My Home Theater Page (1 Viewer)

[Dave Moritz]

Just picked up two more 4K UHD titles and more to come!

Will be picking up Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Gardians Of The Galaxy, War For The Planet Of The Apes, First 4 Harry Potters will joint the last 4 Potter films already in the 4K Library, Terminator 2, Apollo 13, Dracula, Transformers: Last Knight, Bridge On The River Kwai, Wonder Woman, Close Encounters, John Wick 2, Alien Covenant, Ghost In The Shell and more!

Picked up The Fifth Element for $19.99 @ Target and ET for $24.99

 

[Dave Moritz]

Just added Guardians Of The Galaxy 2 and Fate Of The Furious on 4K UHD BD and will have to see what happens with a movie my neighbor loaned me that was a new purchase unopened. Stupid plastic did not want to open so I used my letter opener and it sliced the plastic on the back of the case. So I got a cheap blu-ray and ether I will swap out the case or go buy a new copy since I damaged the case on there new BD movie. Now up to 46 4K UHD BD titles!

Going to add Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Blade Runner & Chappie next.

 

[Bob Bielski]

Hey Dave you have to read the September Widescreen Review. I learned so much about HDR. It is a must read. Also mentions the Oppo UDP-203 and 205 with Dolby Vision. After reading the Joe Kane article, I am going to wait a little longer to jump in and upgrade to 4K. Great education on different displays and the capabilities and limitations. Seems to still be too many unresolved issues with signal source and play back. One thing I did take away from all the information was that we are aproaching the limitations of human vision. If the manufacturers could all get on the same page and agree upon similar standards it will be safe to invest.

 

[Dave Moritz]

I am looking at the Oppo player and I plan on buying that eventually to upgrade my current Samsung 4K UHD BD player. My ultimate goal is to get a 4K projector with HDR & Dolby Vision so I will be waiting awhile. How ever with the current OLEDS and LED 4K's IMHO there may be a small issue here and there I still feel 4K UHD is the ultimate experience at this time. I was under the impression that would have been done at the beginning with the 4K UHD Group that set the standards that included manufactures and movie studios. The next leap IMHO will be displays that actually will be able to make you think your looking through a literal physical window! How ever do we need it to ever be that real? People may at that point have trouble separating real from video entertainment if it gets that real. But I feel it is more than good enough now to go the 4K route and that is why I got the tv and the player.

 

[Bob Bielski]

I agree with you Dave. I right now am in love with OLED. I do not run my display above the level that it will clip, so the white level is not high at all. It is so hard to get the perfect contrast level for all average signals. I use Spears and Munsill and settle for what it looks like off the cable. I do not have a night and day adjustment that I change to, I just run it as perfect as I can get it. I just don't get anybody watching in bright daylight. To me it is like listening to music at an airport or train station. A small ambient light behind the display is acceptable. My eyes hurt and I get headaches when in torch mode. How big is your set in inches? Some people can't see the big difference in 4K on smaller displays. I am still using 1080 plasma for now.

 

[Dave Moritz]

Currently my display is a 55" but I will be so glad when I can have a 4K projector. HDR is not a problem right now but nothing has Dolby Vision as far as projectors go. And Sony right now is the only projector that is true 4K. The other so called 4K projectors are not actually 4K as there image sensors are actually 1080p sensors using gimics like E-Shift to get higher resolutions but there are not true 4K. Sony is coming out with a new model that is 4K for $4,999.99. If I do not get a projector my goal will move to something like a 75" OLED and at that time I will be looking at Sony and maybe LG. I also really want to update to a new receiver for 4K switching, Dolby Atoms and DTS-X decoding. I also want to upgrade my Samsung 4K UHD BD to a Oppo and add speakers for Atmos and X. I have Advent Marble speakers for my rear surrounds and I want to get matching B&W to go with my B&W center speaker and matching B&W's for the height channels.

4K projector or OLED, new receiver, upgrade 4K UHD BD player, upgrade rear speakers and add height speakers and if I do nothing else but buy movies I will be very very happy. 4K UHD is the end of line as I do not plan on going beyond that and Dolby True HD, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Atmos and DTS-X are also going to be more than good enough. Do not need anything above 4K video in the home and do not need anything more than lossless audio and Atmos for sound. Will concentrate on movies / getting more albums for music oh and I will try and upgrade to a nicer turntable. Lots of money to be spent and now I just have to come up with it all and try and save up for a vacation to Germany. Have not had a vacation since late 1990's.

