Rundown of Blu-ray home theatre vs. commerical theatre

[andytoh]

I am hoping to get a thorough list of the pros and cons of watching a blu-ray movie in a nice home theater vs watching in a theater. I'm still waiting for my JVC DLA-RS1 projector, so my answer may not be accurate. Please try to complete/correct my rundown.

Blu-Ray movie in home theater (with a 100"+ screen, 1080p projector, and high-end surround sound speakers):
-Better picture quality
-Better sound quality
-More comfortable seating (e.g. a recliner)
-Privacy, no obstruction or noise
-Convenience, ability to pause, rewind (and do whatever else you please)
-Joy of owning the movie

Theater
-New releases
-Much more panoramic view
-An even higher resolution
-Louder sounds (without worrying about disturbing others)
-More suitable with a date or friends
-No need to replace bulbs
-No worry about becoming out of date in technology

This is not a thorough list by any means. What have I missed so far?

[haushausman]

I'd say to each there own. Some people really like the whole movie theater experience. I myself, purposely constructed a home theater that I prefer way more than going anywhere. Yours sounds badass... I'd never leave for some overpriced smelly theater. And it seems new releases are hitting DVD/BD sooner and sooner...

I'd add under Home theater advantages:
-Smoking when you want

[shock_terminal]

Originally Posted by andytoh

Blu-Ray movie in home theater (with a 100"+ screen, 1080p projector, and high-end surround sound speakers):
-Better picture quality (?)
-Better sound quality (?)

Theater

-Higher resolution (?)

I'd like to comment on these.
It depends on what you mean by "Better", this very much depends on the quality of the theatre you attend. Depending on many things like how old it is, what equipment they use, ect.
You could also take into account the Projectionist if it's film, if they are bad you may be out of focus, lots of scratches and/or skips in the movie from where they screwed up.
(I wish they all saw the poster I did when I was a projectionist, "You are the last person to touch the hard work of many people, do your job with pride")


Theatres do have higher resolution as D-Cinema is 2K and Film can be displayed even higher.

[KenThompson]

When Spiderman came out took the wife and we saw at midnight opening day. The picture was good but with the goodies and admission it was over $40. I could have bought a BD and had treats and enjoyed repeat viewings. Don't get me wrong , the wife and I go to alot of movies, and its a great way to get away from the kids.Next up is Die Hard followed by Transformers. There will be no Evan Almighty.

[Chad Varnadore]

I still love the cinema experience, but HT tops it in every way except for price. True film and digital projection can offer higher resolutions than 1080p. But, that is often lost in the theater with poorly focused projectors and the trends in stadium seating that I've been told throws the pj too close to the screen often times. I know that seems to be the case in our newest Cinemark. I used to work at the old Cinemark in town before they rebuilt and went to stadium seating. Even DVD has often times proven an increase in picture performance compared to the cinematic experience. Of course even at 100", you're shrinking the image dramatically, which will result in a perceived increase in sharpness too.

As for the sound, I've never been as remotely content with audio as in HT. Some theaters still relegate movies that have been out a few weeks or even new films expected to pull in smaller crowds to auditoriums only equiped for Dolby Surround. But, even in fully equiped auditoriums, many typically keep volumes lower than reference for two reasons. One, people will complain more if the movie is too loud than too quiet. Two, because in bigger action movies, it's hard to keep the sound from bleeding into the adjacent HT, particularly low frequencies without a large enough void or a solid enough wall.

I think most chains put more weight on being cost effective than preserving the experience. Not replacing bulbs when they should is the least of the problem. It goes all the way to the theaters design. THX certified theaters are few and far between where I'm from. Imax, is about an hour away too, but it always delivers a better experience, when the movie hasn't been cut down. I've yet to find a theater set up for digital projection near me. Though our local cinemark did install digital pjs in all their HTs just for commercials about a year ago. And it doesn't look like they've changed the bulbs since in those either.

[drwatson1234]

I go to the theater regularly. I love new releases. But, I'm going to go with the Blu-ray home theater. I get to lay down and fall asleep after the movie finishes. That's a big plus for me.

[clyon]

I hate the movie theater, I do not go that much at all. The last ime was when Star Wars 3 came out. Crapy sound (my system is better) & it image looked like a cheap LCD tv, flat colors & No blacks. The previous time was Star Wars 6 re-release & got some f^cking little kid behind me that kept making lightsaber sounds. I have never seen Star Wars in a theater, at lease that theater was THX so most of the time the movie drowned that little rug rat.

For sound proofing & sound proofing material a room:

http://www.quietsolution.com/html/qu...FQqgYgod-Bp5DQ