All the Smart Tech I Use in My Home Theater (That’s on Sale for Black Friday)
I was never one of those people who thought they could tell the difference between sound systems: everything I had was fine. To make matters worse, I’ve been using a horribly low-resolution TV for the last twelve years – and for someone who watches as much TV as I do, my setup was pretty pathetic. But that was old Amanda; Over the past year, I’ve created the living room of my dreams, all in my dainty little living room. To create a decent home theater, you don’t need a theater or even a large space. Use these Black Friday sales to put together some decent decor for your home.
TV I bought for home theater
I started simply: it’s time for a new TV. Samsung sent me the Neo QLED 8K QN900C to test , and if Oregon had let me marry the TV, it would have had a fancy ring on it. While we’re still a long way from having a lot of 8k content (sometimes I download an 8k fireplace video from Youtube and it might as well be 3D), there is enough 4k content to be noticed. What’s more important is the way this model upsamples old content to make it look good in 4K resolution. This is amazing. I’m an avid fan of older shows, and I just couldn’t get over how good Who’s the Boss looked on a 65-inch screen, but the new episodes are a different story. The action movies in particular are so crisp and rich in color that it truly feels like being in a small movie theater. The TV has no frame at all, and by design, all cables and mounts are attached to a completely separate unit, hidden away, creating a blank canvas. The QN900C comes in 65″, 75″ and 85″ models, and the price is slashed by nearly half for Black Friday to $2,787.95 (from $4,997.99).
While you can use the included stand, this TV deserves to be mounted on a wall. I chose the Sanus Wall Mount , which has almost no profile but maximum flexibility in tilt and angle—and it’s also on sale for Black Friday for 20% off the regular price of $109.99 ($87.99 total). To keep your wall nice and clean, I also recommend the Echogear Wall Outlet , usually $74.99, now $59.99, which is recessed into the wall behind your TV, even if you don’t have an outlet there right now , so you don’t see no wires coming out of the TV. It’s just great.
Surround Sound
Ten years ago, when everyone was buying Sonos systems, I said no. They were so expensive that I was fluent in technical hacking and believed I could find a better system for less money. The thing is, I couldn’t. Sonos creates a home Wi-Fi network, so unlike Bluetooth speakers that interrupt every time you get a text message or go out of range, they work reliably. You can group them and give them almost anything. I gave up a few years ago, but last year I upgraded my living room from old devices to a new Arc soundbar , a pair of Era 300s for the left and right speakers, and finally a Sub 4 for the bass. Having left and right speakers in your environment means you feel like you’re in the movie as the sounds are played through independent speakers, immersing you in the atmosphere. The subwoofer will vibrate the music so you can feel the sound in your bones. Bass notes are something that’s often lacking in home systems, and the Sonos Sub 4 fills the space with deep, booming sound.
There are other systems that use Wi-Fi networks and provide consistent sound quality: Samsung has a set of speakers, as does LG, and Sonos also has lower-end speakers – the Beam, Mini Sub and Era100s. Choose a system that suits your budget; All of these Sonos products are on sale for Black Friday.
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Arc Soundbar $699, normally $899.
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Beam Soundbar (Gen 2) – $369, normally $499.
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Ray Soundbar $169, normally $279.
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Era 100 Speaker – $199, normally $249.
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Era 300 Speaker – $359, normally $449.
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Sub Mini – $343, regular $429.
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Sub 4 – $679, normally $799.
No matter what speakers you end up buying, remember that you want to install them to get the most bang for your buck in terms of surround sound. Flexson has good reviews of the Era speaker wall mounts and the Sanus mount for my soundbar.
Theater lighting
I’ve been telling myself until I’m blue in the face about the profound impact that Nanoleaf lamps have had on my home over the past year, but not as much as the 4D system. Nanoleaf places a small camera on your TV screen and then a series of LED lights on the back of the TV that bounce off the wall behind it and reflect the colors playing on the screen. The effect is mesmerizing, but it really becomes noticeable when you add additional devices throughout the room, all of which are synced to the TV. Turn off the overhead lights and turn on the Nanoleaf lighting and your Netflix nights will change completely. Even when you’re just listening to music, Nanoleafs play to the beat.
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4D TV Sync LED System $95.99 Regular price $119.99.
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Lines – $59.99, Regular – $99.99.
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Forms $59.99, Regular $99.99.
Atmospheric control
I had a wonderful set of curtains for different windows, but they never completely blocked out the light in the room. Plus, I had to get up to open and close them, which was very 2010-ish. It’s time to get savvy, so I turned to Rolli , one of the companies that makes smart blackout curtains. There are plenty of companies that offer blackout curtains, including an interesting option from Switchbot, which has also just released customizable smart blackout curtains . My colleague Daniel had a good experience with SmartWingz.
To control the temperature, I turned to Dyson and my Hot and Cool Water Purifier ($644.95), which quietly makes the room feel frosty or toasty while purifying the air. The oscillation is what makes it ideal for your theater.
Bringing it all together with automation
Almost all of the devices listed above are smart, from TV to blinds. This meant I could put everything together and automate it to create the perfect theater environment. I set it all up as automation in Alexa, but things got even smarter when Flic sent me their new gadgets: the Flic Button and Twist. These are smart buttons that can be programmed for specific products or treatments. My Flic Twist , which I put on the wall next to where I sit on the sofa, will lower the blinds, turn off the overhead lights, turn on the Nanoleaf and turn on the TV and Dyson. Of course, I could do the same thing from my phone, and since the Samsung TV also acts as a smart hub , I could do everything right from my TV.