Where to start? Let's start with ticket prices, they are way overpriced, which is why I almost never visit
the theater anymore (well one of the reasons), home theater in my opinion is superior to movie
theaters in every way. You get to chose whatever you want
to watch, you can pause it if you need to, better food that's cheaper, much
better seating, you can act and dress however the hell you want, no
annoying teens running around and laughing at EVERYTHING in the movie,
no damn cellphones, man I could go on all day as to why movie theaters
are inferior. Home theater for life I say.


And I know many people will disagree with me on this, but I personally way
prefer the image quality and sound quality of home theaters, epecially
with a nice front projection set-up and some 7.1 speakers like the ones I'm gettin.

So, which do you prefer and why?

(damn links didn't work >:()

Home for sure - you can have a beer and watch a movie, pause it to go to the bathroom, no line-ups, heckuva lot cheaper, and my wife doesn't have to bring her huge purse into the den to sneak in snacks and drinks. Plus I can tweak the sound the way I want to.

Sometimes I do miss the ambiance of seeing the right movie with the right crowd. Like comedies sometimes work better in a theatre.

And I remember once seeing "Schindler's List" in Montreal in a part of town with a predominantly Jewish population...that was a HEAVY experience, I don't know how, but you could totally feel the vibes from everyone else in the theatre. A mixture of hate, fear, grief...complete silence punctuated by crying and sobbing. By the time the movie was over, I felt like I'd been through the real thing...I'm sure half the crowd had family who had. That's something emotional that I'll never forget, and draining as it was, I never would have experienced that at home.

But with a 4-month old, we don't really have a choice now anyways - we're house-bound for a while.

And people with cellphones in theatres should be kicked out! Or forced to eat the gum under the seats.

All I need now is the PJ...

GENE

You just can't beat the shear size of a movie theater screen, and I love that popcorn. Home theater is awesome, but the movies get the edge here.

And the rest of us appreciate you not bringing an infant to a movie theatre, which is apparently lost on more than a few people...

Some kids are naturals at theaters, others arent. Cassandra, my youngest was very at home during LOTR. Slept right through.

Now Home versus Theater...

There is a lot to be said for the ambience of the theater, especially during comedies. I think its fun to hear other people giggling and trying to hold back laughter. Same thing for tragedies, which is why the greeks raised them to fine arts. But then again, what could be better than sitting down with the wife and a good bottle of wine and watching some great film? No one has to drive, fall alseep on the way home, no babysitter. etc.

The thing that grabs me is the "Whoa" facter. I showed it to a friend a few weeks ago and he was just amazed at the size of it. I still catch myself going "OMG! This is huge". And my wife will turn to me every once in a while and go "Damn fine job, babe!" The first time my youngest saw Dora the Explorer on the PJ, she flipped!! The first time I saw an 8 foot tall Barney on my screen...I flipped! ( Runnnnnn!)

Im all about home theater, but I have been for over 20 years. Its cheaper, and you can adjust everything the way you like. Someone needs a potty break? Spacebar!

You do miss something with comedies, but you could make up for that with a few friends. Horror is great on the big screen and even better when its just a few people. Although I have to admit. I saw Blair Witch Project in a full house, and I dont think I will ever forget the absolute dead silence at the end when it all sinks in so morosely...
I remember someone about three rows down just quietly saying "jesus..." and that was it for about 30 seconds.

Dont know if you could get the same thing from a home show...

Just thinking out loud...

SJ

I'll second that sj, of course I'll always be partial to HT but there are certain things a theater offers that are hard to replace at home, I guess it's just good to have both. Although I will say movie theaters for me are more of a "rare occasion".

The last few times I saw a movie in a theater, there was a loud bunch, or an nasty little child disrupting the ENTIRE film.

The little kid at king kong takes the cake (during any serious moment, loudly "GRANDMA, WHAT's THAT??" King kong falls off the building in the end "GRANDMA, WHAT's HE DOING?") Awful.

But theater does have it's advantages.


I did notice something of particular interest to us DIYers.

We worry alot about black levels. During the credits of the last movie I saw, I was looking at the black background next to the fabric wall of the darkened theater.

Of course the wall was very black to the eye, but the thing that suprised me was how grey the background under the credits looked. Hmm.... Maybe contrast isn't that high in the theater.

Anyone else notice this?

Were the auditorium lights on when you looked at it? They generally undim the lights when the credits start to roll, keep that in mind.

I really enjoy both. Watching the whole audience fidget and brush imaginary spiders off themselves during Arachnaphobia was worth the price of admission.
I enjoy the sheer impact of the huge new theaters with stadium seating, and I enjoy going to smaller theaters for movies you might not otherwise even notice. Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story was a recent example that I highly reccommend.
I have a low tolerance for noisy people at movies, but audiences seem to have improved in recent years and I can't even remember the last time I heard a phone ring during a movie.
Having said that, I haven't counted lately, but I think I must have over 400 DVDs by now. Maybe once I get my projector together, I'll watch fewer movies in the theater, but I know I'll always enjoy going out to movies too.

