A home cinema, also called home theater, is an audio-visual system that seeks to reproduce a movie theater experience and mood in private homes using consumer grade electronic video and audio equipment for watching home video or streaming.
In the 1980s, home cinemas typically consisted of a movie pre-recorded on a LaserDisc or VHS tape; a LaserDisc Player or VCR; and a large-screen cathode-ray tube TV set, although sometimes CRT projectors were used instead. In the 2000s, technological innovations in sound systems, video player equipment, TV screens and video projectors changed the equipment used in home cinema set-ups and enabled home users to experience a higher-resolution screen image, improved sound quality and components that offer users more options (e.g., many Blu-ray players can also stream movies and TV shows over the Internet using subscription services such as Netflix). The development of Internet-based subscription services means that 2020s-era home theatre users do not have to commute to a video rental store as was common in the 1980s and 1990s.
In the 2020s, a home cinema system typically uses a large projected video image or a large flatscreen high-resolution HDTV system, a movie or other high-definition video content, with multi-channel audio and anywhere from two speakers to five or more surround sound speaker cabinets and at least one low-frequency subwoofer speaker cabinet to amplify low-frequency effects from movie soundtracks and reproduce the deep pitches from musical soundtracks.
Introduction
Introduced in 1912, the Edison Home Projecting Kinetoscope was one of the first home theater devices. Although it used a 22 mm film format, the image size was nearer to 6 mm, the smallest ever to be commercially released. The film was perforated not only on the edges, but also in two interior rows, dividing each frame into three separate images. The film was run through once for the first set of outside images; the gate was shifted over and the film run backwards for the interior row of images; then the gate was shifted once more to project the other outside row. The value was that an entire motion picture could be projected from one reel of film. However, its high cost - $175 on introduction - its distribution through Edison phonograph dealers who resented having to sell it, the difficulty of working the machine properly, and the graininess of the early safety film stock (made even more visible when projecting the 6 mm image) made it a commercial failure. Production stopped after the disastrous fire at Edison's West Orange, New Jersey factory complex in December 1914.
Home theater systems were made in the 1920s with 16 mm projectors. Technological improvements led to 8 mm and sound 16 mm in the 1930s. In the 1950s, playing home movies became popular in the United States with middle-class and upper-class families as Kodak 8 mm film projector equipment became more affordable. In the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, a typical home cinema in the United States would have a LaserDisc or VHS player playing a movie, with the signal fed to a large rear-projection television set, with the audio output through a stereo system. Some people used expensive front projectors in a darkened viewing room. During the 1980s, watching movies on VHS at home became a popular leisure activity. Beginning in the late 1990s and continuing throughout much of the 2000s, home-theater technology progressed with the development of the DVD-Video format, surround sound speaker systems, and high-definition television (HDTV), which initially included bulky, heavy cathode-ray tube HDTVs and flatscreen TVs. The 2010s saw the introduction of affordable large HDTV flatscreen TVs, high resolution video projectors (e.g., DLP), 3D television technology and the high resolution Blu-ray (1080p).
Some studies show that films are rated better and generate more intense emotions when watched in a movie theater,Fröber, K., & Thomaschke, R. (2019). In the dark cube: Movie theater context enhances the valuation and aesthetic experience of watching films. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. Advance online publication. but convenience is a major appeal for home cinemas.
The term home cinema encompasses a range of systems meant for movie playback at home. The most basic and economical system could be a digital media player, with large-screen television or a smart TV, and an inexpensive home theater in a box surround sound amplifier and speaker system with a subwoofer. A more expensive home cinema set-up might include a Blu-ray disc player, home theater PC (HTPC) computer or digital media receiver streaming devices with a 10-foot user interface, an event larger screen or projector and projection screen, and a several-hundred-watt home theater receiver with five or more surround-sound speakers plus one or two powerful subwoofers.
Home cinema designs and layouts are a personal choice, and the type of home cinema a user can set up depends on their budget and the space that is available within the home. The minimum set of requirements for a home theater are: a large television set or good quality video projector, an AV receiver and amplifier combination capable of supporting surround sound, and something that plays movies such as a Blu-ray disc player, cable or satellite receiver, video game console, etc. Finally, a soundbar or a set of speakers, at least two, are needed but more common are anywhere from six to eight with a subwoofer for bass or low-frequency effects.
The most expensive home cinema set-ups, which can cost over , have large, high-resolution digital projectors and projection screens, custom-built screening rooms that include cinema-style chairs and audiophile-grade sound equipment designed to mimic or exceed commercial cinema performance.
