People care about the quality of their "home theater" (a.k.a. their primary TV- and movie-watching space) more than ever. But many of the best TVs and best soundbars aren't cheap, so it might seem tricky to build an entertainment setup within a fixed budget.
With concerns like this in mind, I was challenged to shop for a full-featured home theater for under $1,000. This challenge is part of our YouTube series called The Haul, where I'm restricted on how much I can spend to meet an assigned goal. In this case, the goal was a great at-home cinema experience that doesn't break the bank. You can check out the full episode here:
I decided to go to Best Buy with my budget, knowing that the electronics store has one of the biggest selections for TVs and audio gear you'll find. While you can shop online or in-stores, I decided to visit an actual retail location to see my options to take home on the same day. Plus in general, I know people like to see TVs in-person before they purchase.
Assuming that a TV would take up most of my $1,000, that's where I started. Of course my eyes were drawn to the likes of the LG C3 and LG G3 TVs, but there's no way an OLED TV would work for my budget. Instead, I honed my search on LED TVs. It's true that there's a wide gamut of technologies and terminologies in the LED TV category, but gravitate towards two brands for price conscious shoppers: Hisense and TCL.
The TCL and Hisense sections weren't as prominent in-store as LG's or Samsung's, but each had the most popular models displayed. I weighed my choices and ultimately decided that the 65-inch TCL Q6 TV for $499 is a deal I wouldn't be able to beat — it's rare to find good 65-inch TV for under $500, but you'll want to be sure to choose the best TV size for your setup.
Next I checked out the soundbar options. Best Buy has a wide variety from third-party audio brands as well as sound systems from TV manufacturers. I'll admit, the Sonos Ray for $279 caught my eye, and Sonos speakers are great for whole-home audio solutions. But I ended up putting the TCL Q Class 5.1 Channel soundbar in my cart. Not only does it come with a soundbar, subwoofer and pair of surround speakers, but the whole package only cost $249. I also threw in a set of speaker stands for $119, though you could wall mount them if your space allows.
With some more budget to spend, I had a few possible paths to talk. I could get a wall mount to hang my TV up, but I'm a renter. I could shop for a new Blu-Ray player, but I don't have a big collection of discs. I could invest in some gaming gear, but I'm satisfied with my Nintendo Switch OLED right now.
Instead, I priced out immersive TV strip lights. Several smart lighting brands sell light kits that sync up with the TV's on-screen picture, whether it's through an HDMI input like the Philips Hue Sync Box or a camera positioned at the screen. Best Buy had both versions on shelves, but I went with the Govee Dreamview TV Backlights and Light Bar for just $90.
That brought my total to $957 for those counting, giving me some wiggle room before factoring in tax. Now, I know that are other choices I could've made along the way. But between the TV's bright picture, the all encompassing speaker sound, and the next-level immersion from the lights, I’m thrilled by the quality of setup we were able to get for the price. You'll have to watch the full video on YouTube to see how it all looks together.
Obviously there are more advanced options of these products with premium features and price tags to match, but if we’re talking about what’s possible within a budget, this goes to show you can still get a great setup without overspending.
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