How to buy... a home cinema
Everyone deserves a room that’s used for nothing but movie marathons – it’s an expensive investment, but a perfect retreat from the family
Turn your lounge into a popcorn paradise
1 Pet project
If you’re after a full-on home cinema experience you’ll want a projector over a TV – a 100in picture will put any telly to shame. Just bear in mind it’ll be pricey, especially since the lamp will need replacing from time to time. Go for Sony’s VPL-VW550ES and you get a 4K and HDR display. It’ll set you back 10 grand, but you will get to avoid the noisy teens at the cinema. O Get this: Sony VPL-VW550ES £9899 / sony.co.uk
2 Screen time
Projectors might offer the most cinematic experience, but their need for total darkness is a pain. If you’d rather have the convenience of a normal telly, LG’S 4K Signature OLED ‘Wallpaper’ TV is so thin you can fool yourself into thinking it’s just a projected image on the wall. At 65in, the LG’S display is smaller than a projector’s, but you are guaranteed a gorgeous picture. O Get this: LG OLED65W7 £7999 / l.com
You’re 3 surrounded!
Picture sorted? Now you need to get some blockbuster sound. You could just buy a single soundbar, and for that we’d suggest the Q Acoustics Media 4, but for 3D sound like you get at the multiplex you’ll need a 5.1 setup. Step forward the ATC C1 5.1, which includes four stand-mounted speakers and a bass-booming subwoofer. It’s a steal at the price. O Get this: ATC C1 5.1 £3594 / atcloudspeakers.co.uk
Picture 4 picker
So you’ve got the setup now, but what are you going to watch? You could just upgrade to the higher tiers of Netflix (£8.99/month) and Amazon Video (£5.99/month) for 4K content, but you want an experience to rival the multiplex, right? Sky Cinema offers a new premiere every day and the best library of 4K films about. O Get this: Sky Q + Sky Cinema from £20 + £40/month / sky.com
Let’s et 5 physical
Everyone may be streaming these days, but for the very best 4K picture you need to be playing Ultra HD Blu-rays. That means getting a suitable player… and Oppo’s is a cracker.
O Get this: Oppo UDP-203 £649 / oppodiital.com