4 ms·

I had all of that in my last place (quite hackily assembled). Honestly though you'll still have issues with the walls reflecting to much light and stuff like th

I had all of that in my last place (quite hackily assembled). Honestly though you'll still have issues with the walls reflecting to much light and stuff like that. HOWEVER, the major downside in comparison to a cinema is that there's nothing stopping me from pulling out my phone, or keeping my notifications on, or pausing it to go do something else. The level of immersion in a difficult to watch film can be totally destroyed (e.g. good luck trying to sit through the Turin Horse in your living room, the mood of the film will be totally destroyed by a few pauses).

commoner 7y ago
That downside can be resolved by turning your phone off or putting it in another room while the film is playing.
Mediterraneo10 7y ago
As someone who has watched The Turin Horse on his home cinema about once a year since it came out (glad to see another Tarr fan here on HN), I have never had to pause and ruin the mood. I definitely understand what you mean when you say phones can be a distraction, but then why not just leave your phone in the kitchen or bedroom for the time you are watching the film? The walls won’t reflect too much light if you take adequate measures so that they are not pure white and uncovered. For me, the challenge of setting up the home cinema was not the reflecting light of the walls, inasmuch as they could be covered with bookshelves. Rather, it was the acoustics when I have large windows in the room – I could cover them with Ikea’s fully opaque curtains so that light isn’t a problem, but the glass of the windowpanes still has a detrimental effect on the sound.
- JansjoFromIkea 7y ago
  My point is that a lot of people may not even be aware that that's a benefit they get from a cinema. If you're not neurotic enough to notice how much your regular distractions can take away from a film you're going to get a better experience from a theatrical viewing without fully even knowing how and all the gear in the world isn't going to make up for a lack of discipline. In my case, I've a timed lock I put my phone away with ("just stop doing it" doesn't really work with me, 100% addicted) when I watch a film I actually want to pay attention to at home. No way my attention span could handle something like Bela Tarr at home (I'm a fidgety unfocused person and always have been), but for the most part it done the job. RE: the space, it's hard to get a good setup with rented accommodation, or small accommodation (currently in a studio apartment). I'm sure I'll eventually have a place where I can set up an amazing system.
- JansjoFromIkea 7y ago
  super envious of your setup btw! I'll love setting up that kind of thing whenever I get a chance. My current apartment has woodchip wallpaper and nowhere to hang a screen from, so I'm hacking together ~80inch screen project (have an old bed frame I chopped up and repurposed as a room divider that I'm gonna add a roller blind and curtains onto that I'm pretty sure will kind of work...)
chongli 7y ago
the major downside in comparison to a cinema is that there's nothing stopping me from pulling out my phone That doesn’t seem to stop the people I’ve seen at the cinema, tapping away on their phones for the entire movie. I would love to go to a movie theatre that is: 1) tastefully decorated like an old-timey cinema and spotlessly clean 2) reasonably priced, both in food and ticket prices, so that families can afford to go 3) strict in its policies of restricting technology (no phone use in the theatre whatsoever) and mandating parental accompaniment for children 4) offers both healthy snacks and classic ones like popcorn, and does not use any fake butter or garbage like that
- Jamwinner 7y ago
  I have never been to a theater that would not swiftly eject anyone disturbing the movie in the united states. Where exactly do you see films? Are you not reporting it and expecting things to magically be resolved?
  - throwaway9980 7y ago
    I think if you’re going to see “films” this is not a problem. If you’re going to the movies that the average person is seeing at the average mega theater, it’s a different story. Where I live it’s extremely common for people to text message during movies and even answer their phone and chat with some friend about the movie they are seeing. If you were going to try to get all these people kicked out you would be spending most of the movie going back and forth complaining to management. Not really worth going in the first place.

commoner 7y ago

That downside can be resolved by turning your phone off or putting it in another room while the film is playing.

Mediterraneo10 7y ago

As someone who has watched The Turin Horse on his home cinema about once a year since it came out (glad to see another Tarr fan here on HN), I have never had to pause and ruin the mood. I definitely understand what you mean when you say phones can be a distraction, but then why not just leave your phone in the kitchen or bedroom for the time you are watching the film? The walls won’t reflect too much light if you take adequate measures so that they are not pure white and uncovered. For me, the challenge of setting up the home cinema was not the reflecting light of the walls, inasmuch as they could be covered with bookshelves. Rather, it was the acoustics when I have large windows in the room – I could cover them with Ikea’s fully opaque curtains so that light isn’t a problem, but the glass of the windowpanes still has a detrimental effect on the sound.

JansjoFromIkea 7y ago
My point is that a lot of people may not even be aware that that's a benefit they get from a cinema. If you're not neurotic enough to notice how much your regular distractions can take away from a film you're going to get a better experience from a theatrical viewing without fully even knowing how and all the gear in the world isn't going to make up for a lack of discipline. In my case, I've a timed lock I put my phone away with ("just stop doing it" doesn't really work with me, 100% addicted) when I watch a film I actually want to pay attention to at home. No way my attention span could handle something like Bela Tarr at home (I'm a fidgety unfocused person and always have been), but for the most part it done the job. RE: the space, it's hard to get a good setup with rented accommodation, or small accommodation (currently in a studio apartment). I'm sure I'll eventually have a place where I can set up an amazing system.
JansjoFromIkea 7y ago
super envious of your setup btw! I'll love setting up that kind of thing whenever I get a chance. My current apartment has woodchip wallpaper and nowhere to hang a screen from, so I'm hacking together ~80inch screen project (have an old bed frame I chopped up and repurposed as a room divider that I'm gonna add a roller blind and curtains onto that I'm pretty sure will kind of work...)

chongli 7y ago

the major downside in comparison to a cinema is that there's nothing stopping me from pulling out my phone That doesn’t seem to stop the people I’ve seen at the cinema, tapping away on their phones for the entire movie. I would love to go to a movie theatre that is: 1) tastefully decorated like an old-timey cinema and spotlessly clean 2) reasonably priced, both in food and ticket prices, so that families can afford to go 3) strict in its policies of restricting technology (no phone use in the theatre whatsoever) and mandating parental accompaniment for children 4) offers both healthy snacks and classic ones like popcorn, and does not use any fake butter or garbage like that

Jamwinner 7y ago
I have never been to a theater that would not swiftly eject anyone disturbing the movie in the united states. Where exactly do you see films? Are you not reporting it and expecting things to magically be resolved?
- throwaway9980 7y ago
  I think if you’re going to see “films” this is not a problem. If you’re going to the movies that the average person is seeing at the average mega theater, it’s a different story. Where I live it’s extremely common for people to text message during movies and even answer their phone and chat with some friend about the movie they are seeing. If you were going to try to get all these people kicked out you would be spending most of the movie going back and forth complaining to management. Not really worth going in the first place.