About Us
Home Theater Forum is a dynamic, community-driven platform dedicated to the appreciation and discussion of home theater technology, film, and music. Founded in 1997 by industry veteran Ron Epstein, Home Theater Forum has become a leading destination for experts and enthusiasts alike, offering comprehensive reviews, advice, and interactive discussion on all aspects of the home theater experience. Our mission is to help members cultivate the best possible audio and visual experiences in their homes.
Our Team
Ron Epstein – Founder/Community Manager/Chief Moderator
Ron is the heart and soul of Home Theater Forum. His dedication since founding the platform in 1997 has shaped it into a leading voice in the home theater industry. Ron currently lives on the East Coast.
Martin Dew – AV and Pro Cinema Journalist
Martin, a seasoned journalist and AV expert, has written for several notable print magazines. He’s served in key roles at Lucasfilm’s THX Division, NEC’s digital cinema division, and has even consulted for DreamWorks. Despite his illustrious career, Martin remains rooted in his passion for cinema and acting, with notable appearances in several Spielberg films, Doctor Who, and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. He currently resides in San Francisco.
Robert A. Harris – Film Archivist / Producer
Robert has been known in the film industry for his unmatched skill and passion in film preservation. Growing up around photography, his first home theater experience began at age ten with 16mm. Years later he was running 35 and 70mm at home.
When video projection arrived, a Runco was added, and gear was modernized as it arrived. As a film historian and archivist, his restoration projects have breathed new life into classic films like Lawrence of Arabia, Vertigo, My Fair Lady, Spartacus, and The Godfather series. Beyond his restoration work, he has also shared his expertise through publications, contributing to the academic discourse on film restoration. His tireless work has been recognized with prestigious awards such as the King Vidor Award for Excellence in Filmmaking, the Nikola Tesla Award for Visionary Achievement in Filmmaking Technology, and multiple New York Film Critics Awards. The Academy Film Archive houses the Robert A. Harris Collection, a testament to his significant contributions to film preservation.
His home theater is currently based upon a JVC NX9 (quality glass is essential), with Marantz audio, Panasonic and Oppo players, an 11.1 B & W speaker array and Stewart screen.
Matt Hough – Reviewer
Matt has been reviewing films and television professionally since 1974 and has been a member of Home Theater Forum’s reviewing staff since 2007, his reviews now numbering close to three thousand. During those years, he has also been a junior and senior high school English teacher earning numerous entries into Who’s Who Among America’s Educators and spent many years treading the community theater boards as an actor in everything from Agatha Christie mysteries to Stephen Sondheim musicals.
Mychal Bowden – Reviewer
Mychal has been on the Home Theater Forum’s reviewing staff since 2018, with reviews numbering close to 300. During this time, he has also been working as an assistant manager at The Cotton Patch – his family’s fabric and quilting supplies business in Keizer, Oregon. When not working at reviewing movies or working at the family business, he enjoys exploring the Oregon Coast, playing video games and watching baseball in addition to his expansive collection of movies on DVD, Blu-ray and UHD, totalling over 3,000 movies.
Timothy Ewanyshyn – Reviewer
The first film that Timothy remembers seeing is Robin Hood, and he has loved classic cinema ever since. Timothy was once denied entry to see Raiders of the Lost Ark, after paying for a ticket, because the usher believed that his delicate sensibilities would be corrupted by the sight of Nazis having their faces melted off by the wrath of God. His love of classic Hollywood was invigorated when he was befriended by an actor who regaled him with first-hand anecdotes of appearing in films with James Cagney, Clark Gable, Jane Russell, John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Randolph Scott, Gary Cooper, Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, and others.
Timothy has worked background in theatrical features and television, just for the fun of it, in films directed by Peter Segal and Christopher Nolan. His favorite film star is Bugs Bunny, and Timothy has discovered that most of the problems in life can be solved successfully (strangely enough) by asking “What would Bugs Bunny do?” Timothy has been involved with the Home Theater Forum since 2007, when he memorably met Ernest Borgnine in Las Vegas at a trade show. For HTF, Timothy has reported from Comic Con, interviewed Bruce Campbell and Danny Trejo, and reviewed classic animation and new theatrical releases on disc.
