Home theater upgrades aren’t cheap. Then, neither is having a home theater to begin with. Whether you’re starting from scratch, or have some components already in place but need to change them, here are some tips that will help you upgrade your home theater.

1. Change your speakers. Unless you bought the top of the line Bose speakers years ago, your speakers could probably use an upgrade. As we’ve moved towards more digital technology, sound has improved along with it. Strangely enough, smaller can actually be better now, and of course smaller gives you more room to do other things with the space. When you’re thinking about new speakers, and if you have the extra cash, think about getting wireless speakers so that you won’t have to worry about people tripping on your stuff, or ugly tape all over the floor.

2. Get a hi-definition flat screen television. If you still have one of those 65” monster projection TV’s in the middle of your room, you’re not only taking up space, but you’re way behind in technology. Yes, flat screen hi-definition TV’s cost a lot of money, but no more than that beast did when you bought it. You don’t even have to get one as large as 65” to make it worthwhile for a home theater; the clarity of everything you see makes a big difference.

3. Great seating is a must. Furniture that you may not want in your living room works great in a home theater. Think about buying one of those suites that has 5 leather reclining chairs, a surface to put something on, and cup holders for each seat. Talk about watching moving in style and comfort! They come in many different colors, are easy to clean, and definitely comfortable.

4. Think about buying a blu-ray DVD player. I fought this one until I went to a friend’s house and saw his version of Ironman versus the version I had at home. True, you can’t watch blu-ray DVDs on a regular DVD player, but you’re putting this in your home theater. You won’t believe how dynamic the image can be until you’ve seen it in play. You can play regular DVD’s on a blu-ray player, and it enhances them a little bit also. But pop a blu-ray into the player immediately afterwards and you’ll think you were watching a grainy music video from the 1970’s beforehand.

5. The last thing to think about for your home theater upgrades is your sound; rather, how you hear everything in your media room. There are many things that can be done to enhance the sound; from changing the type of panels you have on the walls to the type of flooring, to even adding other items in the room to help change the sound. So you like dynamic sound, or do you want to dim it a little bit? Do you love all aspects of surround sound, or are some pitches way too much for your ears? Do you have too much echo, or do you want it to reverberate like you were in a live theater? Everyone knows how they like their sound, but may need some help from a professional in trying to figure out the best way to get to what you want.

If you upgrade your home theater, you not only enhance the value of your home, but you’ll have many hours of enjoyment, alone or with family and friends.