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Went to see Millions yesterday, an unabashedly emotional movie. Afterwards, my friend said something like, I'm starting to understand why you go to so many movies. She said that she completely lost herself during this movie and only at the end started to remember where she was, and that during the movie, all the problems of her life essentially disappeared. In a nutshell, that is quite common and one of the things I love about going to a movie, it is often a truly immersive experience. This simply does not happen to me when watching DVDs at home. But my video system is low end. I wonder if the people here, who seem to mostly watch DVDs, actually experience this and, if so, what kind of video equipment is necessary to get there.
Follow Ups:
Thanks to all for the many interesting responses.It seems that the front projection people are able to answer a clear yes to my question.
Other issues: of course the content itself is important. This is the same point I have made in audio with respect to poor sounding CDs. Some of them are fully involving and satisfying strictly due to their irreplaceable content.
On the other hand, it also works the other way. I have been fully involved with certain movies on the big screen and then later found them far less effective on a TV screen. So the delivery medium does make a difference, particularly if it's not a masterpiece of cinema.
Finally, some people brought up the disadvantages to the movie theater and said they found them distracting. That may be dependent on where you live. I live in close proximity to many movie theaters and virtually never experience crowding or many of the other disadvantages cited. OTOH, my sister lives in a smaller town, with few theaters, and it is indeed crowded and sort of a hassle to go to a movie there.
I too have a Front projector and yes the visual impact can sometimes come close to the theater. The surround sound is MUCH better at home (even with a near-SOTA theater five (5) minutes away).OTOH, It is harder for me to get really involved in a movie at home because of my ability to hit the "pause" button for bathroom/beer breaks or to answer the phone, or see what mischief the kid is up to. The distraction sometimes affects the movie "flow".
In a theater, I have to "tough" it out and hang on every word and really pay attention. OTOH, again, my "immersion" into the movie is easily distracted by talking in the crowd, cellphones ringing, babies crying (ARGGGHHH), etc.
a
b
My wife can get fully absorbed into Beethoven music played on a small portable radio - she gets to the soul of it (and vice versa), and the sound quality doesn't stand in the way.Ditto for being absorbed in the film. It has nothing to do with image quality, or screen size, but everything with the film's impact.
I had watched the Bicycle Thief on a 6" B&W screen and gotten goose bumps, and I had seen plenty of dreck in its full glory on 100" HDTV projector that made me want to go out and rake some leaves.
Like in audio, equipment lovers want good quality of reproduction, but who care about the quality of the work care little.
Ask not the screen size... ask what you are watching.
I agree with this, up to a point. Audio-wise, it doesn't take much, ie, a decent table radio will allow me to be immersed.WHen it comes to video, I've noticed a little problem with me -- TVs make me painfully aware of their presence, 1st is that insane flyback whistle (I can hear a tv a long ways out), then there's the scanlines, then there's the rather tiny image. All of this makes it much more difficult to get absorbed into the material being shown. I used to love the cinemas because of their super-sized, clear image. Makes it much easier to get lost. Now I can get the same effect at home.
The strangest thing is, give me a book, be it text (novel, whatever) or a good comic book (prefferably manga ;o) and I get lost. Quickly and deeply. The room goes away, the fan goes away, the chirping birds go away, everything goes away.
But TVs don"t let me do that. O.o
I also think that TV can be less than perfect with some material that is designed to be visually impactful. Especially silent or near silent scenes where the director intended for the scene alone to do its job. For me to sit back comfortably, say 12' from the screen, I like at least a 27" screen. A larger screen of 32" to 42" is even better for DVDs that are presented in "Widescreen" format. Too much of the screen size is lost due to that compression, perhaps as much as 25% on 4:3 sets and 12% on 16:9 sets. A 16:9 set that is at least 32" will make those films like the classic "Lawrence of Arabia" really enjoyable. Something that is meant to be visually stunning by its scope and expanse needs to be about the size of your head from your perspective or a bit wider than you from your viewing distance to really give you the impression that the space is larger than your actual environment. If not, and you can focus on the screen like a small object in the room, then it is easier to lose concentration and see just that.
