Indeed, even from a purist's point of view the full cinema experience is hard to beat. However, when viewing companions in the cinema decide to munch, rustle or talk their way through the performance, or worse still repeatedly kick the back of your chair, it can entirely spoil the whole occasion. And if you have ever experienced that frustration in the cinema, what you may wish for is a better and cheaper alternative.

Until relatively recently, that big screen occasion couldn't easily be replicated at home. However, advances in high definition, visual and digital sound technologies, combined with decreasing costs in large screen TVs and home cinema set-ups, are now bringing the full cinema experience into our living rooms. But the main advantage of this is that it's without having to suffer the annoyance of antisocial theatre goers!

Therefore, why not turn your thoughts to the luxury of watching films in your own personal theatre? It is not as outrageous as it may sound as the cost of setting up your own home cinema is now well within the reach of the average family. As it goes, buying a brand new 40 inch High Definition LCD TV with built-in Freeview and added extras is not as expensive as once perceived, making home viewing incredibly tempting. As a result, many more Britons are choosing to watch films at home.

Although blockbuster films take several months to reach pay-tv or be released as , many more people are quite happy to wait. The slight delay in seeing the latest releases is a small price to pay in return for enjoying the full cinema experience in the comfort of your own home. It is also good to know that the quality of viewing is not compromised, especially now that most new titles are available on Blu-ray disc, as well as standard DVD.

What's more, add in the advantage that once a DVD film has been purchased, it can be enjoyed over and over again; and of course, paused or repeated at any stage. Additionally, the cost of popcorn, fizzy drinks and sweets are far cheaper when bought at the supermarket and consumed at home. Therefore, there are clearly a number of advantages for staying at home to watch films.