Watching Movies at Home
I love watching movies at home. I can pause and get snacks, answer my phone (but don’t call me when I’m watching a movie), and take breaks when I need to. I can prop my feet up. I can take off my shoes and wear pajamas if I want.
Nobody kicks the back of my seat or chatters through the film. Nobody steps on my toes or crowds my armrest. It’s nice.
I’ve mentioned before that my men– husband and two sons– love technology and gadgets. When we designed our house a few years ago, we splurged a bit when it came to our entertainment system. Besides surround-sound and DVD and BluRay players, we installed a projector TV and a 108″ diagonal retractable screen. It’s huge when it’s down, but when we’re not watching TV, it disappears!
Our system is great for movie nights, and the boys also have their game consoles set up. The graphics are so broad and realistic that Forza makes me motion-sick. When my boys play Quantum of Solace or Bloodstone, I feel like I have to dodge bullets. The only real drawback to a projector is that some people (no names, please) cannot resist the urge to make bunny shadow puppets with their hands.
The enormity of the screen makes you feel as though you are part of the action. It also gives me consolation when we miss a movie in the theatres, because I know that I won’t miss out on the big-screen experience. I recommend a projector to anyone who has the right space and arrangement for the system.
What do you need? We purposely designed our living room so that it was open to other areas. This allows the room to fill with light without any windows directly facing the screen wall. We have ample overhead lighting when the projector is off, keeping the room from feeling dark. When we turn the projector on, however; we can flip the lights off and the screen absolutely shimmers.
The other requirement is space. I have provided a calculator below to see what size TV is right for your room. This works with any type of screen, not just projection systems. You simply input the distance from your eyes (where you sit to watch) to the screen, and it will tell you how big of a television screen your room can support for the best viewing. I found this widget through http://www.calculatorpro.com/tv-screen-size-calculator but there are others out there you can try as well.
Have fun with the calculator! Happy movie watching!
That’s a wrap for this Toast to Cinema. Thanks for reading!