Physical & Digital EST: The Future of Home Video Discussion Thread

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

You also have added taxes through importing and customs for discs. It’s far cheaper to get region B from Germany, Spain, France for titles that don’t come out here.

"Real" film fans don't care about these nominal fees.

I have been importing discs for years and years and the extra cost is usually trivial. Some times importing has even been cheaper than comparable domestic purchases. The only annoying thing is the longer wait to receive them.

It is far better to have region free capability, and with it access to the whole global disc market, than to not have it. When I want a movie, I want that movie. As someone who used to pay laserdisc prices, I don't make excuses about cost. I make plans to get what I want instead.

[Anthony P]

this thread is very different when Vilya feels better (glad to see that)

my 2 cents on the topic of HT+
-----
pseudo definitions
--Living room: a multi-purpose room use for one or more of these activities regularly watching TV/films, sitting and discussing, playing
--family room: a more informal version of living room
-- home theatre/home cinema: if you don't feel you entered a small movie theatre room it is not a HT
-- multimedia room: something between HT and LR
--man cave: multimedia room used to escape the rest of the family and/or hang out with other guy friends
screening room: still has its place in businesses but IMHO an archaic term for HT that harks back to the days before home media where the only people that had HT were wealthy people that had links to the industry
-------
some points

I don't think an HT needs to be "dedicated", we can easily add that qualifier if needed. a proper HT will have a lot of empty space. If the front row has a hide-a-bed seating and it is also used as a guest bed room when needed, I don't have an issue with that. If between the last row and the wall someone adds a desk and it is also used as an office so be it.

when it comes to tech it is a bit hard because it advances rapidly. If someone built an HT 20 years ago with SD projector, 5.1 audio and DVD player and nothing has changed and still used that way does it magically stop being an HT? IMHO no, it might have been a state of the art HT then and no more now but it is still an HT

Someone can have a cheap and crappy HT and someone else a fancy LR/FR in the same way that someone can have a crappy sports car while someone else has a luxury none-sports car.

I agree with the people that said an HT needs a projector (obviously not the only thing) but projectors have existed for way too long and there is IMHO a big difference between watching an image on a direct view display or not.

-----

my HT has windows (but they are usually covered up) and the color is kind of dark but no where near black. yes sometimes kids have put on shows on the proscenium and yes my HT has been used for slumber parties (recliners are very comfortable) but when the movie is playing we are there to watch a movie not to look at windows or walls.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Our Queen has passed away.

Originally Posted by crutzulee

Our's has too...

She was an amazing woman I have a lot of respect for her.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by alchav21

I think you're right Ender, the Big Studios are going to cut back on their Disc Department. License out to the Independent's which makes more Budget sense. The only thing is limited quantities to keep price high and stable for a good Profit Margin!

lol only you can see the negative in an option for a higher quality release.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by crutzulee

Watched the new THOR movie with my kids last night...The parts I didn't sleep through

Originally Posted by bhampton

I've slept through the first two episodes and I didn't see him.

lol you and I differ on the definition of watching something

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

this thread is very different when Vilya feels better (glad to see that)

I agree with the people that said an HT needs a projector (obviously not the only thing) but projectors have existed for way too long and there is IMHO a big difference between watching an image on a direct view display or not.

I am the added fiber missing in our internet diet; I get things moving.

What a relief it is to know that I only need to spend $46 to qualify as having a home theater.

Originally Posted by Vilya

For just $45.99, I can haz real home theater with 180" screen!

https://www.walmart.com/ip/APEMAN-Up...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

Merriam-Webster, Britannica, and Oxford have all offered definitions for what a home theater is and all three specifically mention TVs in their definitions. But as I said then:

Originally Posted by Vilya

But who the hell are any of these compared to the brain trusts that we having opining here?

