Creating a home cinema (the cheap and easy way)

It’s the ultimate dream for film buffs everywhere, but realistically few of us can afford the luxury of having our very own home cinema, and even if we could we’d probably have nowhere to fit it (I certainly wouldn’t in my 2 bedroom flat). However, there are ways to enhance your home viewing experience without having to spend £20,000 on equipment (plus the £500K to move to a bigger house).

To achieve our goal we need two things. A good screen and sound system, and good comfortable seating (OK maybe that’s 3). The first is easy to figure out. TVs and home entertainment systems have come way down in price over the past few years and you can now purchase a good quality system for around the £1000 mark (including the TV). The trick is to make sure the screen is wall-mounted (for an authentic viewing experience) and that you properly position the speakers to give the surround sound effect you’re after. You’ll also want to opt for Blu-Ray which is a higher definition format than DVD.

Once you’ve got the cinema equipment sorted it’s on to the seating. I know we’d all love to be able to splash out on some high end specialist seating (http://www.elitehts.co.uk/home.htm) but obviously in the real world most of us are on a budget. So what alternative do we have? Bean Bags. Now I know you’re probably thinking I’m crazy but hear me out. Modern bean bags come in a variety of shapes and sizes and you can now purchase very reasonably priced bean bag chairs (actual chairs with arms). These chairs are perfect for watching DVDs in, and can be easily moved around and stored. So line them up, dim the lights and you’re ready to go.

Finally, and this is possibly the most important item to remember. Popcorn. I can personally recommend the Butterkist sweet variety (if you’re interested). Enjoy!