Is having a good home theater system impacts your movie watching choices?

[Fluffy]

Everyone knows the phenomenon of "audiophile music" – music that is tailor made to sound really good on expansive systems, usually with insane dynamic range, acoustic instruments, and female voices. You can hear this kind of music almost exclusively in audio shows. And there are also audiophiles that tend to only listen to this kind of music, so they can relish at the ultimate sound of their systems.

I'm wondering if a similar phenomenon exists with movie choices among owners of high end home theater systems. Do you find yourselves choosing to watch movies based on how complex their soundscape is, or whether they were mixed in Dolby Atmos and the likes? Is watching a movie that is mostly dialog and has no subwoofer effects a turn-off? How about old (or indie) movies that have only stereo or even only mono mixes?

 

[tecnogadget]

Not at all. The only thing that impact me from having a high quality home cinema is that I don’t want to watch what I consider great movies without it.
If the movie is below that self imposed threshold then I can watch it in “standar way” (other people system’s, laptop screen, iPad or even on the smartphone while on the bed, portable speaker like Ultimate Ears Wonderboom,etc)

If I really want to achieve a connection between the movie and myself then the audiophile “HT” is a must, but the system doesn’t change my inner taste in movies.
Personal experiences, growing up and maturity are the main factors that have altered my personal selection of movies.

PS: I have some discs with Blu Ray demo material like “picture quality”-“bass”-“surround”-etc. Useful for comparison after calibration changes or upgrades and also for showing off the system.
The biggest disappointment of a high quality HT is realizing how often the work of sound engineers leaves so much to be desired...voices constantly clipping and very high gain from microphones. Over processed voices ...burn hollywood burn.

 

[FrantzM]

Not at all. The only thing that impact me from having a high quality home cinema is that I don’t want to watch what I consider great movies without it.
If the movie is below that self imposed threshold then I can watch it in “standar way” (other people system’s, laptop screen, iPad or even on the smartphone while on the bed, portable speaker like Ultimate Ears Wonderboom,etc)

If I really want to achieve a connection between the movie and myself then the audiophile “HT” is a must, but the system doesn’t change my inner taste in movies.
Personal experiences, growing up and maturity are the main factors that have altered my personal selection of movies.

+1
Me too!
I. also. find some movies easier to understand in my own settings. Dialogues for one, are more intelligible. A well-balanced Audio system will make you appreciative of the high level of talent and skill of movies and TV sound artists. The level goes way beyond the boom and crash... I am enjoying movies in my HT in a new way..
I hasten to say that the quality on the video side has increased exponentially in the last 16 years while cost continue to decrease: I had back in the days a SONY Pearl which cost, alone, more than the price of my current audio and video HT gig audio included, my current BenQ 2050A @ $750, is a superior projector in all areas, except, perhaps in shadow details...

 

[RayDunzl]

I use stereo.

Maybe someday, I'm not an early adopter.

 

[jhaider]

Qualified no, though I also don't pick music based on "audiophile acceptance factor" either.

Qualified because I find myself steering our eldest daughter to some programs (e.g. Planet Earth instead of something on YouTube Kids etc.) because it can be visual and audible eye-candy.

Also, as with music I do seek out what's considered the "best sounding" master of music I like, or a multichannel recording if available. With video if there are tiers I'll pay for the Atmos/HDR version.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Yes, I think it does for just a little while. It doesn't last long.

Now like some others I find at some point I don't want to watch a good movie without the good sound. And sometimes you do notice just how good a job they did mixing the sound in multi-channel to add to the experience in a non-obvious way.

Then again we are guilding the lilly. I recall the first time I saw 12 Angry Men and thought it was such a well done movie. I was watching it on my 12 inch vaccuum tube portable B&W TV. With mono sound over a 3 inch oval speaker. And also happily watching the original Star Trek on that TV because the big color TV (21 incher) wouldn't pick up the CBS channel the show was on. OTOH, I sure do enjoy watching the remastered original Star Trek in HD quality. If you are a fan, check out at least a couple episodes. Netflix has them, but those seem to have a bit of video noise. The versions at Amazon Prime seem quite clean.

