Many people strive to have a mind-blowing home cinema system. They want to create a spectacular audio and video experience for themselves and others. The trouble is: many folks don't know what should get included in their systems!

There is a vast array of options out there. Even those on a tight budget can build a reasonable home cinema set-up. If you want to create something phenomenal, what should your system comprise of?

Let me share with you some of the best technology to include as part of your home cinema system today:


Obtained from Wikimedia Commons

Buy a 4K television

You might not realise it, but most people think a projector system is best for home cinemas. After all: it works well in an actual cinema, right? The truth is you'll get a crisper and clearer picture from a "proper" TV.

As you may have noticed, there are thousands of different models on the market these days. If you want to build the ultimate home cinema setup, you need a 4K TV. There are some models marketed as "Ultra-HD" but you should avoid them.

Why? Because they offer a slightly lower resolution than 4K. Ultra HD offers a resolution of 3840 X 2160. 4K's resolution is higher at 4096 x 2160. What does that mean in plain English? You'll get better picture clarity from a 4K model.

When shopping around for a 4K TV, it's best to select the biggest one that you can comfortably watch. The last thing you want is an 84-inch TV if you're only sat two feet away from it! In general, the bigger the TV, the further away you must sit.

I recommend viewing some on display at your local electronics store. Stand away from the biggest ones until it "feels" comfortable to watch. If you've got that amount of space available at home, buy that model. Otherwise, opt for a smaller 4K TV.

Get a premium TV subscription

The free-to-air channels are, quite frankly, mediocre. You don't have enough choice of things to watch. Plus, few channels are available in HD or better formats. Let's face it: we aren't still living in 1989. We demand better picture quality!

Sky TV, for example, is one such provider of premium TV. It's a satellite TV service that offers many entertainment, sports and movie channels. Plus, you can also take advantage of Sky Box Office.

What is Sky Box Office? In a nutshell, they are a set of pay-per-view channels. For instance, if a major sports event is live, you can pay a little extra to watch it. Or you can watch the latest films before they get shown on the usual movie channels.

Install a soundbar with subwoofer

The sad truth is even high-end TVs have mediocre speakers. Sure, you might have a surround sound system in place. But, what if you want a simpler setup for your home cinema?

One obvious solution is to opt for a soundbar that comes with a subwoofer. You install the soundbar in front of your TV. The subwoofer gets located somewhere on the ground near it. Some of these soundbar systems are amazing. I recommend you go try one out to see what I mean!