Watch a movie, in your own cinema

Rapid development in home entertainment technology has contributed to lifestyle changes, particularly for those living in big cities.

Now, people can enjoy a movie, TV show or sports program in their own homes, with sound and picture quality almost as good as that of the commercial cinema.

"In Jakarta, home theaters are getting more and more popular. It is a new trend for those with middle-level incomes," said Handi Pranadi of the Home Cinema Experience audio and visual equipment store.

The fall in the price of entertainment systems has contributed to this trend.

Two years ago, a standard home theater in a box (HTiB) -- which generally includes a VCD or DVD player, five speakers with an amplifier and a sub woofer -- was priced at more than Rp 5 million. At present, you can bring home an HTiB for only Rp 3 million.

"If, in the past, to buy a standard digital projector you had to spend at least Rp 50 million, at present you can buy it for about Rp 15 million," Handi said.

Home theaters can be as simple as a sound system connected to a large-screen television.

But the installation of a home cinema requires not only an HTiB and a large screen TV or digital projector, but also a specially built room.

Creating such a room will enable you to enjoy the excitement of watching a movie in a commercial cinema, at the touch of a button. "But it does not mean that an ordinary living room cannot be converted to a home cinema," he said.

According to Handi, the most important thing in setting up a home cinema is the harmonization of the sound produced by individual speakers.

"To guarantee that the speakers produce a harmonious sound, you have to use speakers of the same brand," he said.

Using a digital projector is also recommended.

"Rather than buying a Plasma TV which could cost more than Rp 35 million, it would be better to use a digital projector," he said.

It is important to ask a professional what kind of equipment -- particularly in regards to digital projectors -- will suit your home cinema.

According to him, there are two kinds of digital projectors available on the market. One is a data projector -- which is used for business presentations -- and the other, a video projector, especially designed for home cinemas.

"Many people do not understand. Instead of using a video projector, they used a data projector. It is a big mistake," he said.

In selecting a video projector you must not rely on what the manual says. Testing the machine before buying it is quite important, he added. -- Agustina Wayansari