My First Media Room: The Home Leaver’s Guide To Home Entertainment

The Big Screen TV

“It used to be that 55” was considered a massive TV, but these days 75”plus is the gold standard,” says John Milonas, The Good Guys Buyer – Televisions and Accessories. That’s because of the improvements to 4K HDR, which allow you to sit closer to a bigger, higher-definition picture and get a more immersive experience.  It’s all about bringing the cinema home, minus the sticky carpet!

Features To Look For In A Big Screen TV

The two most important things to look for in any big TV are definition and dynamic range. ‘4K’ refers to the number of pixels on the TV screen – over 8 million, which make the picture look sharper and more detailed. HDR (high dynamic range) brings a higher contrast, or larger colour range, for more beautiful, lifelike images.

After that it all comes down to personal preferences.

“If you play a lot of video games, you’ll need a TV with a high refresh rate and HDMI 2.1 so you can get the most out of the latest gaming consoles,” says John Milonas. “Or, if you don’t want to have a black mirror on the wall all the time, TVs such as Samsung’s The Frame range will put art on display when you’re not using the TV.”

Save On Your TV

You can now get a 4K HDR 75” QLED TV for under $2000, which was unimaginable just a couple of years ago. The TCL 75" C745 QLED Google TV is full Array Android TV with built in smart controls, making it a great choice. TCL makes the screens for other, high-end brands and knows exactly what they’re doing in this space.

Splurge On Your TV

If you want the best of the best, the brand-new Samsung 75" QN900D 8K Neo QLED Smart TV 24 has all the bells and whistles. Its Infinity Display not only looks good, it creates a more immersive experience.

The Projector

If you live in a sharehouse, don’t want to be confined to one theatre room, prefer to watch the footy outside with friends, or like a rom-com date night under the stars, then a portable home cinema projector is the way to go.

Splurge On Your Projector

The Freestyle Portable Smart FHD Projector from Samsung is the ultimate portable projector. It is small and light and, with its 360-degree built-in speaker, delivers clear sound evenly around any room in your new abode.

The Big Sound

The picture is only half the experience; audio takes it to a whole other level of entertainment. The good news is that a sound bar doesn’t just have to be for the TV because many allow you to stream Spotify and other services with the TV off. If that’s important to you, look for Bluetooth capabilities or WiFi streaming features.

Save On Audio

Bose makes great audio products and, despite its affordable price tag, this TV Speaker is no exception.

Splurge On Audio

If you’re looking for the best home audio experience, go for a Sonos Arc, two Sonos One SL's for rear speakers, and a Sonos Sub Gen 3 to bring the bass. This arrangement can be used as a standalone, or as part of a multi-room audio set-up.

Smart Lighting

Lighting can really set the scene, whether it’s soft lighting for a romantic date, or team colours for the big game. Make sure whichever smart lighting system you get is compatible with any smart assistants you might want to use it with (Siri, Google Home, Amazon Alexa).

Save On Smart Lighting 

The Laser Multi-Colour Smart LED Strip Light (2M) strip will light up your world and you can control the lights at the touch of a button through the Connect SmartHome or Google Assistant app.

Splurge On Smart Lighting

Make a design statement and add ambience to your viewing sessions with the Nanoleaf Triangles Starter Kit - 9 pk. These modular LED light panels are an artistic take on lighting and can be synced with your favourite tunes.

Moving out for the first time? Check out our guide to the perfect laundry and kitchen set-up.

When you’re ready to take the next step in setting up your first home, come visit us at The Good Guys, either in store or online. We’ll look after you with expert advice and the best deals around.