No one was disputing that there is a difference between viewing a projected image or a direct view display. Having a preference for one or the other is fine, but neither preference disqualifies one from having a home theater.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by Vilya

What a relief it is to know that I only need to spend $46 to qualify as having a home theater.

like I said it is not about what one spends, if that 46$ projector makes you happy go for it.
[/quote]
Merriam-Webster, Britannica, and Oxford have all offered definitions for what a
home theater is and all three specifically mention TVs in their definitions. But as I said then:[/QUOTE]

https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionari...q=home+theater

​television and video equipment designed to give a similar experience to being in a cinema, with high-quality pictures and sound and a large screen

problem #1 I have never been in a cinema that has a TV as screen and since you can't have a similar experience with a direct view there is a contradiction there IMHO

problem #2 ` if we remove the contradiction "television and video equipment with high-quality pictures and sound and a large screen"

depending on what "large screen" means that fits many of my rooms but not what I consider my HT because my HT does not have a TV in it.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dict...home%20theater

an entertainment system for the home that usually consists of a large television with video components (such as a DVD player and VCR) and an audio system offering surround sound

https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/home-theater

an entertainment system for your home that usually includes a large television, a DVD player or VCR, and a sound system with many speakers

the word "usually" means that I can include my HT in the definition as an outlier (projector imnstead of TV) but that also means I have 8 HTs in my home.

I like to think of them as LR, FR, office, bedroom....

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

problem #1 I have never been in a cinema that has a TV as screen and since you can't have a similar experience with a direct view there is a contradiction there IMHO.

There are direct view display cinemas in a few test markets, but I have never been to one.

Originally Posted by Vilya

Incidentally, Sony and Samsung both have experimented with direct view screens in commercial movie theater applications.

You can have a "similar" experience with a large direct view display because the word "similar" also allows for differences. Something does not have to be an exact replica to be "similar."

Reproducing that big screen, big sound experience in the home is what is similar, not exact, to a commercial cinema.

Whether you use a projector or a TV, there remain many differences between the home and commercial viewing environments. A measure of similarity is all that most of us can ever hope to obtain and which similar aspects are of importance will vary with the individual.

I will define a home theater as having a large display, projected or direct view, with a surround sound system and high quality video sources in a room that can be adequately light controlled to maximize the image quality. Personally, I think having a professional popcorn machine makes for a nice touch, too.

People with multiple viewing rooms usually choose the one with the nicest gear to be their home theater. If you want to call all 8, or just one, of your viewing rooms a home theater, so be it: Your very own home theater multi-plex! People define things anyway they want, anyhow, just like Humpty Dumpty:

"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less."

I have enough already, but seeing as you only do weekends here, feel free to take your swings at it.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Vilya

You're always worried about what MIGHT happen instead of what actually is happening. Far and away most TV shows on disc are offered in their entirety even now. American Horror Story is by far the exception and not the rule.

Killing Eve is another. And that’s just a recent example.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Vilya

"Real" film fans don't care about these nominal fees.

I have been importing discs for years and years and the extra cost is usually trivial. Some times importing has even been cheaper than comparable domestic purchases. The only annoying thing is the longer wait to receive them.

It is far better to have region free capability, and with it access to the whole global disc market, than to not have it. When I want a movie, I want that movie. As someone who used to pay laserdisc prices, I don't make excuses about cost. I make plans to get what I want instead.

I haven’t got unlimited funds.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Killing Eve is another. And that’s just a recent example.

Actually, it isn't.



Price $19.99.

Penguin already showed you that the last season is available. It just happens to be a Region A locked title and your inability to play Region A titles is your problem and not one with the format.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

I haven’t got unlimited funds.

Who does?

If a pensioner like me can afford to spend $130 to get , then so can you or anyone else.

With this hobby, sometimes you have to save up your pennies to buy what you want, but if you really really want a movie, saving up is exactly what you do.

I want to import and doing so will only cost me about $25. That's cheaper than what a Criterion blu-ray typically costs.

I also want and that one will only cost me about $15 to import.

Price is just an excuse. A film lover will move Heaven and Earth to get a movie that they truly want to own.

I'm still considering buying this OOP 3D title . The $160 price gives me pause, but it is no real obstacle if I decide that I want it badly enough.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Vilya

Who does?

If a pensioner like me can afford to spend $130 to get , then so can you or anyone else.

