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I WANT TO BUILD A HOME THEATER. WHERE DO I START?

Start by deciding how much you can afford. Stay practical during these tough economic times. Don’t overspend on bells and whistles that you don’t need or on equipment that is a poor fit for your room.

Pay attention to the small, inexpensive details that can make your family’s theater nights as fun as a trip to the Cineplex.

1. Choose a television (or video screen) that suits your space. When we think “theater,” we think huge screens. But if your screen is too big, the picture might seem distorted or you might have to strain your neck to comfortably watch it. Here’s a guideline from technology company THX: Measure the distance, in inches, from your seat to the screen, and multiply that by .84. The answer will tell you the largest screen you should buy. Divide that same distance by three to learn the smallest size that will work for your room.

2. Choose a dark room. A windowless room is best for a home theater, but you can cover windows with lined curtains or solar shades designed to block almost 100 percent of sunlight from entering the room. Place your TV on a wall opposite the windows.

3. Choose the system you want and can most comfortably afford, not the one that’s cheapest or made by a specific brand. Instead, consider quality, performance and durability, and what you really want. If you get a super-good deal on a system that falls short of your “perfect” home theater, you’ll probably wind up spending more money to replace it later.

4. Choose cabinets and furniture to fit the TV (or video screen) not the other way around. If you buy your cabinets and furniture before you have the screen, you could have trouble forcing it and the tangle of cables that you’ll need to connect to it, into a space that’s too small or the wrong shape.

5. Choose to protect your investment. You can buy individual surge protectors for each piece of equipment, but that’s less reliable than installing a whole-house surge protection system. For about $350, you can get a whole-house system that protects two phone lines, your electrical panel and your cable or satellite TV lines.

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