What constitutes a "Home Theater?" (1 Viewer)

[Peter Apruzzese]

Nothing less than a 35mm setup. Everything else is home video theater.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Peter has a point there.
Really, "home theater" is a state of mind.
And why all this obsession with surround sound? My goodness, most commercial theaters had only monophonic sound until late in the 1980s. Were they not "theaters" in spite of that? If I am watching the Citizen Kane DVD on my set-up, in, as Widescreen Review would put it, "big fat mono," am I suddenly not enjoying "home theater" any longer? But if I slip, say, the Unbreakable DVD into the player, my system becomes "home theater" again?
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[Sania M]

Should not attack others despite utterly stupid comments, b/c it's opinion.
[Edited last by Sania M on November 16, 2001 at 01:26 PM]

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

Jack and Sania, the goal is to recreate, as close as you can, the theater experience at home, and it's not just about "getting sound to come from everywhere" all the time.
Jack, you mentioned the 'Citizen Kane' dvd in mono, well if you watch in mono on your system then you are recreating, to the best of your ability, what it was like to see 'Citizen Kane' during it's theatrical run.
I don't care about surround sound, I care that i'm being as faithful to the film as I can. If 'Citizen Kane' was originally mono then give me mono, I won't have it any other way. If 'Saving Private Ran' is in DD or DTS 5.1 originally, I wouldn't have IT any other way.
In short, your home theater should conform to whatever film your watching on it.
Sania, please don't take this the wrong way because i'm only curious, but if you have such contempt for this hobby, then why did you join the Home Theater Forum?
Yes, home theater IS a state of mind, but unfortunatly some level of audio and video equipment is required as well. I mean I can say that being rich and wealthy is a state of mind, but without the actual money, i'm just not.
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To the men and women of the N.Y. police and fire department
God bless you.
To the victims and their families
God keep you.
To the dirtbags who caused all this
God help you!!!
[Edited last by John Williamson on November 15, 2001 at 07:31 PM]
[Edited last by John Williamson on November 15, 2001 at 07:37 PM]
[Edited last by John Williamson on November 15, 2001 at 07:47 PM]
[Edited last by John Williamson on November 15, 2001 at 07:51 PM]
[Edited last by John Williamson on November 16, 2001 at 03:46 AM]

 

[Sania M]

I'll just delete the post.
Enjoy what you have and upgrade if you want.
-Supposedly bitter 13" tv w/ mono guy.
[Edited last by Sania M on November 16, 2001 at 12:58 PM]

 

[RicP]

'Citizen Cain'

Uh...that would be K A N E
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Ric Perrott - My DVD's

 

[Justin Doring]

"Citizen Cain"
Apparently some are into their theaters more than the movies they watch on them.
Some have said that the goal of a "Home Theater" is to recreate a "Movie Theater." After seeing Heist in a brand new, state of the art theater, I can't think why anybody would want to recreate that look and sound. Movie theaters sound horrible and don't look much better. My goal is not to put me in the theater but, rather, to put me in the movie.
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"Home is where the theater is!"

 

[Sean Conklin]

John Williamson is right!
If we can come close to recreating the "viewing" as the directors intended. Then we can call our system a HT!
Example: ALWAYS OAR,... NEVER Chopped up PAN AND SCAN!! And come close(fair amount of leeway here)to reproducing the directors intended audio track, whether it be Mono, Stereo, or Surround!
This is not an Elitist view. If you have the ability to reproduce, reasonably, what I stated above then it's fair to call your system a Home Theater.
If you don't have the equipment to view OAR and at least Surround capability(unless it's a mono or stereo track),then your not watching it as the director intended it to be watched.
Why shouldn't these be the minimal guidelines to be able to call your set up a HT?
I used to have a TV with mono speaker and a VCR, and I would never have called that HT! It's called watching a movie!
Now I have the ability for OAR, DD, dts,Mono, Stereo, or whatever the director intended. It's called watching a movie on a Home Theater!
Besides, that's why we spend so much time here at the HTF, because we are Elitist Bastards, or Elitist Bastards in training! We want to be exclusive and special.