-Bill
I agree with Victor on this one. The first time I saw "Citizen Kane" I was watching on a 19" tv (it also was only a black and white set, but that really didn't matter in this instance). The first time I was in New York and staying at the 47th St. Y, I watched "Hiroshima, mon amour" late one night on a tiny 9" set. I was absolutely mesmerized both times.It is the work that matters. Beautiful DVD on a widescreen TV with surround sound enveloping you? Nice, but I've watched "The Wild Bunch" edited for TV and with commercial breaks every 6 minutes on my parents' old TV set. I didn't care...I was watching "The Wild Bunch", and despite TNT or TBS's best efforts, I could still get immersed in it!
It's better to watch a great movie using a chewed-up print projected on a sheet than to see 99% of last year's Hollywood output in a HPS-4000 theatre (although I wish we had one of those around here!).
I watched "The Shining" on a 19" TV in a small, lighted room with some other folks...and got scared! My 1st viewing...might a
had a heart attack if I'd seen it in darkness via theater screen. ~AH
the only time i go to the cinema these days is when i get a media pass to a premiere.can a properly set up home theatre be immersive? absolutely. do i consider many setups to be optimal? probably not. is it more cost effective to go to the cinema than spending the big bucks to get it "right" at home? dunno.
picture quality: sure, 35mm has more resolution, and NTSC/PAL isn't optimal. but DVDs these days are transferred from pristine film prints and i have a light meter calibrated projector that is gamma and colour temperature accurate, whereas the quality at your local cinema suffers from a less than optimal print with colour degradation etc. with true HDTV, it goes the other way - i prefer HDTV at home over the cinema anyday. digital projection at the cinema may swing it back the other way again. but note that, as some have pointed out, the apparent resolution is limited by your eyes, screen size and viewing distance more than the inherent resolution of the media.
sound quality: no doubt about it - home on my 7.1 setup is far better than any cinema i've been too, and i've been to some fancy ones.
distractions: i don't like crowds, and i like the comfort of home, plus the ability to press pause. any reasonable home theatre will be in a dedicated room or semi-dedicated to optimize the viewing experience.
amenities: yes, the "premium class" seats are comfortable, but i prefer my leather recliner sofa :-) plus i pay supermarket prices for food and drink :-)
Digital projection will keep me at home. It looks godawful and almost makes me sick, even just to think about it. (Granted I haven't checked it out for a year.)Digital sound is no great shakes either; always I look for the Sony SDDS exhibitor, far and away the best of the lot.
"The quality at your local cinema suffers from a less than optimal print with colour degradation etc." You talkin' to me?! Then think again. I attend widely here in Boston and around South Florida and South California and *never* have witnessed optical degradation. Oh, the occasional dim bulb -- but I always complain and get a coupla free passes for later.
I'm glad to hear you attend to the gamma, color temp etc. -- most don't, and I'm sure you have mounted a good presentation.
clark
"Digital projection will keep me at home. It looks godawful and almost makes me sick, even just to think about it. (Granted I haven't checked it out for a year.)"
I remember my first experience with digital projection. It was interesting. No flicker and a perfectly stable image. Yet it was horrible. Harsh looking with very poor ability to render subtle gradations in color or value. Pixilation and aliasing problems up the wazoo anytime the image moved with any speed. The last digital projection I saw was of Master and Comander. Much better than before but the problems are still there.
"Digital sound is no great shakes either; always I look for the Sony SDDS exhibitor, far and away the best of the lot."
I don't know to blame the system or just the ridiculous levels that are commonly used. Way toooo loud.
"'The quality at your local cinema suffers from a less than optimal print with colour degradation etc.' You talkin' to me?! Then think again. I attend widely here in Boston and around South Florida and South California and *never* have witnessed optical degradation. Oh, the occasional dim bulb -- but I always complain and get a coupla free passes for later."
Some of us are lucky to live in big cities with competent theaters. I have heard this is a real problem in many areas.
"I'm glad to hear you attend to the gamma, color temp etc. -- most don't, and I'm sure you have mounted a good presentation."