 

[Dave Moritz]

Currently my dream projector would be a Sony 4K with a Stewart Film Screen 120" Screen. If I hit the lottery then I will just get a commercial 4K and have a over the top home theater built with a nice loby and soda fountain and pop corn machine with room for snacks.

 

[Dave Moritz]

Am now looking forward to the original X men titles to be on 4K UHD BD and will be upgrading Fast & Furious 6 and adding Furious 7 on 4K UHD BD. I want to add many of the earlier Fast & Furious movies but not sure about Tokyo Drift right now. If I add Tokyo Drift it might be only on blu-ray just to complete the set unless I change my mind.

 

[Dave Moritz]

Latest Shopping Trip!


Would totally buy these again on 4K UHD BD!

So I swear this is the last time I will buy Lethal Weapon !!!!

 

[Dave Moritz]

For many of us who have been around this hobby long enough it has been a long journey and a lot of changes between here and there!

I had a two channel tube receiver before this but my first decent two channel set up was a Kenwood rack system. Vinyl and cassettes where the first thing I ever got into!

My Denon surround sound integrated amplifier. My entry into surround sound!

To date the best upgrade I was ever able to do only because of a old friend! McIntosh MX-130 Surround Sound Preamp Tuner.

My Sony HD Wega rear projection TV

HD-DVD was the first HD format supported and purchased and before buying the player I started purchasing blu-ray titles! At that point I had already decided that blu-ray would be my format of choice.

The Sony Blu-ray was the 1st gen player and I finally upgraded it to a Denon blu-ray!

Pioneer SC-05 purchased used! Upgraded my old Yamaha RX-V995 5.1 to a 7.1 receiver with Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio.

Neighbors boss upgraded his sub so my neighbor brought me his old HSU 15" 600watt sub. Nothing like a free upgrade!

My shinny new unboxed Samsung 4K UHD TV My precious!

Modification to old tv stand for planned Bowers & Wilkens center channel speaker upgrade!

Polk CS-100 center channel speaker last days in my home theater configuration before being upgraded to a bigger and better Bowers & Wilkens center channel speaker.

Did you notice the same Altec Lancing A-7 speakers have been with me for some time? I believe I have had these speakers ever since I purchased them from my father back around 1987 for $400 for the pair. They have gone from stereo duty when they where hooked up to an Onkyo A-8190 Stereo Intergrated Amp to my current Pioneer Elite SC-05! I started with VHS then added Laser Disc and then added DVD and the first DVD player was a first gen Panasonic. I had a Memorex 2 head hi-fi VHS then a JVC 4 Head hi-fi VHS and even had a Mitsubishi 4 Head S-VHS for awhile. I had a Yamaha Laser Disc then went to a Marantz Laser Disc player. So VHS, Laser Disc, DVD and then I made the jump to HD-DVD instead of waiting and since there was a format war and certain movie studios only supported certain formats. When blu-ray came out I also purchased blu-ray but I ended up purchasing more blu-rays than HD-DVD and if I remember right during CES Toshiba right before there big demo folded and HD-DVD died! I believe that Toshiba figured out that Sony was not only getting most of the backing but sales showed people wanted blu-ray not HD-DVD. But there are many HD-DVD's in my library and titles that have yet to be repurchased on blu-ray and now that we have 4K UHD blu-ray the HD-DVD titles will ether eventually be replaced with blu-ray versions or will be upgraded to 4K UHD blu-rays! I have gone from stereo VHS to VHS with Dolby prologic surround then on to DTS and Dolby DIgital. It did not take me long to dislike Dolby Digital and hens my profile pic that many of you that know me identify with me. I have been very vocal about my feeling about Dolby Digital after many many years of using there technology starting with the audio cassette. But with Dolby Digital I was done with Dolby and I repurchased movies just to get DTS! When HD-DVD came out and there was Dolby Digital Plus I did not buy into Dolby's claim that was better and that it was just as transparent to the master than DTS-HD Master Audio. Dolby tried to make the claim with Dolby Digital back then that there was no need for higher bit rates because there codex was so much more efficient that DTS from what they claimed. But I did not agree and did my best to not buy any movie with Dolby Digital.

