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Top 12 Home Theater Accessories for Committed Movie Fans

By Robert Silva, About.com

A lot of attention is placed on the basic equipment needed to experience home theater, however, there are many unusual accessories that can enhance your home theater enjoyment. Check out my list of suggestions that can add both to the functionality and aesthetic enjoyment of your home theater experience. Some suggestions are very inexpensive and practical to implement, while others are expensive and indulgent, but all add to the variety and what can be attained in the home theater experience.

1. Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote Control

Home theater has certainly given us more and better options for enjoying home entertainment. However, it has also given us the clutter of remote controls. Many of us have a half-dozen, or more, remotes on the coffee table. The quest for a remote control that can do it all is the true "Holy Grail" of home theater. There are many "universal remotes" that can than replace some of the functions of your remote control collection, but the Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote Control can just about do it all and is not any larger than most single component remotes. For more details, check out my Product Review and supplementary Photo Profile.

2. DVDO Edge Video Scaler and Processor

The DVDO Edge is a feature-packed, affordable, standalone video scaler and processor that delivers what it promises. Anchor Bay VRS technology enables the DVDO Edge to deliver the best possible image on an HDTV from Composite, S-Video, Component, PC, or HDMI sources. In addition, other features, such as 6 HDMI inputs (including one on the front panel), a complete array of NTSC, PAL, and HD output resolutions, variable zoom adjustment, mosquito noise reduction, and audio synch give the DVDO Edge a great deal of flexibility. To find out more about the DVDO Edge, and whether it is a product that is right for you, check out my Short and Full Reviews, as well as my Photo Profile.

3. Panamax M5400-PM Home Theater Power Management System

Panamax M5400-PM Home Theater Power Management System - Front View with Included AccessoriesPhotos (c) Robert Silva - Licensed to About.com
You've spent a lot of money and collected a lot home theater components over the years. With each upgrade or addition you have another power cord to plug in. After the number of wall outlet options run out, you add a surge protector, then another one, and then you still run out. One solution to this mess is to get a centralized power managment system, such as the Panamax M5400-PM that not only provides all the outlets you need, but also includes additional connectivity organizes coax and ethernet cable connections, provides a practical way to both monitor and regulate your voltage level, and aids in clearing up power interference. To find out more details on the M5400-PM, read my Short and Full Reviews and also check out my Photo Gallery.

4. Panamax M5100-PM Home Theater Power Management System

Panamax M5100-PM - Front View LED Displays OnPhoto (c) Robert Silva - Licensed to About.com
If the Panamax M5400-PM listed above is out of your price range, then check out another power management option, the Panamax M5100-PM. Although this unit doesn't offer voltage regulation or an amp meter function, it still features a centralized power managment system that provides all the outlets you need, includes additional connectivity, organizes coax and ethernet cable connections, provides a practical way to monitor your voltage level, and aids in clearing up power interference. To find out more about the Panamax M5400-PM, read my Short and Full Reviews and also check out my Photo Gallery.

5. Movie Posters.com - Movie Posters - Classic and New

OK, so you have a home theater room and great equipment, but the walls are a little bare. Add some genuine movie theater atmosphere by adding some vintage and modern movie posters to those bare walls. Check out the offerings form Movie Poster.com

6. Snappy Popcorn - Vintage Popcorn Machines

Nothing makes a movie more enjoyable than a hot, fresh, bag of buttered popcorn. Don't settle for dull microwave popcorn. Add the true aroma and crunch of tasty popcorn to your home theater viewing. Add the feel of a real movie theater concession stand with a professional-style popcorn machine. Check out some popcorn machines from Snappy Popcorn.

7. Soda Bar System - Home Soda Fountain

Sometimes you just need that soda to wash down the popcorn during the middle of the movie. Instead of running all the way to the kitchen just to get a plain-old canned soda, just walk over to your new home theater Soda Fountain next to you new vintage popcorn machine. All you need now is a comfortable lounger, and you'll never leave your home theater!

8. Sanus Systems - Home Theater Cabinets and Storage

Your home theater doesn't need to be simply a collection of gadgets piled on top of each other, with cables strung everywhere. You don't live in an electronics retail store, so don't let your home theater room look like one. From stylish loudspeaker supports to home entertainment furniture, Sanus offers viable display solutions for your home theater setup that will please the most decorator conscious among us.

9. Premiere Home Theater Surroundings - Home Theater Lounger

Don't settle for that dusty old couch or recliner to view your home theater presentations, step up to first class movie viewing with a specially designed home theater lounge chair. Check out some great, comfortable, home theater seating options from Premiere Home Theater Surroundings.

10. CineCurve Video Projection Screen by Stewart Filmscreen

Stewart Filmscreen has elevated the home theater experience further with the release of its CineCurve line of video projection screens. What makes a CineCurve different is that it is curved on the sides, just like a the screen in many local cinemas. The curved nature of the screen reduces shape distortion on the edges of the screen that can occur when watching cinemascope and other widescreen image formats on a typical flat projection screen. Check it out!

11. Sensio 3D Processor

Remember those great campy 3D movies of the 50's? How about experiencing some those great IMAX 3D movies? Now you can by adding a Sensio's 3D processor to your home theater. Designed work with DVD in conjunction with front projection TV systems, the Sensio recreates the 3D experience as it was meant to be seen in a movie theater. All the equipment is supplied, including glasses. There are currently 3D films available (both vintage and current) with more additions each month.

12. D-Box Integrated Motion System

Ride with Anakin Skywalker in the famed Pod Race in Star Wars, Ep.1. Feel the cannonballs tearing through the ships in Pirates of the Carribean. Experience the ground shake under the foot of the Tyrannosaurus Rex in Jurassic Park. If you think traditional subwoofers allow you to experience low frequency sound, the D-Box goes a step further by putting you in the motion environment of the movie. Turn your movie viewing experience into a real thrill ride, without leaving your own home theater.

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