Movie Theaters Go Big to Compete with Online Videos

Terry Olaes

Terry Olaes

I Used to be the [H] News Guy
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This TechNewsWorld article takes a look at the steps movie theaters are taking to fight off the loss of attendance due to online video. From massive IMAX screens showing summer blockbusters to 3D wizardry breaking out of animation, theaters are leaning on tech that is difficult to reproduce at home.

We're talking about an industry that not only survived, but ended up thriving amid the arrival of television in the 1950s, videotapes in the 1980s, and DVDs in the '90s. The reason? An ability to continually remake themselves and find new ways to generate revenue, by introducing everything from the multiplex and more elaborate concessions to lengthy pre-show advertising.
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The problem with most theaters near me is poorly calibrated video and sound systems.

Quite honestly, the video even at "digital" theaters is obviously wayyyy off from what it's supposed to be. They have washed out blacks, no shadow detail, poor colors, etc. And don't even get me started on the sound - it's crappy speakers either turned up to their breaking point or so low you can't hear anything.

To be totally honest, other than size (8ft vs 30ft diagonal), my home theater is superior in every way. And I don't even have to get raped on popcorn prices!
 
computerpro3 said:
The problem with most theaters near me is poorly calibrated video and sound systems.

Quite honestly, the video even at "digital" theaters is obviously wayyyy off from what it's supposed to be. They have washed out blacks, no shadow detail, poor colors, etc. And don't even get me started on the sound - it's crappy speakers either turned up to their breaking point or so low you can't hear anything.

To be totally honest, other than size (8ft vs 30ft diagonal), my home theater is superior in every way. And I don't even have to get raped on popcorn prices!
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qft. my budget home theater is more enjoyable to watch than going to a theater...plus i dont have to drive anywhere to enjoy a movie.
 
I find it mind-boggling that anyone would even want to go to a movie theater given the relatively cheap technology available now at the privacy and convenience of one's own home.
 
computerpro3 said:
The problem with most theaters near me is poorly calibrated video and sound systems.

Quite honestly, the video even at "digital" theaters is obviously wayyyy off from what it's supposed to be. They have washed out blacks, no shadow detail, poor colors, etc. And don't even get me started on the sound - it's crappy speakers either turned up to their breaking point or so low you can't hear anything.

To be totally honest, other than size (8ft vs 30ft diagonal), my home theater is superior in every way. And I don't even have to get raped on popcorn prices!
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QFT. The only times I have ever found a excellent setup was at our local downtown IMAX, and on my trip to China. Beijing movie theater's are pretty damn amazing: clean, cheap, aesthetically pleasing, quality picture, and the best sound I've heard in a movie theatre. ever.

Back here in FL though, my home theater or PC sound setup > movie theater prices.
 
Well that is why I have a DLP projector, can do both 3D and well 112" by 65" is big enough for me, just isn't IMAX size...but then again I don't have to compensate for anything I'm secure in my manhood!
 
computerpro3 said:
The problem with most theaters near me is poorly calibrated video and sound systems.

Quite honestly, the video even at "digital" theaters is obviously wayyyy off from what it's supposed to be. They have washed out blacks, no shadow detail, poor colors, etc. And don't even get me started on the sound - it's crappy speakers either turned up to their breaking point or so low you can't hear anything.

To be totally honest, other than size (8ft vs 30ft diagonal), my home theater is superior in every way. And I don't even have to get raped on popcorn prices!
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OMG. THIS.

Last time I went to the theater it was to see "Terminator Salvation" and they must have had the sound system turned on 50 out of 10. 99% of the people who go to theaters must be deaf so they need to CRANK UP the volume as loud as it will go. I thought my ears were going to explode.:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

F the theaters, I hope they all go bankrupt. Don't even get me started on the 30 minutes of previews before the damn movie even starts.
 
computerpro3 said:
The problem with most theaters near me is poorly calibrated video and sound systems.

Quite honestly, the video even at "digital" theaters is obviously wayyyy off from what it's supposed to be. They have washed out blacks, no shadow detail, poor colors, etc. And don't even get me started on the sound - it's crappy speakers either turned up to their breaking point or so low you can't hear anything.

To be totally honest, other than size (8ft vs 30ft diagonal), my home theater is superior in every way. And I don't even have to get raped on popcorn prices!
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+1 to this. We did the Wolverin and Transformers 2 premiers, but watched Xmen 1 & 2 and Transformers 1 at my place before going to those and everyone really enjoyed the experience more at my place. Probably because I made kettle korn but who knows...
 
My wife and I went to a movie for the first time in four years. 2 tickets, 1 box of popcorn, 2 sodas, 45 dollars.

