Cue Popcorn! Cinema admission prices turn us to Home Cinema's

With talk from the major movie studios of making new films available on DVD just 4 weeks after their first cinema release, and the rising costs of taking the family to the cinema (particularly with the pletheroe of 3D releases) - a family of 5 plus drinks and popcorn for the kids can soon get through £50, it's no wonder that more and more households are turning to technology to set up their own home cinemas.

Add to that the convenience of a showing time when you want it, no travelling, nobody walking in front of you and you get to pause the film if you need the toilet. Not to mention the drinks and snacks are cheaper too.

You don't have to go as far as converting the loft or basement, although doing so does make the perfect home cinema room. Good black out blinds and a comfy sofa work just as well.

You'll be able to choose between a large screen (as large as your budget will allow) lcd or plasma television or even a projector and screen (which can be rolled up when not in use). All 3 have their strengths and weaknesses and depending on the layout of your room, you may rule out a projector from the start. That leaves a widescreen TV - best idea is to go and look at a few working, choose which picture you most prefer. There are some very good guarantee periods to be had - some as much as 5 years, depending on the brand and the retailer. And now more and more manufacturers are producing 3D televisions - just in time for Christmas.

No blockbusting action packed film is complete without a body shaking sound track. Whilst your TV will be perfectly adequate, for the full movie experience, you'll want to consider a surround sound system. The usual set up is 4 'surround' speakers (1 in each corner of your viewing area), a dialogue speaker (which is usually situated immediately in front of the screen) and a bass speaker (usually tucked away somewhere).

Of course surround sound systems aren't just for films. Connect them up properly with your Digital service and you'll be able to play normal television through them - very good now that digital broadcasting is upon us - you'll notice an improvement in overall volume levels (with some tv, you may have noticed the dialogue can sound a little lost).

Some systems will even play music CD's and receive radio broadcasts. You may pay extra for systems which will play recordable CD's etc - always check what will play on the system you finally select.

So a good surround sound system actually becomes your new hi-fi system.

Again, budget will dictate what you end up with and it's a good idea to try and listen to a few different systems in action - most high street and electrical retailers have systems all set up for you to try out.

If you're thinking of a dedicated room for your home cinema experience, then converting your loft or a garage into a cinema is an ideal choice. You can get an instant online loft conversion quote from Loft Quoter before being able to compare loft conversion companies operating in your area through our unique homeowner feedback comments and star ratings.

There's an identical service for garage conversions - visit Garage Conversion Quoter for your free online conversion quote.

photo credit: the odd note