[RnB180]

Just wondering if there are any head fiers in the hobby of home theater.
Replicating the movie theater experience for the home?

IMO lately Ive been preferring to wait for movies to hit dvd rather than going to the movies to watch.

I might be wierd, but there are a lot of turn offs in the theater experience with the public..


i.e. dirty seats, people kicking your chair, small uncomfortable seating arrangements, strangers sitting uncomfortably close to you.

Ive found that a a projector could greatly enhance a movie experience at home, and most of the time even a budget surround system will sound light years better than what they use in the movie theaters.

comfortable seating at home, (watch films while lying in bed

) and no annoying strangers to disrupt your viewing experience.

 

[Oistrakh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RnB180 i.e. dirty seats, people kicking your chair, small uncomfortable seating arrangements, strangers sitting uncomfortably close to you.

I think its more exciting to watch movies in the theatre than at home... Even though its not comfy seats, I love sitting with audiences and watching their reactions (like on rocky horro picture show dvd)... Also a huge screen is really good...

 

[Carl]

I am very much so. And my video rig is very much less a work in progress than my audio rig is.

 

[RnB180]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oistrakh I think its more exciting to watch movies in the theatre than at home... Even though its not comfy seats, I love sitting with audiences and watching their reactions (like on rocky horro picture show dvd)... Also a huge screen is really good...

possibly.

However unless its something like the imax, the movie screens do not seem that large to me.

sure they are physically big, but the usual seats sit so far back that its not much different than a home projector and 8' screen sitting say 10 feet back.

the difference in actual screen size perception is not as big as one would think.
seating in movie theaters are so distant that IMO screen size is no longer a factor compared to a home projector.

 

[Cjattwood]

I definitely am, while I have a very budget/modest setup I do enjoy my DVD's. I haven't been to a cinema in over year; other people (I'm not the most sociable of people), no pause/rewind/etc, overpriced ticket prices etc etc drive me towards DVD's. I really do need a new receiver though, my current one is an old sony receiver and as such only has Pro Logic II, which while still being pretty impressive is nothing compared to Dolby DTS.

 

[hembergler]

I haven't been to a theater in a while. I much prefer spending $5 to rent/buy a movie, and watch it on my modest set up at home. I can choose when to watch it, pause it if I need snacks or use the bathroom, etc.

 

[lmilhan]

Absolutely.

My Wife and I despise going out to the movies so much that we decided to buy a 60 inch Sony HDTV (already had a nice Surround setup). I have control over the climate, can pause, rewind, etc, popcorn only costs me about 50 cents and tastes better than the theater popcorn, no babies crying, no a%@holes making drug deals on their cellphones, teenaged idiots kicking my seats and talking through the movie, the picture is always in focus, the sound is always perfect, the movie always start on time, I don't have to sit through advertisements, I could go on for days.

The distance we sit from the 60 inch screen feels like we are at the theater (scale wise), and I would say that my sound is considerably better than the theater sound (especially with the 4 bass shakers in my sofa - adds more fun to the experience).

I believe the days of us going to a theater are long over. The cost of movies (which 9 out of 10 these days SUCK), along with the cost of snacks, along with the number of idiots you have to watch the movie with makes me sick to even think about it.

Once in a blue moon we will go (it has to be a very, very special movie though) and when we do go we smuggle in our own snacks, and we make sure it is the earliest show on a Sunday morning in hopes of avoiding the general public.

Movie theaters will go the way of the Buffalo as HDTVs and home theater packages come down in cost (not much unlike how video game arcades did with the wide spread use of PCs) at least that is my prediction.

 

[darkninja67]

I used to have a pretty good home theater back when I lived in New Jersey. I currently have a decent one. I rarely watch movies nowadays though. It used to be my passion though./

 

[chronic333]

I personally don't like going to the movies. I don't like how it sounds and I think it sounds a hell of a lot better at home. Then there are all the other things most people don't like. The big screen is all it has going for it and since my tv is only 42" it doesnt seem that big. If I had a projector I'd be set. As it is I would rather watch it at home. I don't even keep up with whats playing at the movies. I just netflix all the dvd's and it tells me what the new releases are. The only time I go the movies is when it's one of those movies that I can't wait to see like star wars. Other than that I watch them all at home. The theater doesnt have enough bass either. It gives me the exact same feeling as watching a movie at someones house with no surround sound set-up. All tv and no sound.

 

[Denim]

I'd rather watch movies at home than the theater. I only had a 36 inch tube TV, but a pretty good surround system. I sold the TV 2 days ago so I wouldn't have to move it to New York. Besides, I want something in the 60 inch range, widescreen, and flat. Kept the stereo equipment. I think my sub weighs about 60 pounds, the rest of the equipment is easy after that. Just packed the electronics today. No more movies for a month.

We should start a thread on Tuesay releases and what to expect.

 

[Spareribs]

Although I love the home theater set up and fully support it, I also fully support movie theaters as well. I live in the suburbs and the movie theaters don't have a crowd problem. I also watch the movies on weeknights too so many times it's like 10 people or less in the room. A huge screen rules in my opinion and I love the stadium style seating where you can sit more close to the screen in height. It was great for King Kong especially! A home theater system would not have been as intense.

I also enjoy going to smaller movie theaters in the big cities to watch independant and foriegn films. I truley support these kinds of films and enjoy being caught up with it while nobody knows about them until it finally comes out on DVD. I remember when Michael Moore's controversial "Bowling for Columbine" movie came out in the few select theaters and watching it. Whether you agree with him or not, the movie was definitely unique. Many months later when it came out on DVD, people started to talk about it but to me, it was old news!

That's the advantage of seeing it first in the theater!

But home theaters are awesome though and I'm a lover of DVD extras.

 

[Spareribs]

Also, I recently saw United 93, the movie about one of the airplanes on the 9/11 crash. It's a definite big screen movie. It was so intense and numbing, a kind of movie that would be way more effective in the theater than at home. Theaters rule!

 

[Squeek]

I much rather watch at home.

No annoying kids, no line ups, no bad seats, no $10 popcorn, the ability to pause and rewind, no annoying commercials that I am held captive for, etc etc ad nauseum.

The only time I prefer the big screen is for huge budget blockbusters. Episode III was just not the same at home.

 

[Edwood]

I have a humble set up. I stopped upgrading my home theater audio system a long time ago, stopped with my Velodyne HGS-10 servo sub. It's major overkill as it is right now. Now I have noise nazis neighbors that hate hate hate loud low frequency noise, so I had to castrate my subs output levels.

So, I only upgrade my TV and stuff.

Well, that and headphones.

 

[Illah]

I'm pretty big into HT on a budget. My setup is pretty darn good though, maybe not by HT nerd standards but better than 99% of people out there. The speakers are all matched so they sound great together, the receiver is awesome, etc. The only thing I'd upgrade is the TV but since I don't have a big house it's not really worth it - 43" is fine, I only sit like 6-7 feet away. Check pics and specs here (though my hosting is acting up right now, but it should be up and working in a sec).

http://www.seanmulholland.com/arc/09...ater-setup.php

I prefer most movies at home, but sometimes I like the theater. Really depends on the film. Something like 'Scary Movie' can only be watched in a theater or with a crowd...any major comedy for that matter. Part of the fun is the shared experience. Action and horror movies are 50/50 - sometimes the crowd builds tension, other times they ruin it (a heckler during a horror film you're getting into for example). Deep dramas, documentaries, things like that are definetely home films.

--Illah