No Right Answer: Home Theater vs Movie Theater

[Kenjitsuka]

But what about going to the theater when there's no one else around? The whole place to yourself? That's the ticket right there.

Picture (haha, pun) this: 1996; Independence Day debuts in theaters! I want to see The Quest (because I was a huge van Damme fan). The Quest debuts that day in theater Y. But, the national debut of ID4 is that day in the COMPETING theater X...

Outcome; me and my aunt are the ONLY people in the entire 200 seat room. In total theater Y had SIX clients all evenening that time (4 200 seat rooms, 1 smaller)... Yes, I *did* put my legs over the seats in front. And it was *amazing*!!! (Theater X was sold out all day and night for a long time)

BTW; sometimes the sound is waaaaay too fucking loud (and generally way too loud) to be bearable.
And... who the eff would talk to complete strangers in the lobby?! Not in *my* culture, anyway!

 

[Kenjitsuka]

Can home theater do the Hobbit movies in HFR?

Guess I'll still go to the movies, at least every once in a while.

Also, streaming is an awful point. The visual quality is so terrible, even in "HD".

Really? That completely depends on ISP, country and time of day, amongst other things!
Here in NL there is huge competition between ISP's (I can pick like a DOZEN or more), and they all deliver great service.
YouTube videos (in 1080P and/or 4K) on my 4K smart TV looks AMAZING! Absolutelty flawless. So the technology is really there, no problemo!

Also, I have been streaming video files from my PC to my TV via my PS3 since 2008, and that has always worked flawless!

 

[Jadak]

But what about going to the theater when there's no one else around? The whole place to yourself? That's the ticket right there.

Indeed, I love and prefer the theater, but Chris making the argument of "experiencing things together" is horrible. People are the single worst aspect of going to the movies. Fuck "experiencing things as a collective", what nonsense.

Seriously, going to the movies for social engagement in the lobby? Really?

 

[Rad Party God]

I really, really enjoy watching films at theatres, BUT, it's far from being the be all, end all experience.

I can attest to the fact that there's always going to be technical problems at the theaters, no matter how "bleeding edge technology" they've gotten, they're still being run by human beings who can definitely screw up at some point.

I'd go with home theater, because I can watch whatever I goddamn please, as many times I please, with the volume I want to hear the movie and most importantly, wherever I goddamn please, be it on my PC or my living room in FHD, both streamed or on BluRay. I'm not one for snacks for watching films (!), but they're a nice bonus too, I can spend 1/4 than what I normally would for buying freaking popcorn at the theaters.

 

[Yozozo]

Can home theater do the Hobbit movies in HFR?

Guess I'll still go to the movies, at least every once in a while.

Also, streaming is an awful point. The visual quality is so terrible, even in "HD".

Really? That completely depends on ISP, country and time of day, amongst other things!
Here in NL there is huge competition between ISP's (I can pick like a DOZEN or more), and they all deliver great service.
YouTube videos (in 1080P and/or 4K) on my 4K smart TV looks AMAZING! Absolutelty flawless. So the technology is really there, no problemo!

Also, I have been streaming video files from my PC to my TV via my PS3 since 2008, and that has always worked flawless!

I used to be able to, but then my ISP decided to throttle down netflix across the board. Has nothing to do with the technology I have, or even the several additional megabits download speed I can get from other services but NOT the one with the most content on it. And that's assuming they even have access to the HD content to begin with.

Internet in the US, you are lucky to have *any* competition with your ISP at all.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

Gave up on theaters about 5 years ago. Why pay all that money when you cant even guarantee the crowd isnt crap? Rather wait till dvd, buy some beer and takeaway and enjoy it on my own. Atleast movies are released on dvd/bluray quite quickly now, when i was younger it took forever to be released on Video.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I'm on the side of Home Theaters. Seeing a movie in the theater just isn't worth the expense esp. when you're still getting bombarded by advertising.

 

[RenegadeDuck]

I'm leaning more toward home theater sort of experiences. The only times in recent years I've gone to the movies is for stuff that I really, really, really, REALLY wanted to see right this second. (The Hobbit movies, Guardians of the Galaxy... the waste of a free ticket that was World War Z.) And theaters can offer great experiences. You've got a bigger screen than you could ever have, a better sound system, and if you go at the right time, a nice and spacey theater.

Of course, the problem comes in when you throw other people into the equation. Is a bigger screen and better sound worth evil theaters that jack the prices on food way up or dealing with a couple of pricks who can't comprehend that people can actually hear you talk during the movie? No. As a matter of fact, even the good experiences I've had in theaters were not without their drawbacks. After coming out of the theater after having seen The Desolation of Smaug, some jag-offs came flying through the parking lot and almost ran us over. Then they proceeded to get out of their car across the parking lot and act like they wanted a fight.

Point is, yeah, people suck and ruin everything. This includes before, during, and after the movie. That's three chances for human beings to do what they do best and take a big steaming dump on your day.

Better safe than sorry and just stay home and rewatch the Lord of the Rings extended cuts for the seventh time this week.

 

[J.McMillen]

What about the fact that many movie studios judge the success of a movie based on its success at the box office and not on how many DVD/BluRay's were sold? If everyone stops going to the theater and waits for the home release, studios will stop making the big budget movies. Then the comic book/sci-fi/fantasy movies will all look like most of those god awful Syfy moves that keep getting churned out.

 

[Shjade]

Pretty sure "I can pirate it" disqualifies you from the debate outright, giving the win to Kyle on a technicality.