No. They left the lights down for about a minute.

Oh ok, nice then. Looks like we can best the quality at the theaters if we work at it. (I honestly never found the quality at theaters to be all that great)

Well...Belive it or not some movies just don't make blacks black enough...Mostly when they do this it's to help the projectionist tell where a frame starts or stops...But even then...it's not going to get 100% black...

I went to the watch the Davinci Code last night. We arrived to the theatre thirty five minutes before showtime (late show) and there were no decent seats available so we ended up sitting in the first row and it ruined the movie for me. My theatre in NJ is ridiculous. You have to arrive one hour before showtime just to get a decent seat. I choose to stay home and watch movies on my pj from now on.

I agree

I only go to the theatres if a HUGE movie is coming out that I've wanted to see for sooo long, like MI3 or Star Wars, or a Star Trek flick. But Nearly every time, I am dissapointed by a movie that I have built myself up for and feel ripped off. Plus I went for the big sound of the theatre. For quite a while I have tried to re-create the theatre experiance in my home, I got a 52" tv to do this. I recently upgraded to some sweet polk speakers and subwoofer, and even though I paid less that $1000 (employee discounted) they're amazing. As I was in the movie theatre couple of weeks ago for MI3 I was thinking "where's the bass?? My system blows this away"

Because my home theatre is smaller, the sound sounds better. In huge theatres like they have now, the sound quality is diminished because of the size of the room. Even a midrange surround sound system in your home can sound way better then the theatre.

I recently saw X-men 3 in theaters... (big mistake)

Although my screen at home is not as giant, its still big enough you need to slightly turn your head. while watching X3 I couldn't help but be distracted by the crappy color/focus of the movie. Plus in the theater I was watching in they run Dolby Digital STEREO, not full surround. Plus the minimum wage projector operators left a foot of the screen unused, PLUS the exit sign near the screen emited a red glow all-over !

conclusion,
you have to suffer to appriciate what you got. Although I am well aware my local theater is below average I still can't imagen watching films anywhere better then my basement theater !

You guys are getting me pumped up!!! I can't wait...

I'd have to agree with the big points:
Home better...
No kids/Annoying people (well, depends on your friends I guess)
Start/Pause at any time
Beer/Hard narcotics
Chairs the don't ABSOLUTELY SUCK (of course I only go to "dollar theaters")
Arguably better sound and video

Theater better...
Ambiance
Better popcorn (I'm leaving this detail up to my roommate...)


I think I've just come up with the sollution to our problems... an "ambiant movie theater track" on the new movie discs! I'm serious, it could be similar to having a sitcom filmed before a live studio audiance.
I... uh... had this friend who would ocationally download movies that were filmed at a movie theater. I don't know if any of you partisipate in that, but let me tell you: some of that movie theater ambiance comes through! I think that is why I like The Ring so much, I somehow picked up on the vibe from the movie theater...

Another thing that movie theaters have, that might go without saying, is the new movies. By the time they're for sale or out for rent I've forgotten the brain washing advertising that made me want to see the movie so bad when it was new...
Oh; and you don't have to rent/aquire the movies... that's something...
I'd say movie theaters are actually less expensive, I mean $1000 for a low end HT system and $20 for every movie you play on it will buy you a lotta movie tickets. That is unless you're like mmmm.....mmmyyy friend who ocationally gets them for free.

I definatley have to say that the DIY movie theater is the future.

Only time I go to the theater now is when a good movie is playing at the IMAX near by.. I don't mean one of those theaters with the moving chairs Just a regular theater with curved screen and super hi-def. so the last two movies I have seen were V for Vendetta and Superman Returns w/ select scenes in 3D (that was pretty sweet ). Next movie will probably be 300.. a ways off

I still love the theater, though i mostly see kid movies as i have a son and its not very often i get to go with adults. Something ive noticed though is that a lot of parents these days dont say a damn thing to there kids about there bad manners.There kid will be talking and kicking the back off the seat through the whole movie and the so called parent dosn't say a damn thing. In fact in most case i get fed up waiting for someone to control there offspring and i will turn around and tell them to shutup. People these days are not teaching there kids how to behave in public. In my day my mom would have taken me home if i did that. It seems like these days people are more selfish .they might miss the movie if they have to take there kid out or have to stay at home with there screaming baby. I am saying get over it. if you have a baby or a child that cant behave for 2 hours than you dont get to go to the theater. RANT, RANT, RANT, RANT

I'm with you on that! It happens when we're out to eat also.....my kids are well behaved because I never allowed them to misbehave in public in the first place.

If movies were not so cheap it would be a 50/50 for me, but becuase of the cost I prefer watching at home.

