Anyone else have a family with almost zero interest in their HT? (1 Viewer)

[Chuck Anstey]

We have a really nice HT setup. While it isn't anything to look at with the lights on as it is in the unfinished part of the basement, with the lights off it is rather nice. Sony 95ES projecting up to 10.5' wide with 7.1 speakers and over 500 movies to choose from. My two kids, both teens have no interest in it and I pretty much have to force a family movie night unless it has been 2 or 3 months since the last one. If my parents had that setup when I was a kid, I would have been getting yelled at constantly for playing movies / music too loud, "Quit changing all the settings", and "You are not old enough to watch that movie" (not that I didn't watch a lot on HBO). I thought when my kids grew up they would be all over it. Instead they just play with their phone, IPod, or video games even when their friends come over. I enjoy it and maybe because I do my kids cannot as they are required by nature to reject their parents' interests or simply you never visit what is in your own backyard.

 

[Jim Mcc]

One of my daughters is like that. She seems to prefer watching movies on her 13" MAC laptop. We have a1080p projector, 106" diagonal screen, 5.1 surround system. She might watch one movie with us every month or 2. Crazy.

 

[Bobofbone]

Enjoy them while you can (the kids) or learn to get something out of the misery they attempt to create. They (usually) don't stay forever. It's pretty natural that your kids, in some way, tend to reject part of what you are or what you like. After a certain age, they want to ascert their independance. Frequently it's best to let them. If you force them not to, they just do something later that's usually bigger or worse. Lots of the stuff we like seems to be hard wired into what we are. It also tends to be herereditary. In time, you might find yourself enjoying their home theater. I had the opposite situation. After putting together a modest (but nice) set up, it was utilized successively by 5 teenagers and their friends. What was left provided a good excuse to get something better to replace it.

 

[Adam Gregorich]

Ignore it for a few months Chuck and start watching movies on your PC. Before you know if they will be using the theater again

 

[Chuck Anstey]

I don't care that they don't use it on their own and I do support all the other stuff they do, it was just odd to me and I wondered how many others had (pre)teens that had no interest in what many of us would have considered nirvana of electronics and music reproduction as a teen. I mean a teen and a powerful stereo are generally inseparable. They are not even bugging me to to hook up their laptops to the big screen to play all their FPS games.

 

[Jim Mcc]

I disagree with the "teen and a powerful stereo are generally inseparable" statement. Back in the day when I was a teen, YES. But not anymore. As long as they have their IPod and their crappy little earphones, they are happy. They don't know what they are missing. At least if they used decent headphones, I could understand that. I have a nice A/V setup on 2 different levels in the house, and they NEVER use it for music. I don't get mad about it, I just don't understand it.

 

[schan1269]

Buy a turntable. Shockingly, buy some records of stuff they'll listen to and they'll play with that "cause it is cool"... One of my nieces has an old Dual, The Fisher and a pair of ADC that are all older than she is. Listens to it in her dorm room. Guess where people hang out...

 

[FL-GATOR]

Chuck, We had a dedicated theater when my kids were teens. But here's the kicker, while they were growing up and until they hit high school, they only were allowed one hour a week to watch TV. They had to pick their show, and if we approved it, they could watch it. And this is from parents with a theater in their basement. So what did they watch? Various things, but for two years they both picked Star Trek Enterprise. So every Wednesday night, we'd all be in the theater and watch the show. Maybe they liked the theater because it was generally not available to them. It was a treat. Who knows. They turned out great. Enjoy these days while you can. Tomorrow they'll be adults. I know.

 

[robcy]

Power Rangers. I am almost willing to trade for your kids. My 8 year old hogs the HT with the racket of explosions in Power Rangers for 1 hour each day. I guess I really do not need to understand why this is something he likes, but my lord that has got to be the worst show ever made. The fact that there are maybe 2000 shows in its history means that until the fad wears off there will be plenty of new Power Ranger media to watch :-(.

 

[mpompey]

My boys are 6 and 8 and love me theater. My wife on the other had would rather watch Downton on her ipad than on my equipment. Go figure. But I love my decompression chamber.

Maybe if you guys could have one night together on a regular basis. Maybe each week someone could suggest something, when it's your turn it could be family movie night.