Return of the King

Ceruleance

You guys have **** local theaters if your HT even compares. Even with 7.1 and a FP system you're still looking at a 100 inch screen compared to a 100 foot screen, and sound that aspires to theater quality. Ron, you're still welcome to stay home and wait this one out, I'll go see ROTK enough times in the theater for both of us.

Frank Z

It's extremely bad luck!! I got a call 2 nights ago fom a friend who had taken his family to see it and when they got home they found the main floor of the house flooded. The front of his 150 gallon saltwater tank blew out while he was watching ROTK. The movie is cursed I tell ya!!!

He was still all excited about the movie, so it must have been pretty good.

I went by yesterday to survey the damage to his heating and A/C equipment, my first thought when I hit the door was "Something Smells Fishey" about this job. No carpet left on the floor, it's still raining a few drops a minute in the basement, and my friend is STILL going on and on about the movie. The conversation went like this:

"Man, this really sucks Tim! I mean right before christmas and all!!"

"Yeah my dad is flying in on Friday, its been awhile since he's seen the kids. Are you going to go see ROTK? It's great!!"

"Probably pretty soon, but lets take a look in the basement."

"I'm tellin ya this is the best LOTR movie yet, there's a scene where......"

"Tim, I really should look at furnace and get the heat going....."

"I gotta tells ya about what happens when...."

"TIM, THE FURNACE FIRST!!! I want to get the heat going so you don't have spend the night in a hotel."

"Dude I'm gonna go see it again, it was just so ...."

"HEY, Enough about the movie already, the furnace needs to...."

"Yeah I know.....in a minute, just let me tell ya what happens when these 2 hobbits go into this tunnel"

At this point I just grab my tools and walk down the stairs to get to work, and Tims wife is there cleaning up. She looks at me with a huge smile on her face and says.....

"We went to see ROTK, it's great! There's this part where......"

I'm thinking "What the EFF is wrong with you people!!"

Bad Luck and Mind control!!

section19

My home theater set up is quite modest by the standards set forth around here. I still enjoy it immensely and it was a big upgrade for me over what I had. So, I'm not into building a movie collection like many of you. I just rent movies or get them free from the local library.

Still when the final box set is released of the complete trilogy with all the additional footage restored I WILL be buying it. I don't care how much it costs or what my wife says, I'm getting it.

Probably won't get out to the theaters to see ROTK until next weekend.

AreBEe

People do the MasterCard "Priceless" thing to death, but to be in your own modest HT where you do not have some idiot, chewing what sounds like broken glass, in your ear, is f-ing priceless.

Loved this movie, loved the trilogy, hate that it's over.

Looking forward to the EE DVD. The Hobbit would be great if PJ does do it, but it will never have the impact on me that this trilogy had.

Ron-P

You guys have **** local theaters if your HT even compares. Even with 7.1 and a FP system you're still looking at a 100 inch screen compared to a 100 foot screen, and sound that aspires to theater quality.

Everyone decides weather a movie is worth a trip to the theater or not. For myself, it's extremely rare. My 80" screen and all the +'s out way the 100' screen and all the negatives that go along with going out. We're all aware of those negatives so there's no need to repeat'em. When I was 12 the 100' screen impressed me. Not anymore, my 80" impresses me just fine. The sound in my HT puts to shame anything offered up by the local theaters.

It all comes down to my entire movie experience and how deeply I can get lost in a movie. At the local theater there are too many distractions and too many people that interrupt my getting lost.

..and yes, most all the local theaters are ****.


Peace Out~:D

polkatese

Originally posted by Frank Z
It's extremely bad luck!! I got a call 2 nights ago fom a friend who had taken his family to see it and when they got home they found the main floor of the house flooded. The front of his 150 gallon saltwater tank blew out while he was watching ROTK. The movie is cursed I tell ya!!!

He was still all excited about the movie, so it must have been pretty good.

"HEY, Enough about the movie already, the furnace needs to...."

"Yeah I know.....in a minute, just let me tell ya what happens when these 2 hobbits go into this tunnel"

At this point I just grab my tools and walk down the stairs to get to work, and Tims wife is there cleaning up. She looks at me with a huge smile on her face and says.....

