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How Do You Watch Your Movies - the Home Theatre Thread

tanaka123tanaka123
in General Movies & TV Posts: 4,325
This thread is for all home theatre related discussion.

How do you watch your movies? On a laptop, CRT TV, 55" flat or curved? How about audio? TV speakers? Soundbar? All in one 5.1 system, home cinema separates?

My current system:

Optoma HD141x projector - currently projecting on a wall - 108" for 16:9 material; 110" for 2.35:1 material
Yamaha RX-V373 5.1 amplifier
Tannoy TFX 5.1 speakers
Sony Blu Ray player

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Comments

  • BMW_with_missilesBMW_with_missiles All the usual refinements.
    Posts: 3,000
    A CRT TV with the DVD playing in my PlayStation 2. I need to update. And yes, I still have a VCR. I'm the only 21 year old I know that does.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,452
    Can I ask a question? What is the point in having a projector in your living room? I don't get it.
  • tanaka123tanaka123
    Posts: 4,325
    A projector in your living room? Why wouldn't you? The big screen experience at home of course, my 2.35:1 films display right across the width of my wall. What's not to like?
  • tanaka123tanaka123
    Posts: 4,325
    @BMW_with_missiles I still have a vcr too - I'm the only 29 year old I know that does!
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,452
    tanaka123 wrote: »
    A projector in your living room? Why wouldn't you? The big screen experience at home of course, my 2.35:1 films display right across the width of my wall. What's not to like?

    Does the projector play standard blurays? I don't know these things.
  • tanaka123tanaka123
    edited April 2016 Posts: 4,325
    Yes it's a digital projector. My blu ray player is connected to my 5.1 amplifier with a hdmi lead which in turn is connected to the projector with another hdmi lead. I have my blu ray player, VCR and laptop thru the projector - it's great.
  • tanaka123tanaka123
    Posts: 4,325
    Some pros and cons of deciding between TV or a projector @Mendes4Lyfe

    http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/projectors-vs-tvs-giant-screen-pros-and-cons/
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,452
    tanaka123 wrote: »
    Yes it's a digital projector. My blu ray player is connected to my 5.1 amplifier with a hdmi lead which in turn is connected to the projector with another hdmi lead. I have my blu ray player, VCR and laptop thru the projector - it's great.

    Another few quick questions:

    How does image quality compare between a projected image and a TV screen?

    and

    Do you have to paint your wall a different colour?
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,452
    cheers for that.
  • tanaka123tanaka123
    edited April 2016 Posts: 4,325
    Obviously picture quality is largely determined by the quality of projector or TV you get. I had a 32" LG 1080p TV bought in 2009 and now have an Optoma HD141x (Optoma are a good make for home theatre projectors). And picture quality on both is astounding with 1080p HD material. However, because the image is much larger with the projector the quality difference between VHS/DVD and blu ray is far more noticeable. This is a factor of both the size and the quality. Because the size is huge and the quality is good you notice detail so much more. This is great for Blu Ray - all that lovely film grain and all the detail is glorious. What is does mean is that the imperfections of VHS and DVD are much more noticeable. I compared my Casino Royale DVD with the Casino Royale Blu Ray - the difference was stark. In the title sequence you could see ringing round the credits - a sort of haloing effect round the writing, whereas on Blu Ray it was perfectly sharp. So in a nutshell a projector is perfect for Blu Ray and HD material.

    I have left my wall as it is as it's a very clear white, and I'm in a rented apartment so it may be best if I leave the walls as they are. You can buy screen paint, where you effectively use a special kind of paint to paint a screen on your wall. I probably will get a screen eventually but it still works brilliantly just on the wall to be honest. I watch a lot of films and TV dramas so I'm holding out for a dual screen - a screen that can bring down a screen for 2.35:1 and another screen for 16:9 - a company called Elite make them.

