Vote in our poll for a chance to win a $250 Amazon or Best Buy gift card (1 Viewer)

Answer the three questions in our poll and you are automatically entered to win one of two $250 gift cards to either Amazon or Best Buy we are giving away (winners choice). Poll runs through 9PM Saturday 6/15 and winners will be randomly chosen then.

Everybody eligible?

I wish the first question had a breakdown between Classic films vs. Current films (released during your lifetime).

Robert Crawford said:

Everybody eligible?

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Since we are drawing at random yes, obviously Ron, Kevin, Dave and I are excluded....

Yeah, that first question kind of tricked me into responding higher than I should have. While many of the films I buy have been seen by me in theaters, the incredible amount of previously unseen catalog that I'm discovering by the week -- or even the day -- here is staggering, so as time goes on, that percentage has to become lower. (I'd only knock it down a notch, so not a biggie.)

Done!

Shouldn't the title be -- vote in our poll for a CHANCE to win not vote in our poll AND win?

The skew of these early results doesn't surprise me...at all.

ROclockCK said:

The skew of these early results don't surprise me...at all.

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Which is why I'm going to be the weird, creepy guy.

The results of this for me would have been a lot different three years ago and especially ten years ago. When the DVD boom hit I was probably seeing a hundred movies a year at the theater but this probably went down to 1-5 over the next few. It stayed this way until a couple years ago when I started to go see the Oscar movies at the theater and then last year I ended up seeing 90 (and another 11 "classic" movies). So far this year I've seen 58 movies and another three "classics."

I think the bottom line is the old saying that the only way to really see a movie is at a theater. At one time I gave the various excuses why the home theater was better but I think my eyes a bit more open and I must admit that I kick myself over some of the movies I missed on the big screen the past decade.

I watch about 0.15% of these films at home after seeing them in a theater. Of course, the older movies I see the majority of them at home since I wasn't around to watch them in a theater.


As for streaming I've got Amazon, Hulu, Netflix, Synapse, The Silent Station, Something Weird and a couple other pay sites. I've also got at least a dozen free stations that I watch PD stuff on. I certainly stream everyday since my kid's Scooby and other shows are on here. I used to buy him discs but he kept breaking them, getting fingerprints on them or worse so streaming is the obvious thing to do. With my wild and different film viewing, streaming is the best because it gives you so much selection from every genre from every film period from every country.

I do wonder how many of those votes for anti-theater, no-streaming are from people who usually just have a select number of films that they watch over and over. If I was in this group then I probably wouldn't stream at all but at the same time I think I'd want to see my favorite movies on an actual large screen.

I would stream more, but I'll give you three examples of why I only stream a bit...The Night PorterKen ParkNine Songs

The poll leads to some fairly obvious conclusions. But absent are questions which would actually flesh out the results.

For example, I don't view movies in cinemas very often not just because I own home theater equipment, but because the last few times I've been to the cinema, there's been a noticeable increase in the incidence of inconsiderate people talking, answering phones, rustling chip packets etc. So it's not just a direct line of causality between owning home theater equipment and going to the cinema less. I avoid the cinema these days purely due to wanting to avoid the aggravation, even in the absence of home theater equipment.

Furthermore, there's no follow-up question to expand on why people stream or don't stream as often. Something to the effect of "What is the major reason behind your streaming habits", with available answers being quality, cost, availability - would really clarify things. Here in Australia, we just don't have that many legal streaming options (no Netflix for example). For others in the US with wider streaming availability, it would be interesting to see whether it's the cost or quality that's the key determinant.

Anyway, I understand the poll is designed to be short and sweet, but I hope its results are not misinterpreted for want of clarifying information.

Wow! Folks are missing out on Netflix streaming. The HD content with 5:1 looks and sound great. It's quality first, cost second. Hopefully Netflix will come to third world countries like Australia soon.I never go to theaters any more since I got my projection system. Why pay all that money and stand in line when I can get better picture, better sound, more comfortable seating and a refrigerator full of imported beers! Yay!

