Men, I want to go to the movies and see a great flick on the big screen so bad! The best home theater equipment in the world can not replace this unique experience! Andrew called and asked me which my favorite movies of last year were. I didn’t really have to think hard to tell him that my favorites were “Babel” , “The Departed” (Scorsese is so overdue with a “Oscar” award!), “Science Of Sleep” (great performance by Gael Garcia-Barnal) and “Scoop” (Woody Allen’s wonderful murder mystery). He also wanted to know if I agree with the Top 5 list of the website BigPictureBigSound which listed the following movies:

Volver
It’s appropriate that the title of this Pedro Almodóvar film translates as “to come back” since it signals a return to form for the famously female-centric director.
Letters from Iwo Jima / Flags of our fathers
A rare tie, but a well-deserved one for Clint Eastwood’s epic meditation on war from both sides of the battle lines.
The Queen
Helen Mirren’s flawless performance in the title role is the crowning glory of director Stephen Frears’ piercing portrayal of the British monarchy in the wake of Princess Diana’s death.
Little Miss Sunshine
A family is off in search of a beauty contest victory for their youngest member and it’s a trip you don’t want to miss.
Pan’s Labyrinth
Beautiful but relentlessly grim fairytale about a young girl who finds refuge in a world of mythical creatures at the end of the Spanish Civil War.

I agree with most of the choices, but a lot of other great movies are missing! Andrew told me that his neighbor also got an injury and has to stay home - and he enjoys watching his favorite movies on his brandnew Denon S-101. Good for him!

I don’t know what it is - but surveys are very weird sometimes. Their outcome often is a given (”95 percent of Americans dislike terror attacks”), useless (”78 percent of consumers think that frog legs can be recycled on the moon”) or manipulative - like this one.

According to a December 2006 survey by Best Buy Omnitel, “women are clearly paying attention to the details of technology today and are taking an active role in the selection and performance of their home theater system”. Wow! How modern these woman are! And full of surprises, because “74 percent of women list sound quality as a very important aspect to consider while only 54 percent of men feel the same.” And: “more women than men feel ease of use, price, and installation services are very important.”

What kind of retarded men were interviewed in this survey? Sound, ease of use, and price were not considered important? Hard to believe!

But both sexes feel that emotions are in the air when purchasing electronics. “Deciding on an HDTV is an emotional purchase – we’ve heard from many couples that it can be as complex a decision as deciding on a car or even a house,” said Mike Vitelli, senior vice president of consumer electronics at Best Buy. And apparently aesthetics matter as well. Both men and women flat-panel TV owners agree that they even like their flat-panel TVs when they’re turned off.

Now I understand. For me as a man quality doesn’t have to matter. It just has to look pretty. Well, this Samsung HT-P38 looks great! Or shall I ask my sister first for her expertise about the Theater Logic Home Cinema?

I guess am getting a little bit ahead of myself. But I was still curious how I would proceed IN CASE I would have found my dream home entertainment center. I found a great website called Soundmoneytips which offers some great advice how to set up a home theater system and save money:

1. Room Shape – No matter how advanced your system, the single most important element of successful sound is the dimensions of your room.
2. Equipment – At minimum, you need five speakers to fully experience surround sound: two large front speakers, a smaller central channel speaker and two small rear or side speakers.
3. Speaker Positioning – It is by virtue of speaker arrangement that the audience receives a combination of signals from different parts of the room.
4. Factors of Distortion – The reflection and absorption of sound waves take place not only according to room symmetry, but also according to items in the room – some of which absorb, and others of which reflect, sound waves.

These are useful tips! Now I feel much more confident to continue my search for a home theater stereo system.

Sunday night I had a weird dream. I dreamt that I my grandparents invited me for a vacation at their house in Missouri. In the first couple of days, everything was relaxing and beautiful. I enjoyed their beautiful garden, went for walks along the river and read all my favorite book under a old oak tree. Then one night my grandfather suggested to watch “I Love Lucy” on TV. I was stunned when I entered their ‘entertainment room’. I was a huge room with a fabulous home theater system with all the bells and whistles. One of my first thoughts was - it is a Sony Dream System? But then I checked again and I noticed that everything looked like the seventies. The colors of the walls, the chairs, the entire room - everything had this old-fashioned style - like on the picture above. My grandfather started to watch the show. After a while he got up in order to go to the bathroom, as he said. Then I heard how he locked the room from the outside. The lights when off, and suddenly the whole thing became very scary. The episode of “I Love Lucy” started all over again, and again, and again. I was stuck in this entertainment room of my grandparents, all my attempts to open the door and escape were in vain. In screamed - nothing. I knocked - nobody answered. The show became louder and louder, Lucy’s laughter became unbearable. A door was slammed somewhere, I screamed - and then I woke up.

Today I have my doubts if I really want to buy the best home theater system - or any home theater system at all.