 

[bigx5murf]

Sorta, I watched heat again a couple weeks ago just to enjoy the gun fights. But I think that's the only movie I've watched this year other than anime, and that's usually stereo (upmixed with Dolby prologic). I mostly watch reality TV, and documentaries on my HT.

 

[bluefuzz]

Everyone knows the phenomenon of "audiophile music"

They do? There is music I like and want to listen to (= good music) and there is music I don't like and don't want to listen to (= bad music). Aside from actual audio test discs I can't imagine there is much music about that is really 'tailor made to sound really good on expansive systems' or that anyone would want to listen to such a thing. The quality of the musical experience has little to do with the quality of the system or even of the recording. I derive as much (if not more) pleasure listening to a scratchy Charley Patton or Bessie Smith track recorded direct to shellac in the 1920s as the latest state-of-the-art hi-res digital production from whoever. If the music is good it's good, and if it's bad it's bad. End of story. Some of my best musical experiences were listening to the John Peel show as a teenager in the late 70s on a poorly tuned clock radio with a 2" speaker ...

All I require of my hi-fi system is that it reproduce as accurately as possible what is on the recording.

The same goes for movie watching. Since acquiring a largish flat-screen TV three or four years ago I have take to buying the movies I want to watch on Blu-Ray because that has decent picture quality. Other than that I have no particular preference. The sound goes out through my stereo because it's there and sounds good. Probably 90% of the movies I watch were recorded in glorious mono on a Nagra III. The few times I have experienced movies with multichannel 'surround' effects I have found them both annoying and actively distracting from the movie itself. So, for me, the only reasonable use of a 'high end home theatre' is for a 13-year-old to watch super-hero movies. Thankfully, I don't have a 13-year-old so I am spared that experience ...

 

[JeffS7444]

Nope. While I do seek out the best sources that I can find in B-D and now, UHD, I want to watch good movies, not ones which merely dazzle the senses. And one of my absolute all-time favorites is a food movie:

 

[dasdoing]

I have problems finding movies that interest me. So I don't realy have a choice

 

[Archaea]

Yes, it did for a while heavily, and still does occasionally.
When you spend a lot of money and time setting up a strong AV system, then it’s natural to want to hear/see it in the best way possible. So I’d often pick up a known mediocre movie because it receives praise for A/V. Not so much lately. I’m tired of watching mediocre movies.

I’m in a little local group of AV enthusiasts in Kansas City MO area and we trade movie nights at each other’s houses. Typically these movies are the latest whiz bang special, which are not typically “good” movies. A clear example of this trend was Transformer’s Bumblebee. Here we had our small group of 40-50 year olds watching a kids movie on our monthly movie night event because it’s supposed to have great audio and video. It was a horrible movie! Almost a laughable situation.

Last time I hosted the movie night I changed direction and we watched Solo. The movie about Alex Honnald’s free solo of El Capitan. No impressive audio, but impressive and memorable because of indomitable human spirit!

To be fair occasionally this path of picking a movie for impressive A/V recommendations does work out. My most vivid example is Spider-Man - Into the Spider Verse. I picked that movie up based on high A/V praise, (I’m not even a Spider-Man fan and otherwise would have skipped it) and I ended up loving the movie. It has a fun story, and great animation, and some of the best sound I’ve heard. But this example of pleasant surprise is more rare than not.

 

[3dbinCanada]

Nope. I choose my movies like I choose my music. I have to like it regardless of whether it shows off the AVR or not.

 

[Midwest Blade]

Just a side note to the conversation...wonder if there will be an uptick in new home theater set ups stemming from the pandemic.

 

[Archaea]

Just a side note to the conversation...wonder if there will be an uptick in new home theater set ups stemming from the pandemic.

AVSforum users report shortages on AVRs and I know from watching for budget AVRs for a friend for the last few months and confirmed by watching slickdeals.net that compared to typical — there are no good sales to be found on the more budget oriented stuff. So yes, I think Covid has generated more interest for home theater setups!

