Patrick Hearn · November 30, 2019 · 5 min read If the kitchen is the heart of the home, then the home theater is the brain. Your home theater is where you go to unwind at the end of a long day and binge watch your favorite shows. It’s where you sit with breathless anticipation as you watch the latest thrillers. It’s where you declare your total dominance once and for all in Mario Kart.
It’s for all of these reasons and more that nailing your home theater setup is so important. With the right combination of smart accessories, you can create a smart home theater system that will put any $12-per-ticket night out to shame – and still get popcorn with it, too.
The Projector, Or How To Stop Worrying & Love The Film
Your first thought for a home theater might be to invest in a large-screen television, and while that’s fine for smaller rooms, this is about the ultimate smart home theater. With that in mind, you’ll want a projector—preferably a 4K one at that.
The LG HU80KA is one of the best options. It can project up to 150 inches on a suitable surface in crystal-clear 4K resolution with HDR10 compatibility. It also features LG’s Smart TV streaming services, as well as screen sharing from a connected smartphone or tablet.
From Sound Bar With Love
A phenomenal picture deserves equal sound, and few sound systems do it better than the Sonos 5.1 Surround Set. It combines the best aspects of a sound bar with the best aspects of an actual surround sound system.
The Playbar features three-channel sound powered by six mid-woofers and three tweeters, while the Sub with force-cancelling speakers give you tremendous bass with next to no rattle.
The entire setup can be controlled through Amazon Alexa for when you just want to listen to some music, too. It doesn’t all have to be about the film score.
It’s a Wonderful Light System
Traditional theater experiences haven’t caught onto the impact a proper light setup can have on the viewing experience. While watching a bright screen in a dark room keeps you immersed in the action, it can also lead to headaches and eyestrain.
On the other hand, the right lighting in a smart home theater system can sync its colors to those on screen and bring the entire room into the experience. Not only does this help ease the strain on your eyes, but it creates an effect that won’t soon be forgotten.
Few smart light systems are better at this sort of work than the Nanoleaf Rhythm lighting system. Not only does it utilize Nanoleaf’s new Screen Mirror technology to blend the colors of the display to those of your movie, but it can also pulse in time with any music you play to turn your home theater into an impromptu rave.
One Flew Over The Blu-Ray Player
Although most of your media consumption will likely come from streaming sources, you likely still have some physical media in the form of DVDs, Blu-Ray, and 4K discs. And what kind of home theater experience would it be without the ability to play this media?
The Samsung Streaming 4K media player makes it easy to stream directly from the device, but it also upscales DVDs to 1080p for even better picture quality. Connect this media player to your sound system and projector and watch your favorite films and home movies in crystal-clear resolution.
The Power Strip Strikes Back
The number of devices involved in a home theater setup require a reliable power supply. The Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip by TP Link is one of the best options out there, with six individual ports that can each be controlled independently of one another.
It also features three USB ports for charging other devices. Built-in energy monitoring provides you with an overview of how much energy each device is using. You can control the plug through any of the three major voice assistants, too. How’s that for useful?
Most importantly, the Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Power Strip has ETL certified surge protection. In the event of a lightning storm, this strip can protect your devices from a sudden influx of power.
The Popcorn Redemption
Finally, no home theater would be complete without a popcorn maker. While you could go for a smart device with air-frying capabilities (such as an Instant Pot), if you’ve decked out your smart home theater with the best of everything else then your popcorn maker should be no exception.
We recommend the Great Northern Popcorn Red Matinee Movie Theater Style Popcorn Maker. Long name, good popcorn. It adds a bit of classic movie theater flair to your home theater setup with the capability to produce between two and three gallons of popcorn per batch. A built-in warming deck will keep your popcorn warm all throughout the movie so you can refill as needed.
Combine these different devices together into one room and you will have the smart home theater system you’ve always dreamed of—and the one that gets your friends to show up at your house every time a new episode of Succession airs.