Well, lets see.

My movie theater is literally less than 5 minutes from the house.
I get in for $3, buy a medium popcorn and soda for another $6.75. Then I say thank you to the OWNER of the theater (Mr. Schulman) and go into the theater to take my pick of just about any seat I want. If the sound isn't right I go back out to the lobby and remind Mr. Schulman to have the new guy check the dolby stereo switch the gets turned off for intermission. My brother worked at this theater in high school and I got a chance to go upstairs to the projection booth and saw how easy it would be to bump the switches in that antique room. It's the only theater in town. It's been there for over 50 years, and it only shows 2 movies a night (new ones every friday) on one screen. 1st movie at 6:30. Second one usually at 8:30.

My home theater? A 27" tv fed by DVD and Satellite with audio from an RCA 5.1 system I bought when it got discontinued while I was working there. Maybe when the EVO shows up things will change but you can't beat $10 for a movie, drink and popcorn without any crowds. (my banks atm still hands out 10's and since I park at the bank and walk accross the street to the theater it's tough to beat)

During a talk with some friends, we were discussing the movie '300', and in pointing out how much it sucked, one of my friends mentioned how it is almost all computer generated, and he thought that it looked more like a game than the 'Doom' movie that came out a little while ago.

Which got me thinking, the CG in movies like '300', 'The Matrix', 'Xmen', Star Wars(the new ones) looks basically like real life. I know it's not generated in real-time, which is what makes it differ from interactive games. But just think, in just about the amount of time it will take for our DIY projectors to equal the picture quality of 35mm cinema projectors, video games will look like real-life. Gaming will be like watching a movie, where you get to work through the plot yourself. I don't think movies will become obsolete, but my point is that if games are equated to movies, the next thing would be to play the game on a movie theater type screen.

Which is where we would come in. We can make projectors an everyday household item, like the computer. The technology just needs to advance, and the design needs to be refined.

I just wanted to get it out there and see what people think; help me develop the idea.

My Translation of the first post



No need to drive across town to not be seen entering the adult movie theater.



Replay that part where that totally hot girl walks across the screen.



Beer and Cheetos



Never leave your bed if its in your room.



"WTF IS UP WITH YOU ANAKIN! WHY MUST YOU SUCK AT ACTING! GO FALL ON A LIGHTSABER YOU ****ING MORON!"


Nudity + Cheetos = Disturbing.


No need to stifle your laughs at the fart jokes

hahahahahahaha, funny as hell

I HATE theaters, I HATE people nosily eating&chating bullshit right in the middle of the movie (I almost kick some asses last time I went, damn it! ). I want complete, asbolute graveyard silence, otherwise I get distracted very easily (yes, I am one of those moron who wakes up in the middle of the night chasing a noisy mosquito with a rolled magazine)

My theatre!

1. Beer
2. Good cheap food
3. Bathroom break if need be
4. I have HD
5. Sometimes theatres are out of focus and dim
6. I dont like driving
7. I dont like crowds
8. I have more bass

I CANT STAND MOVIE THEATERS anymore. I love my home theater!!! Like everyone says no damn kids and popcorn chewers in your ears haha. besides i think my surround sound is better anyways haha personal opinion. The screen might not be as big but sure looks better. Plus if the wife falls asleep at home i didnt waste the money on a ticket. haha.

I would normally go and see most new films at the movies.

For me there is nothing like watching a big blockbuster at the movies.

But I have noticed that since I installed my own cinema setup, I no longer see as many films at the movies, I find my self only going to see the really big films and waiting for the others to come out on dvd rental and watching it on my own setup.

One of the best things about watching a film at home, the Pause button.

No need to try and hold it in because you drank too much and are now worried about missing that important bit of the film you know you will miss if you leave your seat.

If its a must see, you must see it on the big screen!

E8TV V2 100 inch picture, Yamaha Cinema Sound AV amp, Sony 5.1 surround speakers.

I feel so special in that I can finally comment here. No comparison - home theater wins hands down. BUT - I'll still likely go to the movies once or twice a year tops but then that's all I ever went. Bottom line - I'll get to watch more - WAY MORE - movies now that I've built my projector. And the popcorn is cheaper too.

I only go out to the theater a few times a year. Probably my next foray will be spiderman 3... not really sure what else I want to go see this year.
I prefer having movie nights where friends come over to watch my home theater and hang out. Plus lots of food available. It's just nice to kickback, relax and watch a movie. If you want to pause the movie and talk for a while or cook some food (grilling or maybe pizza or something) you can

300 was an awesome movie. I understand that youngsters like to cynically comment to each other about random things to proliferate their superiority. But, I don't see how it can even be trendy to call 300 bad? Did you like Troy better? That was more of a typical movie.

