What is a hometheater?

[Mr Peabody]

"Home Theater" probably has become a marketing term to sell consumer electronics, however, most people do not have an extra room just for a theater so the HT has to be within an already designated room such as living or family room. I do agree a HT should have a large screen, I mean that's one of the main attractions, or criteria, of any theater. Personally most of my HT set ups have had better surround effects than what I've experienced at the theater. I do think there's a difference between watching movies and a theater experience but I suppose it's all relative since no set in stone definition exists.

[TheHills44060]

If someone invites me over to watch a movie on her/his "home theater" the only absolute requirement I have come to expect is some sort of external speaker system attached to a viewing screen be it a tv or projection screen. For me the term home theater is very nebulous because I've heard people with a couple externally powered speakers connected to a tv as well as people with a full blown dedicated movie screen and a jillion speakers all refer to their system as a home theater.

Doesn't bother me either way. Only thing that would bug me is if someone only had a tv and a bag of popcorn then referred to that as a home theater.

[bfalls]

I only have a 52" Sony XBR, but consider my setup a Home Theater. It's in a dedicated 12.5'x 25' (it's one room but half is 10'x 13 the other 12.5'x12') which is better sonically since the long axis isn't twice the short axis). I have two different systems setup, a Legacy Focus/Emotiva system and a Sony STR-D5300ES/Klipsch Kg4 system). Each has it's own sonic advantages. In the room I also have several smaller 5.1 systems stored which I listen to occasionally. I have an Emotiva ERM-1/ERD-1 system, a B&W LM1/VM1 system, a Scandyna Minipod system, PSB Intro (Alpha) system and a Klipsch B2/KV3 system. Each with their specific sound. Except for having two closets in the room it's purely dedicated to Home Theater and Music. Since I sit only about 10' from the screen a larger screen wasn't necessary. I haven't gone to the trouble of having the room sonically treated. I have two 5'x6' shelves to store my CDs, DVDs and BDs which pretty much treats the back of the room. With couches and carpet to treat the front it balances the room from reflections. It's dedicated for Home Theater and Music, but still liveable.

[Smokey]

I do think there's a difference between watching movies and a theater experience but I suppose it's all relative since no set in stone definition exists.

IMO the definition of HT as a classic term is evolving. With computers (or media server to keep E-Stat happy ) and Smart TVs being integrated into HT, it had become more of media center than HT as there are too many distraction.

One minute you could be watching a movie on bluray, and next minute you're surfing the net, and next minute streaming a TV show, answer an email meanwhile, and back to watch the rest of movie.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

"Home Theater" probably has become a marketing term to sell consumer electronics, however, most people do not have an extra room just for a theater so the HT has to be within an already designated room such as living or family room.

Unfortunately, a living room or multipurpose room can not be considered a hometheater. A hometheater is not just equipment, it is equipment, room, and environment.

I do agree a HT should have a large screen, I mean that's one of the main attractions, or criteria, of any theater. Personally most of my HT set ups have had better surround effects than what I've experienced at the theater. I do think there's a difference between watching movies and a theater experience but I suppose it's all relative since no set in stone definition exists.

There was a definition, and then it was changed for marketing purposes.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

There is a very good reason why I have come to my conclusion about Hometheaters. It has nothing to do with the cost of the A/V equipment, but has everything to do with the genesis of hometheaters.

Hometheater is derived from old school screening rooms. Screening rooms had just one purpose, and one purpose only. To screen films that Heads of studio financed, and Directors shot. Screening rooms date back to the 1930's when most Hollywood studio heads had them in their homes for screening daily's. Since the 1930's all the way to the late eighties, screening room were only in the homes of Studio heads, Directors, producers, and very rich actors with access to 35mm film.