Most of us strive for the best quality we can possibly afford, that's one of the main functions of the HTF, to educate and help people who are serious to achieve HT!
As someone stated earlier, if EVERYTHING is a HT, then nothing is a HT!
It is clearly a hobby and the line has to be drawn somewhere!
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Sean
"Self Realization....I was thinking of the immortal words of Socrates who said.......I drank what?"

 

[Brad_W]

I'm still saving up for this flat screen widescreen thin TV with a liquid crystal screen I saw at one of my local dealers. It's only $56,000.00
I started in Jan. and I now have $3.00 towards it. I can't wait!!
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"People = Sh*t" - Slipknot
My Home Page:
http://www.geocities.com/masternix/DVD.html
My List O' DVDs:
Link Removed

 

[Sean Conklin]

quote: And why all this obsession with surround sound? My goodness, most commercial theaters had only monophonic sound until late in the 1980s[/quote]
Jack, hows it going?
As you know most all new movies are created and intended to be watched with surround sound.
We are in the year 2001

and most movies are just not made with fat Mono.
In order to call our set up a "HT" in this day and age we must be able to reproduce( at least closely) what the director intended.
Let me guess, you do not like the 5.1 remaster of 2001 A Space Odyssey?
In the year 2001 we strive to create HT, complete with surround.
If it was 1980 we would strive to create a Home showhouse, complete with Fat Mono, and even Stereo.
Is this thread really going anywhere? Who and what is going to decide if we can call our rigs a HT?
I believe it's as simple as OAR capability and Audio reproduction as the director intended! And maybe a dark room.
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Sean
"Self Realization....I was thinking of the immortal words of Socrates who said.......I drank what?"
[Edited last by Sean Conklin on November 15, 2001 at 11:43 PM]

 

[Reginald Trent]

There are some that believe you do not have a Home Theater if....you don't have front projection on a screen. Irrespective of the other components in your system.
However, I believe you have a Home Theater if you have a video display capable of properly reproducing the video introduced into it along with correct reproduction of the audio. In essence, Home Theaters only vary by the quality, cost and dimensions of the components. Everything else is relative.

 

[Jon_B]

I only have a 25" TV and have no center channel. I would venture a guess and say that I do not really have a home theater by the strict guidelines of the experts.
Jon

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

Sean, thank you!
Sania, first off try using smilies in your posts if you were joking.
Second, this thread is supposed to be lighthearted and fun, SO RELAX!
And third, these are not hard and fast rules in this thread, they are opinions, and my post reflected mine.
Everything I said in my second post was dead on, and I stand by it 100%, with the exception of misspelling 'Kane', whoops, but i've corrected that.
quote...
"oh shut the hell up, that is stupid elitist garbage!"
Excuse me! You won't last long here speaking to other members in such a manner my freind.
I can't believe we still have to put up with this sort of nonsense in the HOME THEATER FORUM!

Hey Crawdaddy, you were right, those rolleyes smilies really ARE good for something!
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To the men and women of the N.Y. police and fire department
God bless you.
To the victims and their families
God keep you.
To the dirtbags who caused all this
God help you!!!
[Edited last by John Williamson on November 16, 2001 at 03:49 AM]
[Edited last by John Williamson on November 16, 2001 at 03:57 AM]
[Edited last by John Williamson on November 16, 2001 at 04:15 AM]
[Edited last by John Williamson on November 16, 2001 at 04:17 AM]
[Edited last by John Williamson on November 16, 2001 at 04:27 AM]

 

[Mike Knapp]

I did a survey in Best Buy once. I asked about 20 Joe Six Packs all looking at DVDs what constituted a "Home Theater" to them. Most of them (near 100%) said a "big screen" (RPTV) TV was the first thing. Many didnt think surround was important or necessary, just the sound from the TV qualified.
So Joe thinks a BIG image is the main thing. We all have different views because of our experiences. This has nothing to do with elitism. Joe dont know digital sound so it isnt in his mix.

...most movies are just not made with fat Mono.

This may be true of modern film but there are easily twice as many films without surround as there are with it.
Oh, an elitist seems to be anyone who's definition of a home theater excludes yours.
All I can afford is a Radio Flyer tied to my bycycle but I am happy with it so it is now an SUV? Dont say otherwise or you are an elitist? I am lost in that logic. What that really amounts to is an incorrect definition of something.
Look guys and gals, this will never be solved. People tend to draw the line right at where their equipment is. Enjoy your films and when some guy with a 13" TV tells you that he has a home theater, just smile and let it pass. I smile at the guy on the corner that talks to himself with his hand down his trousers too.
Mike

 

[Jerry Gracia]

-Shut the hell up. That's stupid elitist garbage.