    Sorry, that was quite long @Mendes4Lyfe

    Also projectors are about the same price as TVs, well entry level ones like the Optoma HD141x anyway. Mine cost about the same as a new 42" TV would cost.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,452
    tanaka123 wrote: »
    Obviously picture quality is largely determined by the quality of projector or TV you get. I had a 32" LG 1080p TV bought in 2009 and now have an Optoma HD141x (Optoma are a good make for home theatre projectors). And picture quality on both is astounding with 1080p HD material. However, because the image is much larger with the projector the quality difference between VHS/DVD and blu ray is far more noticeable. This is a factor of both the size and the quality. Because the size is huge and the quality is good you notice detail so much more. This is great for Blu Ray - all that lovely film grain and all the detail is glorious. What is does mean is that the imperfections of VHS and DVD are much more noticeable. I compared my Casino Royale DVD with the Casino Royale Blu Ray - the difference was stark. In the title sequence you could see ringing round the credits - a sort of haloing effect round the writing, whereas on Blu Ray it was perfectly sharp. So in a nutshell a projector is perfect for Blu Ray and HD material.

    I have left my wall as it is as it's a very clear white, and I'm in a rented apartment so it may be best if I leave the walls as they are. You can buy screen paint, where you effectively use a special kind of paint to paint a screen on your wall. I probably will get a screen eventually but it still works brilliantly just on the wall to be honest. I watch a lot of films and TV dramas so I'm holding out for a dual screen - a screen that can bring down a screen for 2.35:1 and another screen for 16:9 - a company called Elite make them.

    Sorry, that was quite long @Mendes4Lyfe

    Also projectors are about the same price as TVs, well entry level ones like the Optoma HD141x anyway. Mine cost about the same as a new 42" TV would cost.

    Wow, thanks for the info!
  • tanaka123tanaka123
    Posts: 4,325
    Your welcome - also you can make your image as big or small as you like - my projector is about 12ft from the wall giving an image between 108-110" but if further back it can get to 300" in size.
  • ShameladyShamelady
    edited April 2016 Posts: 38
    I don't watch movies at home. Never have, and, unless and until I have the money and the room for a good home theater set up, never will. Thanks to those posting the info in this thread. Informative and helpful.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    I have a 55in LED flat screen Sony (KDL55HX850) like the one below with the same stand which was a motivator to buy it. I'm also running a Sony HTSF470 5.1 channel home theatre setup and a Sony and LG (all region DVD setting) blu ray player. Quite happy with it but it's amazing how I used to think 55in was large a few yrs back and now it seems small compared to what's out there.

    Sony_KDL_55HX853a.jpg
  • tanaka123tanaka123
    Posts: 4,325
    bondjames wrote: »
    I have a 55in LED flat screen Sony (KDL55HX850) like the one below with the same stand which was a motivator to buy it. I'm also running a Sony HTSF470 5.1 channel home theatre setup and a Sony and LG (all region DVD setting) blu ray player. Quite happy with it but it's amazing how I used to think 55in was large a few yrs back and now it seems small compared to what's out there.

    Sony_KDL_55HX853a.jpg

    Yeah it's amazing how the tech has moved on over the last 10-20 years. I remember when a widescreen TV seemed extravagant and of course now they are the only kind of TV you can get pretty much. Thankfully we've seen the end of 4:3 pan and scan. Yeah my 32" TV felt huge after years of watching on a 14" 4:3 TV.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,359
    I have a 32" LCD tv, Just got it last month. It is wonderful. :D
  • BMW_with_missilesBMW_with_missiles All the usual refinements.
    edited April 2016 Posts: 3,000
    Behold its glory;
    IMG_20160422_194006851_zpsmdolcyix.jpg
  • GerardGerard
    Posts: 6,022
    42' (107 cm) HD tv screen, from LG. It's even 3D, but I don't use that feature much (mostly due to the fact that my eyes have a bit of a problem with it (in addition to myopia and presbyopia, I also have a slight astygmatism).

  • fire_and_icefire_and_ice
    edited April 2016 Posts: 6,432
    40 inch HDTV 1080p, got a sound bar and portable Blutooth Speakers. I have a Roku 3, Sky, Chromecast, 2 Amazon TVs, 2 Bluray players and a XBox One and PC is also rigged up to my tv, so quite a few movie streaming devices. I like gadgets! I still buy alot of hard copies of movies though I rent alot, so handy to have many streaming services.
  • tanaka123tanaka123
    Posts: 4,325
    Birdleson wrote: »
    55" Samsung 4K. Surround sound (5 speakers and sub-woofer).