Screw that. I'll rent a movie for a couple bucks, get a 2 liter and pop a bag in my microwave. And if I have to piss, I'll just push pause. :)
 
Aside from some of the ones above, they could also work on general comfort. Now, I know there are some places with decent seating but a vast majority of theaters blow when it comes to seating. Some are just so atrocious that my butt is hurting after the first 20 minutes and I'm spending time shuffling just to get comfortable as opposed to enjoying the seque... I mean new and original movie I am watching. A little more spacing and adding individual arm rests for every person's chair would be nice, too. I don't particularly like 'sharing' my arm rest with someone I dont know on one side... almost every time.
 
Hulk said:
OMG. THIS.

Last time I went to the theater it was to see "Terminator Salvation" and they must have had the sound system turned on 50 out of 10. 99% of the people who go to theaters must be deaf so they need to CRANK UP the volume as loud as it will go. I thought my ears were going to explode.:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
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Backwards at my local theatre! Set so goddamn low I can hear people eating pop corn around me and explosions sound like they're coming from paid of headphones.

When I'm at the theatre I want it BIG. BIG ass screen. BIG ass explosions. I want my balls to rumble when there's gunfire. I want explosions to leave me sterile for a week. Local theatre doesn't deliver. So I just wait for Netflix, and crank it to 11 when I'm home.
 
Ah, the home theater competition. Now they'll have to actually have decent seats, good sound, and a good pic. Last time I went to the theater I paid $12 to have crappy audio and video that looked like it had little cuts down the middle of every frame. Time for theater hibernation for a couple years again, hopefully the next time I come out of it they'll have fixed some stuff.
 
Term-X said:
Now, I know there are some places with decent seating but a vast majority of theaters blow when it comes to seating. Some are just so atrocious that my butt is hurting after the first 20 minutes and I'm spending time shuffling just to get comfortable as opposed to enjoying the seque... I mean new and original movie I am watching.
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That's what always gets me - I'm six and a half feet tall. There's just no getting comfortable in the only film theater in this area. And I went and watched Return of the King there... that was sheer torture. And I'm sure the people behind me appreciated me sitting in front of them.

The sound there is terrible, too - I've often been tempted to go in there and beg them to let me build them a new sound system. It would be so easy - I still have connections in pro audio.

On the other hand, the local museum has a DVD theater with a $20k sound system. They actually let me in there to fix it once... over four thousand watts for a room that seated maybe 150 people. The picture isn't so good (LCD projector), but the audio is something else (especially now that it fully works again, if I may brag). Admission is $3.50, and popcorn is cheap. They have soda machines at normal prices. I will go there in a red hot second if they're running a movie I like, but when it comes to the actual film theater - I'm not wasting my time or money.
 
No problems with my local theater.

Sound is balanced evenly and video is clear quality.

I don't have a 40-70" LCD/Plasma TV nor surround speaker system, so the theater is my choice for recently released movies.
 
Two reasons I still go to theaters occasionally...

I see a preview for a movie that looks awesome and absolutely cannot wait several months for it to be released on DVD/Blu-ray.

Sometimes I just want to get out of the house with some friends, grab dinner, and make a night of it.
 
Hoping to see the 3D projectors to see Camerons "Avatar" in its full glory in my town. I've been hearing some insane things about it.
 
I really enjoy my home theater as much as I can. Though sometimes occasionally it can be fun going to a theater.
 
How about you not charge me $10 to see a damn movie, AMC? It costs less to go to a local baseball game!
$9 for the Toledo Mudhens, right behind home plate, AND you regularly see Tigers player play.
 
Climber said:
Well that is why I have a DLP projector, can do both 3D and well 112" by 65" is big enough for me, just isn't IMAX size...but then again I don't have to compensate for anything I'm secure in my manhood!
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Yeah I'm not impressed by 3d in the theaters since my projector is DLP and can do it as well.
 
Hmmm $25,000 for a home theater or $10 for a movie ticket? Tough call.
 
I love the experience at a big theater. We have a Malco that is maintained very well and kept extremely clean. Sound system and screens are topnotch. Normally they have an employee sitting in the theater so you dont have to worry about people being loud and stuff.
 
Theaters are the media equivalent of bars/restraurants.

Unneccessary, often crowded, expensive per unit... but come on, they're not that bad. No investment required, available while on vacation or in large groups, fights some cabin fever in the winter.

And public pools are a bit cruddier but... meh.
 
To the folks who complain about the proce of tickets: the theater sees almost ZERO of that. There is a reason the concesions are so spendy: it the main way the theater makes money.

As to "$25k" for a home theater. Meh. You can do a bog screen with projector and decent sound for WAY less. A 1080p PJ, screen and home theate rin a box setup that sounds good can be had for under $5K. Will it rock for music? Hell no. Will it rock for movies and games? You bet.
 
