Gone are the days of home theaters belonging only to the rich and famous.
With prices of HDTVs and audio receivers dropping to reasonable levels, just about anyone can set up a home theater in their humble abode.
All it takes is a little planning, a little knowledge, and a love of movies.
I've watched the progression of the home theater market over the past 15 years, and you'd be surprised how many people out there today have successfully integrated a reasonably priced system that rivals the older more elaborate rich person's theater.
There are two basic types of home theaters that one can construct.
One is termed "dedicated" and the other termed "non dedicated".
The "dedicated" one refers to an empty room that is only used to watch movies...
like the theater down the street from you.
The "non dedicated" home theater is more popular and it consists of a theater integrated into an existing living room.
The living room has a TV and a receiver that sends audio to all those little speakers that you've strategically placed throughout the room.
Since the integration of a home theater into an existing room is more popular, lets take a look at some ideas you can use to create movie magic in an existing room so your significant other doesn't want to kill you.
In a nutshell, you need video (HDTV) and audio (receiver and speakers).
Present the video where everyone can see it, and hide the audio by being sneaky when placing your speakers around the room.
As for the video portion of your theater, there are more choices out there in the HD market than you can shake a stick at.
HDTV consists of names like DLP, LCD, Plasma and LED.
Finding the one best for you takes patience and knowledge, so you better do your research.
Once you have your HDTV, then you present it to the room in a way that all your seating positions can clearly see the screen.
The audio is a little more challenging since you have to figure out how to hide all those speakers from those prying eyes.
The home theater market has now moved towards the "home theater in a box" concept that supplies you with all your audio needs: the receiver and all the speakers that are required for you to enjoy fantastic movie effects.
Most of these systems come with very small speakers that can create BIG sound.
Some tips for hiding your audio:

1. Place speakers in bookshelves.
   
2. Place speakers up near the ceiling pointing down to the viewer.
   
3. Try to find speakers that are wireless...
   WAY easier to hide.
   
4. Place speakers in things like plants, near lighting fixtures, under tables...
   etc.
   

There isn't a magic bullet when integrating a home theater into a living room...
ultimately, you have to like what you hear and see.
Every room is different, so what works for your neighbor won't necessarily work for you.
Just keep experimenting with speaker and video placement until YOU are satisfied with the results.