6 Items To Include When Building a Home Theater

couple in home theater on zero gravity recliners

Going to the movies is an experience everyone loves! Watching on the big screen while relaxing in a comfortable chair with the perfect movie theater popcorn is a favorite activity for millions of people. So why not bring the magic home? Building a home theater lets you make the perfect spot for your TV and movie viewing experience right in your own home! 

Must Haves for Building a Home Theater

There’s more to the perfect setup than a simple recliner and a television, though. Building a home theater is about creating a whole experience. From screen and sound to the snacks you eat, make your home theater the place everyone wants to be. Get the ultimate setup with these 6 items to include when building a home theater:

  • Home Theater Screen
  • Zero Gravity Chairs and Home Theater Recliners
  • Popcorn Machine for Movie Theater Popcorn at Home
  • Video Streaming Services
  • Video Game Consoles for your Home Theater
  • Home Theater Surround Sound System

Home Theater Screen

There’s a reason movie theaters are called “the big screen.” If you’re looking to build a home theater you’ll surely want the largest viewing space possible. There are a couple options to achieve this, depending on your budget.

If you’re building a home theater using a regular television, some of the largest cost-effective TVs weigh in around 85 inches in size (measured diagonally). To get the great 4k (and sometimes 8k) UHD viewing capabilities you want in your home theater, you may be looking at an expected cost of $3000 or more. These televisions can range all the way up to the tens of thousands depending on quality, features, and brand.

A home theater projector and screen is a more cost-efficient way to get a much larger viewing screen while still taking advantage of high quality video capabilities. The home theater projector and screen setup can range in average price anywhere from $50 to a few thousand dollars depending on the video quality, brand, and type. The optimal size for your setup will depend largely on the space available where you’re building a home theater. 

Zero Gravity Chairs as Home Theater Recliners

The next most obvious part of building a home theater is where you and your guests will sit to enjoy it! A home theater recliner chair should be more than just any old piece of furniture. To get the best experience, you’ll want the best chairs. Zero gravity chairs make for excellent selections here.

First, the best zero gravity recliner will be extremely comfortable! This is the most immediate thing you and your guests will experience as you sit in your home theater recliner. Putting the chair into the zero gravity position then gives you an even more comfortable experience as your weight is distributed more evenly. This helps prevent pain from sitting too long while enjoying your home theater setup.

Another way zero gravity chairs benefit you while staying at home and building a home theater is from a health perspective. While it may not be the first thing you initially considered when choosing a home theater recliner, the health benefits of zero gravity chairs you can experience while enjoying a movie make for a perfect double feature (see what we did there?). Zero gravity chairs facilitate spinal decompression which is great for lower back pain relief and treating sciatica symptoms. They also improve blood circulation and reduce pressure on the heart. Sit back, relax, and enjoy your TV and movies and while your body thanks you!

There’s also a bonus benefit! The best zero gravity chairs come with luxury features like massage and heat therapy functions. What could possibly make your home theater recliner better than to have it massage you while you watch your favorite movie? These zero gravity chairs will help keep you from getting stiff while you relax so when you stand, you’re still loose and comfortable. 

Popcorn Machine for Movie Theater Popcorn at Home

Everyone knows one of the best parts of the movie theater is the popcorn. Who doesn’t want to have movie theater popcorn at home? Good news, you can!

Having movie theater popcorn at home is as simple as choosing the perfect popcorn machine to fit your needs. There are many options on the market. Which is best for you depends on what you’re looking to use it for. Different sizes are available ranging from single-serving popcorn makers up to those that will feed the whole group. There are also popcorn machines with built-in warmers to keep your popcorn fresh between refills!

The addition of a popcorn machine when building a home theater brings a sense of luxury and grandeur at a very affordable price. You won’t regret it!

Video Streaming Services

Building a home theater isn’t complete without a huge selection of TV shows and movies to watch, is it? There are loads of video streaming services with new ones popping up almost daily. They’ll give you access to the latest TV shows and movies as well as older favorites you want to watch again and again.

There are free and paid video streaming services available. Tubi, a popular ad-supported free video streaming platform, boasts thousands of shows and movies from major studios like MGM, Paramount, and Lionsgate. Another free platform for your home theater setup is IMDb TV. Launched by the immensely popular database, IMDb TV is free and offers a wide selection from blockbuster favorites to IMDb original content.

Popular video streaming subscription services include the well-known “Big Three”: Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon’s Prime Video. Newer to the scene and adding to the competitive market are Apple TV+ and recently-launched HBO Max. Each of these platforms offer immense libraries of TV shows and movies from indie films to blockbuster hits. They’re also each producing high-quality original content to help their platform stand out from the crowd. You’re sure to find something for yourself or the whole group no matter which you choose!

Video Game Consoles for your Home Theater

Watching movies and TV shows aren’t the only reasons for building a home theater. Why not experience gaming in the best way ever? As new video game consoles compete to provide the best graphics, highest performance, and most engaging video games, it only seems right that you’d want to experience them on your own private big screen.

The upcoming releases of Microsoft’s XBOX Series X and Sony’s Playstation 5 make now the perfect time for building a home theater! Whether you’re gaming solo or dominating your friends on Call of Duty, playing video games from the comfort of your home theater while relaxing in a zero gravity recliner is sure to be an amazing experience. 

Home Theater Surround Sound System

When you’re building a home theater, making sure you have the best sound system is crucial. A home theater surround sound system gives your space an authentic theater feel with incredible sound to let you fully immerse in the experience.

There are lots of options when it comes to sound for building a home theater. You can choose traditional speaker setups, Home Theater in a Box (HTIB) packages, and sound bars. There’s also the selection of the receiver, which is the crossroads of the input channels (the media source) and output channels (speakers). Moderately priced with average costs ranging from $200 to $1000, creating the ultimate movie-viewing setup with a home theater surround sound system truly completes the space.

When it comes to building a home theater you want the whole package to create the best possible viewing experience for yourself and your guests. Setting up the right equipment and media libraries is the first step. All that’s left is to select the best zero gravity recliner to enjoy your home theater to its fullest!

Bonus: Looking for other ways to relax besides watching TV and movies? Check out 5 music & sound options for relaxing in a zero gravity massage chair.