Unless, of course, you're willing to admit you could break into the theater and run movies for yourself and your friends, thus doing away with all the problems listed with regard to dealing with other people at the theater.

 

[Dollabillyall]

People talk to eachother in movie theater lobbies? Maybe in the first few days of a very particular fandom movie... but in general if you strike up a conversation with people in movie theaters they will look at you funny and walk away. This is different if you go to film festivals, but a normal commercial somethingplex theater doesn't really seem like the place.

What do movie theaters do that I can't do better at home?
- IMAX HFR 3D cuminpants-o-vision.
- Comfortable seats for more than 4-5 people.
- Really REALLY big screen.
- See a movie before the DVD/Blu-Ray/Stream release (or leak).

What can I do at home that I can't do in a movie theater?
- Take a bathroom break.
- Get some more ice for my drink.
- Drink strong liquor or smoke (weed).
- Fair prices for all consumptions, including the movie itself.
- Adjust the volume.
- Not be bothered by other peoples' rude behavior.
- Hang around in shabby clothing/PJ's/bathrobe.
- Put my feet up.
- Gratuitous farting.
- Turn off the thing without bothering other people and/or throwing away a good chunk of money.

In short, I would only go to a theater for "big moment" movies that I absolutely HAVE TO see in the 3D HFR style (The Hobbits, 300's and Avengers of this world) and even then I wouldn't shell out for something like Iron Man 3. I saw 12 years a slave in a theater and found that seeing it there had zero added benefit to watching it at home. It was a good movie (maybe not as good as the hype) but I still felt I overpaid for the whole thing (parking, drinks and snacks, entry fee etc.). The feeling of paying too much for what you're buying is even worse if you don't like the movie.

 

[go-10]

Home Theater a BILLION to ZERO for one thing only, at home there are no teenagers with cell phones, nuff said

 

[Lightknight]

Chris, don't forget the ability to modify the video as desired. For example, you not only control the volume but can add subtitles if desired. You can even pause three hour movies for a pee break and can rewind to see something you missed or something you just want to see again. The level of control is unparalleled.

Kyle, while I certainly agree that movies are a way to get out of the house, please remember that we also have new home theater technologies that give you the presence of leaving the house. Have you tried one of the newer Oculus Rift's theater viewer? It's insane that such a product is planning on being released for less than $400 and would give you the feeling of sitting in a large theater even if you're just in a chair in your closet. While I wouldn't necessarily recommend getting the dev kits for this it should still be noted that we aren't talking millionaire's palaces.

What's more is that I do have friends who buy a projector for their living room instead of a TV. Think about it, you can either get a fancy $1,000 TV that's measured in inches or a projector/screen that's still HD but measured in feet. I've seen it done in small living rooms relatively easily. A modern projector setup isn't that different from the cost of a decent flat screen anymore. I've considered throwing one in my home in a spare room we have but have decided not to because our TV works fine, not because of cost. My family isn't even a 6 figure income, let alone 7 or 8 figured incomes.

 

[Nurb]

I gotta go with Chris, people are just too obnoxious to deal with when it comes to the money the companies expect you to shell out.

You can't even ask people to tone it down without them being nasty or in some cases trying to start a fight, and the teenaged employees aren't paid enough to care or deal with big assholes. There always seems to be a screaming kid at a new movie now too.

Not only that, AMC theaters are encouraging idiots to take selfies in the theaters with suggested hash tags.

It's just not worth it anymore unless you can go to the theaters at a time during work and school hours.

 

[gorfias]

I much prefer the home theater. I see the occasional blockbuster to get together with friends or just because I can't wait, but I much prefer the home theater even with friends--because sometimes you just want to be able to pause or go back to dissect something you may have missed.

Sub-debate based on the win... For home theater, which is better: The immediacy of streaming or the bonus features of disc?

Was this about preference? I got the impression that the argument was that movie theaters are obsolete. The pro-theater guy no doubt loves his home theater. I prefer mine.

But the theater is certainly not dead. They exist to get out of the house and feel like you are taking part in an event. I especially love seening a comedy and when others in the audience laugh at the same points I do, it reinforces my own amusement.

Course, I laughed my butt off at "The Interview" at home. I still love that theater experience.

 

[J Tyran]

Not been to a cinema for years, home theatre all the way for me. To be honest I simply don't understand the main "benefit" of actually going to a cinema either, like the guy in this video said the same. The supposed "social" engagement, I don't get it. I'm not anti social and I certainly know how some things (like gigs, sports and shows etc) are better in group because of the atmosphere it creates but I don't have to be with other people that like a thing to like a thing, going to see a movie with people that are presumably into that movie just doesn't add anything for me. I want to see a film not be a part of a crowd, going to a sports game is as much going to be part of the crowd as the actual game is but I don't get that with a film but I guess other people want to feel the same with films as others do with sports.

Factor in all the annoying things that may detract from the experience and the theatre really loses its appeal, its expensive, the food is crap and expensive (often stinks to high heaven as well) I can't smoke (which I will not really complain about but its there) and people using phones. I have heard from a lot of websites and forums that people even fugging cheer and shout through the film nowadays as well, some character does or says something or there is cameo and people act like its the WWF or something.

With everything against it and the main "benefit" having no appeal to me means I have not been for many years, so long I would have to sit and think about and figure out which year a movie came out in. With streaming, the Play Store and services like Ultraviolet (if you buy a DVD/BD you get a digital copy included) I don't even have to have disks cluttering up the place anymore.

In other news, what are you all doing on my lawn?