If you love movies, which is more than likely if you’re one of our fabulous readers, then the chances are that at least half the films you watch these days are viewed at home rather than at the cinema. So the question is… what’s the optimum way to watch films from home?

Now before we get into the options, let’s just quickly make one very important point clear: According to TVs Era the cinema is a wonderful place with a great tradition and we don’t condone completely abandoning it. This said, we are also realists and accept that the home cinema is just part and parcel of modern life. We understand that as the technology available for the home improved and became more affordable throughout the noughties, our viewing habits changed and the cost of the cinema actually went up making it less and less appealing. OK, so on with the show…

Option #1 – Movies in Bed!

This isn’t meant to be a raunchy choice, this is just an unbeatably comfortable way to watch films. If you have a wall-mounted TV, or better still a bed with TV built in, (you know- the kind that are all the rage at the moment?) then this is heaven. Simply turn off the lights, get comfy under the cover and tune the outside world out as you focus on the film. The only drawbacks with this option are that if you’re snacking then you’re likely to get crumbs in the bed, which is not the most comfortable thing in the world, and that if you’re the kind of person to fall asleep whilst watching a film then it will inevitably happen if you’re already in bed!

Option #2 – A Movie Night with Friends

This one is a classic- get a couple of friends round, get your favourite takeaway in and settle down for a great evening. This is a good choice for the more lightweight genres- Rom-com, Comedy and so on. The problem is that it won’t necessarily work so well with serious titles that require a bit of concentration and a certain sort of mood. It’s hard to watch a deep film like Schindler’s List for example when you’re also wanting to laugh and catch-up with a friend you perhaps haven’t seen in a while. In fact the idea of all coming together with a pizza for a sobering story like that is frankly pretty morbid. All singing along together to Sister Act on the other hand….

Option #3 – Netflix

Not so much an option as a complete lifestyle, this one has really revolutionized the home cinema scene. Offering an overwhelming array of films with a disturbingly accurate recommendation service (…algorithms these days, eh?) Netflix has done for movies what Spotify did for music. Once you’ve become accustomed to having films on tap, there’s really no looking back. The only disadvantage is that the selection is so extensive that you’ll often find yourself spending so long choosing what to watch that you actually despair of ever actually coming to a decision!

So there’s our little round-up complete, but before we leave you to go and watch a movie, there’s one last plaintive note from us cinephiles: remember that whichever option you choose, a film deserves respect! The blood, sweat and tears of hundreds of dedicated men and women goes into every single movie that’s made, so give films the attention they deserve and try to resist that nasty temptation to browse social media and relegate them to a background activity.

And to elevate your home cinema experience, you can always upgrade your TV or your audio system. There are budget-friendly options for this, this the Bose Solo 5 reviewed here: https://theproductanalyst.com/soundbar/bose-solo-5-review/

Happy viewing….