Here’s something that every entrepreneur needs to hear… Downtime is essential to productivity. Every successful person needs to be able to let their hair down and put their big bad brains on ice from time to time. Creative and business minds, however, seldom get to switch off. They need to engross themselves in something.

And what better reprieve for an overtaxed mind than a night in with the family in front of a movie? After all, who wants to throw money on the ridiculously hyper inflated prices of food and drink in the average cinema? Especially when you factor in tickets, parking and all the other sundry expenses.

Here are some ways in which, with a little investment, you can get the ultimate home cinema experience and enjoy a better class of movie night with the people you love the most…

Hooray for 4K

You love your movies and you want to be able to enjoy them as the filmmaker intended. But until you’ve seen your favourites in 4K Ultra High Definition you haven’t really seen them at all. With 4 times the resolution of 1080p HD and High Dynamic Range (HDR) so you see a much broader spectrum of colors, it’s a breathtaking upgrade from HD.

4K UHD discs will always be the gold standard, but many streaming services now also offer 4K. Just make sure that it’s included in your streaming service package. For example, Amazon Prime Video offers UHD by default. However, Netflix does not.

Doing 3D Properly

Stereoscopy (3D) is actually as old as cinema itself. Around 10 years ago, high profile 3D movies like Avatar sparked a renaissance of 3D movies and while they’re still fairly common in the cinema, they’re less frequently seen at home.

If you want to do 3D properly at home, you might be well served by dealing with a specialist like American Paper Optics. They can advise on what equipment you need and how to calibrate for “reach out and touch it” lifelike 3D images in your very own home.

Dolby Atmos for Immersive Sound

Few TV speakers have what it takes to do your movies justice. If you want a truly theatrical movie experience at home, you’ll need to invest in a decent amp, a subwoofer and some satellite speakers (speaker packages typically come in 5.1 or 7.1 configurations with the .1 being the subwoofer which handles low frequencies).

Look for Dolby Atmos compatibility for richer sound with superior overhead effects.

Healthy Snacks Not Heart Attacks

Finally, a movie without a treat is like a day without sunshine. But the processed meat, starchy carbs and endless sugar available from most concession stands can make a simple trip to the movies absolutely ruinous for your health.

Make sure you have lots of healthy home made movie night snacks. If you spend most of your time deskbound, your body needs every helping hand it can get to stay lean and healthy and mitigate the health risks of all that sitting.