"We went to see ROTK, it's great! There's this part where......"[/I]

I'm thinking "What the EFF is wrong with you people!!"

Bad Luck and Mind control!!

Are you sure Tim is not Elijah in disguise?

Dr. Spec

Originally posted by Ron-P
..and yes, most all the local theaters are ****.

I'll agree 1,000%. I have yet to experience a movie house that could hold a candle to, much less exceed, my HT system in terms of PQ, SQ, comfort, privacy, convenience, and the ability to "get lost" in the movie.

And 100' is no bigger or more impressive than 100" if you are only sitting 10' feet away instead of 100' away - the ratio is still the same.

scottvamp

Originally posted by Dr. Spec
And 100' is no bigger or more impressive than 100" if you are only sitting 10' feet away instead of 100' away - the ratio is still the same.

Bingo!!!!!!!!!!!

My HT screen is about 120" widescreen. I set about 13' back from the screen. 480p/7 channels. I have yet to see a Theater that touches mine in sound and picture quality. I have read many reviews that explain how and why the PQ and SQ if "the" DVD was a much more impressive than the theater experience.
My local theaters are fairly new pretty loaded. My biggest gripes in the SQ area is the bass, sourrounds and frontstage seperation are not even close to my HT. Greater clarity and imaging by far.

Not even counting the SQ and PQ thier is everything else. Crowds, parking, lines, buying $9 tickets, food and drinks (break out credit card) cell phones, too hot/cold, 20 min of previews, baby crying, kids running, teenagers (u can imagine), the tough guy picking fights to impress the girlfriend, people talking throughout and having to buy a new pair of shoes because they are still stuck to the floor.
I could go on...........
Ceruleance - you just havn't seen or heard a great HT yet. And mine is nothing compared to your million dollar homes.
Here is the website to one of my favorite magazines:

Home Theaters: No Really!

kberg

Originally posted by Ron-P

..and yes, most all the local theaters are ****.

I don't agree at all. I look FORWARD to seeing those BIG black ovals and scratches showing up on that BIG screen and having the music skip occassionally as part of a scene transition!

Ceruleance

boy I had no idea you guys were so outspoken against theaters.

Ceruleance - you just havn't seen or heard a great HT yet.

scott, I think it's the other way around, I think you just haven't heard or seen a great commercial theater yet.

Tonight was my second time seeing ROTK, the first time I saw it in a 2 year old state of the art theater, and tonight I saw it in a state of the art theater that just opened up two weekends ago.
try driving a little bit out of your way to goto a decent theater, if you actually call yourself an enthusiast. If you live in bumblefuck, well, there's a lot more culture you need to worry about than the quality of the local theater.

Doc, when your HDTV is as big as one of the walls in your room, then you can come back and talk to me about how the ratios are equal.

And what are all these arguments about PQ? All DVD's are transfers from the original film, and highly compressed at that. So the source material is inherently not as good, not to mention the professional projectors which cost tens of thousands of dollars blow away any consumer quality FP or HDTV (raise your hand if you have ever seen screen door effect or motion blur/distortion at your local multiplex...)

I'm not sure about the point someone made about separation, not something that I have noticed at my theaters. When you are going for diffuse surround, one 2-pole cabinet doesn't really compare to 13 speakers on each side, now does it? And as far as I know, no-one hear has a FP setup with a transparent screen, so all voices coming from the HT sound misplaced and localized (even if you have a center on steroids..). If you can't notice this with movies, try watching a music video and pay attention the the singer's lips, not real convincing..

Black spots, scratches, and other PQ artifacts are due to the film wearing out from overplaying (NB- the concession stand ad and no talking sequence at the beginning always has lots of artifacts because it has been re-used so often), if you go see the movie the first night or first week you won't see them, unless again you have some **** theater that you goto.

This is all my opinion and i'm sorry if I have offended anyone. It's possible that we are all right, that you guys have crappy local theaters and I have a couple of decent ones. (By the way, in the thirty minute radius around my house there are maybe 15 theaters, and there's only one of them that meets my standards, and that one gets all my business, even if it's 25 minutes away. Based on my first visit tonight to the brand new one, there may be two worthy theaters now)

Dr. Spec

Originally posted by Ceruleance
Doc, when your HDTV is as big as one of the walls in your room, then you can come back and talk to me about how the ratios are equal.

