Key Takeaways
- A well-equipped home theater setup can provide a better viewing experience than a movie theater.
- OLED TVs are a great way to get incredible color contrast and brightness.
- A stereo pair of Apple HomePods supports spatial audio and Dolby Atmos to enhance your home theater audio experience.
I am of the opinion that movie theaters are the worst. I'm not old enough to remember the “glory days” of movie-going. When I sit in a movie theater, all I can think about is the pain in my neck from turning my head to see the whole screen, the sticky floors, the uncomfortable seats, having to hold off for 60 minutes to go to the bathroom because you can't pause the movie, and how annoying it is when the person in front of me blocks my view. On top of all that, wonderful Considering the profits of the cinema, I paid the equivalent of a small country’s GDP for this so-called “experience.” Also, don’t forget that if you buy your tickets online, you may end up paying an additional booking fee if you are not a monthly member of the cinema.
As you may have guessed by now, I am not a movie fan. I don't believe that movie theaters are the absolute best place to watch a movie. Frankly, it's no surprise that movie theaters continue to struggle post-COVID-19 while other industries thrive. Frankie, exclusive theatrical releases supported by an emerging film awards industry, just aren't enough for consumers anymore. With so much content available on Netflix, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, and the list goes on, people are not going to pay as much for sticky floors and overpriced snacks as they used to.
I admit this is a bit of a rant intended to vent my frustrations with the movie industry. Still, I may not be a movie buff, but I am a geek. A geek who loves to consume content, appreciates a good user experience, and loves technology, especially Apple technology. Let me tell you how I replaced a painful and disappointing movie theater experience with the coolest technology available.
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My home viewing environment
OLED, Apple TV, HomePod
Braden Newell / Pocket-lint
My lifelong dream is to have a home theater. I'm not a movie buff, but I love watching good content. That means I don't have the money for a home theater, but I've invested in making my living room the home base for a great viewing experience. Four (actually five) pieces of technology help my living room provide a great viewing experience, allow me to take breaks for snacks and bathroom visits, and keep my neck from straining.
LG OLED 4K TV
LG OLED C2
It's the perfect OLED TV for gamers and movie lovers alike.
The TV is arguably the most important part of your viewing experience. A little over a year ago, I purchased a 65-inch LG OLED 4K TV and have loved it ever since. OLED displays are known for their excellent color contrast and impressive brightness. This particular OLED is also 4K, has a native 120Hz refresh rate, and supports Dolby Vision and Atmos. The quality of the TV was a big factor in my decision, along with the HDMI-ARC compatibility and Apple Home integration. With Apple Home, I can control the TV via a remote tile in Control Center on my iPhone and automate it on and off with Siri Shortcuts. All of this means that the TV is central to my movie-watching experience.
4K Apple TV
I love my 4K Apple TV as my streaming box. Frankly, I think the Apple TV is the best streaming box on the market. Apple is a privacy-focused company, which is reassuring considering smart TVs and other streaming boxes have a notorious reputation for collecting and selling user data. Additionally, the Apple TV has a vast app catalog for every streaming service. The 4K Apple TV also supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, creating a fantastic viewing experience. Like the LG OLED TV, the Apple TV also appears in Apple Home, allowing automation and control via iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or voice via Siri.
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Belkin HDMI Cable
Belkin UltraHD High Speed 8K/4K HDMI Cable (2m)
HDMI cables can be found for just a few dollars, but to ensure that my TV and Apple TV could communicate and everything would work properly, I decided to purchase a Belkin cable from the Apple Store, which supports 8K resolution and Dolby Vision HDR and seems to be the most premium of the bunch.
Apple HomePod
Apple HomePod (2nd generation)
When it comes to audio, using two HomePods in a stereo pair configuration creates an incredibly powerful audio experience. Another great feature of HomePod is its support for spatial audio and Dolby Atmos. Setting two HomePods in a stereo pair as your default speakers and connecting an Apple TV creates an amazing viewing experience with unparalleled video and audio. That's probably why Apple calls this feature Home Theater Audio.
Meroslight Strip
As a bonus, I also wanted to include a Meross light strip that I use to add a little mood lighting behind my TV stand. Meross is a great maker of affordable HomeKit-enabled accessories. I have four around my house and give them away a lot. This light strip behind the TV often changes color based on Apple Home automation when the TV is turned on and off.
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