Everything You Need to Build a Home Theater

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Before COVID, I was the type of moviegoer who went to the theater once a week. I did Moviepass, and I had AMC A-list — but when theaters reopened, I didn’t resume my old habit. A major reason was that so many movies go straight to streaming. It just didn’t make sense to jump back into paying for those memberships. But I didn’t love the experience of watching capital “F” feature films on my 38-inch television, so I did what any self-respecting movie-lover does: I learned how to build a home theater in my one-bedroom apartment.

I sought out the expertise of cinematographer and film professor Tal Lazar, who has been involved in countless film productions, including Every Time I Die. With his help, I selected the appropriate projector, screen and more for my setup. Lazar says, “A lot of the choices that filmmakers take time and effort to design for an audience are lost when people are not watching movies in their intended setting.” He cites 1917 and Lawrence of Arabia as examples of films where the cinematic experience is optimized for the big screen and necessarily diminished if you watch on a television screen or *gasp* phone.

“Many people think it’s difficult and expensive to replicate the theater environment at home,” Lazar says. “But actually, it’s never been easier.” Speaking from personal experience, I was shocked by how quickly it came together. A few Amazon orders and a Taskrabbit was all it took to transform my living room. I’ve been much more apt to host guests since my projector was installed and while I love watching movies on the big screen, I’ve been using it just as often for music video marathons on YouTube. Read on to see Lazar’s top picks for each component of your DIY home theater.

Preparing your space

Lazar says the most important factor to consider is the size of your room versus the size of the image that will be projected. “People assume the bigger the better,” he says, “but when the room is small, a huge screen strains your eyes — just like when you’re at a theater and you sit too close.” To determine what size screen your room will optimally accommodate, use the throw calculator here. Off the bat, it asks for your projector model (to give you an accurate calculation), so you do need to know which projector you want before determining what size screen to buy. Input the throw distance (probably the length/width of your room depending on where you plan to place the projector), and it will spit out your optimal diagonal screen length. You should also consider where cables will run (and how many feet you’ll need). For example, my Apple TV is in the front of my room whereas the projector is mounted at the back so I have an extra-long, ultra-slim HDMI cord running beneath the carpet.