I for one think Frank Miller is freaking awesome. Any movie that turns most graphic killing into a dance that both my mother and girlfriend will admit is "beautiful" can drink from my canteen any day.

Nothing against the movie, I haven't seen it yet. His arguments seemed valid, but I don't even remember what they were.

The main point was to get onto the topic of CG looking real.

And I understand how people often make comments like that, and its not how I like to be. I would give it a fair chance, and when I do watch it (on my brand new theater screen ), I will probably like it; just like most other people! There has to be a reason why it is so popular.

How can you comment about something you haven´t seen yet?
You might like it, or not, and its your choice of course. But go watch it first, THEN you´ll have something valid we can discuss about.

Sorry!

I think you all misunderstood, I was just stating what my friend said to get to the subject I really wanted to talk about -

'The main point was to get onto the topic of CG looking real.'

The fact that 300 is CGI is a new style of film. Sin City did it better. Sky Captain did it, too. All the scenes are shot on green screens and then they add in the backgrounds.

I think it looks really neat.

This post wasn't CG vs. Film was it?

No, sorry.

I think that home theaters are the future, and it will be supported by gamers that want a big screen too.

Yep, I have all the same as well, and totally agree.



To each his/her own I suppose. I just thought the movie was a CG and "Men's Fitness Magazine" fest.

300 would be great in a home theater. I can't wait to get my pj done. Xerces' beasts were amazing.
I also think Apocalypto would be good on a home theater,
and Sin City,
and Apocalypse now....

Is there a thread that discusses movies that are "meant for the theater". Epic graphics and sound, that is.

Apocalypto does look/sound great in my home theater. I thought when they were in the cave and it was raining sounded especially good. I think 300 would be really good in a HT as well.

I hear Saving Private Ryan's opening scene is one of the best ways to enjoy your surround sound, however I haven't watched it yet so who knows..

Hands down I love My theater!! convenience, cost, pause, no screaming kids, no back seat kicking, marge simpson doesnt sit in front of me 30 seconds before the start, no sticky smelly seats and floors, I dont smoke but if I wanted to I could, I can go to the bathroom and not miss a thing, better food, better company, nuff said.

manshack:

where do you live? or should I say when? a movie for $10 bucks? (still alot for a movie, dvd's come out every tuesday for $14.95) you can actually talk to the manager? atm's that give out 10 bucks? where are you hiding your Tardis?

Is it just me.....or is every movie theater you go to, after you set yours up, seem like the surround sound is crappy, or the surrounds are turned WAY, way down . To me, that makes the theater. And when the surround is way off like that, im constantly thinking that mine is way better. And it takes me out of the movie.

That movie has the best surround sound iv heard. Especially the big battle sceens. I borrowed that movie 2 years ago, and still havnt givin it back.

4 channels, 100 watts of power per channel, two main fisher 4-way speakers, two secondary 3-way fisher speakers, sub woofer and center channel. of course it sounds better in my theater then the movies. the theaters have to have a killer system to get it to sound good, how many are going to spend the money on that upgrade? besides we have a smaller area to provide sound to.

My theater hands down. I have the CinemaScope screen and everything. I recently took the fam out to see Pirates 3 and it was lame. 1/3 of the frame was out of focus with geometric distortion, and the sound sucked. I didn't really like the movie which didn't help either. The whole thing cost me $70 with gas, tickets, popcorn and soda. There was a little over an hour of drive time.

My theater on the other hand, I have HD-DVD and a media server with about a terabyte of DVD images, and I always sit in the sweet spot. I have full control of focus, sound adjustments, pause, and I can smoke. A lot of movies I watch make me want to smoke, and I especially like smoking cigars while watching movies. If it is a boring movie sometimes I just blow smoke in the light path and look at the pretty colors.

Lately i went to see Spiderman 3 and was very disappointed. I haven't been to the movies for a while and so at first i was very impressed by size and image quality of the screen.
But after a while it became so hard to watch the movie that i nearly gave up. We were sitting pretty much in the back row but still the picture was way too big. It was very hard to focus the screen when there were some fast action scenes. (e.g spidy swinging around in manhattan). My eyes are all healthy and good but i couldn't literally identify anything on the screen. So half of the movie was just a blurry mess.

Yeah, i really hate it when the movie theater has a really big screen...yet they use a condensor. I even asked the tech why they use them, he said that it makes it look more "realistic"

I went to a theater the other day to see the latest blockbuster. It just helped reinforce my love for HT. $6.50 for a matinée, almost $5 for a coke (yeah it was big but still), and the sound was weak. I also noticed nearly all the arcade games were gone and there was popcorn/trash all over the floor. It's funny how different the theater experience is after you build your own HT. I should have gotten half a dozen DVDRs and a 6 pack instead

See what i mean....We all should make a theater(since it seems like we're the only ones that know how ). If i could only imagine......Almost like Imax in 4D. That just gives me goosebumps thinking about it.