Why bother with a Home Theater?

[Masterlu]

It's obvious a very large percentage of us here are only into music, regardless of the source or genre.

So why even bother with a Home Theater?

Well, for me the answer is quite easy. First, let me be clear I watch virtually no TV ever. Maybe a PPV fight, the Superbowl, and perhaps the news once in a while.

I do however enjoy watching a good movie while relaxing in the comfort and privacy of my own home. No noisy teenagers, no gum on the floor, or any other distractions from your local movie theater.

I have always enjoyed watching movies, especially action, thrillers, comedies, and even an ocassional animation. So why the thread; well last night we watched Exodus: Gods & Kings, even though it was a rather long religious movie I reveled in the beautiful costumes, sets, countryside, and musical score. I was reminded once again that on average Hollywood spends between $75M-$180M on major productions. All of which can be enjoyed without leaving my house, in my comfy clothes while sipping my favorite libation.

It's this kind of big budget movie that brings out the very best in a premium Home Theater; much more so than any public theater can offer. Today's SOTA projectors, and processors make the experience so much more fun and involving.

Then of course there are the Blu-Ray concerts, and many other special events which can be viewed via satellite.

I'm not trying to convince anyone to change their own viewing habits, merely sharing mine. I also really enjoy the occasional surround sound SACD or DVD-A

My HT's get used daily to the tune of 2-4 hours. Over the last 10 years, I can honestly say we get more pleasure from it than any other luxury we own (short of our home of course)

What say you?

[Yamaki]

I find that the libations and popcorn are much less expensive at my HT vs. a movie theater.

I totally agree with your points, Ivan. It's much more comfortable, intimate and enjoyable at home.

[1KW]

I like both a HT and 2 channel room for all the reasons you mentioned. Obviously my systems are modest in comparison. Your HT in both homes are amazing

[robfine]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

It's obvious a very large percentage of us here are only into music, regardless of the source or genre. So why even bother with a Home Theater? Well, for me the answer is quite easy. First, let me be clear I watch virtually no TV ever. Maybe a PPV fight, the Superbowl, and perhaps the news once in a while. I do however enjoy watching a good movie while relaxing in the comfort and privacy of my own home. No noisy teenagers, no gum on the floor, or any other distractions from your local movie theater. I have always enjoyed watching movies, especially action, thrillers, comedies, and even an ocassional animation. So why the thread; well last night we watched Exodus: Gods & Kings, even though it was a rather long religious movie I reveled in the beautiful costumes, sets, countryside, and musical score. I was reminded once again that on average Hollywood spends between $75M-$180M on major productions. All of which can be enjoyed without leaving my house, in my comfy clothes while sipping my favorite libation. It's this kind of big budget movie that brings out the very best in a premium Home Theater; much more so than any public theater can offer. Today's SOTA projectors, and processors make the experience so much more fun and involving. Then of course there are the Blu-Ray concerts, and many other special events which can be viewed via satellite. I'm not trying to convince anyone to change their own viewing habits, merely sharing mine. I also really enjoy the occasional surround sound SACD or DVD-A My HT's get used daily to the tune of 2-4 hours. Over the last 10 years, I can honestly say we get more pleasure from it than any other luxury we own (short of our home of course) What say you?

For the cost of making one of this Hollywood major productions, you can buy one of Ivan's smaller 2-channel systems. AA gives you a much better deal-- 120 minutes of suspension of reality vs. 12 full months of audio bliss before this forum convinces you that you need a new power cord or your vinyl will sound like MP3s. 😎

[djwhog]

Spot on Ivan.


+ I can enjoy a great Scotch or Bourbon, Wines fine snacks, it sound and looks a hell of a lot better.

I can even me in my pajamas

[jdandy]

I watch two to three movies a week in my home theater. It is a far more immersive experience in my private and comfortable setting than I experience in a public theater. I prefer the privacy, the complete absence of distractions, the premium sound and picture, and the cleanliness of my space. The security factor is considerable higher, too.