    @Birdleson how much of an improvement is 4k over 1080p? My av receiver has 4k pass through so I might upgrade some time in the future.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    4K is actually quite unsuitable if you watch a lot of regular tv channels.
    For Netflix or Blu-ray it's perfect.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 8,452
    BondJasonBond006 wrote: »
    4K is actually quite unsuitable if you watch a lot of regular tv channels.
    For Netflix or Blu-ray it's perfect.

    Do you think it will be long before the Bond films are released on the new UHD format?
  • tanaka123tanaka123
    Posts: 4,325
    Mendes4Lyfe wrote: »
    BondJasonBond006 wrote: »
    4K is actually quite unsuitable if you watch a lot of regular tv channels.
    For Netflix or Blu-ray it's perfect.

    Do you think it will be long before the Bond films are released on the new UHD format?

    Maybe in 2025 when the next Bond film comes out ...
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    Guest room:
    Samsung 65" 4K 3D OLED TV Set.
    Pioneer High End Blu-ray player (cost 1000 USD)
    Apple TV (for the iTunes library and Netflix)
    Powerful LG Soundbar with active Subwoofer

    Main bedroom:
    Samsung Full HD LED Rose Black 55" TV Set.
    Samsung Blu-ray player (cost 250 USD)
    Apple TV (for the iTunes library and Netflix)
    Samsung Soundbar

    Living room:
    Sony 42" LCD Full HD TV Set
    Pioneer Blu-ray player (cost 100 USD)
    Apple TV (for the iTunes library and Netflix)
    Audio from TV Set

    Yesterday I bought the Panasonic DMP-UB900EGK Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player that plays 4K Blu-rays :)
  • cooperman2cooperman2 Uk
    Posts: 380
    I have been a cinema lover for 40 odd years, but I now believe if I could afford a good large screen TV( 55in at least ) and a quality surround system I would not go to the cinema again. Just think, no talkers, no popcorn munchers, no flashing mobile phone every five minutes. Pure bliss
  • tanaka123tanaka123
    Posts: 4,325
    cooperman2 wrote: »
    I have been a cinema lover for 40 odd years, but I now believe if I could afford a good large screen TV( 55in at least ) and a quality surround system I would not go to the cinema again. Just think, no talkers, no popcorn munchers, no flashing mobile phone every five minutes. Pure bliss

    I had these thoughts recently. The cinema in the town I live in is a small one. I hadn't been there since getting my projector last summer - I deliberately went to the Vue cinema in the nearest city down the road to see films at the cinema since then. And I honestly came to the conclusion that my home cinema is now better than what is on offer there. I have a better view of the screen in terms of seating distance to the screen, the screen was too high there and I generally think my home viewing experience is a more immersive one.

    THe Vue cinema does still trump mine - really big screen. But unless I'm really bothered about a film, I think I'm more than happy to wait for the blu-ray and watch it on my home cinema now.

    It's a 3D projector I have, so I might invest in a 3D blu ray player and specs in the future.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    edited April 2016 Posts: 9,020
    Birdleson wrote: »
    So your guests seem to get the most cinematic experience.

    I am very hospitable:) especially since I am the most frequent guest visiting the guest room, every other day at least :)) to watch TV.
  • cooperman2cooperman2 Uk
    Posts: 380
    Yes it cannot be denied that the cinema will always win out on screen size and I will always choose the picture house for certain films. But I have gone from a once a week visit to a once in a blue moon visit. Bond, Star Wars and Hateful Eight have been my only visits since last September.
  • tanaka123tanaka123
    Posts: 4,325
    cooperman2 wrote: »
    Yes it cannot be denied that the cinema will always win out on screen size and I will always choose the picture house for certain films. But I have gone from a once a week visit to a once in a blue moon visit. Bond, Star Wars and Hateful Eight have been my only visits since last September.

    Yeah, although like I was saying, find my screen image a lot better and bigger in terms of distance from the screen than my local flea pit. Since September I've seen Spectre, Star Wars and Eye in the Sky.
  • tanaka123tanaka123
    Posts: 4,325
    A couple of screenshots from my setup

    <a href="http://imgur.com/86MQ4nl"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/86MQ4nl.jpg"; title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

    <a href="http://imgur.com/AD0QVQf"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/AD0QVQf.jpg"; title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
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