Persianimmortal said:

The poll leads to some fairly obvious conclusions. But absent are questions which would actually flesh out the results.

For example, I don't view movies in cinemas very often not just because I own home theater equipment, but because the last few times I've been to the cinema, there's been a noticeable increase in the incidence of inconsiderate people talking, answering phones, rustling chip packets etc. So it's not just a direct line of causality between owning home theater equipment and going to the cinema less. I avoid the cinema these days purely due to wanting to avoid the aggravation, even in the absence of home theater equipment.

Furthermore, there's no follow-up question to expand on why people stream or don't stream as often. Something to the effect of "What is the major reason behind your streaming habits", with available answers being quality, cost, availability - would really clarify things. Here in Australia, we just don't have that many legal streaming options (no Netflix for example). For others in the US with wider streaming availability, it would be interesting to see whether it's the cost or quality that's the key determinant.

Anyway, I understand the poll is designed to be short and sweet, but I hope its results are not misinterpreted for want of clarifying information.

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We aren't drawing any conclusions, it was just curiosity. I wanted to know how big your DVD/BD Collection was, one of the other guys was curious about 3D adoption and we lost an epic round of Rock, Paper, Scissors to the one who wanted to know about streaming.

I think the overall experience at the theater plays into where you watch movies. I think if you had a HTiB and a 32" TV you might be more likely to see that action block buster in the theater, than if you had a nice home theater....just my $.02

TonyD said:

Shouldn't the title be -- vote in our poll for a CHANCE to win not vote in our poll AND win?

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That's what I get for trying to edit it to be on one line. The main post was pretty clear on that fact, but I did edit the title to make it a bit more clear.

Michael Elliott said:

I do wonder how many of those votes for anti-theater, no-streaming are from people who usually just have a select number of films that they watch over and over. If I was in this group then I probably wouldn't stream at all but at the same time I think I'd want to see my favorite movies on an actual large screen.

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These days, I have a kind of 'means test' for theatrical viewings Michael:

[*]"Will this picture benefit in any way from being seen on the big screen?" Typically, this includes the handful of flicks that I might like to see in 3D or which are state-of-the-art in terms of their production/exhibition technology. Even if I expect to eventually buy it, I'm still in for the theatrical 'event'.
[*]"Is this picture likely to have any possibilities of repeat play?" If not, I'll typically catch it on a matinee or via the second run circuit and call it a day...just a nice, enjoyable time killer at the movies, but no chance of buying it for the home. Occasionally, I misjudge and discover a reel nugget that I also want to rewatch/own, but not so much anymore.
[*]"Has a home video release date been announced and are pre-orders already up?" If the answer is yes, and less than 3 months, then I might skip the theatrical showing and wait for the Blu-ray. If only a month or less, that response is almost guaranteed. Unless....
[*]"Will refusing to see this picture theatrically jeopardize my relationships with any companions this evening?" In other words, pure peer pressure here. Most of the pictures falling into this category I wouldn't have bothered with in any venue. Much trickier to qualify and quantify on the spot though, so invariably, it comes down to an "Oh what the h3ll..." type of choice. Often saves a lot of grief on the backend though, so it's akin to "taking one for the team."
[*]"What day of the week/time of day is it?" If it's an opening weekend Friday or Saturday evening, then forget it (unless question 4 comes into play). Just too many rude, noisy, 'lit-up' tweens and twenty-somethings to successfully ignore. If it's a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, then the tykes are out of the house but acting like they're still in it...equally distracting. Early week matinees or late showings are usually safe for movie lovers.
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Admittedly an inexact methodology, but it works for me...more or less...more often than not.

...and BTW, a sub-point for 1: "Will this venue likely show the picture correctly?" Or will the monkey flipping a switch leave me infuriated?

Here's the thing: unless I'm injured or something else comes up, I'm at the theater every week. Sometimes it's a great movie; sometimes it's terrible. I go with at least one really good friend-and sometimes his boyfriend and my partner. It's more social than anything else. It's a chance to get out and be with people we get to see once a week because of our schedules. It's "our time"...which sounds really weird, but it's the one time every single week we're going to come together to do something. Prior to moving to Washington, I did the same thing with other friends in Michigan.