But then Dolby released Dolby True HD and there was also DTS-HD Master Audio and while I purchased more DTS-HD titles I was just as happy with Dolby True HD! Dolby in my eyes was back and they had a winner that was just as good as DTS-HD Master Audio and the battle between the two was on. But now if I purchased a movie on blu-ray as long as it was lossless I was ok with ether DTS-HD or Dolby True HD! So Dolby is no long in a dog house with me and I am back to loving Dolby and still love DTS as well which ended up being purchased by a company called DATA SAT. So now as long as it has Dolby or DTS lossless I am happy. Now I actually look for Dolby Atmos and DTS-X which more and more titles are being offered in that immersive format! I have made the jump to 4K UHD and am focusing building my 4K UHD library and the next step is to upgrade the Pioneer SC-05 to a newer Marantz SR-7011 or maybe by the time I get the money a Marantz SR-8011 receiver with 4K switching and Dolby Atmos & DTS-X. Then the ultimate goal with be to buy a 4K projector with a 120" screen and besides upgrading my rear channel speakers and adding high channel speakers for Atmos and X. My upgrading will be done, and by done I mean no more planned upgrades other than maybe upgrading my 4K UHD player to a better player and maybe upgrading my sub. But 4K has be the quality I have always dreamed about I the goal at that point will be to build a 4K library and that is where it will stop for me. No need or want to build a 8K library and even if I end up buying a 8K Super UHD TV many many years from now I have no interest to purchase 8K content! Heck at some point I really need to save money for one trip before I truly do get to old to go anywhere and actually enjoy it! At this point have we actually reached a point that video and audio is more than good enough? How real do we need it before it has a unhealthy effect on our brains and some start to confuse reality with what is on a display in front of us? There are still some improvements to be made but mostly I feel we have reached to place where not much more can be done and at a certain point is it worth getting? But the goal with a projector is a 4K native projector with HDR which is currently available and Dolby Vision which is currently not available. Currently 10/6/2017 for the most part Sony is the only manufacturer to make a 4K projector! JVC has also makes a true 4K but only there top model as the rest are pseudo 4K! JVC makes only one model that is 4K and the rest use a 1080p chip that fakes being 4K as does a few other brands. So as of 10/6/2017 my choice will most likely be a Sony 4K projector. My choice in receiver upgrade is a Marantz but that doesn't mean another brand will not earn that spot in my home theater where my Pioneer Elite SC-05 currently sits! If I was to hit the lottery then a whole new world of choices open up and I would be looking at a top of the line Sony 4K projector, Stewert Film Screen projection screen, Marantz Pre/Pro with McIntosh Amplification and dual subs and anywhere from 4-6 channels overhead. And at that point I would have professionals come in and build a large custom state of the art home theater with a nice entry loby and concession stand!

So to all you home theater fans out there enjoy what you have because there is so many ways to build a system and enjoy our movies and music. This is the beauty of this hobby that there are so many ways to build your system and we live in a time where there are so many options that we never had before. And we live in a time where the quality in our homes has never been better! If for what ever reason I end up not going beyond what I have now I honestly will no longer stress because I can live with what I have. If I go beyond this and get my upgrades icing on the cake, pure icing on the cake.

 

[Dave Moritz]

Here is some photos of some of my older gear!

 

[Dave Moritz]

Here are some movies

 

[Dave Moritz]

Music Titles

 

[Dave Moritz]

Just canceled Netflix ! Can not justify Netflix when I am unemployed and when I am still waiting for an employment agency to get there act together!

 

[Dave Moritz]

Latest 4K UHD BD purchase! Now up to 60 4K UHD BD titles.

