Podcast Home Theater United Episode 13 - All about amps with special guest John Rice from HomeTheaterForum (1 Viewer)

[Josh Steinberg]

Your thinking is spot on. My room seats 5 and we've owned this particular home for as many years. In that time we've probably had an average of one full length group movie showing per year. I also usually do a Superbowl gathering but obviously not this year. I'm in my room almost daily. My wife comes down only for rare scheduled film showings and I have no complaints about that. My room has primarily become my place to think, reflect, and of course plan upgrades.

In a perfect world, I’d have a home with a little space that I could carve out for myself just like that, where there would also be room for my wife and kids without having to rearrange anything. The kind of space where if someone had a play date or if someone wanted to drop by, we could easily include them, but where it wasn’t specially designed for guests. I’d probably be inclined to spend more on a nice chair for myself (and my wife if she wants one) but not worry about rows and rows of seating.

Now with young kids in the picture, I think a more likely scenario might be a room that serves as a playroom for them during the day, that would be my movie sanctuary at night.

But I honestly have no idea at this point. Our employers haven’t made decisions yet about whether we’re coming back to the office, if we’re moving to a new location, or if we’re gonna work remotely forever. With all that up in the air, we can’t even begin to think about where we’re gonna live next - if physically going into the office every day is no longer required, that would open up a world of possibility that otherwise isn’t available.

So for now, I make due with the living room setup and try to use headphones if I’m gonna watch an action movie at 1am.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

In a perfect world, I’d have a home with a little space that I could carve out for myself just like that, where there would also be room for my wife and kids without having to rearrange anything. The kind of space where if someone had a play date or if someone wanted to drop by, we could easily include them, but where it wasn’t specially designed for guests. I’d probably be inclined to spend more on a nice chair for myself (and my wife if she wants one) but not worry about rows and rows of seating.

Now with young kids in the picture, I think a more likely scenario might be a room that serves as a playroom for them during the day, that would be my movie sanctuary at night.

But I honestly have no idea at this point. Our employers haven’t made decisions yet about whether we’re coming back to the office, if we’re moving to a new location, or if we’re gonna work remotely forever. With all that up in the air, we can’t even begin to think about where we’re gonna live next - if physically going into the office every day is no longer required, that would open up a world of possibility that otherwise isn’t available.

So for now, I make due with the living room setup and try to use headphones if I’m gonna watch an action movie at 1am.

Having kids was the main driver for us to get (gradually) into HT at the start of the DVD era. I figured we were gonna be much more homebound, especially w/ "Irish twins" keeping us busy (and much more budget-conscious), but yeah, couldn't really go all-in since space is limited (and very expensive) in the NYC metro area, even in Brooklyn. Just baby steps over the decades w/ help from inexpensive pricing of media and periodic drops in pricing of A/V tech/gear for the most part -- still, had to buy good, used gear most times to afford it until more recently... and I still buy used for some good stuff like these old, former flagship Thiel speakers that I probably couldn't justify at new prices...

Only finally moving the HT setup (w/ substantial upgrades) from livingroom to a dedicated room after 20-plus years...

_Man_

 

[John Dirk]

I know you're joking / serious, but literally the Alamo Drafthouse in our neighborhood (a ten minute walk) offers full service, in-theater dining and drinks and if desired a massive Dolby Vision, Atmos theater. It also has a full bar with indoor and outdoor seating to hang out at before, after, or without a movie.

I've never heard of Alamo Drafthouse but we have similar places here. For larger gatherings I kind of see your point but for more intimate ones, [in my circle anyway] it's all about the company and atmosphere. We can bring in great food and drinks and have total control over the experience. In my mind there's really no comparison unless you do a Jay-Z type thing and rent out the entire venue. It's probably been nearly 4 years since my last visit to a commercial theater. I only go when my wife "suggests" it.

 

[John Dirk]

In a perfect world, I’d have a home with a little space that I could carve out for myself just like that, where there would also be room for my wife and kids without having to rearrange anything.

If you play your cards right [and with a little bit of luck] the world gets progressively more perfect [in this context anyway] as you age. In your case, when the time does come for your dedicated room it will undoubtedly be spectacular because it will have a very knowledgeable designer. I envy you in that respect as I had to learn along the way and made a LOT of mistakes.

 

[DaveF]

I've never heard of Alamo Drafthouse but we have similar places here. For larger gatherings I kind of see your point but for more intimate ones, [in my circle anyway] it's all about the company and atmosphere. ...

Yes, that’s exactly it. Most gatherings are social, hang out, talk, maybe some food and drinks. And for actually-watch-a-movie, it’s go to the theater.

Part of this is, if people want to see a movie, they want to see a new movie, which of course I won’t have at home.

I’ve hosted a couple of movie parties, and really enjoyed them. And will do it again when we can again host.

But in real life, for us and our friends, a home theater isn’t a big draw for a social gathering or for watching movies.

 

[DaveF]

I don't know about that. I could go either way myself. Yeah, Alamo is better for the food part, but if I already have a very good, dedicated HT room ready to go, it costs a lot less to host, especially if people want a couple beers, etc, and you're much more free to do whatever, including a movie marathon of your choice, which you're not gonna do at Alamo's.

I think it really depends... Sometimes, Alamo's make sense (mostly because we don't have to clean up afterwards plus for new theatrical releases), but other times, my dedicated HT will make more sense...

And if it's just me and the family, it's usually gonna be my dedicated HT, not Alamo's, since we're usually in no rush to see something new to theaters...

_Man_

I’ve found it’s impossible to do a movie marathon party. No one has time for that.

This is my particular social group. It‘s different for everyone and their own situation.

