The next Austin meet? (1 Viewer)

I'm poking my head back above water after a long busy stretch at work. There hasn't been an HT meet in a while, and I missed the last one ... so it's time to start planning another one!

I'd like to suggest a meet for the late April / early May timeframe (after everyone gets their taxes done). I'll suggest Saturday, April 24 unless everyone has a lot of conflicts.

Since I've been out of the HT loop for several months, I think I'll defer to everyone else when it comes to suggestions of A/V dealers to visit / products to see...

So let's start putting something together. Some ideas I can suggest are...

- For those of you who have made major HT changes in the last 6 months, maybe we could revisit the "tour of HTs" concept and see 3-4 theaters that have changed a lot since last time.
- A movie marathon - 3-4 movies on someone's HT, according to some sort of theme.
- A meet about home theater accessories - movie posters, wall plaques, integrated remotes, theater seats, and other gadgets/items that turn an ordinary room into a home theater.
- An outdoor movie screening before the heat and mosquitoes take control.

Let the planning begin...

* BUMP *

What, no interest in another big Austin meet???

If I get my new curtains done here soon I would put my theater up for a visit. Maybe some X-box games if Nils and Scott promise to not dominate me on my own game again.
If anyone is intrested in a projector shoot-out I could look into getting the community center so we could do a level playing field white wall test of the machines.


Greg

I would love this! I am in the process of building my HT and it would be cool if some of you "Pros" could swing by and check it out, offer some advice, tips etc. and if someone breaks out some playing cards(Poker)then I will be forced to Karate chop someone! j/k. Lets get a meet or tour or something going but PLEASE, lets do it on a weekend.
John

I think doing a construction project for a meet would be fun.

Unless someone has something I haven't seen (i.e. a BenQ 8700) I'm not personally all that hyped about a projector shootout. A DVI vs. component dvd player shootout might be interesting. Does anyone know if there is a DVI player like the Momitsu V880 that can output scaled RGBHV, but also has built in DD/DTS decoders? Now that might give my HTPC a run for its money. Of course, then I'd have to rethink my whole house audio/video strategy. Uh, what was the question...

Uh, I dunno, Doc., but I vote for construction OR comparison of something (DVI/Component, DLP/LCD PJ's, CD's/Vinyl, etc). Something active, not just sitting and watching a couple of excerpts. Just my 2Hz worth.
Anyway, it's good to see Colin is alive and not chained too tightly to his cubicle to finally contact us!
Hey, I've got a kick-ass grill and a deck...
Maybe some decadent poker after the official "meet" is over? Hmmm??

Hank -

Work has been crazy the last few months. There's been ownership/management changes where I work, and a series of 3 big projects kept me really busy from the beginning of December up until now. I think during April I will have more time for some important pursuits - industry certifications, getting to the gym ... and a HOME THEATER MEET!

Everyone -

I'll see if I can think of some more "active" / participatory ideas. But I would still like to see all the changes in Jonathan's, Greg's, and Chad's theaters in particular...

My HT setup has been rather static since last December when I got an OTA HDTV tuner. Next on the list: a Pronto (or some other similar fully-customizable touch-screen integrated remote). So not much new to show there...

I've always liked the home theater tours. Maybe we could do it like a progressive dinner party -- some DIY demo showcasing a recent project at each theater in lieue of a course of a meal?

In my theater, I could demonstrate how I installed bass shakers as a fun and relatively inexpensive upgrade. If someone didn't have their own project to show off, I'm sure one of the other DIY-inclined folks here could help put together some sort of demonstration. Has anyone in town created a mylar lightbox or backlit poster case? I'd love to see how easy/hard it is to create something like that.

I also wonder if someone wouldn't be able to burn a DVD demo disc with a few pre-selected scenes so that we can have a standardized demo disc for each of the theaters.

Time to get to bed... I think I'm starting to ramble.

Dang!!! You sully the name of rambling, good sir. I'm either always running on fumes or our definition of a rambling post vary widely.

Anywho, I'm hoping to be able to make the next meet if it's in the latter half of April like Colin indicated. All that's left is the furniture (I found some pretty interesting stuff and Pine & Oak off of 35 near Braker) and hanging my back three speakers. Then I'll hopefully be off the HT wagon for a while

Well, time to go to bed...I'm starting -- um, never mind.

Steve

Man if you guys have a hankerin for a construction project then I bet I can oblige ya! Have contractors installing a wall(to seal off the room)and double sheetrocking right now. After they are done I am going to put down a layer of Sound board and then 1/2" plywood or MDF over that on the floor. Then must route my wiring for sconce's and hook that all up of which I have no idea how to do. Anyway, I have the projects if you guys want to play with tools. I have to move into the new house this weekend but after that we are free on the weekends!!
John

I'm up for a meet too! I really enjoyed the Austin tour of home theaters last time, so that would be my vote. I now have a theater to show off. Just please don't have any poker.

--Mark

How about we kill two birds with one meet. Anyone ever rode in a poker run. Stay with me this might work. We set up a tour with 5 or 7 stops. At each stop you get a card. When everyone gets to the final stop, we see who has the best hand. For the pot I'm drawing a blank right now, but we could figure out something. Stop thinking what your thinking Jonathan, the cards will be properly marked to prevent someone from stoping off and buying their own matching deck.
Oh by the way April 24 is good by me.

Greg

Chad, I built a backlit poster frame - I want to redesign another, but it'll give you an idea. If we do the tour thing (and I am not voting for it BTW), my house could be the last stop for fajitas, lots of B.S. and maybe a short card game for the hard core.

My point is this: movie nights are for sitting and watching, mostly. Meets are for action - either helping build or install or learning/seminar sessions.

I really like Chad's idea of the tour PLUS a DIY project explained. A sort of live version of "Home Theater Builder" magazine but where you actually get to get up close and personal with each project. On Greg's idea for getting one card at each house, that will only work if we get enough hosts to be involved (or we could do two cards to each person at the first home, the flop - community cards - at the second, the turn card at the third and the flop card at the fourth). Then the person holding the best hand wins. Each person that wishes to play could say put in two dollars to the pot and the winner takes the pot (this should be enough money to purchase a new DVD of their choice). Oh, and you have to be present to win. If you leave early, then you fold your hand.

I like the outdoor pool/movie night but I think we should leave that to a movie night and not as an official major meet event.

I agree with Chad and Frederick on the tour/DIY project(s), I think that would be a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I can't make the 24th, so I hope we have a designated photographer that can document the tour.

Rich

The tour would be cool by me, I missed the last tour we did. If that's what we decide on, then add the Miniplex to the schedule.

Rich, I don't think we've definitely picked the 24th. I haven't checked my calendar yet. What days are you open?

Hank,
I won't be available on 4/24 and 5/1, after that I'm available, until mid June. I would certainly like to attend, but I know that everyone has a busy schedule, so it will be difficult to find a day when everyone can make it. So if the 24th works for everyone else, please don't change it on my account. Thanks.

Rich

Our next concert, last of our annual subscription series, will be on April 24th at 8:00 pm (Okay, Doc, this is it), SO, I won't be able to make the meet either unless we end it at about 6:00 pm. I really wanted to be the last stop on the tour and have some fajitas and game of cards.
If the group sticks with the 24th, I'll start the tour and will also schedule a poker night in April.

Ok Hank, we'll be there! How do we get tickets?