System selector

Team HCC assembles a trio of AV packages that approach home cinema from different ways – but are all about maximum bang-for-buck

The £1,000 streaming setup

Keeping it simple but effective with a TV, soundbar and media player

CAN YOU ASSEMBLE an authentic 'home cinema' setup for a thousand pounds? Possibly yes, with some judicious second-hand shopping – but that's not what we're about here.

Our focus is on buying new, which does put a limit on hardware choices. Yet while some AV doors are closed when you only have £1,000 to play with – an AVR/speaker-based system, for example, would take so much out of the budget that you'll be hamstrung elsewhere – others are opened. And there's good quality to be had too. Immersive home entertainment here we come!

Wanna Vision

Our starting point is a TV. There are obvious criteria here – it needs to be 4K HDR, and big enough to make movie night feel cinematic. It also needs to be a solid performer to avoid buyer remorse, and – ideally – Dolby Vision HDR capable. Why? Because we're envisioning streamed VOD being our main content source, and our two favourite platforms, Netflix and Disney+, are DV devotees. We also want to feel future-proof.

There are two main ways you can approach buying at TV. One makes screen size a top priority, the other cherishes picture quality prowess and feature spec. So, for instance, a TV such as Hisense's 65AE7400FT (£600 approx, reviewed HCC #319) is very tempting. 65in, Dolby Vision and bright enough to do justice to HDR content.