Screening rooms consisted of a 35mm film projector, and into the 70's a Dolby decoder, simplex film projector, a screen, and some form of adapted JBL sound system. It was a small size professional movie theater in a home environment. It was not used to entertain guests, have coffee, or to sit around and read in. It was for screening movies, and only that. It was a combination of equipment, dedicated space, and viewing environment. It usually followed some film standard it terms of viewing angle, and sound reproduction.

THX brought the next generation of screening rooms into focus for the wealthy and general public that wanted high standards during their movie viewing experience. With decent quality video sources(laserdisc), a screening room no longer had to have a film projector, but could have a video projector instead. THX set standards for viewing angle and distance, for acoustics, and for the necessary gear to have a high quality video experience. This could only be accomplished in a DEDICATED room, as living rooms, and bedrooms are not optimal spaces for a high quality viewing experience.

In the early 90's, electronic and speaker manufacturers decided they could sell more speakers and equipment if they relabeled hometheater as a equipment only experience. No longer was home THEATER tied to a dedicated space, but any space you could set up their equipment in. Now Hometheater was about the equipment only, and the optimal viewing space was ditched so they could sell equipment to the masses in the name of providing the same experience as a dedicated screening room - but you could put the equipment anywhere. The marketing people made that change, not the film people who actually produce the content.

A hometheater is really what the wording states - a theater in your home. A honest to God hometheater would have the visual aesthetics of a real professional movie theater, and follow SMPTE or THX standards for visual and audio quality. These standards cannot be followed in somebody's living room or bedroom. It must be a dedicated space where nothing other than movie watching is done.

You cannot call a dog a cat just because both can scratch. You cannot call a sturgeon a whale just because both swim in water. You cannot call a female a male just because both eat, breathe, and walk on two feet. And you cannot call a flat panel and a 5.1 system in a living or bedroom a hometheater just because both can play a Bluray disc. There are distinctions which separate these things - and when you decide to blur those distinction, you fundamentally change what that thing really is.

[Smokey]

THX brought the next generation of screening rooms into focus for the wealthy and general public that wanted high standards during their movie viewing experience. With decent quality video sources(laserdisc), a screening room no longer had to have a film projector, but could have a video projector instead. THX set standards for viewing angle and distance, for acoustics, and for the necessary gear to have a high quality video experience. This could only be accomplished in a DEDICATED room, as living rooms, and bedrooms are not optimal spaces for a high quality viewing experience.

I agree that it will be hard to achieve sound quality of dedicated room in general home enviroment, but wouldn't sitting right distance from [calibrated] TV and have control lighting in any space of home at least satisfy the THX video standards.

Aot of TVs nowdays have self calibartion tool (such as LG's "picture wizard”) that meet the ISF standards for PQ and right color temperature.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

I agree that it will be hard to achieve sound quality of dedicated room in general home enviroment, but wouldn't sitting right distance from [calibrated] TV and have control lighting in any space of home at least satisfy the THX video standards.

The answer is yes. But you still have to be able to see all of the pixels that a 1080p resolution has, and that is not achievable on a television that is 50" or less. At some point you are going to sit too close, and then you will be able to see the pixel structure of the set. That my friend is no good. This is why Laurie Finchman of THX says that any screen size 50" and under can not meet THX's spec's - you can't sit close enough to them to see all the pixels of 1080p's resolution.

Aot of TVs nowdays have self calibartion tool (such as LG's "picture wizard”) that meet the ISF standards for PQ and right color temperature.

And this would be completely wasted if I could not see all of the resolution of the source right?

[Mr Peabody]

You are losing me on the seating issue, you mentioned bean bags, I mentioned sofa which both you said were alright, theaters are various sizes and generally have several rows of seating, so how can THX equalize for all of these variables and not a coffee table or lamp? Maybe what you describe is a "screening room" and most of the general populous has "home theater"? Or, maybe there could be a distinction like "Professional Home Theater" vs "Casual Home Theater"? I thought casual might sound a bit less negative than amateur

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

You are losing me on the seating issue, you mentioned bean bags, I mentioned sofa which both you said were alright, theaters are various sizes and generally have several rows of seating, so how can THX equalize for all of these variables and not a coffee table or lamp?