This is all my opinion and i'm sorry if I have offended anyone. It's possible that we are all right, that you guys have crappy local theaters and I have a couple of decent ones. (By the way, in the thirty minute radius around my house there are maybe 15 theaters, and there's only one of them that meets my standards, and that one gets all my business, even if it's 25 minutes away. Based on my first visit tonight to the brand new one, there may be two worthy theaters now)

The size of the screen, and how close you sit to it, determine how big the picture will "feel". I think you need a fairly large 16x9 to pull it off at home, but I certainly don't sit in the front seat when I do go to the movies. I sit back far enough (back 2/3 usually) so I can see the whole screen and take in all the images without having to turn my head or feel queasy.

I use the same criteria at home. How people can watch a 120" screen at home from a distance of 10' without feeling queasy is beyond me. I sit 11-12' from my 53" 16x9 and it feels about perfect.

No offense taken. Not only is it possible - it's highly probable. Every theater I have in my hometown is junk. The PQ is crap, and the SQ is worse. I'd love to someday go to a REALLY great theater where I could be truly impressed by the experience, and I envy you for having that available in your hometown.

Strong Bad

I'd love to someday go to a REALLY great theater where I could be truly impressed by the experience, and I envy you for having that available in your hometown.

Doc, if you're ever in Baltimore, give a shout. We got a theater I think you'll be impressed with.

www.senator.com


John

scottvamp

scott, I think it's the other way around, I think you just haven't heard or seen a great commercial theater yet.

I have gone to the Luxor IMAX in Las Vegas a couple times. I live 1 1/2 hour away. Sunset Station with recliners, love seats and what not. Ya, never said thier are not great theaters - not comparing muti-million dollar theaters against my HT. You may have missed my point, just in compairision (pros and cons) to a good HT. Their is no contest and with every new person that experiences my HT it is almost always the same reation. I do go see 2/3 movies at the theater a year. And if a had a great $15 a ticket theater (two person $50 movie) (owning the DVD for $15) I would go see them couple movies "thier".

scottvamp

Speaking of $50, that is what i just spent on ROTK. Nice new theater and a little gambling.
The DVD will be awesome. Did not like the "ending" very much but it was well worth the trip to the movies.

Jstas

Originally posted by Gringo
*drooling* hmmmm svs ........I dont wanna give too much away to anyone reading this...but the scene near the end....when the "Black Tower" crumbles and sends that shock wave through the earth is gonna be frrriiggginn amazing with an svs. Hehe i dont even have one yet and i love them...I hate reading these forums, you guys make them sound so good..

That isn't the scene that will give you chills. The scene where the Witch King comes out of Minas Morgul on the Nazgul, there is a shockwave that runs through that as the Minas Morgul beacon goes up. That one rumbled every seat in the theater!

Ceruleance, I agree with you! I have seen quite a few EXCELLENT HT setups but nothing comes close to a modern DTS theater! I have a movie theater not 2 miles from my house and every theater is DTS and Digital Sound and so one and so forth. I've watched many movies at this theater and I have yet to see an HT setup that can compare. I'm not bashing HT setups at all. I'm just saying that a DTS theater properly setup will knock your socks off! I still remember feeling queasy at the first LOTR movie, FOTR, when Sauron is destroyed for the first time and that shockwave goes out. It was so loud that I was struggling to hear dialogue for a few seconds after that and a few people in the theater got up and walked out looking quite ill.

If anyone thinks thier own HT is so much better than a modern DTS theater that they have experienced then you need to find a different theater and experience a REAL DTS theater. About the only bonus an HT theater has over a movie theater is intimacy and no punk-**** kids making a nuisance of themselves.

scottvamp

You guys keep supporting the Movie Theaters so the DVD's keep coming to my HomeTheater..... I win either way!!!!!!!!!!!:D

dholmes

I was lucky & got to see rotk at midnite, the next day I wanted to see it awake, half way through the movie the fire alarm went off. Funny, the movie was so good everybody just sat there bitchin about the alarm. Long story short there was a small fire & that stopped the movie for that day. I just wanted to say how powerfull a great movie can be!!!!

scottvamp

Enough to burn alive....... Ouch:eek:

Ceruleance

Originally posted by scottvamp
Enough to burn alive....... Ouch:eek:

no, no, dholmes can only be destroyed in the fires of mt. doom...

scottvamp

Originally posted by Ceruleance
no, no, dholmes can only be destroyed in the fires of mt. doom...

