If you want to create a great home theater experience, you'll need three main components: a screen, an audio system, and a device to deliver your favorite content. With endless hardware combinations to choose from, this guide will help you learn about the basics. To make the process of building a top-notch home theater easier, our partners at Best Products spent many hours researching and testing the essential components of a high-quality home theater. See their criteria for these components below, and prepare to enjoy your favorite movies and TV shows in a next-level setting.Viewing this on a mobile device? Click here to view the products below.The ScreenWhen it comes to choosing a screen for your home theater, you have two main options: a projector or a large-screen TV. Each has its own distinct set of advantages over the other.You'll need to consider the size and layout of the room you'll place it in, as well as the amount of time that you plan to use it. Home theater projectors, unlike TVs, have built-in lamps, which have a set usage cycle before they need a pricey replacement (lamp life is measured in thousands of hours). Best Home Theater ProjectorsThe biggest benefit of using a home theater projector is that it'll deliver the closest experience to being in a movie theater. A projector allows you to easily enjoy content on a screen that measures well over 100 inches diagonally — larger than any TV available today.However, home theater projectors have several shortcomings, starting with their significantly lower maximum brightness than a TV. This means that you'll need a dark room in order to enjoy it. A home theater projector also requires ceiling mounting and a dedicated screen to deliver an optimal experience. Luckily, there is an alternative. Short-throw laser home theater projectors feature cutting-edge tech, which addresses most of the shortcomings that the traditional projectors exhibit. These offer more vibrant onscreen content with superior brightness and contrast. Best of all, short-throw laser projectors don't need an elaborate installation and a ton of space — you simply can place them close to a wall. Overall, such products are considerably pricier, but they're well worth it if your budget permits.Best Big-Screen TVsA big-screen TV offers the most practical path to building your home theater system. We highly recommend that you opt for at least a 65-inch display panel or higher.Compared to a home theater projector, a big-screen TV is much easier to install, and it has better durability. You also won’t need to worry about the ambient lighting in the room like you would with a projector — TVs have a much brighter picture. Whether you choose a home theater projector or a large-screen TV, make sure you opt for one that supports 4K resolution. With four times as many pixels as Full HD, 4K video looks vastly better and more detailed. Most new movies and shows are already available in 4K, too, which makes the device that you invest in futureproof. Buyers who are looking for even more pixels can consider an 8K TV instead. They have four times more pixels than their already captivating 4K counterparts. As a result, the experience of watching compatible content is nothing short of astounding. Top-tier manufacturers like LG, Samsung, and Sony offer 8K-compatible products, and you can snag a great TV with a 65-inch panel for less than $3,000. It's worth noting that there's limited availability of 8K content, so you might want to hold off until compatible content becomes more mainstream.HDR is another term you need to be familiar with while shopping for a screen. The abbreviation stands for high dynamic range, and it makes compatible content look a lot more vibrant than non-HDR footage. There are three HDR content standards — Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG — and today's high-end TVs support all three. For the time being, home theater projectors are considerably limited in their HDR capabilities, though they still support HDR10 content.The Audio SystemA surround-sound setup is as essential to your home theater experience as the screen. The easiest path to upgrading your audio is to get a ready-to-use home theater package. Typically, this includes a home audio receiver, satellite speakers, and a subwoofer. Most modern audio receivers support 4K video passthrough via HDMI. This is an essential feature to keep an eye out for, especially if you've opted for a 4K TV or a home theater projector.Best Home Theater Audio SystemsAll home theater audio systems support 5.1-channel surround sound, which is the bare minimum for a great sonic experience. Fancier offerings support even more audio channels, including Dolby Atmos, which can simulate audio effects from any direction (including above you!) for a complete immersion into the content you're viewing.More experienced audiophiles can opt to build their own surround-sound system. Depending on your budget, you can create a high-quality setup for less than $1,000. But if money is no object, you can easily spend a five-digit sum and beyond on audio hardware. The ContentUnless you've opted for a smart 4K TV, we highly recommend that you add a UHD-capable streaming device to your home theater setup.Best Media PlayersThe Apple TV 4K is by far the best option available today. It supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10 high dynamic range standards, and it offers an amazing selection of 4K content and streaming services. They range from Netflix and Amazon Prime, through the tech giant's own Apple TV+, all the way to a fantastic selection of HDR-enhanced movies.The latest NVIDIA Shield TV is a solid alternative to the Apple TV 4K. It supports 4K HDR streaming from today’s popular services, including YouTube, as well as rentals from the Google Play store. Today's top gaming consoles like the Microsoft Xbox Series X and the Sony PlayStation 5 double as powerful media players, which not only can stream high-resolution content but also play 4K Blu-ray discs. They are worth considering, so long as you can find one in stock. If you're the type who likes physical copies of movies, consider a 4K Blu-ray player instead. Today’s best offerings support HDR content, as well as the ability to stream from the most popular services.Optional: The Universal Remote ControlEach component of your home theater will have its own remote control, which can get overwhelming. To fight back against a cluttered coffee table, we highly recommend getting a universal remote control.The Sevenhugs Smart Remote X universal remote control is one of the best of its kind. The touchscreen-toting gadget can control hundreds of thousands of devices, including home appliances. It is sleek, and thanks to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and infrared connectivity, it's also as futureproof as it gets. Believe it or not, your smartphone can also double as a convenient universal remote control. Many of today’s top-rated home theater products have Wi-Fi connectivity and app-enabled controls. Depending on the products you choose, you might even be able to skip using an app altogether. Apple iOS, for example, has a built-in Apple TV remote, allowing users to control their streaming player, as well as the TV and audio system it's connected to with their iPhone.