Why bother with a Home Theater?

[o0OBillO0o]

Goldar- and you live in Atlanta!? There are some really good theaters there. Which ones do you go to?

I totally get the concept of having your kids in your theater with their friends. You can control lots of variables there.

Last, you mention it's about the kids. I enjoy reading about this kind of selflessness, even when it's because the kids want to see the latest and greatest Marvel franchise picture.

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by o0OBillO0o

Goldar- and you live in Atlanta!? There are some really good theaters there. Which ones do you go to?

I totally get the concept of having your kids in your theater with their friends. You can control lots of variables there.

Last, you mention it's about the kids. I enjoy reading about this kind of selflessness, even when it's because the kids want to see the latest and greatest Marvel franchise picture.

[Rilands]

Movie Theater for me. Much more enjoyable than staying home.

[AudioNut]

Since I don't have an HT, I guess I'll have to opt for my local 22 screen theater extraordinaire . . . and the only things I can say in defense of the movies I go to see there are . . .

Very few noisy kids would ever pay to see the movies I go to see, and there is no spilled drinks or popcorn on the floor because most old folks, like me, are much more fastidious than (you) young whipper-snappers.

Plus, "going to the movies" has been a favored life-long experience for me, and is something to "look forward to" and an almost "special occasion".

"Go out to dinner and take-in a movie" remains, for me, a real treat.

My wife and I do watch a lot of movies "at home", via my ROKU (and a few BluRay discs) on our 60" sony, and we do let the sound come through the stereo speakers that flank the TV; but that experience seems to be a bit "ordinary", while going to the movies seems more "special".

[Vintage Pete]

Are two channel guys allowed in this thread?

I enjoy movies very much, and share what has already been said here about the absence of distractions from other patrons and the like.

For me, it's just a fact of life that my main system is, and always will be a two-channel rig. It started out as a music system, and evolved as such. The layout of the room, my audio furniture and other factors make it impossible to situate my TV between the main speakers. That fact alone precludes it from ever becoming a "home theater". The same applies to my Florida room and office systems. The only system I have that could possibly be converted to a "theater", with TV between "front" speakers would be my master bedroom system. For the amount of use that gets, and the fact that I fall asleep in bed shortly after starting any show, makes that not a worthwhile venture.

Nevertheless, all of my systems have the TV and/or DVD/Blu-ray sound channeled through the audio system, with superb two-channel results. Having said that, the fact that I don't have a surround setup doesn't bother me in the least...

Ironically, although I seem destined to never have a "home theater", I was enjoying TV audio through my sound system long before "home theater" was even on the horizon. In the mid-seventies I was hooking up my TV to the system monaurally via the earphone jack. In those days, many TV's didn't even have an audio output jack. People would come over and marvel over the fact that I had the TV audio running through the system.

[Antonmb]

I can't remember the last time I was in a movie theater. We love to go out to live music and theater, but for movies I much prefer my "cocoon" as Dan calls it. Aside from all the advantages already listed - personalized snacks, the comfortable recliner, the glass of wine or after-dinner brandy, etc. - I enjoy being able to control the volume, to use closed-captioning for muddy dialog, the ability to rewind if we missed something, and the ability to pause for a bathroom break.

[chessman]

My home theater and two channel rig share the same room. If I watch TV, I watch it on the big screen with the good sound system. I far prefer to watch movies in my HT over a movie theater for many of the reasons already mentioned, but especially because the sound is so much better in my HT.

[-E-]

Originally Posted by Vintage Pete

Are two channel guys allowed in this thread?

Yes we are allowed here. I still use my main 2 ch rig for movies and people think I have around a sound. (Sorry old inside joke). I do have dedicated 5.1 in the bedroom but the main rig still kills even at 2.1. There are still friends begging for an invite to movie night.

I also enjoy hitting up the local IMAX. Doesn't sound ad good but the picture is... Wow

[Mr_Sukebe]

I love movies and most of my viewing is movie biased.

As for the kit, well my primary goal for that is to replay music well. Just so happens that it's also capable of dealing with movies, but the % of budget that facilitates that is only something like 15% of the total audio capability. So I have a pretty good processor and set of front stereo speakers, and then a massively cheaper set of rear channels.

[Still-One]

We seldom ever watch a movie at home. We feel that movies were made to be seen on a large screen and enjoyed with a good size crowd of people where emotions are simultaneously shared.

I have simple surround set-up in the lower level with a 79" 4k TV but that is only used to watch sporting events and the occasional show. We set aside from about 9pm-11pm each night to sit together and catch up on shows we have recorded so we can skip thru the commercials. That viewing is done in our den.

I fell sorry for all of you that have to deal with movie theaters that are dirty, noisy or with inconsiderate patrons. That just doesn't happen where we go.