In a weird way, I've also continued the tradition because it's a sense of comfort and familiarity no matter what part of the country I am in. When my world is crashing down around me, I know I can duck into a theater and forget whatever is going on for 2 hours. I don't have that luxury at home.

That being said, my personal test for adding a movie to my collection I've seen in a theater is pretty stringent. I have to really like it (usually) to consider watching it again. I'm more likely to add something I've seen in the theater to my Netflix queue so my partner can see it.

Since the end of the TV season, I've added a lot to both my Hulu and Amazon Prime queues. I've been working on Cheers Season 1 for the last week or so and my goal for the summer may be to get through the entire series. At 24 minutes an episode, it's not too hard to fit a few in every day.

I used to throw a hissy fit because of the "rude" people at a theater but it rarely happens any more. That's not to say it never happens but out the 61 movies I've seen this year there have probably been three where it pissed me off. Once, on DAWN OF THE DEAD no less, it got me to the point where I couldn't enjoy the experience. I don't go on Friday or Saturday night when teenagers might be there but for the most part there really aren't any more distractions than someone would get at home. At home you still have a phone ringing, a kid walking in, a girlfriend making you take the trash out or countless other things that might happen during a movie.

Plus, sometimes seeing a film with a crowd actually is a good thing. I've seen IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE countless times in my life but it was something special seeing it with a couple hundred other fans. The same with FRANK/BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN or seeing the impact TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD had on the hundreds who were there seeing it. It's cook experiencing a movie and coming to a forum to talk about it but it's something else to see what power these films have today in a group setting.

Considering this is a "home theater" forum, it's not too shocking to see the results that are happening. I've never been into another member's home theater so I can't judge the quality of any of them. With that said, I've been in a few that priced in the $25,000+ price range and they still didn't give the picture size, audio and so on of the real thing.

I used to say price was a factor for staying home but if you skip the $12 popcorn/drink combo then you can actually get some great deals on prices. There are about six different theaters I go to depending on what I'm needing to see and if the times line up to where I can see two. Before noon and on Wednesdays Rave has $5 tickets. AMC before noon is I think $6. The local arthouse has a couple days where tickets are $6.

bigshot said:

Hopefully Netflix will come to third world countries like Australia soon.

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Stay classy bigshot

ROclockCK said:

"Will refusing to see this picture theatrically jeopardize my relationships with any companions this evening?" In other words, pure peer pressure here. Most of the pictures falling into this category I wouldn't have bothered with in any venue. Much trickier to qualify and quantify on the spot though, so invariably, it comes down to an "Oh what the h3ll..." type of choice. Often saves a lot of grief on the backend though, so it's akin to "taking one for the team."

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The point above, and similar to what Jason_V wrote, was the main reason that for many years, I went to the movies once a week, every week, with my friends. Oh boy did I see some absolute trash that way. And while I'd like to think it was just an excuse to socialize, in reality there's little chance to socialize when you're sitting quietly in a darkened theater with everyone staring at the screen. So we'd actually catch up for maybe 30 minutes all up during the night, the rest of which was taken up by the latest brain-cell-destroying blockbuster, and/or getting drunk at the pub.

Michael Elliott said:

I do wonder how many of those votes for anti-theater, no-streaming are from people who usually just have a select number of films that they watch over and over. If I was in this group then I probably wouldn't stream at all but at the same time I think I'd want to see my favorite movies on an actual large screen.

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I'm in this group. I have mostly classic favorites that I want to see (and typically buy), with only a sprinkling of new stuff, hence I don't miss not having streaming. I'd love to see more classics on the big screen, but there are few opportunities to do so properly in my town. The last time was way back in 1990 when I saw the restored Lawrence of Arabia, and that theater has since been shut down and converted into a nightclub

If a movie trips my trigger (so to speak), I will view it at the theater, but lately nonehave interested me at all. Streaming doesn't interest me at all.