In the end video is just video. Leaves you wondering what the original image really looked like.
a
If that's what you're getting, I suspect you watched something projected thruogh a single-chip DLP, which uses a colorwheel to provide the RGB. Not only headache-inducing to some, but also will cause some folk to see rainbows. I'm one of 'em. I also get the DLP Headache. The rainbow problem, to me, is worst in black/white film, of which I tend to watch quiate a bit of.However, real digital cinema (not home theater, I"m talking about a real theater) won't use a single-chip solution, they'll use a 3-chip solution. No colorwheel. No more headaches, no more rainbows.
While I have yet to see a cine digital projector in use, I can say the home units are getting extremely good.
Mine's a low-end Panasonic with 3 LCD chips. No screendoor, smooth, quite film-like, great color. Contrasty enough to play cartoons with punch, snap and authority. Rez is 720x1280 which is the minimum I'd accept. With LCD, anything lower than that puts you into the screendoor arena.
This is the first time I've been able to actually use a home theater digital projector, both in price and performance. Earlier units were so bad it was not even funny, back then CRT was truly the only way -- but not anymore. CRT willl still get you True Blacks, which I don't know why everyone raises such a stink about -- most film projectors I've seen won't do 100% true black either.
The digital projector scene is moving so fast it isn't funny. Compared to audio, digi pj is moving at warp seven. My brand-new Panasonic AE700 will be a relic, a Jurassic memento, as soon as its replacement comes out. Which won't take but a year or so.
As for immersing in home theater, well, once I went the projector and large-screen route (37* at 11 ft, or 87" x 47"), getting sucked in by the program is *much* easier. The TV got in the way. It has to, because a simple black-and-white comic book will instantly get me immersed, if the subject matter is up my alley. The TV didn't let me get that, I don't know why. The front projector + huge screen lets it happen very easily.
As for audio, what good is all the names you flung about, what good is the great speakers (altec, jbl and klipcsh are cinema favorites) if the speakers are broken (Carmike Cinemas were really bad about that), the equipment is badly calibrated? I get better, more musical, more dynamic sound at home, and frankly, my HT rig is all bottom-feeder. Imagine if I paid as much attention to my HT sound system as I do to my 2-ch.
Cinemas are toast. That's my prediction. They shall continue on as social gathering places, but for serious, studious watching of film / cartoons, my humble little place has got 'em beat.
And one thing you can't do at a real cinema: You can light up a pipe, and help that immersiveness become a wee bit more vibrant, without incurring the wrath of the law ;o) Or pour yourself a whiskey, or whatever floats your boat. Your movie palace, your rules.
Next step is to get a calibration system like SMART III or such, I don't think I can do any more than I have with DVE. But at least I know it's set up as well as I can get it.
Take a gander some day, see what I'm talking about.Certainly there are problems on the home front. That's why I fall back on good ol' CRTs.
Calibration in theatres? Of course, but at home too. Still, if you haven't heard an HPS-4000 installation -- you don't know what you're missing.
clark
I've done it on mine and the difference is amazing. Suddenly, all the colours look "right."
*** It looks godawful and almost makes me sick, even just to think about it. (Granted I haven't checked it out for a year.) ***You would be in the minority, based on research i have read. And your last comment says it all, really.
*** Digital sound is no great shakes either; always I look for the Sony SDDS exhibitor, far and away the best of the lot. ***
Your point is? Regardless of the quality of the soundtrack, it's a lot easier to get better sound at home simply because it's a smaller venue with a limited number of people. at the cinema, you can pretty much forget about getting "the sweet spot", if there is in fact one.
my room has been measured to be +/-3dB from just under 40Hz to 20kHz except for a notch at 120Hz - a typical theatre sounds quite boomy to me and of course you can forget about a flat response above 12kHz in a large venue with lots of people.
And if you like SDDS, then you probably haven't heard the audio dropout issues that other people complain about.
*** I attend widely here in Boston and around South Florida and South California and *never* have witnessed optical degradation. ***
I suspect your standards are different from mine. Colour degradation is a known phenomenon, and is measurable even after a few screenings. Also, the colour temperature in a typical cinema is way off - I've done some measurements. I am the sort of person who gets annoyed by false colours - you don't seem to be, so that's fine.
Notwithstanding that the color palette is equally, or more, the choice of the director (or the DP), making such judgements risky, it actually happens that my engineering background is in optics so I'm a finicky customer. (Careful whom you try to put down.)"You would be in the minority, based on research i have read." Hooboy! Polls have been taken. Great. Um, doesn't that sort of thing rather contradict the sort of detailed concern you clearly have?
