Now for the fun stuff: the nitty-gritty of the best electronics to make your home theater look and sound like you're in the local megaplex, without all the soda stains, stale popcorn and obnoxious cell-phone-using clientele.

First, you'll need to figure out which screen is best for watching. And if you want to go big, really big, front projectors are it. While crystal-clear plasmas and LCD televisions are now reaching sizes in excess of 100 inches, maximum recommended projector size images approach 300 inches. Of course, the farther away the projector is placed from the screen, the less clean and bright the image. A hundred or so inches is usually about standard. Panasonic offers a 1080p LCD HD projector, the AE3000U, for under $3,000, which offers resolution up to 200 inches. By comparison, a new 103-inch Panasonic plasma model retails from just under $70,000. More typical 65-inch plasma TVs sell for about $8,000.

With a high-definition projector, you'll have to buy an HD screen. Determine the distance from projector to screen to figure out what size makes the most sense in your space. ProjectorCentral.com offers a projector calculator, which can give you an idea of distances for various models before you buy. You'll need to select screen type, whether you want standing screens or electric retractable screens or a wall-mounted screen; the screen size and format; and the surface of the screen. The most versatile projector screen is matte white. Motorized matte white screens measuring 120 inches start at about $500.

For the full movie-going experience, you'll need to hear the bright ting of metal-on-metal as swords clash, or the loud crack of a foot crashing into an adversary's unguarded jaw.