With this hobby, sometimes you have to save up your pennies to buy what you want, but if you really really want a movie, saving up is exactly what you do.

I want to import and doing so will only cost me about $25. That's cheaper than what a Criterion blu-ray typically costs.

I also want and that one will only cost me about $15 to import.

Price is just an excuse. A film lover will move Heaven and Earth to get a movie that they truly want to own.

I'm still considering buying this OOP 3D title . The $160 price gives me pause, but it is no real obstacle if I decide that I want it badly enough.

Yes, but you buy films then don’t watch them!

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by Vilya

Merriam-Webster, Britannica, and Oxford have all offered definitions for what a home theater is and all three specifically mention TVs in their definitions.

For many years I referenced our condo livingroom as being a “Media Room” even after front projection was installed. Only after constructing a dedicated room did I think of having a “Home Theater” even tho I still refer to it as a media room out of habit. For my cadd files: Documents → Drawings → Home Theater or → Media Room.

For me, home theater is a miniature version of a commercial theater and as Mrs. Slocombe would say, “I am unanimous in that.”

[Show spoiler]

Mrs Slocombe's Funniest Moments | Are You Being Served? - YouTube

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Yes, but you buy films then don’t watch them!

I do watch them. I just have a lot more to choose from than do some of you.

Price is just an excuse. Region locked is just another excuse. Stop making excuses and buy the movies/TV shows that you want. Some titles will cost pocket change and some will require saving up, but if you really want/love a title, you will find a way to own it.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

For me, home theater is a miniature version of a commercial theater and as Mrs. Slocombe would say, “I am unanimous in that.”

Such a fun show!



It's in my collection.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by Vilya

There are direct view display cinemas in a few test markets, but I have never been to one.

I know many years ago there was some talck about it and in screaning rooms but I don't remeber of any in cinemas, do you have a link to where there are ( more curiosity than anything else)

You can have a "similar" experience with a large direct view display because the word "similar" also allows for differences. Something does not have to be an exact replica to be "similar."

I have a large TV and a projector. I can tell you from my experience that the two are not similar even if I make both pictures the same size.

there is just something fundamentally different from having light hit a screen and it slightly scatters un evenly in all directions because of the texture of the screen and having it coming out of your display directly.

I am not judging just saying it is different and not similar in my experience and humble opinion.

I will define a home theater as having a large display, projected or direct view, with a surround sound system and high quality video sources in a room that can be adequately light controlled to maximize the image quality. Personally, I think having a professional popcorn machine makes for a nice touch, too.

I like my popcorn machine but it is not in my HT.

don't get me wrong good audio is important, but I find it hard to include in a definition of HT because technologically it has evolved too much, if someone watches an old VHS tape of a silent movie those overhead speakers are not doing much

on the other hand

I would not consider an HT even if it has a projector and possibly good audio and it is 99% of the time just 2-3 people in the room. The minute someone sits on one of the two couch parts perpendicular to the screen he will have a terrible A/v/neck pain experience. and if someone is not meant to sit there they should not be there.

but seeing as you only do weekends here, feel free to take your swings at it.

unfortunately I still have to work no time to come here during the week.

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by Vilya

It's in my collection.

Mine too, also have Are You Being Served? Again!

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

Mine too, also have Are You Being Served? Again!

I don't have that one. Is it a worthwhile successor to the original series?

And what about this:



I was unaware that there was a movie with the same name.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

I know many years ago there was some talck about it and in screaning rooms but I don't remeber of any in cinemas, do you have a link to where there are ( more curiosity than anything else)

Here are the links that I used in my original post about direct view cinema; the first is from 2018 and the second from 2022:

https://www.cinematech.today/index.p...he-real-world/

https://www.redsharknews.com/hdr-led...mas-using-them

Originally Posted by Anthony P

I have a large TV and a projector. I can tell you from my experience that the two are not similar even if I make both pictures the same size.

While I do not own a home projector I have certainly seen them in operation and there are both differences AND similarities with a direct view display. It's just a matter of preference and whether you choose to focus upon what is different or what is similar.