"And your last comment says it all, really." Yes, perhaps I should check digital out again, but I hate headaches.
"Your point is?" Pretty clear. I go for good sound and I seek it out. Many houses here, as in Westwood (exhibition capital of the world) are equipped with HPS-4000. Lacking that, many have Kintek. How can you even *hope* to compete with those systems, at home? (Perhaps you haven't heard them?...)
"...the audio dropout issues that other people complain about." They all have dropout. Optical had it, mag had it, digital has it. Of course I complain! To the management. Huh? DVDs never have droput? Ha!
As for "Colour degradation", I tend to see films early in their runs, for all the obvious reasons.
clark
*** Notwithstanding that the color palette is equally, or more, the choice of the director (or the DP), making such judgements risky ***Actually, this makes it even more important to render colours accurately. I want to see white as white, not some yellowish-brownish shade. Unless of course that is what the director intended, in which case I don't want to see it as white :-)
But this is precisely what you can't guarantee at a typical cinema.
*** it actually happens that my engineering background is in optics so I'm a finicky customer. (Careful whom you try to put down.) ***
and somehow this makes your comments more valid? very amusing. i notice you don't know my background either, so you try to be careful.
*** Hooboy! Polls have been taken. Great. Um, doesn't that sort of thing rather contradict the sort of detailed concern you clearly have? ***
Note: "research" is not the same as "polls". and where is the contradiction?
*** Many houses here, as in Westwood (exhibition capital of the world) are equipped with HPS-4000. Lacking that, many have Kintek. How can you even *hope* to compete with those systems, at home? (Perhaps you haven't heard them?...) ***
Again, without knowing my background, this is a really funny comment. Hint: someone who gets invited to film premieres is not likely to be lacking in experience. As i've pointed out, it's a lot easier to achieve better results at home for many reasons.
*** DVDs never have droput? Ha! ***
Actually, no. they shouldn't. Unless you have a faulty player and equipment?
*** As for "Colour degradation", I tend to see films early in their runs, for all the obvious reasons. ***
So when you said you've "never" experienced colour degradation you are obviously speaking from a wealth of experience and your "engineering background in optics" :-)
*** it actually happens that my engineering background is in optics so I'm a finicky customer. (Careful whom you try to put down.) *****and somehow this makes your comments more valid? very amusing.**
Yes, actually, it does. Credit where credit's due, madam.
** i notice you don't know my background either, so you try to be careful.**
Never said I did know; I can only speak for myself, which I did. Is there a problem?
*** Hooboy! Polls have been taken. Great. Um, doesn't that sort of thing rather contradict the sort of detailed concern you clearly have? ***
**Note: "research" is not the same as "polls". and where is the contradiction?**
You alleged that lots of people liked it. That "research" sounds to me pretty much like a "poll".
*** Many houses here, as in Westwood (exhibition capital of the world) are equipped with HPS-4000. Lacking that, many have Kintek. How can you even *hope* to compete with those systems, at home? (Perhaps you haven't heard them?...) ***
**Again, without knowing my background, this is a really funny comment.**
Forgive me for being unable to divine your background. That's no cause to go insulting me.
**Hint: someone who gets invited to film premieres is not likely to be lacking in experience.**
No indeed, but perhaps lacking in capacity would be the explanation. Nor does it escape notice that you avoided a direct answer to a simple question.
**As i've pointed out, it's a lot easier to achieve better results at home for many reasons.**
You made the assertion, yes.
*** DVDs never have droput? Ha! ***
**Actually, no. they shouldn't.**
Alas, they do.
*** As for "Colour degradation", I tend to see films early in their runs, for all the obvious reasons. ***
**So when you said you've "never" experienced colour degradation you are obviously speaking from a wealth of experience and your "engineering background in optics" :-)**
Madam, your sarcasm is becoming tiresome. I assume from the spelling that you're British (or the like), which ipso facto makes you better than me. (Unless you're Canadian.) I understand that. I also take "degradation" to apply to the exhibition print, which sets in usually well after I'm outta there. One can *make* it not a problem by avoiding $2 rerun theatres.
clark
*** Yes, actually, it does. Credit where credit's due, madam. ***Forgive me, I did not realise that an "engineering background in optics" suddenly made you an authority on a completely unrelated topic, such as films. Now that I do, I am humbled before your august presence.