Commercial theaters are basically filthy communal gathering spots. You have no idea what has come before you or been left on or living in your seat. The floors are often sticky with spilled soft drinks and discarded candy. Many movie patrons are often noisy, rude, irritating, and inconsiderate. The "me" generation doesn't care about the $20.00 you just spent to enjoy a movie with a friend. They are too self absorbed to have any grasp of the meaning of manners. They text message in the row in front of you distracting you with the light from the cellphones. Their phones ring and worse they answer them and proceed to chat away. It is not a fun experience for me. I have never been fond of large public gatherings to begin with even under the best of circumstances. I avoid commercial theaters like the plague.

Ah yes, the simple pleasure of my little home theater cocoon. Love it.

[tutomac]

My humble HT set up brings my family together. We have a long cushy modular sofa all four of us plus the giant schnauzer and the wheaten terrier can cozy up and watch anything from the Cooking Channel to Jason Bourne reruns. One thing I really like is that the surround speakers are just above us over the sofa and it sounds pretty good. It's an open room, no projector, no special seating, no popcorn machine. But the people in it are worth everything to me...

[o0OBillO0o]

Ivan...... thank you for taking the time to put your thoughts down.

It is great thing that you feel that your home theater really brings out the most in the movies you watch. I feel the same way about my home theater.

HomeTheater isn't and should not be a bother. Blu-ray Discs are still the standard physical media for best picture in a residential theater. Multichannel music and movies are certainly immersive and enhance the aural experience.

Now, commercial cinemas, Regal or Cinemark, offer some of the best picture and sound. I enjoy the massive screens and dynamic audio presentations. There really is no comparison to the home. Commercial Theaters have larger rooms for better acoustics, bigger screens for better video, and the latest releases that you have to wait for on Blu-ray. Those facts keep it's edge over Hometheater.

So why bother, for all the subjective reasons from you and some of the above posters. Everyone has a bad story, complains about something, or just wants the luxury of enjoying the movie in their own home. Home theater removes the variables that would distract you or ruin the experience of a TV, Flim or Concert. That's what makes it special.

[goldar]

I'll chime in. I'm putting in a home theater for a few reasons. I've always wanted one and further, I wanted to build it myself to the point was capable. I love movies, but I hate commercial theaters. For all the reasons mentioned plus a couple more. The cleanliness factor is one issue, but the stress of potentially dealing with people talking, texting, giggling, crying babies, etc. kills it for me. I've been known to "address it" on the spot before, which stresses out my wife. I'm already nervous about going to see Avengers: Age of Ultron in a few weeks.

I have to disagree on the quality of most commercial theaters. It's true that the image size can't be duplicated, but relative to distance it's comparable except for Imax, which i don't care for and i find it causes fatigue. The sound it's really where i get distracted. While there are a few good ones, the majority of theaters I've been in have mediocre sound, i find that dialog is the most muddled and the bass is sloppy. I missed half of what Bane said in Dark Knight until i watched it on my system at home. But the sound isolation is even worse. I've walked out and gotten a refund over this before. Particularly when it's a blockbuster action movie with staggered start times in adjacent theaters, which is usually the only time I go, because I also hate spoilers. There's nothing worse in a theater than watching a quiet scene and hearing the booming action sequence ahead of time for the same movie happening right next door, it completely runs the experience.

The second and more important reason was for my kids. They are super excited about the theater and hopefully family memories will be made there and the rest of the rec area in the basement that will last a life time. They are young now, but soon they'll want to spend more time with friends than with us. That is the good and natural thing, however, I'd rather them spend that time with their friends at my house than anywhere else. One way to encourage that is to have a place that their friends want to be. I hope it works.

[2fastdriving]

We, as audiophiles, care about our entertainment quality. We also dig technology. Home theater happens to be more cutting edge than two channel audio because of the wider audience interest. I view it as an extension of my quest for creating quality entertainment through technology.