Home theatre systems used to be something you’d see in magazine profiles of celebrity homes but they are becoming a lot more common as audio-visual technology becomes more affordable.
If you have just bought a new TV with all the latest features, you’ll want to make the most of it. For that, you will need a home theatre system. The good news is that you can set up a home theatre system fairly easily, without having to spend too much more!
Follow our simple tips to get your home theatre setup running with the minimum of hassle:
What will I need?
To set up a good home theatre system you will need a few basic components. These are:
- HDTV. Although they used to be expensive, HDTVs are now very affordable and come with a huge range of features as well as good picture quality.
- Speakers. A quality set of speakers can make a massive difference to your overall viewing experience. When choosing speakers, consider how much space you have, as this will make a big difference to the type of speaker that will work best.
- Receiver. A receiver is a central hub, which everything else is plugged into. This makes your home system far more organised and gives you a single device with which to manage everything.
- Cables. Make sure you have the right cables to connect everything, and that they are long enough. You may need HDMI, speaker or ethernet cables depending on the requirements of your system.
Once you have everything you need, you can get to work setting your system up.
How do I set my home theatre up?
Depending on the complexity of your home theatre system, you may need a few hours to set everything up. It’s best to begin by unpacking everything and making sure you have all the cables you need. Unplug anything that is currently in use before you start messing around with cables and plugs.
- Start by working out where you are going to place your speakers. Check the instructions for the optimum positioning and distance, and place a marker on the floor or wall where they will go.
- Place the receiver in its designated position and turn it on to check it’s working.
- Run your speaker cables where they need to go. If this involves moving furniture or running the cables through walls, do this now, before you mount them permanently.
- Connect your speakers to your receiver and check they work.
- Connect your video sources to the receiver.
- Connect your receiver’s HDMI video output to your TV.
- Plug your TV’s audio output to your receiver if necessary.
Test everything as you go, so you don’t have to backtrack if something isn’t working. Once you’re done, you should be ready to turn on your TV and enjoy your new home theatre system!
While it is fairly straightforward to set up a home theatre, if you do need some help with a big job, or a more complicated one that requires running cables through walls, give us a call.
We have professional electricians experienced in home theatre setup located throughout Melbourne, and we can make sure that you’re set up safely.
