When it comes to deciding on a screen, the first thing to think about is the kind of screen you want or even may need. If the room where you are going to set up your home theater is a big one, then you will need to have a home theater projection screen or maybe you just want one anyway.

Personally, I like the idea of having a drop-down screen, but sometimes you have to have one anyway even in a modest-sized home movie theater. It would convert your living room into a home movie theater at the click of a remote. Imagine: you lie back in your chair; click the remote and the screen drops down; click another time and the lights dim; click another again and the film starts!

However, if you prefer a television screen, then you might be considering buying a new one. They say that a 27 inch screen is big enough, but I do not think it is. I think you need 48-60 inches, but then I’m a baby-boomer and my eyes are definitely not what they were.

If you are purchasing a new TV for your home movie theater, I think you should get the latest model. HDTV is already here and since February 2009 the USA has been committed to High Definition. Therefore, I would ensure that your new television is able to receive it. Then I suggest that the new home movie theater screen is a flat one in order to reduce the annoying reflections that could ruin your experience, which could be another reason for opting for a projection screen.

Then you should make sure that your new television has enough input and output sockets for the equipment you have in mind and you’re done. Therefore, to summarize, I would choose:

At minimum a 27 inch screen

A flat screen

HDTV compatibility

Enough input and output plugs and sockets

Satellite enabled

I recommend satellite compatibility because it is probably the future or near future at least. If you get a satellite TV connection you will have access to HDTV downloads which you can watch whenever you like.