*** Nor does it escape notice that you avoided a direct answer to a simple question. ***
Sorry, I was laughing too hard. Did you *really* want an answer? :-) Did you really want me to recite every cinema I've been to around the world (yes, including the good ol' US of A), complete with specs? And once I did, would that have made any difference?
PS: I did enjoy the Return of the King at the Embassy Theatre in Wellington where it was premiered. It was recently restored with the latest and greatest equipment, with Peter's input. But any decent home theatre can do a better job (on the sound, not necessarily picture) - even Peter acknowledges that, and so he should, he's got a killer setup himself. You should hear him go on about little details in the soundtrack that one can only hear at home on the DVD.
*** That's no cause to go insulting me. ***
And I suppose your posts could have made the Dalai Lama proud? :-)
*** No indeed, but perhaps lacking in capacity would be the explanation. ***
Aha, I see: that's your way of "disagree and be pleasant about it y'know".
Thanks for clearing everything up for me.
*** assume from the spelling that you're British (or the like) ***
I'm insulted :-) Hint: Instead of assuming, you could have easily checked with one click of the mouse.
nt
Now we may speak as equals, for I perceive you have a pretty high opinion of yourself. However, I remain baffled:*** Nor does it escape notice that you avoided a direct answer to a simple question. ***
**Sorry, I was laughing too hard.**
Too simple a question for you? "Sorry, I don't do simple questions"?...
**Did you *really* want an answer? :-)**
It's getting rather tiresome asking, so allow me to withdraw it.
**Did you really want me to recite every cinema I've been to around the world (yes, including the good ol' US of A), complete with specs? And once I did, would that have made any difference?**
No, but then, that wasn't the question.
*** That's no cause to go insulting me. ***
**And I suppose your posts could have made the Dalai Lama proud? :-)**
I'd like to think my forbearance is buddhistic.
*** No indeed, but perhaps lacking in capacity would be the explanation. ***
**Aha, I see: that's your way of "disagree and be pleasant about it y'know".**
Madam, when faced with unremitting unpleasantness some of it must rub off. My dharma is not yet perfect.
*** I assume from the spelling that you're British (or the like) ***
**I'm insulted :-) Hint: Instead of assuming, you could have easily checked with one click of the mouse.**
So my assumption was correct.
clark
PS Since you've not seen or heard the best on offer Stateside (or won't admit to it if you have) and since I've not seen or heard what you have done... well... what's more to say?
PPS Oh, this: My optical engineering was in imaging systems, mostly space based. I was inter alia the systems engineer on the Viking Mars Lander Camera, a (of all things) digital optical device; and I even spent some time with American astronauts assessing what they could see in imagery. It's not so irrelevant as you try to make out.
... just returned from our easter vacation where we spent some time at cowra, the site where japanese POWs were interred in WW2, and where the World Peace Bell is located.So, in the spirit of reconciliation, I'll attempt to avoid sarcasm and cheap shots, and answer your questions in as neutral a way as i can.
regarding digital projection: the new 4K digital projectors are just coming onto the market - i would suggest you may like to try these out before forming a definite view. FYI - a lot of post production work on films (such as colour grading) are now done digitally - often at 2K resolution, 4K tends to be reserved for the big budget releases. So the availability of 4K at the theatre means it's "as good as it gets" in terms of resolution - at least for now anyway.
with regards to my "research" which you incorrectly think is based on polling, it's actually based on critical evaluation based on a number of parameters. yes, and they did poll a number of filmmakers as well.
as for your question about "how can i possibility compete ..." with the likes of an HPS-4000: I have definitely experienced an HPS-4000 installation (in the USA - they are very rare outside of USA), so I am speaking from experience. one of the reasons i was laughing was that that would be like asking how can my car possibly compete with a bus? the answer is: well, a bus is designed to carry more passengers, and therefore has more horsepower, but in all the critical aspects (manouevaribility, speed, acceleration, power/weight ratios) any decent car will win over the best bus.
