A SMALL HOME THEATER TO CALL YOUR OWN

A lot of people think that a home theater requires a big room and so go without because they think there's not enough space. But the reality is that any room, no matter how small, can possess all the power and excitement that a home theater can bring. That's because it's not rocket science — it’s just a matter of configuring the elements that make up a home theater so that they fit in the space available. Here's what to look for:

The TV Is The Heart of the Home Theater

The television set (or "display") is what everyone looks at, and so the bigger the better would seem to be obvious. But there may not be room enough for a cabinet that's big enough to hold the TV, or space in which to put that cabinet. But thanks to the low weight of flat-panel TVs, there's no reason why the television can't be mounted onto a wall. Sure it will require a wall mount, but the actual work of placing the mount on the wall, and attaching the TV to the mount is minimal and doable by the average DIY'er  (do-it-yourself). And since the intrusion to the wall is very minimal, and concerns about in-wall wiring is also very mild, this is something that can be done with worries.

Audio Is #2 of the Home Theater

Having a quality sound means more than just increasing the volume; the sound field must be dynamic and immersive and able to surround the viewer, not just provide a simplistic stereo effect. A small space doesn't have the option of placing speakers throughout, not to mention the needs of running wires from speaker to amplification device (i.e., an AV Receiver). But that doesn't mean being stuck with having to use the TVs built-in speakers (being limited in size due to the thinness of the flat-panel design). So one solution is a sound bar. Sound bars have come a long way from when they were first introduced and now can contain multiple speakers, the ability to simulate or actually create a surround sound effect, and add needed deep bass through a wireless subwoofer that can be placed anywhere in the room (as the sub's sound is omnidirectional), for example, under a chair or couch or against a corner wall. The other solution is a HTIB (home theater in a box) -- the name conveys the idea, but not the actuality of what you get. Here, the entire audio system, from audio receiver to speakers to wiring to video player (i.e., a Blu-Ray player) have been integrated together so as to make for a complete system that can be set up quickly. HTIB systems are not limited to being used in a small space, but they are very practically for such an application.

A Video Source Device is #3 of the Home Theater

Regardless of how the home theater is assembled, it's necessary to have content to play on it. A cable or satellite box can provide the video (and audio) that the TV needs, but the space might not have access to the cabling a receiver needs. So an alternative is to "cut the cord" by using a small, indoor HD antenna which connects directly to the TV to provide OTA (over the air) HD television stations. A second method for getting content to view comes through streaming content from the Internet (courtesy of a wireless WiFi Internet-connected device) or even the TV itself (using its built in WiFi receiver to join the home network). The final method comes from playing recorded content, which is to say on a disc that goes into a Blu-Ray player or a 4K Blu-Ray player. Compared to just 5 years ago, Blu-Ray/4K Blu-ray players are small in size and don't require much space in order to be placed where they can be connected to the TV/Audio System

Not having a big room is no longer an excuse for not having a home theater. And aren't you glad that this is true!