Build a home theatre for under $1500
- Details
- Category: Opinion
- Published on Monday, 27 August 2012 02:51
- Written by Christian Dunn
Do you have an office or spare room you dream of turning into a home theatre?
Would you love a big screen and a surround sound system to watch the football, do yoga, entertain the kids, having an adults night at the movies and lock the kids out?
Want to surf the web and watch you tube videos on the big screen?
This is what I believe you need....
- Surround Sound
- Digital Projector
- HDMI
- Media Center PC or device
- Cables and fixtures
You can do it all and affordably, for under $1500.
Here is my guide to getting the best bang for your buck...
The kids love it too! A great games room for them to surf the web or play playstation. I have 4 nephews who will testify to that. :)
The room
You need the right room. Can you make it reasonably dark?
Not all rooms are suitable, you really want a room you can close the door on (also gives you a way to keep it your room and lock everyone else out).
I like windows, but a movie is always better in the dark and projectors will work better, so do your blinds close fully?
You might need a blind here, this could set you back $40-$100, I went for $40.
Measure up the window. Check out IKEA or hardware stores like Bunnings and Masters.
Look for solid roller style blinds or similar that will entirely cover the windows. Curtains are fantastic and good for sound proofing but may add to your budget.
What color are the walls? Is there one wall without a window you can use as the projection screen. You want this to be the wall which gets the least sun but also you want it to hopefully be the lightest colored. If you need to you could throw $60 on a can of matt white paint and give one wall a couple of coats. The whiter the wall the better.
Obviously make sure you find a couch. I already had a sofabed in the office so this was great for this.
The Equipment
Projector
Check out online stores like Chinavasion.com. Look for the features you want. Sound of the projector is important, you don't want noisy fans. I went for all the options with DVB-T, HDMI, A/V, YPrP but you can cater to your budget. You want a projector with the highest ansi-lumens rating (brightness) and you want the highest resolution possible you so can get high definition. Your budget here can go from $250 - $450 here, I went for $350.
A/V Receiver
Look for sales at major department stores, closing down or moving sales are also great. I found a closing Dick Smith SuperCenter and got a good deal. I also always look for products that are just about to be replaced. I picked up a fantastic Yamaha HTR-3064 surround sound A/V Receiver with 5.1, Dolby, 4 HDMI Inputs, HDMI output, Coax, A/V(3) and Optical inputs.
You can spend anywhere from $350-$600 to get something here which will do what you want. All you need to check is that the outputs on your sound system match the inputs on your projector so you can connect them up. HDMI and A/V are the main two.
This set me back $500.
Media Centre
There are many options here. Check out online stores like Chinavasion.com and http://www.aliexpress.com/. There a wide range of android media players. These are great for downloading videos and movies, renting or purchasing them online from the Google Play store. Again this depends on how much you want to budget and how much you want to spend and what features you want. The more you pay, the more you get usually with storage and performance, but the same operating system and applications.
If you want a more tablet style version check out the MK 802 from http://www.aliexpress.com/. Rumour is a new model is on the way but if you get the first one check you have the latest firmware and you can have native 1080p android tablet operating system with 1G of RAM, all of the same apps you can have on a phone or tablet, in the size of a USB stick with HDMI output.
Play angry birds, surf the web, stream a webcam (or baby monitor), watch you tube, use citrix or remote desktop to connect to work, make your wall a giant virtual fish tank, it's all possible. This set me back $80.
Ok, you will want some extras, let's use these same two sites to find a wireless keyboard with trackball or touchpad, or maybe a separate mouse. Check out sites like Chinavasion or ebay. This set me back $50.
Fixtures
This is an ebay special. Speaker mounts will set you back about $5 each but make sure they are the right ones. Most speakers now can be hung on a screw, mine could. Look for a ceiling projector mount. Make sure it can be adjust to a suitable height. You still want to be able to use the room without walking into it so think about high high it should be first. I had a white ceiling so I went for a white ceiling mount. I also wanted one with a ball style joint so I could rotate and adjust it if required. Also makes it easier to angle correctly. That set me back $40.
Cables
5m HDMI, A/V and COAX Antenna cable. This set me back $150.
Optional Additions
Set top box (record and watch live tv)
Playstation/XBox/Wii (I know you have one at least)
Computer (work on the big screen)
Putting it together.
I centred the projector to place the picture in the middle of the wall in the middle of the room, directly opposite the couch and in line with the ceiling light so it looked part of the room. I mounted it with a ceiling mount I tested first to determine the correct distance and size of the image by using the tv built into the projector and testing the projector at various distances.
I mounted the centre speaker in the middle of the wall I wanted to use as a screen up high above the top of where I wanted the screen to sit. I then measured and mounted the four surround sound speakers at the top corners of the screen and directly in line to the rear speakers. I jumped up into the roof to run the cables but you could just pin them to the wall to do it easily. The Yamaha comes with an automatic tuning microphone that I centered in the room that calibrated the speakers after installation.
To hook it up I ran 3 x 5m cables in a plastic tube between the projector and the surround sound. These were a HDMI, A/V and COAX Antenna cable. The antenna went to my tv wall socket so I could use the digital tuner in the projector directly if I wanted although this doesn't use the surround sound. The HDMI and A/V gave me two ways to use the projector from the sound system depending on the input I am using.
I plugged the usb dongle for my wireless keyboard and mouse into the MK802 and connected it in into an HDMI input along with the playstation and my computer into A/V sockets and I was ready to roll. Using the MK802 I added my Google account and downloaded the apps I needed. My webcam viewer for my baby monitor, a torrent downloader, youtube, angrybirds, citrix, 2x.
And that was it job done. I can now switch between my MK802/radio/desktop computer/television/playstation with the touch of a remote and I still have room to add the wii or my next new toy. Love it. My final budget was $1210.