How to Set Up a Home Theater Using Smart Technology

I’ve never been one of those people who thought I could tell the difference between sound systems: Whatever I had was fine. Even worse, for the last twelve years, I held onto a television with pathetically low resolution—and for someone who watches as much TV as I do, my setup was kind of pathetic. But that was old Amanda; over the last year, I have created the living room setup of my dreams, all in my dinky little living room. You don’t need a theater room or even a large space to create a worthy home theater. Use these Black Friday sales to piece together a worthy setup in your home, too. 

The TV I got for my home theater

I started simply: it was time for a new TV. Samsung sent the Neo QLED 8K QN900C for me to test out, and if Oregon allowed me to marry a TV, this one would have a fancy ring on it. While we’re still a ways out from a lot of 8k content (occasionally I load an 8k fireplace video from Youtube, and it might as well be 3D), the 4k content is enough to be noticeable. What is more important is how this model upsamples older content to make it look good at 4k. It’s remarkable. I am a devoted binger of old shows, and I simply could not get over how good Who’s the Boss looked at 65 inches, but new releases are another story altogether. Action films, in particular, are so crisp and rich in color, it really is like being in a small theater. The television has no frame at all, and by design, all the cables and attachments are fixed to an entirely separate unit hidden away, creating a clean canvas. The QN900C comes in 65″, 75″ and 85” models, and for Black Friday it’s almost half off, down to $2,787.95 (from $4,997.99). 

While you can use the stand it comes with, this television deserves to be mounted on the wall. I chose a Sanus wall mount that has almost no profile at all, but maximum flexibility in tilt and angle—and it is also on sale for Black Friday, 20% off the usual price of $109.99, down to just $87.99. Just to keep the wall nice and clean, I also recommend an Echogear wall outlet, usually $74.99, down to $59.99 right now, that is recessed into the wall behind the television, even if you don’t have an outlet there right now, so you don’t see any wires coming out from the tv. It’s quite brilliant. 

Surround sound

Ten years ago when everyone was buying Sonos systems, I balked. They were so expensive, I was fluent in tech hacking and I believed I could figure out a better system for less money. The thing is, I couldn’t. Sonos creates an in house wifi network, so unlike Bluetooth speakers that get interrupted every time you get a text message or move out of range, they’re consistent. You can group them and stream almost anything to them. I gave in a number of years ago, but this past year I upgraded my living room from older units to a new Arc soundbar, a pair of Era 300s for left and right speakers and, finally, a Sub 4 for bass. Having left and right speakers in your surround means you feel like you are in the movie, as sounds play on independent speakers, immersing you. The subwoofer will create vibration in the music, so you feel the sound in your bones. The bass notes are what is often missing from home setups, and the Sonos Sub 4 fills the space with a deep, rumbling sound. 

There are other systems that use wifi networks and give consistent quality sound: Samsung has a set of speakers, as does LG, and Sonos has lower-end speakers as well—the Beam, Mini Sub, and Era100s. Choose a system that fits your budget; all those Sonos pieces are on sale for Black Friday. 

• Arc Soundbar $699, regularly $899

• Beam (Gen 2) Soundbar $369, regularly $499

• Ray Soundbar $169, regularly $279 

• Era 100 Speaker $199, regularly $249

• Era 300 Speaker $359, regularly $449

• Sub Mini $343, regularly $429

• Sub 4 $679, regularly $799

Regardless of what speakers you end up buying, remember that you want to mount them in order to get the biggest bang for your buck in terms of surround sound. Flexson has well reviewed wall mounts for the Era speakers and a Sanus mount for my sound bar. 

Theater lighting

I’ve talked myself blue in the face about the profound effect Nanoleaf lights have had on my home over the last year, but none as much as the 4D system. Nanoleaf puts a small camera on the screen of your TV, and then a series of LED lights on the back of the TV that reflect onto the wall behind it, and they echo the colors that are playing on the screen. The effect is mesmerizing, but it really sings when you add additional units throughout the room, all of which sync to the TV. Kill the overhead lights and flip on the Nanoleaf lights and Netflix nights are completely changed. Even when you’re just playing music, the Nanoleafs play in time to the beat. 

• 4D system TV sync and LED lights $95.99, regularly $119.99

• Lines $59.99, regularly $99.99

• Shapes $59.99, regularly $99.99

Atmospheric control

I had a fine set of shades for my various windows, but it never completely cut out the light in the room. Also, I had to get up to open and close them, which felt very 2010. It was time to get smart, so I looked to Rolli, one of the companies making smart blackout shades. There are plenty of companies that offer blackout shades, including an exciting option from Switchbot, which has just released configurable smart blackout rollershades, too. My colleague Daniel had a good experience with SmartWingz. 

To control the temperature, I looked to Dyson and my Hot and Cool Purifier ($644.95), which silently makes the room frosty or toasty, and purifiers the air at the same time. The oscillation is what makes it perfect for your theater. 

Bringing it all together with automation

Almost all the devices listed above are smart, from the TV to the blinds. This meant I could bring everything together and automate it for the perfect theater setting. I had this all set up as an automation in Alexa, but things got even smarter when Flic sent me their new gadgets, the Flic button and Twist. These are smart buttons you can program to individual products or routines. My Flic Twist, which I’ve popped onto the wall next to where I sit on the couch, will lower the blinds, turn off the overhead lights, turn on the Nanoleaf, and fire up the TV and the Dyson. Granted, I could do the same from my phone, and since the Samsung TV also acts as a smart hub, I could do everything right from my TV.