What Every Home Theater Needs to Make the Most of Tournament Season

Tournament time is just a couple weeks away. You’ve got your bracket filled out and you’re looking forward to winning big in the office pool. But what about your home theater? Have you checked your projector lamp recently? Do you need additional lighting? Make sure you’re ready for all the on-court action with our pre-game home theater checklist.

Check Your Projector Lamp

Projectors are great for watching the game on the big screen. If your projector gets a lot of use, you’ll want to make sure that the lamp is still viable. Just like the bulbs in your house, your projector’s lamp will need to be replaced at some point. The four types of projectors that use replacement lamps are DLP (Digital Light Processing), Liquid Crystal on Silicon, LCD and LED. The lamps used in DLP, Liquid Crystal on Silicon and LCD projectors will typically last somewhere between 2000 and 4000 hours. LED lamps are more energy-efficient than other lamp options, resulting in longer life cycles of up to 20,000 hours. If you’ve been using the same projector lamp for several years, you might want to consider picking up a replacement.

When replacing a projector lamp it’s important that you use a replacement lamp compatible with your projector. That means DLP lamps for DLP projectors, LED lamps for LED projectors, etc. Using a different type of lamp in your projector can potentially damage both the lamp and the projector itself. At Batteries Plus, we make it easy to find the right replacement lamp. Simply visit our site, enter the brand of your projector, then the model number and voila you’ll be linked to the right replacement lamp for your needs.

Protect Your Home Theater Equipment with a Surge Protector

Now that your projector is ready to go, let’s talk surge protection. As you know, home theater equipment isn’t cheap. A sudden electrical surge or spike can damage your valuable equipment, costing you big bucks. Fortunately, it’s easy to protect your video and audio equipment with a little preparation.

The level of protection a surge protector offers is measured in joules. A surge protector rating indicates how much energy the surge protector can absorb before it fails. For a home theater, you’ll want a surge protector rated for over 2000 joules. The CyberPower 12 Outlet Surge Protector offers 3150 joules of protection, making it a perfect way to project your valuable audio and video equipment.

Home Theater Lighting & Smart Plugs

Let’s talk lighting. LED strip lights are perfect for adding some additional light to snacking stations, basement bars and other hard-to-light areas. Strips lights easily mount to any surface using convenient adhesive backing and can be adjusted to fit the shape of nearly any object. Set the perfect atmosphere with cool white or color changing lights complete with 15 different color options.

Want to add a special party accent to your home theater area? Change your lighting to match your favorite team colors with LED colored light bulbs. These frosted bulbs (available in red, yellow, blue, green and orange) feature an E26 base, making them compatible with most lamps. Looking for more color options? PRISMA PLUS Smart Bulbs provide millions of color and dimming options that can be controlled from anywhere using your voice or the Geeni app on your tablet or phone.

Smart plugs are another great fit for your parties, allowing you to control appliances remotely using your tablet or phone. Make popcorn, heat up dips and other crockpot cuisine or brew a pot of coffee all from the comfort of your chair. Our selection includes the Geeni CURRENT + CHARGE Smart Wall Outlet, the Geeni DOT or a four outlet wall tap switch for multiple applications.

Team PopSockets

Speaking of phones, show off your team spirit with an official NCAA PopSocket. PopSockets easily plug into the back of your phone for a number of convenient functions. Use it as a grip while texting, a stand for watching your favorite basketball highlights or for securing earbuds when they’re not in use. Shop our full selection of PopSockets featuring a variety of teams, designs and colors.

Stock up now on the bulbs, surge protectors and lighting you need to get your home theater ready. If you have additional needs, visit us online or stop into your nearest store today. Our associates will be happy to answer your questions and provide you with the best possible solution.