The cinemas are just plain bad. I'm sorry, but they're dirty, with awkward location out of town, full of people you don't know, and littered with overpriced popcorn. They aren't even a social experience: you get kicked out talking to your friends in the middle of a movie!
So why are people still going? Some say it's for things like IMAX - a unique movie theater experience you can't get at home. Waste, I say, and to prove my point, here's how you can get that IMAX experience, right in your own living room, on a budget..
Short throw 3D projector
IMAX 3D movies are widely regarded as the best 3D cinema experiences you can get, but outside of just having a big screen, there's nothing unique about 3D technology that makes it particularly better than anything. that you can get at home - they're just really high resolution, projected on a really big screen. Of course, an IMAX screen has to be really big and high-res - because you're sitting so far away from it.
I would even argue that the passive 3D technology they use is actually inferior to the 3D active shutter, but that could be a matter of personal preference. Don't know what the difference is? Read my breakdown on the different types of 3DTV and why your laptop or PC can't show 3D..
Acquiring a relatively large screen from a consumer projector has been difficult in the past, where projectors would require a long throw distance of sometimes twice as far as the frame size you wanted (or more) - a 2 meter image would require the projector four meters or more from the screen. I don't know about you, but my living room is definitely not that big, restricting a satisfyingly large image to the realm of classrooms and boardrooms (which, again, you'd be so far removed from anyway ! )
Not so much these days: You can pick up a short throw 3D projector for as little as $ 700, like the Optoma GT1080, an active full HD 3D projector with a launch ratio small enough to give you a 100-inch screen when 'it's placed just over a yard away - or more, if you can put it further back and have a wall big enough to accommodate it. If that's too expensive, you'll still get reasonable performance from a Chinese import budget, like this $ 400 Atco model I reviewed last year.
A projector at close range will give you a huge image at a short distance. The only reason I can't fill the entire wall is because the radiator is in the way..
Don't forget to also pick up a four pairs of decent 3D shutter glasses. When the image is the size of your entire wall and you're sitting just a yard or two away from it, the immersion is just as good as an IMAX.
“But IMAX is 4K! " , You scream. Okay - we're not quite at the stage of affordable 4K projectors yet (except $ 3,700 is affordable for you), but it's a small sacrifice to bring the movie theater experience to your comfortable living room.
Speakers, speakers everywhere
There's a lot of engineering and sound design that goes into the IMAX experience, and I'm not going to pretend you can replicate it at home - you can't. IMAX theaters have loudspeakers in the ceiling, for heaven's sake - which they affectionately call “the voice of God”. The soundtracks are remastered for enjoyment.
Nonetheless, you can acquire something that still sounds great - and if you're one of the people who thinks IMAX movies are too loud anyway, then have control over the sound level because it's in your own living room. could be seen as a blessing in disguise.
IMAX movies are the same as regular movies, they just sound too loud.
- Casey Ervin (@Gotninelives) November 18, 2014
The great thing about speaker systems is that there is a product for every budget, starting at under $ 400 for a full Onkyo 7.1 surround sound system that includes an amplifier / receiver.
Most Blu-ray discs are encoded for 7.1 systems now, but even if your source isn't (Netflix, for example, is mostly 5.1) the sound processing algorithms in the amp may fill the gap. the gaps, so it's not like you'll be left with two speakers doing nothing. Check out this guide from Klipsch on where to put all those speakers.
Shake this (B) enough
Some IMAX theaters are installing upgraded seats that vibrate with the on-screen action; Basically allowing you to "feel" the movie. Commonly known as “bass shakers,” they have experienced an unexpected resurgence in popularity over the past year due to their ability to enhance immersion for VR experiences and gaming.
Rather than adding more audible bass to your surrounded sound system, the energy is transferred kinetically to your seat. I admit it: it sounds ridiculous, and silly. But it works. It improves immersion; it feels like you are there. And that's one aspect of the IMAX experience that you can actually replicate perfectly.
You can add a bass shaker to a relatively inexpensive seat if you do it yourself, and there are a lot of build guides out there now. Here's one from a VR enthusiast that costs less than $ 100, and while it's designed for a gaming chair, it could easily be adapted for a sofa.
You're essentially just attaching a speaker to the chair frame, driving it with an amp, in which you feed the audio from your standard amplifier through a low pass filter. The filter ensures that only the bass goes through, otherwise you start to 'feel' the vocals, which apparently isn't that pleasant.
If DIY isn't your thing, the ButtKicker brand is the most popular out-of-the-box product - a ButtKicker set designed for full home theater with an amplifier will put you back under $ 700 - but snatch them fast. because they are in high demand. It is easy to install and non-destructive: just place the base plate under one of the legs of your sofa. Being blown away never felt so good.
3D Blu-ray player
You can pick up a standard HD Blu-ray 3D player for $ 60, but I don't recommend it. If you don't have a game console yet - and since you're spending a good chunk on an amazing projector and sound system - consider buying either the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One instead of a dedicated Blu-ray player. As of last year, both are capable of 3D Blu-ray playback; they weren't at the time of the initial launch, limiting their use in home theaters.
The Xbox One is arguably better for media playback because it can also hang in a cable box and has a TV guide; While the PS4 is considered the best choice for gamers. I'll probably take flack for that statement in the comments, but I'm a gamer, I bought the Xbox One, and I'm a bit sorry, given how little I care about the cable integration. It's only Sony's disgusting customer service that keeps me loyal to Microsoft.
IMAX at home
Eeeeet this is how you get a not-all-authentic-but-still-pretty-damn-good IMAX-like experience in your living room. Of course, that's not just limited to the movies - gaming on a big screen with louder-than-life sound is amazing too, especially when you can feel your ass kicked while playing Call of Duty.
Do you have any other suggestions for gaining the like-IMAX experience at home? Or are you still convinced that nothing compares to going to the movies? Please let us know your ideas in the comments section below.