Climber said:
Well that is why I have a DLP projector, can do both 3D and well 112" by 65" is big enough for me, just isn't IMAX size...but then again I don't have to compensate for anything I'm secure in my manhood!
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And what 3D content does your DLP have to play? What is the standard delviery mediam for 3D?
 
bonsai said:
Hmmm $25,000 for a home theater or $10 for a movie ticket? Tough call.
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If money is an issue:

$600 projector
$110 diy 120in screen
$350 receiver
$199 bluray player
$500-1000 speakers (depending on budget and needs)
$100 cables and speaker stands

Properly calibrated, a very modest setup like the above will give you picture and sound quality that is superior to 95% of local theaters.

So assuming you go to the movies with a date, that's about $25 for two tickets plus $10 refreshments at the bare minimum. At the high end of the above budget build, it comes out to $2360 (with the $1000 speakers). After watching just 67 films on the home theater, it pays for itself.

If you have a family of four, then it's just 30 films. And that's on the high side of a budget build - go with $500 speakers and play your bluray rips via a $99 WDTV and it comes out to $1760.

If you go to the movies with a date, after just 50 films the home theater pays for itself. If you have a family of four, after just 25 films.

The average lifespan of a projector bulb is about 1800 hours. That's 900 2hr movies. 900 movies at the theater for 2 people would cost $31,500. 900 movies at the home theater costs $1700-2300.

I don't know about you, but to me it looks like no matter how you cut it home theater SAVES you far more money.
 
Also, I forgot to mention after the first projector bulb burns out, each additional 900 films at the home theater is only $300 vs $31,500 at the cinema.
 
You're looking at $25,000 minimum to reproduce any modern theater at home. If you think otherwise, you're blind, deaf, or high. For $5,000 you can get 75% of the quality, but "superior" quality? Hardly.
 
My very modest setup smashes all of my local theatres.

42" Panasonic 1080p plasma - $1600
Polk Monitor 50s - $250ish/pr
Polk CS2 - $150
Polk Monitor 30s - $100/pr
Harman Kardon AVR-254 Factory Refurb w/ warranty - $250
Dayton Sub-120 - $150
Cables and misc shit - $100

$2600 / $40 (for two people) = 65 movies. There are also games. Let's see you try to rent out a theatre to play MGS4 or Gears for anything less than 4 or 5 figures.
 
bonsai said:
You're looking at $25,000 minimum to reproduce any modern theater at home. If you think otherwise, you're blind, deaf, or high. For $5,000 you can get 75% of the quality, but "superior" quality? Hardly.
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some of us [strikethrough]arn't AV snobs[/strikethrough] have shitty hearing
 
computerpro3 said:
If money is an issue:

$600 projector
$110 diy 120in screen
$350 receiver
$199 bluray player
$500-1000 speakers (depending on budget and needs)
$100 cables and speaker stands

Properly calibrated, a very modest setup like the above will give you picture and sound quality that is superior to 95% of local theaters.

So assuming you go to the movies with a date, that's about $25 for two tickets plus $10 refreshments at the bare minimum. At the high end of the above budget build, it comes out to $2360 (with the $1000 speakers). After watching just 67 films on the home theater, it pays for itself.

If you have a family of four, then it's just 30 films. And that's on the high side of a budget build - go with $500 speakers and play your bluray rips via a $99 WDTV and it comes out to $1760.

If you go to the movies with a date, after just 50 films the home theater pays for itself. If you have a family of four, after just 25 films.

The average lifespan of a projector bulb is about 1800 hours. That's 900 2hr movies. 900 movies at the theater for 2 people would cost $31,500. 900 movies at the home theater costs $1700-2300.

I don't know about you, but to me it looks like no matter how you cut it home theater SAVES you far more money.
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Shhh, you'll teach 'em how to save money in the long run and own nice equipment doing it. They're not supposed to know this kind of math :D
 
bonsai said:
You're looking at $25,000 minimum to reproduce any modern theater at home. If you think otherwise, you're blind, deaf, or high. For $5,000 you can get 75% of the quality, but "superior" quality? Hardly.
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Arguably slightly inferior audiovisual quality for less long-run cost and much more convnience and, for some, justified bragging rights. :p
 
computerpro3 said:
The average lifespan of a projector bulb is about 1800 hours. That's 900 2hr movies. 900 movies at the theater for 2 people would cost $31,500. 900 movies at the home theater costs $1700-2300.
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I'm not trying to threadcrap, as I understand and agree with what you're trying to say...

But, please, do me a favor:

List me 900 movies worth watching?

Okay, at least name me 90?

Well, shit, can you at least name me nine?

