Hey, y’all!

If you’re fixin’ to build a home theater but you’re not rolling in dough during this wretched economy, stay practical.

Here’s what might work for you: Skip the fancy-schmancy stuff and pay attention to the small, inexpensive details that can make your family’s theater nights as fun as a trip to the Cineplex.

Check out this new Samsung flat-screen TV. It's only 1.2 inches thick! Plus, it's backlit with LEDs, so the contrast is sharper and it uses 40 percent less energy than most LCD sets.

1. Choose a television (or video screen) that suits your space. You don’t need the biggest screen in the store. In fact, if your screen is too big, the picture might seem distorted from some angles. Here’s a trés fàcil formula you can use to calculate the best size for your room.

2. Choose a dark room. Cover windows with lined curtains or solar shades designed to block almost 100 percent of sunlight from entering the room. Place your TV on a wall opposite the windows.

3. Choose the system–video and audio–you want and can comfortably afford—not the one that’s cheapest or made by a specific brand. Consider quality, performance and durability—and what you really want. If you get a super-good deal on a system that falls short of your “perfect” home theater, you’ll probably wind up spending more money to replace it later.

4. Choose cabinets and furniture to fit the TV (or video screen)—not the other way around. If you buy your cabinets and furniture before you have the screen, you could have trouble forcing it all to fit.

’Til next time, pass yourself a good dose of joie de vivre!

Next blog: Wednesday

Topic: Protect your home theater equipment