Design
Many home cinema enthusiasts aim to replicate, to the degree that is possible, the cinema experience. A typical home cinema includes the following components: Movie or other viewing content: As the name implies, one of the key reasons for setting up a home cinema is to watch movies on a large screen, which does a more effective job at reproducing filmed images of vast landscapes or epic battle sequences. Home cinema enthusiasts using smart Blu-ray players may also watch DVDs of TV shows, and recorded or live sports events or music concerts. With a smart player, a user may be able to stream movies, TV shows and other content over the Internet. DVD players and Blu-ray players have provisions that allow users to view digital photos and other content on the big screen. Video and audio input devices: One or more audiovisual sources. High-resolution movie media formats such as Blu-ray discs are normally preferred. Some home theaters include a Home theater PC (HTPC) with a media center software application to act as the main library for video and music content using a 10-foot user interface and remote control. Blu-ray players, digital media players and game consoles can stream movies and TV shows over the Internet. Audio and video processing devices: Input signals are processed by either a standalone AV receiver for surround sound formats. Audio output: Systems consist of preamplifiers, power amplifiers (both of which may be integrated into a single AV receiver) and two or more loudspeakers. The audio system requires at least a stereo power amplifier and two speakers, for stereo sound; most systems have multi-channel surround sound power amplifier and six or more speakers (a 5.1 surround sound system has left and right front speakers, a center speaker, left and right rear speakers and a low-frequency subwoofer). Video output: A large-screen display, typically supporting HDTV. Some users may have a 3D TV. As of 2015, flat-screen HDTVs are the norm. Options include Liquid crystal display television (LCD), plasma TV, and OLED. Home cinema users may also use a video projector and a movie screen. If a projector is used, a portable, temporary screen may be used, a screen may be permanently mounted or the image may be projected directly on a prepared wall. Seating and atmosphere: Comfortable seating is often provided to improve the cinema feel. Some luxury home cinemas have movie theater-style padded chairs for guests. Higher-end home theaters commonly also have sound insulation to prevent noise from escaping the room and specialized wall treatment to balance the sound within the room. Wall color can be optimized.
Component systems vs. theater-in-a-box
Home cinemas can either be set up by purchasing individual components (e.g., buying a multichannel amp from one manufacturer, a Blu-ray player from another manufacturer, speakers from another company, etc.) or by purchasing a home theater in a box (HTIB) package which includes all components, excepting TV or projector, from a single manufacturer. HTIB systems typically include a DVD or Blu-ray player, a surround sound amplifier, five surround speakers, a subwoofer cabinet, cables and a remote. The benefit of purchasing separate components one by one is that consumers can better match the components to the needs of the consumer or a specific room.
However, to buy individual components, a consumer must have knowledge of sound system and video system design and electronics, and they must do research on the specifications of each component. One of the challenges with buying all the components separately is that the purchaser must understand speaker impedance, power handling, and HDMI compatibility and cabling. Given these challenges, HTIB systems can be a simpler and more cost-effective solution.
Dedicated rooms
Some home cinema enthusiasts build a dedicated room in their home for the theater. These more advanced installations often include sophisticated acoustic design elements, including room-in-a-room construction that isolates sound and provides an improved listening environment and a large screen, often using a high-definition projector. These installations are often designated as to differentiate them from simpler, less-expensive installations. In some movie enthusiasts' home cinemas, this idea can go as far as completely recreating an actual small-scale cinema, with a projector enclosed in its own projection booth, specialized furniture, curtains in front of the projection screen, movie posters, or a popcorn or vending machine with snack food and candy.
The cost of outfitting a home cinema system has dropped due to rapid advances in digital audio and video technologies bringing home theater in reach of do-it-yourselfers. , consumer-grade A/V equipment can meet some of the standards of a small modern commercial cinema (e.g., THX sound).
Seating Home cinema seating consists of chairs or sofas specifically designed for viewing movies in a home cinema. Some seating has cinema-style chairs, which feature a flip-up seat cushion. Other seating systems have plush leather reclining lounger types, with flip-out footrests. Available features include cup holder, storage compartments, snack trays, tactile transducers for low-frequency effects that can be felt through a chair, and electric motors to adjust the chair.
Backyard cinema It is possible for people to set up a home cinema in an outdoor area. Depending on the space available, it may simply be a temporary version with a foldable screen, a video projector and a couple of speakers, or a permanent fixture with a larger permanent screen and dedicated audio set-up mounted in a weather-proof cabinet. Some specialist outdoor home-cinema companies are now marketing packages with inflatable movie screens and purpose-built AV systems. Some people have expanded the idea and constructed mobile drive-in theaters that can play movies in public open spaces.
History
1920s–1940s