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!:D

jdavy

I live on the border of San Francisco in Daly City, CA. We have some excellent theaters but a High Quality DVD with some polk speakers is hard to beat. The new theaters suck. They are boxy and lack style. We still have a few of the old movie houses in the bay area and they are a treat to visit. The art deco can really wow you. The only new theater I am interested in seeing is the AMC 1000's DLP system. I want to see what everyone has been raving about.

BTW I saw ROTK today. SE DVD will be better. Ending of the movie could use some explanation.

Ceruleance

Originally posted by jdavy


BTW I saw ROTK today. SE DVD will be better. Ending of the movie could use some explanation.

Read the books!

scottvamp

Thier are books!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can they make my PSW1200 rumble.........

dholmes

Talking about AMC theaters, I saw Pirates this past summer in Chicago it was the best pq & sq I have ever seen it a theater. Maybe it was one of them new dlp theaters!

Dr. Spec

OK, I finally saw ROTK today.

I made the trip cross town to the Tinsel Town theater and was rewarded for it.

The PQ was very good - no complaints at all.

The SQ was "good" (but not great), with DTS and about 30 large speakers (8 on both sides, 4 in the rear, and 10 across the front).

The volume was sure loud enough, and the dialogue was intelligible (but not crystal clear), and panning/surround effects were good, with decent rear action also.

The shortfall was the bass, but at least it wasn't completely absent. It was a bit boomy and seemed to peak around 40 Hz with no real extension at all. It could be felt in the seats occasionally, but it did not pressurize the air much at all. I can't imagine the amount of woof it would take to really go flat to 25 Hz loud and clean in that size theater.

Oh.......the movie was spectacular, but dragged a bit in the end to be faithful to the book. A fitting end to the trilogy. A superb accomplishment.

Gringo

I havent posted any comments on the home theater/movie theater debate...But I still believe some people are missing a huuuge point on the difference between the 2. Ill start off by saying that the theaters in my town arent the best and im spoiled by my home theater. But PQ and SQ aside, the absolute best thing about watching a movie in a home theater, is YOU PICK THE CROWD. Just 4 days ago I saw return of the king my second time, and the only time in my entire life...i got so fed up with a small group of people, who obviously could care less if Frodo gift-wrapped and mailed Sauron the Ring, that i actually turned around and asked them "why do you spend 8 dollars a piece and not shut up the entire movie?" Of course I risked ruining the movie for myself by getting punched in the back of my head....but it was well worth it because they quickly learned to respect others in the theater. I probably would never have done such a thing if i only had to deal with it for a 75 minute movie, but when im watching a movie over 3 hours long which happens to be my favorite to date, i guess my patience ran thin. Getting back to the point...ill take my decent home theater over an amazing, brand new dts theater just so I never have to deal with some arrogant, ignorant **** eating what sounds like 2 gallons of 'pop rocks' through a pa system.

P.S. Comfort too!! Never sat in a theater seat quite as comfy as my love-seat in my home.

shiznit311

LMAO I see some of you have sat near some of the idiots I have. I haven't been to a theatre since The Hulk. I'll prolly go see RotK this week. I can't wait till the DVD comes out.

dlew308

Read the books and you'll wonder why peter jackson screwed up parts of the 2nd movie and the ROTK's ending...
grrrrrrr

Great movie cept for his changes...

Gringo

Yahh i def agree...gotta read the books although i still think Peter Jackson did an amazing job following the books closely. The farthest i think he strayed from was def 2 towers. Return of the king was pretty accurate except a lot of the end was cut out but probably only due to the fact that the movie was almost 4 hours long without the 'scouring of the shire' chapter in the book.