of any competitor.
- HBO GO: This streaming service boasts award-winning original programming and offers top-tier movies. If you’re trying to cut cable altogether, spring for HBO NOW for more options.
- Amazon Prime Video: This streaming service is included with other Prime benefits and is arguably the best streaming service when it comes to children’s programming.
- Fubo TV: The best choice for cable cutters, this streaming service offers 108 channels, including major cable and broadcast networks, niche sports channels, and some 4K content.
We hope our guide inspires you to upgrade your home theater setup this summer—especially now that the days are longer and the moviegoing experience has changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, bring the blockbuster experience to your home today! Our electronics experts (and impressive catalog of TVs and speakers) are here for you.