I have to admit that if I weren't in real estate, I would probably own my own home theatre installation business.  I simply enjoy technology and watching tv at home can be so much better than anywhere else if you have the right equipment.  When I lived in Annapolis, I was fortunate enough to have Washington Redskins season tickets for the best seats in the house - club level at the 50 yard line.  While nothing can replace that atmosphere of Washington's triumphant win over Dallas at home, watching at home was pretty darn close.  Plus, I didn't have to fight traffic to and from the game. 

The part where most people fail when they set up a home theatre is that they fail to first set up a plan for their theatre.  Decide which room your theatre will be in and take measurements (including ceiling height) and even make a drawing.  Create a cutout of your furniture and have them with you as well.  Now, take this information and visit your local home theatre store, not the circuit city or best buy.  Search out the local CEDIA certified home theatre resellers or find a local reseller of your favorite components and start there.  You want to deal with people who are experienced and can help you optimize your theatre for maximum enjoyment.  If you are going extremely high end, you may consider hiring a home theatre consultant and an interior designer to make your theatre special. 

The next step is to establish a budget for your project otherwise you will go broke quickly.  Cables, components and furniture add up quickly so setting a budget and committing to it will make all the difference.  A moderate budget of $10,000 should be adequate if you only require mild construction in an already existing home.  The cost could be reduced by $3,000 if the room you are creating isn't drywalled or your home is under construction. 

Here is a list if the components you will need:

• A high definition tv or projector
• Don't skimp.  Go for a 1080p set or projector with at least 2 HDMI inputs.  Don't forget that if you are going the projector route, you will need a screen and don't skimp here either.  A home theatre pro can match up the best screen / projector combo to your space and lighting situation.
• Mounts or furniture for your tv
• This can be pricey but make sure that you're buying quality components.  I have always liked the lines from BDI - http://www.bdiusa.com
• HD-DVD or Blu-ray Disc player
• or both. 
• VHS player - if necessary
• Receiver
• Another area where you can't skimp!  I'll cover more about the appropriate receiver in a later post.  Plan on spending no less than $1,000.
• A television source
• Currently, there are four choices: antenna, cable, Directv, or Dish Network.  Serious videophiles may choose three of the four.  Personally, the minimum you should have is an Over the Air Antenna and Directv. 
• Power Manager
• Not the measly power strip that you purchased in 1986 from Walgreens.  Clean, consistent power delivery is essential.  I compare it to having water to drink.  If you're constantly drinking poluted tap water, you won't perform at your best.  The same goes for power.  Monster and Panamax makes great equipment to keep your expensive components alive.  Expect to spend no less than $300. 
• Cables
• The number 2 mistake behind not planning is not taking into consideration the number and quality of cables involved with a home theatre.  A good cable can be the crutch in an overwise great system so, as before, don't skimp.  Measurements are key as most home theatre stores can custom make cables from the finest materials.  Measure too long and you're wasting money and too short and you've wasted even more.  DO NOT TRY TO MAKE UP FOR A MISCALCULATION WITH EXTENDERS!
• When it comes to what and how much, you need to consider how many sources you are going to have feeding your theatre.  If you're like me and have both an antenna and Directv, you would need at least 3 RG6 cables coming in from your sources to your theatre.  That's two from the dish and one from the antenna.  Its always a good idea to over do when it comes to RG6 because you may add services later or maybe you just add flexible conduit in the wall for future expansion. 
• In a standard home theatre system, you could expect to spend $1,000 in cable alone. 
• Accessories like a Universal remote. 

Now get to work planning your system.  In the next posts, I will go more indepth on how to choose the right receiver, tv, construction of your space, and even furniture. 

Sincerely;
Jonathan Osman
The Charlotte House Hunter
Charlotte NC Homes, Charlotte Real Estate