Todd Erwin – Reviewer
Todd has been a reviewer at Home Theater Forum since 2008. His love of movies began as a young child, first showing Super 8 movies in his backyard during the summer to friends and neighbors at age 10. He also received his first movie camera that year, a hand-crank Wollensak 8mm with three fixed lenses. In 1980, he graduated to “talkies” with his award-winning short The Ape-Man, followed by the cult favorite The Adventures of Terrific Man two years later. Other films include Myth or Fact: The Talbert Terror and Warren’s Revenge (which is currently being restored).
In addition to movie reviews, Todd has written many articles for Home Theater Forum centering mostly on streaming as well as an occasional hardware review, and is a frequent guest on the Home Theater United podcast.
Sam Posten – Moderator and Reviewer
Sam is both a moderator and reviewer at HomeTheaterForum and is the voice behind HomeTheaterUnited, the HomeTheaterForum Podcast which he started with cofounder Brian Dobbs. Sam has long advocated modest, best “bang for the buck” theater components and is loving every minute of this golden age of home audio-visual magic. Sam is a software engineer, a former volunteer firefighter, a current planning commissioner, leader of a large board gaming group and the personal servant of two tuxedo cats. He has been described as a Nutter for his love of technological wizardry and an Embarrassment for his lack of knowledge in arcane movie lore. Does he contradict himself? Very well then, he contradicts himself. He is large, he contains multitudes.
Robert Crawford – Moderator
Robert resides in Michigan after retiring from a major automotive company after a 37-year managerial career. I’ve been an HT enthusiast for about 40 years and started reading HTF for about a year before finally joining in 1998. I became a forum moderator in 2000. Since childhood, one of my favorite past times is watching movies from any film era and/or genre. Though as a child of the 1960’s my favorite film genres were westerns, film noir/crime and action/adventure films. Those are the movies that I grew up watching on black and white televisions before my parents bought their first color TV circa 1966. Since then, my movie preferences have expanded to more dramas, musicals and foreign films. My movie viewings are not only with physical media, but also digitally as well as an occasional movie theater experience. I’m a firm believer that one shouldn’t restrict themselves when it comes to enjoying movies.
Neil Middlemiss – Reviewer
Neil has been a member of the Home Theater Forum reviewing staff since 2007, approaching a thousand reviews and interviews with actors, directors, writers, stunt performers, producers and more in that time. A senior communications manager and podcast host with a Fortune 500 company by day, Neil lives in the Charlotte, NC area with his wife and son, serves on the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Charlotte Board of Directors, and has a passion for film scores, with a collection in the thousands.
Josh Steinberg – Reviewer
Josh’s fate as a physical media enthusiast was probably sealed the moment he figured out how to operate a top-loading VCR before he even knew how to walk. Since graduating with a degree in film production, he has enjoyed a career focused on the archival and distribution side of film and television. These days, Josh thinks of himself as a proud father of twins first. He would like to thank his wife for her unwavering support, and for every typo she’s ever caught.
Mike Frezon – Master of the Weekly Roundup
Mike lives in upstate New York with his wife, Peg. Together, they raised two children and now enjoy their two granddaughters. Mike lives the semi-retired life after moving from the city to the country where they rescue senior Golden Retrievers. Life is good. Mike came to the HTF in 2001 asking about the latest DVD release of Snow White. The HTF community quickly became his online home. Mike has been compiling the Weekly RoundUp of prices of new home video releases for the past two decades.
Colin Jones – Owner
As a musician and movie lover, Colin has been an avid home audio and home theater enthusiast for over 20 years. He spends the little free time he has building and enjoying home audio gear. Colin resides outside Seattle, WA with his wife and kids.
Jonathan Keane – Owner
With over a decade of experience in the Western Washington music scene, Jonathan has been around high-end audio equipment for quite some time and has a particular love for music, technology, and audio gear of all kinds. He runs a small record label and has engineered, mixed, and mastered award-winning albums from local musicians. He currently lives close to the Canadian border in Washington state with his wife and daughter.
