Eoin and I have gone round in what now reaches part six, and it’s high time to put this canard to bed.

We’ve given you a lot to think about these last few installments, as we consider the nature of cinema, and where we’re going from here.  Will the theater still occupy a place of grand mystique in our lives?  Or will the theater rapidly become decentralized, a victim of its own hubris and unwillingness to respond to market conditions?

You all know where Eoin stands, as shown in part five.  “Face it, a home cinema will never replace the movie theatre. At best, it’ll be a mere compliment to it.” is about as clear a stance as anyone can take.  His reasons for this, however, are somewhat less than clear.  He cites the inability to wait for a film to come out on video.  Well, the problem with this is is that the so-called “window” between theatrical release and DVD release is shrinking.  In fact, there are several theories that say the window may, at some point, shrink to zero and allow you to CHOOSE between seeing it at home or getting the “theater experience”.  From the International Business Times:

In 1997, the average video release window was five months and 22 days. In 2009, the time from the movie theater to DVD was four months and 11 days, according to NATO data; some studios, such as Fox and Sony, are pushing even shorter timelines. At the end of 2009, the average time between theatrical release and DVD for Fox has been three months and 29 days. Sony is down to four months and four days on average in 2009.

Catch that drop?  The studios want to get you product.  It doesn’t matter to them where it goes as long as you pay for it.  A point will come, if trends continue, that waiting for Avatar to come out on video will be a wait of days or even hours, not months.

And that’s major studio releases!  The market for direct to video movies–movies that never see a theater!–has increased steadily for years, as evidenced by any trip to the video store.

Eoin also wonders why your friends would want to come over to your house all the time to watch movies, and he makes some sense there–though the thought of saving eight bucks on a ticket would be impetus enough for some–but considering how available the components are, why wouldn’t THEY have their own systems?  Surely after seeing YOUR system in action, they too will want one!  And then you can go to different “movie houses” every month!

And let’s address that once and for all.  That fish may smell four days old to Eoin’s sensitive nose, but nothing speaks like raw fact.

I have assembled for you, right here, a complete home theater system containing Eoin’s own “necessary elements”, to-wit, a Blu-ray system, 5.1 channel surround sound system, and a projector with a 10000:1 contrast ratio.

5.1 channel surround sound system.  Buy It Now price: 79.95.  Shipping: 14.99 UPS Ground.

Blu-ray player.  Buy It Now price: 89.95. Shipping. 10.00 UPS Ground

Projector.  Buy It Now price: 925.00 Shipping: 32.95 USPS Priority

100″ screen. Buy It Now price: 195.00. Free shipping.

Total cost with shipping: 1347.84 (all prices are in USD)

Break-even point for comparable theater visits, assuming $24 USD per film (fuel, food and ticket): 57.

Yes, for the cost of FIFTY SEVEN trips to the theater, you can have your own high-end home theater shipped to your front door.

Obviously, those costs are variable.  Buy It Now really only represents now–it may well not be available tomorrow.  You may not need quite that quality of projector.  You’ll probably want a receiver in there too.  You’d have to supply your own chair, and so on and so forth., But still–owning your own theater to compete with the multiplex is well within reason for regular moviegoers.  Why, cutting out one trip to the movies a week for a year would give you the cash to own your own top-flight home theater, by even Eoin’s exacting standards.  So again I put forward my side of the debate.

We know what’s wrong with the theaters today–long drives, high prices, unpleasant surroundings, potentially lethal food, uncontrollable content.

We know what’s RIGHT with the home theater–minimal driving, lower prices, completely customizable surroundings, your choice of any kind of food, content that can be selected at a moment’s notice or changed on the fly, plus paused at any time for bathroom breaks.

The theaters, give them due credit, are starting to get it.  They’re looking to really make something out of the experience with full restaurants that offer a view of the screen, so you can make dinner with a movie a complete and simultaneous experience.  Some offer day care so babysitters are no longer necessary.  And yes, the 3-D experience and rumble seating and even some theaters experimenting with holography and interactive entertainment are making the “theater experience” something more than chatting with your buddies after you get out of the 7:00 showing of Kick-Ass.

But this will in turn limit the theater’s appeal as it becomes less a place to watch the latest movies and more a place to get a rare treat experience.  You don’t go to a museum every Friday, or out dancing, or even to a club or bar.  So have your theater experience sometimes.  It’ll only get better, if trends continue.

For watching movies, your home theater will be where the future really is.