So it is with film soundtracks. Your question is more appropriately framed as: how can an HPS-4000 possibly compete with any decent home theatre, given the constraints of a large venue? the answer is: it can't. the brochure might claim that a typical installation can achieve 112 dB SPL, which is impressive, but this is done using horn drivers, which is not the last word in tonal accuracy. i've already mentioned the freq response issues of a large venue. for critical monitoring, you will note that skywalker sound uses B&W speakers (by coincidence the same brand i use in my home setup).
as for DVD dropouts - the DVD player mechanism includes substantial error correction mechanisms, so it is extremely unlikely to get any dropouts, unless there is a fault in the equipment, or the dropout is present in the original source. by contrast, SDDS encodes information in the area between sprocket holes on the film, which is very susceptible to damage from multiple screenings which leads to dropouts. it's no secret that most theatres with SDDS revert to another format (such as DD or DTS) after a week or so of screening due to dropouts.
finally, if you check my moniker, you will realise i am from sydney, australia (within 10km of the Fox Studios) and i don't have british ancestry. that's why its always dangerous to assume.
as for your background: i have no doubt you are very good at what you do, but it's obvious based on your comments you are not close to the film industry.
a
-- blinking lights, steady lights, telephones, children (God love 'em BUT...), traffic on the street, open doorways with activity leaking or pouring through, etc. etc. -- that it just isn't so involving as the real thing.I don't know, but it seems that other people here are having a lot more trouble with theatres than I've ever seen.
clark
... most "real" home theatres i've experienced are in dedicated rooms (sometimes even dedicated buildings!) - the distractions you speak off are simply not there.even on our setup, there are no blinking lights in our faces when we watch a movie - it's dark and quiet.
to me, the best advantage for me is the ability to press pause. i hate missing out on the movie because i have to "go" :-)
I agree. I have put black electrician's tape over all the LEDs on my equipment and I watch in a dedicated room that is very dark. Since I live in a rural area on a cul de sac traffic is not an issue
(even if a car drives by I can't hear it).
...to put that on my list of major distractions. Thanks for reminding me.Can you imagine going to the *legitimate* theatre and being able to stop action? Even if you were *the only member of the audience*, wouldn't that be... weird?
I say, take a leak and settle in.
clark
*** Can you imagine going to the *legitimate* theatre and being able to stop action? Even if you were *the only member of the audience*, wouldn't that be... weird? ***This is circular reasoning. You are saying it would be inappropriate to press pause in a theatre.
But the whole point of the discussion (to me) is whether you can truly experience a film *without* going to a theatre.
And exactly what do you mean by a "legitimate" theatre anyway? :-)
Sounds like you have an emotional attachment linking the experience of watching a film with going to a cinema. That's fine, but it doesn't have to be the only way of enjoying a film.
"This is circular reasoning. You are saying it would be inappropriate to press pause in a theatre." Yes... and that's "circular"? Plus I meant, with live actors doing it."And exactly what do you mean by a "legitimate" theatre anyway? :-)"
"Legitimate theatre" refers to the drama stage. It's a term.
> legitimate theatre
> noun
> 1. The body of plays by traditional dramatists as distinct from other kinds of dramatic productions such as films, TV drama, vaudeville, etc.
"Sounds like you have an emotional attachment linking the experience of watching a film with going to a cinema." That's confused. I'm stating that the theatre affords a far greater response, emotionally and otherwise, than any home outfit and you won't find a single director who disagrees with this view.
clark
really, you are getting funnier by the minute!*** you won't find a single director who disagrees with this view. ***
Actually, i know a few directors who would disagree with your view. And I've even visited and experienced their "home theatres."
You obviously have a fixed opinion on this and no one is going to convince you otherwise. but it doesn't mean you are right and other people are wrong. other views are equally valid, you know.
But let's dispense with the sarcasm, psychoanalysis and lecturing shall we?It's possible to disagree and be pleasant about it y'know.
clark
At home I am much more comfortable. There's a coffee table to put my drink on instead of a seat attached drink holder. I can put my feet up without bothering anyone. Nobody's kicking the back of my chair or rocking the connected row of seats. There's no kid crying/making noise or using the phone. Nobody's getting up to go pee in the middle (and if they do I can't pause it).