Easy answer. A coffee table and lamps create reflections that can cause comb filtering - something eq cannot solve. A "hometheater" would not have either of these appliances, and hence not have to deal with the comb filtering these appliances create. I can account for a sofa or a love seat, they both are much like dedicated hometheater seats in terms of the absorbant and reflection pattern.

Maybe what you describe is a "screening room" and most of the general populous has "home theater"? Or, maybe there could be a distinction like "Professional Home Theater" vs "Casual Home Theater"? I thought casual might sound a bit less negative than amateur

A screening room is for film based sources, a hometheater for video entertainment. While both a screening room and hometheater do the same things, it does them with different sources. One is a working room, the other an entertainment room.

The word theater denotes a specific use, whether it is for a opera, play, or movie watching environment. A hometheater just replicating that same dedicated environment in somebody's home. There is nothing wrong with calling a flatpanel and a 5.1 speaker system in a living or bedroom just what it us - a television and a 5.1 system in a room. To call it anything else would be like putting lipstick on a pig, and trying to call it a model.

[Smokey]

The answer is yes. But you still have to be able to see all of the pixels that a 1080p resolution has, and that is not achievable on a television that is 50" or less....This is why Laurie Finchman of THX says that any screen size 50" and under can not meet THX's spec's - you can't sit close enough to them to see all the pixels of 1080p's resolution.

I found this chart (from SoundandVision magazine) where it show sitting distance vs seeing full resolution for 1080p source/TV.



For 1080i HD sources (lite green line), the recommended sitting distance is..

20 inch TV= 2.8 feet
26 inch TV= 3.5 feet
30 inch TV= 4 feet
34 inch TV= 4.5 feet
40 inch TV= 5.3 feet
50 inch TV= 6.5 feet
60 inch TV= 8 feet

Wouldn't those sitting distance below 50" TV satisfay THX spec's for seeing full resolution?

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

I found this chart (from SoundandVision magazine) where it show sitting distance vs seeing full resolution for 1080p source/TV.



For 1080i HD sources (lite green line), the recommended sitting distance is..

20 inch TV= 2.8 feet
26 inch TV= 3.5 feet
30 inch TV= 4 feet
34 inch TV= 4.5 feet
40 inch TV= 5.3 feet
50 inch TV= 6.5 feet
60 inch TV= 8 feet

Wouldn't those sitting distance below 50" TV satisfay THX spec's for seeing full resolution?

Smoke, you have to couple two pieces of information to understand what I am talking about. It is not about seating distance in isolation. It is also about the pixel structure of the television set itself. There are some other consideration as well. They do not make televisions that have the tight enough pixel structure for us to see ALL of the resolution of 1080p on sets smaller than 50", no matter how far you sit from it. 50" is as small as you can get for that. Secondly, you cannot integrate a sound system into the picture when your seating requirement is 2.8-4.5 feet. You would need very small speaker with their drivers very close together to accomplish that.

So your chart only works if the set has the ability to present the entire 1080p resolution in all of its glory. This is why people can notice the difference between Bluray and DVD on a 60" set, but cannot see much of a difference on a 40, 30, 26, or 20" set.

[jjp735i]

I have to agree with both sides, but to me HT is with a movie screen and projector and of course surround. I got into backyard theater 2 years ago and love it so I decided to bring the big screen inside for the winter. I installed a hanging pull down 120" screen, it pulls down right in front of the TV. There is no comparison to watching a movie on my 50" plasma to the 120" screen. The projector and screen gives you that at the movies experience. The best part about Projector and screen and you can have a pretty good set up for under $750.oo bucks. Mine is not HD, but I think the picture is just as good if not better then my HD tv's.

[maeaguilar]

Home theater or home cinema, consists of ff:

Wide screen TV, speakers, amplifier, DVD player and the best home theater receiver!