3 Pieces of Equipment to Help Your Home Theater Come Together

If you are in the process of building your own home theater, you may be a bit confused about what you need to make everything come together. Here are some of the equipment options to put on your wishlist so that your system works properly.

Audio Receiver

Many people focus on the television when setting up a home theater and treat the audio as an afterthought, even though it's a crucial part of the home theater experience. You need to have some sort of audio receiver so that you can avoid playing back audio through the TV's built-in speakers. 

You can keep things simple by using soundbars, which are quite different from how they used to be made in the past. You can now purchase systems that have wireless rear satellite speakers and separate subwoofers, giving you an ideal experience without running all of the wires. Some work by having satellite speakers that are powered by the subwoofer, or have detachable speakers that you have to charge through the main soundbar when not in use. The other option is to go all out with a dedicated audio receiver and wired speakers. This is the best way to get a true surround sound experience without any compromises. 

Streaming Devices

You may think that a dedicated streaming media device is not necessary when your smart TV has many smart features built into it. However, you may find that it is worth having a dedicated streaming media device for a few reasons. If you have a preferred interface that you want to use, it will be worth making the switch just for ease of use. You may also find that a dedicated device will respond faster than what is built into your TV since it has a single job that it is designed to do. In addition, you have some options with expandability, with other streaming devices allowing you to install apps that may not be compatible with your smart TV.

HDMI Switch

Your smart TV is going to have a limited number of HDMI inputs, and you likely have far more devices than your TV can handle. It will be worth purchasing an HDMI switch that can expand how many devices you can plug in without having to switch cables. Make sure that the device is capable of passing through a 4K HDR signal and does not downgrade it to 1080p. It will also be helpful if the switch can automatically change inputs when you turn on the device, rather than have to switch inputs manually.