At the end of a long day of work, study, or other taxing activity, we often find ourselves putting our feet up and plunking down in front of the TV. For some, this is a treasured time – the few hours we get to unwind and take our minds off the busy world for a moment. Whether this is you or whether you just love a good home media experience, why not upgrade your home entertainment setup so you can get the most out of it?
If you're a media junkie, taking the time to upgrade your home entertainment setup is a worthy investment of your time and energy, cause you’ll see it come back to you every time you sit down to watch TV! You'll get to enjoy a better viewing experience, with easier access to what you want to watch, and the satisfaction that comes from a new and enhanced set up.
We've put together a quick list of some of the key considerations for the ultimate home entertainment setup. With just a few upgrades, you can get a premier cinema-like experience all in the comfort of your own home!
The heart of your home entertainment is the TV!
At the heart of your home entertainment setup is the TV so this is your opportunity to go BIG! If you’re aiming for a theatre-like viewing experience, you’re going to need an awesome TV. With so many options to choose from, where do you start?
For a truly immersive experience, aim for an Ultra High Definition (4K) TV. With 4K (3840x2160), you get four times more pixels than a regular Full HD (1920x1080) TV meaning you’ll get super crisp details of every scene. You’ll also want a TV can deliver a vibrant range of colours, so look for one that includes HDR. High Dynamic Range (HDR) increases the TV’s range of light so you can enjoy an immense spectrum of colour and visual detail, making sunsets spectacular but also improving quality in the darkest of scenes.
One TV manufacturer who is well-versed in creating a home-theatre experience is Samsung. Earlier this year, they released the Samsung S95C 4K QD-OLED Smart TV which promises to take your at-home experience to new heights. Samsung’s OLED provides deep blacks, clean whites, and full shades of alive colour, serving up an accurate, bright and pure picture. Additionally, their Neural Quantum Processor 4K creates the best viewing experience with incredible brightness, colour, contrast and detail. The laser-like slim design blends seamlessly into any interior, really helping to create that home-theatre aesthetic.
If you want to go big but don't have a huge budget, Philips offers a range of great value 4K TVs that'll give you the size and resolution without breaking the bank. While it doesn't offer the same breadth of features as Samsung's S95C TV, it's a great starting point as you venture into the world of 4K TV.
Step it up with smart TV features
Once you go smart, you'll never go back! So trust us when we say adding smart features to your home entertainment set up is so worth it. Most of the newer TVs on the market have smart features built-in, so if you've got yourself a smart TV, you're already sorted. If you don't, you can add these features through a connected device like the Chromecast, Apple TV, or a media box like Xiaomi's TV Box S (this generation supports 4K media). This gives you quick and easy access to popular streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime (will vary from device to device); lets you cast videos straight from YouTube, and provides access to a smart assistant for added convenience.
This will really pay off as you add more smart devices to your home, and connected IoT devices, such as smart lights, can be made to dim when the movie starts - it's all so futuristic!
The Google Chromecast allows you to stream your favourite entertainment such as videos, music and live streams from your phone directly to your TV. Chromecast works with iPhone®, iPad®, Android devices, Mac®, Windows® or Chromebook, which allows universal compatibility with most devices, so everyone in your home can enjoy this handy streaming device.
By using your smartphone, it's easy to browse or control the TV from virtually anywhere in your home and while streaming, you can still text or call without interrupting what's playing or draining your battery. By tapping the cast button in any compatible app, you can easily enjoy all your favourite apps and media on your TV! Mirror your laptop or tablet screen to your TV as well with your Chrome web browser and easily surf the web, view photos or see your media on the big screen.
Watch content up to 4K at 60fps from 1,000+ of your favourite mobile apps and enjoy TV shows, movies, videos, songs, games, sports and more through apps such as YouTube, Netflix, Twitch, Spotify and NBA! You can even play party games like virtual bowling, Wheel of Fortune, Angry Birds, quiz games and heaps of other fun games to keep the kids busy and guests entertained!
Other than the Google Chromecast, we've got heaps of other amazing Home Media Players, including the Xiaomi 4K TV Box S, DishTV Smart Vu 4K TV Dongle and the Amazon Fire TV stick! If you've got multiple Apple devices in your household, then an Apple TV is a great choice as you will benefit from convenient connection from your iPhone, iPad or MacBook to the Apple TV via AirPlay.
A Better Audio Experience with a Sound Bar
Premium TVs have some impressive speakers built-in but if you want to treat your ears to a rich experience, a soundbar will certainly immerse you further into your favourite media. High-quality audio that delivers crisp and clear detail will draw you in, and nice, deep bass will bring home the cinema-like experience.
If you're looking for great value option, check out the Philips TAB6305 2.1 Channel Soundbar, which is bound to enhance your home entertainment with clearer sound and deeper bass. A wireless subwoofer will add some satisfying bass to your scenes so you can feel the rumbling explosions, and the crushing footsteps of a T-Rex on the screen. For more options, check out our Top Soundbars for Every Budget!
The sound bar not only immerses you in your favourite movies but it’s great for listening to music. You can stream music from mobile devices via Bluetooth, or you can connect audio sources via audio-in or optical input. Whatever music you love, it will sound louder and clearer through a soundbar. Although it delivers big sound, the Philips Soundbar has a low profile design that’s easy to place and the compact design of the powerful subwoofer makes it easy to conceal.
These key products work well together to create a truly amazing entertainment experience, and if you're thinking it's time for an upgrade, check out the latest and best in TV, video & audio today!
2 comments
Hinata
Once you go OLED you'll never go back! I certainly can't.
Read moreRichard E (Head Office)
Chromecast is my favourite gadget from the last 10 years easily
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