I am kind of hooked to YouTube and its endless archive of videos. Everybody is there, it seems: regular Joe’s, artists, exhibitionists, nerds, weirdos - but also entertainment companies, record labels and all kind of consumer products manufacturers, trying to sell their latest gadgets.
Among other I discovered a interesting video from Philips promoting its latest innovations at the CES in Las Vegas. Its new technology promises to revolutionize how people experience their favorite movies, programs and video games by drawing them deeper into the action. Two attractive and young ‘reporters’ hired by the company introduced a brandnews Philips’ HD FlatTV, which comes - as I read in the video description - “in 42-inch and 52-inch models, not only boasts high-definition picture quality, but also features Philips’ proprietary Ambilight technology. Ambilight expands the viewing area and produces dramatic color and light effects to the sides. This also helps relax viewers’ eyes and provides a glow that reduces eye strain.” I also learn that “video game enthusiasts can take advantage of amBX, technology that immerses the user completely in the video gaming experience by using light, wind and vibrating effects. With amBX, players will be engulfed by the sights, sounds and sensations - so they live the game instead of playing the game.” Mmh…sounds cool. But if Santa Claus would show up today and give me a regular Philips Home Theater System - I already would be totally happy with it.

What’s the deal with these ‘format wars’? When the electronics and entertainment industry creates something new in different versions, there is always a war breaking out. We had it long time ago with the video cassettes. Remember? VHS versus Betamax. And now we have the war of the DVD formats. HD DVD vs. Blue-ray. And just when we thought that this format fight was about to be calmed by the likes of LG’s BH100 hybrid player, it turns out that LG may not be allowed to sell their player as-is because it doesn’t fully comply with the interactive features offered by HD DVD. What a drag.
By the way. If you think I know what I am talking about - I am NOT. I read this on the web.
I also just read that because of this war many people have postponed purchasing a next-generation DVD player because of confusion over incompatible rival formats - and won’t experience home theater bliss. Well, I won’t allow this ‘war’ to confuse me on my ’shopping spree’. I mean, I could just get over with and buy this affordable LG Home Theater System. But then, for the amount of money I am going to spend I rather want to be a savvy and precautious than a spontaneous shopper.

Today I was thinking: Geesh, do I really have the right approach to my planned home theater purchase? Do I consider everything in order to find the right product? I browsed through the web and found some useful recommendations, among others on the information site About.com. It summarized everthing - here are some great tips:

1. Budget wisely.
2. Do your own product research.
3. Read ad carefully.
4. Check out the return policies.
5. Consider extended service.
6. Buy everything you need the first time.
7. Buy from authorized dealers only.
8. Avoid gray market goods.
9. When buying online, make sure that give your credit card information through a secure web site.
10. When buying online, be aware of the shipping costs.

Looking at this list, I realize that I certainly have some additional homework to do until I can enjoy an equipment where the quality is great and the price is right. Maybe I will even be able a bargain on the best book shelf speaker.

I have to admit it - the internet is my savior. After I’ve been stuck at home for over two weeks, I really like to browse through the web und find some great sites. I discovered Google Trends whichs helps you to “compare the world’s interest in your favorite topics”. Since I can’t get used to the fact that I am uncapable to go to the movies right now, I was curious to see if the “world” (according to Google) prefers home theaters or movie theaters. I guess what? The world still likes movie theatres more. Although - as the chart shows - in terms of news coverage they are pretty much even. I can’t help myself. Even my friend Andrew tells me that inventions like the THX home theater mave you want to stay at home - I HAVE to see my favorites like Robert Altman’s “Short Cuts” or Sergio Leone’s “Once Upon A Time” on the big screen! And oh, what do you think, which of these two great directors is more popular in the search world of Google? Check it out yourself!

After I have not been successful to entertain myself with books and television, I turned on my computer and went online. I browsed through several websites for about an hour, until I found this interesting story on a site called Electronic House about a guy in Philadelphia who build a home theater based on the command bridge of “Star Trek”. Cool! Apparently the whole thing costed him about 15000 Dollars. Kind of crazy, but if you have the money…. I myself would already be happy with a regular Kenwood Home Theater System for 500 bucks. Is that too much to ask?

Andrew called this morning and announced that he would pick me up to go shopping together. He felt that I badly needed to go outside and experience something exciting. Noticing that I became antsy sitting home alone all day long, he also wanted to help me to find the DTS Home Theater of my dreams. Well, whatever my budget allows me to purchase. And there we went. He drove me to a couple of department stores - even a Super Target. The selection was huge, a lot of products looked great and tempting. I almost felt in paradise. But at some point I became so overwhelmed and tired that I had to ask Steve to take me home. Now I am sipping a beer and watching some cheesy soap. Despite the fact that my search goes on, I am positive that tonight I will sleep like I haven’t slept for a long time.