This is one of the most rudest comments I've read here in a while.
Sania,
You need a serious lesson in manners, sir.
Unbelievable.
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LuvLBX

 

[Robert Crawford]

Members,
Please, remember our forum posting guidelines!
Crawdaddy

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Sania is new to our forum, so I would suggest to our members that leadership by example of how we conduct ourselves on this forum is the best solution.
Sania has been spoken to by the moderating staff, so please continue this discussion on the topic at hand.
Thanks
Vince
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http://www.musicianassist.com
AIM: VinceMaskeeper
Do you want SOUTH PARK on DVD in order, rather than themed sets? Join our overwhelming majority!!

 

[Jerry Gracia]

Post Deleted by Jerry Gracia
[Edited last by Jerry Gracia on November 16, 2001 at 01:07 PM]

 

[BryanZ]

There is indeed a balance to all of this madness. A $10,000 FP system would put forward a very nice picture, but if you have a $200 Fluance system with a Sony SA-WM40 sub powered by the cheapest 5.1 receiver you can find it will sound like junk. Conversely, if you have a $10,000 audio system and a 13" tv it will be out of proportion. The sound will be phenominal but the image won't do it justice. A $4,000 audio system with a 35" tv is reasonable. A $6,500 audio system with a fp system is also reasonable. Neither the sound nor image are out of place.
That should be the balance that we all strive for. I could use a larger tv for my system. I freely admit that. However, it isn't so out of proportion that one or the other draws attention to itself. If I had a smaller tv, then the sound would draw attention to itself.
Ideally, we want an image and audio system that will put us inside the movie, not just watching and listening to it. We want to see what all is going on around us and hear the gunfire as it wizzes by our ear, just missing it by a few millimeters.
Of course, all of this is dictated by your budget and room size. If you can only afford a 13" tv and are able to connect it to an Awia stereo that constitutes your HT. If you are able to have a Panasonic 27" tv, Outlaw receiver, nOrh 4.0 speakers, SVS sub, S700 amp, and Panasonic dvd player and Toshiba vcr, then that is your HT (actually mine, but you get the idea

).
Most people when they hear the word "theater" immediately think of a big screen. Sound is an afterthought, as it very well should be. However, without the impact of the sound what is happening on the screen becomes unimportant. You see the big explosion and hear a pop rather than an explosion that tears your insides apart and leaves you bleeding on the street asking for more. Everything lies in that balance, from the sound of the dust coming off to the depth charges going off all around you.
A true HT should be able to do justice to a movie, even it is being shown on UPN through a 13" black and white tv with the sound coming through an Awia minisytem in an 8' x 8' x 8' room with an old, ragged bean bag as best seat in the house. It may not be the best system in the world, but it is better than nothing at all and may very well be the best that you are able to afford.
[Edited last by BryanZ on November 16, 2001 at 11:00 AM]

 

[Jim_F]

Well, I think just a small TV or a small TV plus a VCR is not enough. A RPTV with good enough sound to fill the room plus a stereo VCR is getting close, though. A 27" TV with a DVDP, external amp and speakers is pretty much in the ballpark. Where to draw the line is very subjective.
A dedicated room, 5 or more identical full-range speakers, and a huge display is nice, but more than a minimum requirement, I think.
The dedicated room qualification is a pretty good bone of contention. I can see this one both ways. ("Where's Jim?" "Oh, he's in the theater")
Maybe it's best to define Home Theater as a hobby rather than a place or collection of equipment and software.
Just to play devil's advocate to Mike's analogy of bike plus wagon- No, your example is not a SUV, but the bicycle is still (most likely) a bicycle, even if it doesn't have all of the features and components that I would insist on having on a bicycle. On the other hand, even if a swimming pool is not an in-ground Olympic-sized pool, is it not still a swimming pool?

And besides, maybe Home Cinema is the more correct term. In order to have a Home Theater, wouldn't you need to employ at least one live actor?
[Edited last by Jim_F on November 16, 2001 at 11:56 AM]