During the pandemic, I finally bought a big OLED TV and a soundbar, and I can’t see myself ever going back. I lost the ability to go to the movies, that’s for sure, but with the quality I got at home, I didn’t miss much. It’s a modest setup, relatively speaking, but it works for my small New York apartment. And if you’re even remotely a cinephile, I definitely recommend setting up your own home theater, too. Even now that theaters are open again, my fiancé and I love diving into our setup to watch all sorts of movies, another benefit of having a home theater experience. With a little effort and even a modest budget, it won’t be long before you can do the same.

When setting up a home theater, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the options, especially since your needs will vary depending on your home. Do you want a TV? A projector? How about blackout curtains?

It’s easy to get lost in all the options and just splash out on the most premium gear, and that’s fine if you have the budget for it. But for the rest of us, it helps to have a plan of attack before we go shopping. Keep the following in mind, and you’ll end up with an option that works best for your space.

Before you even start looking at equipment, you need to know how big the room is where you want to place your home theater. This will help you choose the size of your screen, which can in turn help you decide between a TV and a projector.