IT used to be a thing for only the rich and famous. However in the last few years home cinema systems have become alot more affordable. Now they are being used by lower-middle to upper class members of our society.
While the greater availability of home cinema systems has pushed the industry to new developments, it has come with its own turmoils and downsides. By introducing home cinema to the lower market, manufacturers have elected to cram a cinema package in as little as $480.
While that price seems enticing at first, one has to also consider the cost of installation of such a system. Professional installation for a basic 5.1 system ranges anywhere from $149 to $549. As we can see, the cost of installation can quite easily go higher than the cost of the system itself, which leads a lot of consumers to go down the DIY route.
While the DIY route may seem like a great option, all experienced audiophiles will tell you that in order to get the best out of a home cinema system, one must know what they are doing. Many do it yourselvers out there end up shortselling the system because of impropper installation.
So here we are faced with a double-edged sword. While the added availability of home cinema systems is good for the general market, as it drives prices and helps competition and technological progres, because of inexperienced "home brew" installers, potential would be buyers may get turned off the experience by going to a poorly installed home cinema and thinking that is as good as it gets.
Thankfully there is some light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. There are new age companies headed by young go-getters that are looking to connect the world of home cinema, at a more affordable price point.
These companies operate throughout Australia, in cities such as Melbourne.
While we can all agree that we should not attempt a home cinema install ourselves, we can also agree that not everybody has the money needed to get everything professionally installed. For those people, I have some tips.
Tip 1: Don't spend too much money on cables.
Big chain retailers will try to sell you expensive cables because of their lower margins (thanks to internet stores). A HDMI cable is a , regardless of what the sales consultant may like to tell you. When buying newer equipment, make sure that the HDMI cables have ARC (Audio Return Channel). This cable can act as an audio backfeed from the television (thus eliminating the need for an optical cable).
P.S. Always get cables a little longer than you think you may need.
Tip 2: Have a plan for the installation before you get started.
If you plan out your install, you can know in advance what tools you need and what tools you will need to borrow. There is nothing worse than realising you need those needle nose pliers when you are eighty percent through your installation, and when you look down at your watch, you realise that the hardware store is closed.
Tip 3: Safety is paramount
There is no use trying to save a little money and you just end up getting injured in the process. When I speak about safety I obviously mean, Steel capped boots, not standing near the top of ladder and obviously no drinking.
Tip 4: Measure twice, cut once
Tip 5: Use a quality projector only if you are going to be in a light controlled room.
The difference between expensive and cheap projectors is the ability to reproduce blacks. This can only be done well if the room is as dark as possible (projector can only produce blacks as lightest point in room).
Hope those tips helped somewhat, if not you can always get yourinstalled professionally.
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