Yeah, that's what I thought... :(

Slight sarcasm aside, I honestly would have trouble coming up with a list of 90 movies to ever bother watching on mine...

(I've seen Star Trek, Terminator:Salvation and Transformers 2 this year, with no further plans except maybe Avatar, but no certainty... Star Trek I hadn't even planned on, and was good enough to make me go to T:S, which just about killed my plans to see T2, which prior to T:S had been an absolute certainty I would go see it... And none of the three would I watch twice, making buying a disc of it a poor investment...)

I still do have a subscription to Netflix... I think my last movie arrived two months ago, haven't even opened the envelope yet... I tend to even temporarily lose 'em in my piles before I force myself to either just watch it, or send it back...

FWIW - I'm a sucker for documentaries...
 
Tolyngee said:
I'm not trying to threadcrap, as I understand and agree with what you're trying to say...

But, please, do me a favor:

List me 900 movies worth watching?

Okay, at least name me 90?

Well, shit, can you at least name me nine?

Yeah, that's what I thought... :(

Slight sarcasm aside, I honestly would have trouble coming up with a list of 90 movies to ever bother watching on mine...

(I've seen Star Trek, Terminator:Salvation and Transformers 2 this year, with no further plans except maybe Avatar, but no certainty... Star Trek I hadn't even planned on, and was good enough to make me go to T:S, which just about killed my plans to see T2, which prior to T:S had been an absolute certainty I would go see it... And none of the three would I watch twice, making buying a disc of it a poor investment...)

I still do have a subscription to Netflix... I think my last movie arrived two months ago, haven't even opened the envelope yet... I tend to even temporarily lose 'em in my piles before I force myself to either just watch it, or send it back...

FWIW - I'm a sucker for documentaries...
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By your own admission, you would rather spend money on a movie you deem not worth watching, and be happy you overpaid to do it.

/rofl
 
In the end, unless your Bill Gates, no home move system will compete with a farking 30 by 70 foot screen for pure visual sized, sorry.
 
The thing is, everyone will be talking about a movie that just came out, and you're sitting there waiting for it to come out on blu-ray, and you don't know what the hell they're talking about.

I'll pay $10.50 to see a movie that I REALLY want to see if it means I don't have to wait 4 or 5 months to see it.

The trick is, to eat BEFORE you go to the show :)
 
computerpro3 said:
The problem with most theaters near me is poorly calibrated video and sound systems.

Quite honestly, the video even at "digital" theaters is obviously wayyyy off from what it's supposed to be. They have washed out blacks, no shadow detail, poor colors, etc. And don't even get me started on the sound - it's crappy speakers either turned up to their breaking point or so low you can't hear anything.

To be totally honest, other than size (8ft vs 30ft diagonal), my home theater is superior in every way. And I don't even have to get raped on popcorn prices!
Click to expand...


THIS. My friends enjoyed My Bloddy Valentine 3D and Ghost Ship on my 37" HDTV and cobbled-together surround system (although I did spent about 4 hours calibrating it to perfection) more than they did at the theaters.

The lucas THX spproved solutions are impressive as hell...but since it's a closed spec, there's better common sense buying practices, that if adhered to will yield just as good if not better performance.

Those rules are: buy the speakers with the fflattest frequency response possible while still considering how responsive and detailed the sound is, buy recievers based on supported surround modes and digital audio features (discrete and matrixed 7.1 support is a must for Blu-Ray) and also delivers enough power for your room, the display should be capable of displaying an american flag on a green and black background without any color "glowing"...the white should be the proper linen white, and the black should be ink black.

Once those are met, buy some decent cables (monoprice) and speaker cable (12ga lampcord or CL2 cable for in-wall use), and all that's left are issue from installation location, etc.

My system is 3 Onix Reference 0.5 bookshelf speakers up front (yes a bookshelf speaker for center, it's a perfect voice match to the LR speakers and that's what matters), two yamaha 2" 2-ways (from their CAVIT system) in rear (because I can't find another pair of Reference 0.5s), a yamaha 8" 150w sub, a Yamaha 5.1 reciever, my computer handling the DVD playback, and a Olevia 37" 720P HDTV. Nothing fancy, but it delivers in a major way.

For the theaters to keep up with "whisper silent room, audio system with a 115dB cieling and 35-23khz response, a perfectly calibrated display AND can seat five for the cost of a single seat (rental of DVD, box of microwave popcorn and a few 2-liters of soda)....they're going to have to offer something really amazing.

Honestly, I don't see them being around much longer. At nearly $12 just to see the show, the prices are getting outright rediculous.
 
Now if they can add "Living room" style seating, keep the place clean and make sure that there aren't any crybabies.
 
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