 

[Sam Posten]

I've been to Dave's theater and the Alamo in the same day. I would pick Dave's over Alamo every time. But I totally get why he says what he says. I think I have (had, anyway, pre-pandemic) better luck doing group movie nights because I had a wide net of casual acquiantances from work and multiple meetup groups that were not film related but also social oriented: photography and board games. If you try to pull from your close friends group for movie night it probably isn't a big draw other than for special occaissions.

 

[John Dirk]

Part of this is, if people want to see a movie, they want to see a new movie, which of course I won’t have at home.

Yep. There you have it. This is the excuse my wife routinely uses to get me into commercial theaters. Personally, I don't get it as I have hundreds of films in my collection, many of which I've never even gotten around to watching just yet. Add to that the rather vacuous nature of many of todays new releases and I'll take a catalog title more often than not.

Oh well, I guess that's what makes me an enthusiast.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

It was always easier for us to have a movie night with friends arranged around going out rather than staying in; it used to stick out as a lost opportunity to me but I got over it a long while ago.

The biggest factor is as Dave said - theaters have new movies. Location also important. It’s much easier to get a group of friends together to see a new Star Wars or Marvel in a mutually convenient location than it is to ask them to go out of their way to come over to see something they’ve already seen, or something they’ve made it through life just fine so far without seeing and don’t have any urgency on.

Theaters and restaurants have that in common. I remember we had a movie night a few years ago, the idea being to revisit the first film in a series the week before a sequel came out. It took forever to work out a mutually agreeable time. Some people were coming from ten minutes away but for others it was much further. It was so much easier to meet at the theater the following week. We picked one that was at a similar distance from everyone - everyone home in 20-30 minutes after instead of some people having an hour or more to travel. That alone made it more feasible. We all work in similar locations even though we live in different places; so much easier to just meet after work by a theater that’s right there. And just that the theater sets times that you can’t negotiate with so the people in the group aren’t trying to find a unicorn time that’s somehow perfect. It just works better.

And so I don’t stress it anymore. It doesn’t really change much, more of an expectation readjustment on my end. It’s the little things, like, I’m not going to buy a dozen sets of 3D glasses for my projector. Or if there’s a movie really I want to see, I’m not going to wait to watch it hoping to get a group screening together.

It’s really just kinda figuring out that “Ooo, I’d like to see that” doesn’t mean the same thing as “I’m committing to making plans to see that tonight” and not conflating the two.

 

[JohnRice]

I'm not sure I ever saw the HT as much of a social thing. Yeah, I've had people over through the years, but I doubt it would take more than two hands to count the instances in nearly 30 years. Of course, and don't let me shock anyone, I'm not a big fan of people anyway. The HT is for me. Even when I was married, we didn't watch all that many movies together there. Maybe once a month at the most. That's probably indicative of other things. During my last attempt at a relationship we did watch quite a few movies, but I'm not sure she was awake by the end of a single one.

Maybe for some people this does end up being a big social thing, but I don't think that's the case for most. I've always wondered about people with seating for 10-12 people, how often that happens, if ever. I tend to doubt there's more than four at a time.

 

[DaveF]

@Sam Posten @Brian Dobbs
Here's a possible topic for you: Is Home Theater a social thing or not? Does does your significant other / spouse / best friend / whatever enjoy your home theater? How do you (or will you, post pandemic) do movie nights / theater parties?

 

[Brian Dobbs]

@Sam Posten @Brian Dobbs
Here's a possible topic for you: Is Home Theater a social thing or not? Does does your significant other / spouse / best friend / whatever enjoy your home theater? How do you (or will you, post pandemic) do movie nights / theater parties?

I like this.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

When I think back to having more frequent movie nights, it was really only in the years immediately following college when my roommates were my friends, and we were hanging together most nights anyway. And we all had different art backgrounds, whether it was film school or music or what have you, so it was almost like being on a mission. Those were the days when I could do a James Bond movie a night for several weeks, or do a Lord of the Rings day. I had another group of friends separate from the people I lived with and we’d get together every Monday night for new “24” episodes. Nowadays we just all watch on our own and catch up on it later. I think that was a mixture of good luck on timing and just being at the right stages of our lives. Probably similar to how I’d always want to check out new bands and now I just wanna listen to stuff I know I like.

Honestly, post-pandemic, I’d be happy to just be able to cook for friends again, even if the TV never gets turned on.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

I’ve found it’s impossible to do a movie marathon party. No one has time for that.

This is my particular social group. It‘s different for everyone and their own situation.

Haha... sure, like I said, it really depends...

Movie marathon could be like Super Bowl Sunday or something w/ BBQ in the backyard, etc. Everyone doesn't have to be on time for the start nor needs to be glued to the HT the entire time. IF you actually have a dedicated HT room, surely, you can also do more than just make everyone be glued to the HT doibg nothing by watch movies, right?

Maybe you might also wanna have a small video arcade area or some other stuff, if you actually want to host now and then -- actually, I'm definitely considering one of those all-in-one, old-style video arcade machines...

I do intend to host once in a while, but yeah, it's not that clear how often. Usually, it'll probably just be a couple other buddies coming over, but maybe I'll have an actual group over once every few months -- I belong to a church where we do have regular men's group meetings/hangouts that are sometimes/often hosted at people's homes...

RE: the food aspect, actually, in my part of Brooklyn, I can probably easily beat Alamo's for food choices w/ plenty of restaurants w/in 5-10min walk that also deliver, but yeah, that's definitely not everyone else...

_Man_

 

[Sam Posten]

My advice is if you want to do movie meetups, sign up (and pay for) a meetup.com group to do just that.

 

[DaveF]

We were in a biweekly Meetup for boardgaming that met at the library (until 2020). If you can find a good group, they can work out really well.