Creating a home theater is fairly easy; all it requires is some disposable income and willingness to spend some time to research and compare different products.

Take stock of the equipment you already own. If you already have an input device/s and a TV, all that you need is an AV receiver and speakers.

Your current TV can be attached to a home theater system and still work as normal TV when you are not watching movies. It is essential that your current TV has a large screen and gives a clear picture; a high definition TV is not essential unless you have already decided to change it. If you already own a CD or DVD player, your basic requirements of input devices is complete.

You have now to shop for AV receiver or a home theater receiver. Select one that combines the functions of three components:

Determine the space in the room you want to set up the home theater. You need to buy a powerful receiver of at least 80-watt if you have a dedicated room for the home theater. On the other hand, for a bedroom, a 40-watt system should suffice. Check for compatibility of your input existing device/s. Most are likely to have Dolby Digital sound.

• AM/FM tuner, HD Radio, satellite radio and/or Internet Radio are big pluses.
• Multi-channel amplifier that amplifies low level signal to line-level.
• Preamplifier, an electronic amplifier that processes audio input and distributes audio to channels and subwoofer output and video input is routed to a TV.

Look for a surround-sound speaker system. You need two main speakers for the left and right channels, two satellite speakers for the back of the room and a subwoofer. If you have space constraints, choose a system that can replicate surround sound with fewer speakers.

If you want to hide the wires that connect the speakers, buy flat wire that can be run under carpets. If you want to, you can also buy a wireless system that works without cumbersome speaker wires. A universal remote is necessary for a relaxed experience.

Set up the television, point the two main speakers at the main sitting arrangement in front of the TV. Subwoofers can be places anywhere while the satellite speakers should point inward or along the back wall.