Also, the sound quality in "most" theatres doesn't even come close to what a good home system does, plus you can have the volume where you want, not where they think it's best (often overly loud).
Bottom line is I can become much more immersed in a movie at home than with a group of noisy strangers around me. A very dark room (walls, ceiling, carpet and a black-out window) help as does an 84" picture and a nice surround system. When I had my 35" the involvement was not there so much.
Do I go to the theatres (?), maybe once every year or two. Mainly for comedies as then I feel the audience helps the ambience.
didn't happen with me at home until I bought a front projector. Having an 8-ft wide image helps me get "lost" in what i'm watching, but only if the movie warrants getting lost in.
Simply doesn't compare. Doesn't hurt that the sound system in the living room is better than the theater & there aren't any noisy people around.
I enjoy the experience at home very much more than a theater. Between the talking, cell phones, shuffling around, late arrivals, being asked to move over so late arrivals can sit next to each other, candy wrapper noise and the 10 bucks to get in so all this crap can remove me from the experience, there is no doubt.
At home I have a big screen and megabuck sound and once in a while the cat walks in or drops her tail down in front of the screen while she lays atop the TeeVee.
I am able to become one with the movie....must be all that Zen stuff I learned in the 60s!!
We used to have an instructor here at Columbia College who taught
the history of cinema.He used to say "the reason film was more engaging than TV is that the hero and or villian is so much larger
than you.Which makes everything that happens to them that much greater
than what's happening to you"
Guess it's like certain music just sounds better loud.Later
Rich
Given a perfect theater experience (and most aren't) the big screen is the way to go. But most of us put up with dimly lit screens, sound levels set too high, and talkative and noisy crowds. OTOH, a high end calibrated video system with quality surround sound can be very absorbing. Plus at home you can go back in case you missed something, pause for bathroom or food breaks, etc. Last night I watched "Chinatown" for the umpteenth time in my Home Theater and was oblivious to all else.
I don't dislike theaters, but I always find myself more aware of the surroundings there as they are unfamiliar and therefore distracting. Sticky floors, odd smells, uncomfortable seats right up against or behind someone else, etc. The home theater is a comfortable place for me and most of the absorbsion is done there. I think it is more a state of mind than a state of place, but there are physical limitations at both venues. I like the sound at my place much better although the screen is only 42". I used to have a blast watching movies on a 27" and then a 32" screen prior to this, so it is about the story and the ability to relax and to concentrate on the film most. Larger screens are more dazzeling, but don't draw me in any more than a silent audience and a crystal clear soundtrack. Think of it like a good book. Once you get absorbed in one, the medium goes away and the story takes hold as a cohesive experience.
-Bill
.
If the message is right for you, yes it will. Of course the way to share with other and to be lost in a big screen helps matter.
On the other hand being alone or with a few is not a bad experience either.
A pocket radio- not that I ever remember. Headphones are different, they are designed to be immersive. At some level, the medium is the message, or the massage, as Marshall McLuhan said.
I had wonderful musical experience on a transistor radio.
E-mail me privately at my first initial and last name concatenated at ayre dot com if you would like more information on this. (I receive hundreds of spams each day, but my spam filter automatically saves any e-mail that includes "ayre" in the subject line.)
While I am not about to bitch about the 50" plasma that I use, it isn't even close to a real theatre. I would love the Qualia 007 at 70" but then I'd have to compromise on the sound which I will not do.Lawrence of Arabia on a 70mm screen is like dying and waking up in heaven (or on the beach in Tel Aviv...same thing).
On a 50" plasma...not bad, but why is there a kid's bike on the floor for me to trip on????
Long-term goal is Qualia 004 projector on a 120" Stewart.
G-d I love movies!
Tosh
"I think this place is restricted Wang, so don't tell them you're Jewish"
their systems...it ain't the same. When characters are sixty feet high and the sound system is "larger than life" as well, it creates a magical spell that you can't get in a house's room. And there's also the crowd which seems, almost paradoxically, to help you "disengage."
Not least, consider the potential disturbances in the average home.
Just the fact of being in an unfamiliar place is also important to dissolving in the moment.
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