Host the movies at your place for under $200

We’ve taken $200 and turned our lounge into a home cinema, all of this can be achieved with a few simple things.

What you need

Projector

Dark room cinema needs considerably less brightness than a projector for daytime or lights on viewing, this means many projectors that are not good in the day are still great with curtains closed or at night.

Our recommended projectors for this project

• Vivibright $180 – HDMI and built-in OS so you can directly stream and view files from a memory card or networked PC.
• Cheerlux – $150 – HDMI, portable and bright.
• Q5 3D – $87.99 – Value pricing, lower resolution than the others, good for ultra tight budgets.

See all projectors

Speaker

If you are going for wireless, you can grab a Bluetooth speaker, I would recommend at least a dual 5W speaker if you want to have immersive sound. If you already have a sound system at home you can easily tap into that with some cables or by routing the HDMI through the sound systems receiver.

Speakers and soundbars

• Bluetooth speakers – $20-$50
• Soundbars – $30-$150

Screen

If you have a white wall, (we do) it’s easy, just project it onto your wall. If you don’t, you can hang a white sheet or for better performance or get a bargain projector screen for around $30.

Basic setup

You don’t need to redesign your house, you can easily use your lounge or spare room.

Location

A standard setup is just like a cinema, you have the screen in front of you, speakers either side and the projector behind you.

• You need a room large enough to fit the screen size you want.
• Place the projector behind, above (ceiling mount) or in front of you.
• Speakers should be in front of you, under the screen in the middle. Or if you have 2 speakers, one on either side of the screen.

Connections

All you need to do to set up is to connect the projector, sound, and source together. If you have a wireless projector, you just connect your sound and projector then beam the video from your phone.

The connection protocols

• Video – HDMI is the most common.
• Audio – RCA or headphone jack, optical connection possibly from your device to your sound system.

Why so cheap?

A home cinema experience means lights off in the dark, low-cost projectors look fine in these environments, introduce some light in the room, and it will not be bright enough. This setup won’t replace your TV, it is for watching movies in the dark.

If you want a full TV replacement you need something with the power to show when the lights are on. Something like the Xgimi H2 is ideal, it is much brighter (and 7X the cost) and loaded with its own system and sound so you can play directly from the projector.

The TV and Projector Combo

It is much more cost effective to use both, use the TV you already have for regular watching. Then, fire up the projector to transform your home into a cinema. For $200 you can create an impressive dark cinema and invite your friend over for movies, just don’t forget the popcorn.

Bargain Night Cinema Projectors