My upgrade of Apollo 13 from HD-DVD to 4K UHD BD

 

[Dave Moritz]

These are the way my home theater plans are going but they can always be changed and or modified. It is funny how back when I got into this hobby VHS and Laserdisc where the thing and I knew technology would evolve even back then. But I did not know that we would have 4K video and audio formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS-X! I was so impressed with DTS the first time I saw Jurassic Park in theaters! I thought wow it doesn't get better than this! But not only has it gotten better in the theater but much better in the home! And I am once again at the point wondering if it can actually get any better than it is now. But this time are we finally at the point where we are at or close to the limits of human hearing and what the human eye can really see? They are talking about 8K video but seriously will the average consumer buy into 8K video? How many more channels will they add and what part of the room will they place them? I also have to wonder are we at the point where people will stop wanting to add speakers in the room. Sure those that are hardcore into this hobby may continue with 8K and more and more speakers. But I think we are past the point where the average consumer is comfortable and many people do not want to go beyond 5.1 or 7.1. I of course want to see what the future brings but is home theater at it's peak right now? At what point if we are not there already do we hit that point where the average person can no longer tell the difference? Are we at that point right now?

What I am looking at currently:
http://www.us.marantz.com/us/Produc...CatId=AVReceivers&SubCatId=0&ProductId=SR8012

https://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-udp-205/

https://www.svsound.com/products/sb-4000
or
https://www.svsound.com/products/pc-4000

https://www.sony.com/electronics/projector/vpl-vw365es

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/bowers...udspeakers-pair-black/4826001.p?skuId=4826001
These speakers will upgrade my Advent Marble speakers that are being used for surround. And 4 more identical speakers will be used for Dolby Atmos and DTS-X content. If the day comes where I take the Altec A-7 out of the loop they will most likely be replaced by matching Bowers & Wilkens floor standing towers!

More and more 4K content along with some 1080p blu-ray content moving forward!

We all love this hobby and that is why we have been involved for so long or why new people get into it now! If I basically financially had to stop right now with what I have I would still be happy and love what I have. I am lucky to have had the gear and movies I have had over the years because according to my yearly earnings one might say I couldn't not afford the things I have purchased. Because I worked and sacrificed and was suborn and got the best that I could afford. Sure it was not the ultimate best out there but I know many many people out there have nothing that touches what I have had or have now. So I honestly have no room to complain at the end of the day! Considering where I am financially I am very much pushing it beyond the limit with my choices above and if I achieve it, it will be beyond epic and I will not be able to ask for more. Even if there is better speakers, a better receiver, better sub woofer at the end of the day there is always something better or more expensive and most of us are no where rich enough to afford the ultimate best that is out there. What we can do is get the best that we can and enjoy what we have.


From this in the 1980's

To this in 2017!

 

[Dave Moritz]

I also need to get my original DTS Theatrical Surround Sound Poster framed and a very limited edition Star Trek Beyond poster that I won!

Sorry for the crappy picture but it came out of the bubble wrap for a fast picture and back in in went and the bubble wrap was re taped! I can not believe the image of this poster online is almost impossible to find! I google searched it and searched for one being sold on ebay and nothing. I thought I was going to freak because at first I couldn't find where I put my original theatrical DTS posters. I actually have two just in case but I need to get this poster framed especially! So how many people here that love DTS managed to get there hands on one of these posters and even have it displayed in there home theater? The DTS plaque is also an original ordered from DTS along with the two identical posters. I actually also had a DTS cap from DTS but when I was a truck driver I screwed up and left it somewhere at some truck stop.

 

[Dave Moritz]

Barring any pay issues I should be ordering my evolution kit for my Samsung 4K UHD TV tomorrow from Best Buy!

 

[Dave Moritz]

Four more titles for my collection! Lion King upgrades my DVD version and Bambi is a first time addition. As is Peanuts Holiday Collection and Transformers: The Last Knight.

 

[Dave Moritz]

This was my HD collection back in June 2007

I had not even gotten my Sony Blu-ray Player yet but had 30 BD titles!

December 7th, 2017 - Over 10 Years Later

I have gone from 30 BD Titles to 346 BD Titles! My HD-DVD collection stagnated many years ago and did not grow much beyond what is in the picture. There is about 50 HD-DVD's in the photo and I stopped at 75 HD-DVD's. But now I have 62 4K UHD BD Titles which is double of what is in this photo. And it has been a very long time since I have purchased anything on DVD.