Most cinema lovers would say that home theatre can’t produce the same level of excitement as a movie theatre’s big screen. In the past, when we were watching movies on small TV sets, their main argument was the size of the screen, movie resolution and sound quality. Today, when specifications of home theatre projectors and sound systems, are as good as those we can find in movie theatres, cinema lovers quickly change their arguments and take more abstract stance. They like to tell stories about the old days, when they were watching Odyssey 2000, while eating popcorns with extra butter.
Cinema experience in your home
Home theatre looks like cinema…
Most of us aren’t that nostalgic. Home theatres are very convenient for number of reasons. When it comes to technology, universal home theatres can fully reproduce cinema experience. Both Netflix and Amazon offer 4K content. 4K Blu-ray, which was released this year for the first time, will soon become the new video standard. Most people who are ready to invest money into building top notch theatre will opt for 4K TV set, which can be bought for only $500. These TVs come with incredibly high resolution (3,840-by-2,160-pixel) that can easily compete with cinema experience.
Some more expensive TV sets come with High Dynamic Range. HDR contains wider and more granular range of colors in each pixel and it can drastically improve picture detail. These TV sets are much more expensive, but they still represent a good investment, since companies like Netflix and Amazon will, at one point, completely shift their program to 4K and HDR videos.
… Sounds like cinema…
When it comes to sound, the latest trend in home theater systems is 3D audio. It adds overhead sound element that provides even better audio experience. Also there are soundbars, which can integrate surround sound into your room, without drilling holes for cables. These gadgets create surround sound effect by using several speaker channels at once.
… And celebrities love it!
Of course, the best home theatre systems can be found in celebrity cribs. Famous actors, directors, athletes and rappers don’t look for bargains when it comes to home entertainment. Steven Spielberg’s home theatre in his home in Pacific Palisades is made in 1940s Art Deco style, with fluted bronze panels, cherry wood ribbing and it is fully controlled by his iPad. Brett Ratner, another famous director, who stands behind a ‘Rush Hour’ franchise, spent 6 months digging through concrete foundation of his villa, just to find the perfect speaker elevation that will produce the best-quality sound. He regularly watches movies with Brian Gazer, Eddy Murphy and Edward Norton, who obviously don’t like to compromise when it comes to sound. Although most of us will never have these expensive systems installed in our homes, that is definitely not the reason we should give up home theater entertainment for movie theatres.
These are some of the reasons why watching movies at home is better than going to the movies:
- It’s less expensive in the long run- Although the price of home theatre installment seems too high at first, think about all the money you will save on movie theatre tickets.
- There are no bad seats- Wherever you choose to sit in your home theatre room, you will have a perfect view of the screen.
- You can’t watch series in movie theatres- Series are Hollywood’s new black, and their production teams often hire top actors, directors and screen writers. This kind of program you can’t watch in movie theatre, so the only solution you have is to ‘Netflix and chill’.
- You can watch movies alone- If you are a ‘lone ranger’, who giggles during nude scenes and cries at the end of a romantic comedy, you definitely shouldn’t go to movie theatre, because your actions there can completely ruin your macho image.
- You can rewind your favorite scene- Many great movie scenes (Sharon Stone’s leg cross, Uma Thurman’s and John Travolta’s dance etc.), deserved to be rewound over and over again.
- You can prepare food- If you are fed up with cinema popcorn’s after taste and expensive and tasteless snacks and sodas you buy from vending machines, you should definitely install a home theatre and enjoy the taste of homemade food.
- There is no dress-code- You can watch a movie naked or enjoy new Star Wars sequel premiere in trooper uniform, nobody would care.
Movie theatres still have much bigger screens, but are we ready to renounce all the above mentioned benefits, for a few square meters of film screen? Legend says that when L'arrivée d'un train en gare de La Ciotat was being played, people started ducking under their seats and running out from the movie theatre, because they thought that the train is going to hit them. Today home theaters with 4K and HDR TV or advanced movie projectors produce the same effect and place you in the middle of movie action. It is definitely the right time to quit cinemas and start spending some quality time at home, with your friends and family, Hobbits and Avengers.