Creating a home theatre doesn't require a dedicated room or a massive budget. With thoughtful planning and the right equipment choices, you can transform any living space into an immersive entertainment environment that rivals the cinema experience. Whether you're starting from scratch or upgrading an existing setup, this comprehensive guide will walk you through every step of building your ideal home theatre.
The foundation of any great home theatre is understanding how the key components—display, audio, seating, and room environment—work together to create an immersive experience. Get this relationship right, and you'll enjoy countless hours of movie nights, gaming sessions, and sporting events in comfort.
Choosing Your Display: The Centrepiece
Your television is the visual heart of your home theatre, and for most Australian living rooms, a 65 inch display hits the sweet spot between immersion and practicality. At this size, you get genuine cinematic impact without overwhelming typical room dimensions.
When selecting a TV for home theatre use, prioritise these features:
- Picture quality in dark environments: OLED panels excel here with perfect blacks
- HDR support: Dolby Vision and HDR10+ for cinematic dynamic range
- Wide viewing angles: Important if seating isn't directly centred
- Low input lag: Essential if you'll also use the setup for gaming
TV Placement and Mounting
Proper TV placement significantly impacts viewing comfort and picture quality. The centre of your TV screen should be at or slightly below eye level when you're seated in your primary viewing position. For most people sitting on a standard sofa, this means the centre of the screen should be approximately 100-120 centimetres from the floor.
Measure your eye level when seated, then subtract half the TV's height. This gives you the optimal mounting height for the bottom edge of your television.
Wall mounting offers a clean, cinema-like aesthetic and frees up floor space. However, ensure your wall can support the TV's weight, and consider using a mount with tilt capability to angle the screen slightly downward if it's mounted higher than ideal.
Understanding Sound Systems
Great audio is half the home theatre experience, yet it's often overlooked. While modern TVs have improved built-in speakers, they simply cannot match dedicated audio equipment for creating immersive sound.
Soundbar Solutions
For most living room home theatres, a quality soundbar offers the best balance of performance, convenience, and value. Modern soundbars can simulate surround sound using audio processing and upward-firing speakers for height effects. Look for models with:
- Dolby Atmos support: For three-dimensional audio with compatible content
- Dedicated subwoofer: Essential for impactful bass in movies
- eARC connectivity: For lossless audio from your TV
- Dialogue enhancement: Helpful for keeping speech clear during action scenes
Full Surround Sound
If you're prepared for more complex installation, a true surround sound system delivers unmatched immersion. The most common configuration is 5.1, consisting of:
- Centre channel: Positioned directly above or below the TV for dialogue
- Front left and right: Flanking the TV at ear level
- Surround left and right: To the sides or slightly behind your seating
- Subwoofer: Can be placed almost anywhere in the room
For the ultimate experience, 7.1 or Dolby Atmos configurations add additional speakers for rear surround or overhead effects, but these require more investment and installation effort.
A quality soundbar with a subwoofer will dramatically improve your experience over TV speakers and is the right choice for 90% of home theatre setups. Only commit to full surround if you're willing to invest in proper speaker placement and room acoustics.
Seating Arrangement
Comfortable seating positioned at the correct distance from the TV is crucial for enjoyable viewing. For a 65 inch TV, the optimal viewing distance is between 2.4 and 4 metres. Position your primary seating in this range, directly facing the screen.
Consider these seating factors:
- Comfort for long sessions: Movie marathons require supportive seating
- Recliners vs sofas: Recliners offer individual comfort control but take more space
- Secondary seating: Ensure good viewing angles from all positions
- Cup holders and storage: Convenient for snacks and remotes
Controlling Light and Reflections
Ambient light is the enemy of picture quality, particularly for projector-based systems but also for TVs. Even the best OLED will struggle to deliver deep blacks and vibrant colours in a sun-drenched room.
For serious home theatre viewing, consider these light control options:
- Blackout curtains or blinds: Essential for daytime movie watching
- Dimmable lighting: Smart bulbs allow quick adjustment for different activities
- Bias lighting: LED strips behind the TV reduce eye strain and improve perceived contrast
- Dark wall colours: Reduce reflections around the TV
Streaming Devices and Sources
Your home theatre needs content sources. While modern smart TVs include built-in streaming apps, dedicated streaming devices often offer smoother performance and faster updates. Popular options include:
- Apple TV 4K: Excellent interface, AirPlay support, and Apple ecosystem integration
- Nvidia Shield TV: Powerful processing, great for gaming and Plex
- Chromecast with Google TV: Affordable with good app support
- Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K: Budget-friendly with Alexa integration
For the highest quality video, consider a 4K Blu-ray player. Streaming services compress video, while 4K Blu-ray discs offer the highest bitrates and best picture quality available to consumers.
Cable Management
Nothing ruins a sleek home theatre aesthetic like visible cables. Plan your cable management during installation, not after. Options include:
- In-wall cable routing: The cleanest solution for wall-mounted TVs
- Cable raceways: Surface-mounted channels that paint to match your wall
- Cable sleeves: Flexible fabric tubes that bundle multiple cables
- Furniture with built-in management: Entertainment units designed to hide cables
If running power cables inside walls, consult a licensed electrician. Many building codes require electrical work to be performed by qualified professionals, and running power cables in wall cavities has specific requirements.
Room Acoustics
Hard surfaces reflect sound, creating echoes and muddying audio clarity. While professional acoustic treatment isn't necessary for most home theatres, some basic considerations help:
- Soft furnishings: Sofas, rugs, and curtains naturally absorb sound
- Bookshelves: Break up wall reflections without looking like a recording studio
- Acoustic panels: Can be decorative while improving sound quality
- Subwoofer placement: Experiment with positioning to reduce bass peaks and nulls
Smart Home Integration
Modern home theatres benefit from smart home integration, allowing you to control multiple devices with a single command or button press. Consider:
- Universal remotes: Control TV, soundbar, streaming device, and lighting
- Voice assistants: "Hey Google, movie time" can dim lights and turn on the TV
- Smart lighting scenes: Pre-programmed lighting for movies, gaming, or casual viewing
- HDMI-CEC: Use your TV remote to control connected devices
Budget Planning
A capable home theatre doesn't require a massive investment. Here's a rough budget breakdown for a quality living room setup:
- 65 inch TV: $1,000 - $3,500 depending on technology
- Soundbar with subwoofer: $400 - $1,500
- Streaming device: $80 - $300
- TV mount: $50 - $200
- Cable management: $30 - $100
Start with a good TV and soundbar, then upgrade other components over time. The TV is the most important investment as it affects every viewing experience.
Conclusion
Building a home theatre is a rewarding project that enhances how you experience movies, television, games, and sports. Start with the essentials—a quality display and decent audio—then refine your setup over time as you learn what matters most to your viewing habits.
Remember that the perfect home theatre is personal. Some viewers prioritise reference-quality picture; others want room-shaking bass; still others value smart home integration and convenience. Define your priorities, then build a system that serves them within your budget.