Make it smart

A home movie theater is the perfect place to apply complex smart home routines. We’d suggest using a service like Alexa or Google Assistant rather than building a HomeKit routine, mainly because the former two offer a wider range of compatibility, and pulling everything you can into a “Movie time” routine really does need all elements to work together. Alexa, in particular, has a robust and easy–to–use interface for routine creation built into its app, and there’s no platform–specific bias — if your gear is compatible you don’t even necessarily need a hub, as the app will do.

This is a chance to pull in some otherwise tangential devices. Set it to turn on all the equipment you need for a movie. Use the routine to drop your smart blinds (Ikea’s Fyrtur and Kadrilj lines lead here, with prices from $129) and tell a Harmony Hub to beam the ideal volume and picture settings to your TV. Set your smart lights to dim to a lovely red glow, and perhaps even program in a change-over-time routine (you can do this using LIFX bulbs) to drop the room to complete darkness after a set period.

If you’re streaming rather than playing from disc, a Fire TV Stick might be the best streamer. Alexa is built in, and you can trigger routines (and pick what to watch) just by talking to your remote.