On a tight budget, definitely look used wherever you can. You can get some banger deals on used computers, monitors, projectors, speakers, etc.

I would reckon either a cheap laptop, mini pc, or used workstation would work as a device to play movies. Alternatively, if you happen to have a playstation, you could also use that as a dvd player.

For speakers, the Edifier speakers are pretty good value. The 1280DB is under $200 and you can always hunt for sales. Make sure to get an active speaker so then you don’t need to get a separate amplifier. If you don’t fuss about sound quality, the teeny tiny pebble speakers are decent and can be found for very cheap too.

For display, I would go for a used projector. For projectors, depending on how big your room is, try to look for short throw projectors (basically means big screen with a small distance).

Another route would be a cheap monitor, which although smaller than what a projector can output, is still quite a bit bigger than a phone screen. It would work better than a projector if you have lots of windows and tend to watch movies when there’s a lot of sunlight (if you watch movies at night and/or you don’t have many windows, projectors work fine)

Out of left field idea: have you considered a laptop? Find a used one from a few years ago with a big-enough screen size, set it up on a table a metre or so away from you, maybe get some decent external speakers… it’d be like a TV with all the movie gubbins built in.

I have a TV, a projector and a VR headset, which essentially are your options, so let me run through each of them giving you pros/cons for each.

VR headset was a cool solution that someone mentioned here. It is an interesting approach, and the cheapest way to feel at the movie theater by yourself, it also allows you to play VR games which can be very immersive and it’s an experience. However it’s the worst visual quality of the 3 and you can’t bring anyone over for movie night.

Projectors can be really bad, but since you have a good budget a little research should get you a relatively decent projector with at least 1080p native resolution. If you’re looking for screen size, or have limited space for a TV, this is the way. However, even great projectors will struggle with daylight, your room needs to be as dark as possible, which might mean blackout curtains completely closed if watching during daytime. Also audio can be relatively bad, especially because some projectors are somewhat loud, but you should be able to get a quiet decent one for that budget, but you might want to consider speakers or a sound bar.

TVs are cheap and give you the best visual quality per price. They’re a pain in the ass to move (but not as much as you might think), but they don’t have any of the drawbacks of any of the other forms, but they’re also not great, however for 1k you can get an excellent TV and a very good sound bar that will allow you to view content in 4K HDR during daytime.

Ditto on used flatscreen (not-smart tv) from thrift shops; they’re light enough that you can take it with you when you move.

$500-$1000 is a good budget so you can buy new (non-smart tv) at the big box stores.

Yes, you should consider a good projector and a white bed sheet from the same thrift shop and iron it (I speak from experience). If the acoustics in your room is good then you may not need to spend a lot of money on speakers/headphones.

My friend couldn’t find black bed sheets so she bought the ugly stained ones and dyed them black and put them behind the curtains. We were able to do this setup in her backyard for the kids, too.

I also used a pre-primed canvas with my easel and worked just fine as soon as I got the angle right. Both came from JoAnn Fabric when they were closing the stores (maybe $35?). However, my Bose speakers and Sennheiser headphones were not cheap. Living in concrete and 2 different types of insulated walls are probably the reason why the acoustics suck.

That setup was so portable and worked really well that when my friend borrowed it she told me I wasn’t getting it back. You need to decide what you want to spend top dollar on: VR headset, projector, TV, etc. I’m actually curious how you end up with your entertainment setup. Good luck.

EDIT: I gave my old Harman Kardon speakers and subwoofer (from my old PC) to my friend and it still sounded good.

If you’re willing to go DIY, you can build some speakers yourself for pretty cheap. They’re very light, so you can easily mount them into a drywall ceiling and save floor space. They also don’t tend to oscillate the bass into the room above. Bass is a little light, but they’re good for the value.

For the projector, if you’re willing to put in some time and effort you can usually find them at auction for dirt cheap every couple months. (especially in an economic downturn…) Mounting is almost always the tricky part though. And the throw distance (how big the screen gets per foot of distance) is the biggest thing to worry about. Depending on the projector’s intended use uh… you can too big real fast. Peruse the manual (find the part number for the projector).

You can get a TV the same way, but projectors are almost always cheaper at auction because they’re niche and not in high demand. Just keep looking, they’ll show up sooner or later.

Keep in mind, projectors are often high latency. You won’t notice it playing movies, but if you’re playing COD or especially DDR, oh my god that will suck. Most newer models have a gaming mode to reduce it, but most models don’t focus on gaming. ALSO, get a spare bulb for the sucker before you actually need it. If you’re buying it used you’re already halfway through the bulb as is. (unless it’s a laser)

White sheet will work fine for a back drop. Official screens will increase contrast but if you have a dark room, not as necessary.

Source: I am literally typing this on a projector. Have been using a PC on a giant projector screen for 7 years now. AMA

For audio, take to a local thrift store or Facebook marketplace or whatever platform is the most used locally and mix and match your own receiver + speaker set. A decent receiver can be found around €50, speakers can be even cheaper. Most modern speakers of some size are decent enough, bought some second hand Jamo tower speakers for 50 for the set(2) as well. Smaller bookcase speakers with minimum 4 inch (if you don’t go for a seperate subwoofer) speakers can be found for €20. You need some oomph in the lower end to get some extra cinema points. Stereo sets are fine, 5.1 is fun but I’d rather have amazing stereo then ok 5.1 , you know?

For beamers, I’d look for a secondhand beamer that was used in business setting.

A clean white wall is cheap en convenient beaming surface, but a good screen will help increase brightness which can often be the most tricky part about beaming at home. But harder to do secondhand.

Sidenote, I almost never save the boxes of stuff I buy, but the tv box gets special treatment in the attic, because in the box it’s very transportable, but without it, I agree, it’s a big hassle.

GL!

I have been using a cheap 1080p LCD projector with a pull down Projection Screen for a while now and it works great. I have blackout curtains so that it’s bright enough. If there’s too much natural light then it’s pretty dim. A decent set of speakers helps a lot. Total cost of everything is less than $500. Main downside is the light thing and the fact that you need to have the projector in the right position so that the image can be centered but it’s the cheapest way to get an 80in screen in your bedroom.

TV’s are dirt cheap these days. Just sell and rebuy if you don’t want to move it

I’m not frugal, just a cheapskate. I have an i5 NUC that I got for 225$ Canadian, so like 16$ USD… (I exaggerate.) I got an old 1080p projector from an Electronics Recycling in town for 125$ CAD, and a receiver at an auction. No remote and the HDMI in was busted, 40$. So I used a USB sound card with optical out. (Another 40$.) Speakers from goodwill. The wall I project to is already white. I have an Ikea Kallax with the receiver and the projector right behind my couch. Speaker wire is scrap cat5 cable from work. The subwoofer has an annoying buzz at the moment, but it was 20$ from Goodwill, so… Otherwise, it’s big, bright, loud. I cobbled it together over a few months, but it’s a great setup and very cheap.

VR headset and soundproof headphones.

Watch a movie on whatever setup you want. Shit, watch it at red rocks.