 

[JeffS7444]

Just a side note to the conversation...wonder if there will be an uptick in new home theater set ups stemming from the pandemic.

For what it's worth, I just visited a couple of local thrift stores and saw lots of older LCD TV sets, DVD and BluRay players, and some inexpensive surround sound speakers, the sorts that are sold as a set with a receiver. What I don't see so much of are BluRay movies, which seem to sell quickly. And at the big-box stores like Best Buy and Target, the items which appeared to be in conspicuously short supply were gaming PC accessories, movies on disk (well, at my local BB anyway), Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Xbox, Sony Playstation consoles and related items. Interpret that as you will.

 

[Midwest Blade]

...safe to assume the rush is well underway.

 

[paddycrow]

I watch movies because I enjoy them. My home theater merely enhances my enjoyment.

What has changed is that I am more likely to wait for something to be released on BluRay than going to a theater.

 

[bigx5murf]

For what it's worth, I just visited a couple of local thrift stores and saw lots of older LCD TV sets, DVD and BluRay players, and some inexpensive surround sound speakers, the sorts that are sold as a set with a receiver. What I don't see so much of are BluRay movies, which seem to sell quickly. And at the big-box stores like Best Buy and Target, the items which appeared to be in conspicuously short supply were gaming PC accessories, movies on disk (well, at my local BB anyway), Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Xbox, Sony Playstation consoles and related items. Interpret that as you will.

I'm always surprised at how fast bluray discs sell at thrifts stores, when they price them the same as new from walmart, or record store bargain bins.

 

[FrantzM]

Hi

I Love Music and I love Movies.
I'll be blunt: There seems to be something akin to a badge of honor to dismiss the importance of sound, surround in particular to the Movies Experience. Sound has been an important part of film. Its proper reproduction adds to the experience, to the comprehension and enjoyment of movies. One can just use the earbuds thrown in the package of smartphones or get a decent head/ear phones, when it comes to listen to music. The bud can provide quite a bit and many would enjoy , great music through it ... but most here, at ASR, would admit that the experience will be incomplete. Same with many movies where the sound is part of the story, carries the action, the plot and the emotions, the storytelling.. An exemple is "Sicario" , an excellent movie by a great filmmaker , Dennis Villeneuve. That movies (and many others) are/is incomplete without its soundtrack, the bass in particular needs to be taut and present, It is not much of a melodic music, the way you have it in "The Incorruptibles", another movies where the music plays its own ,acting role. no! Sicario soundtrack is music , alright but some, music of indeterminate melodic provenance but it is there, adding drama, weigh to the action on screen... there again 2-ch cannot convey those emotions, especially when they come from off screen... It is almost facile to deride surround as "Helicopter flying over your head" but in the movie "1917"and Dunkirk (2 great movies BTW) stereo is flat and non-convincing, the bullets that fly around in Dunkirk, are part of the story, that strange piercing sound that comes from every direction.. 2-channel can't do that... Yes it is a movie and come to think, it is perhaps enjoyable on a smartphone but would you ? People? Versus a serious 150 inch , 4K , HDR, Surround with proper subwoofage, Atmos to place the sonic objects where they should. DAMN!! a great HT system heighten the enjoyment of movies. I hope ,I am not in the minority.

 

[SimpleTheater]

Everyone knows the phenomenon of "audiophile music" – music that is tailor made to sound really good on expansive systems, usually with insane dynamic range, acoustic instruments, and female voices. You can hear this kind of music almost exclusively in audio shows. And there are also audiophiles that tend to only listen to this kind of music, so they can relish at the ultimate sound of their systems.

I'm wondering if a similar phenomenon exists with movie choices among owners of high end home theater systems. Do you find yourselves choosing to watch movies based on how complex their soundscape is, or whether they were mixed in Dolby Atmos and the likes? Is watching a movie that is mostly dialog and has no subwoofer effects a turn-off? How about old (or indie) movies that have only stereo or even only mono mixes?

Doesn’t impact what I’m watching but I do get annoyed when a something I want to watch isn’t in 4K and Atmos. When I want to watch more than one thing, I’ll use quality video/audio as a tie breaker.