Movies

[Actor]

I like going to the movies as much as anyone. At least I used to. In recent years the trip to the local multiplex has become generally disappointing, no matter what's playing. It's staffed almost entirely by kids. My biggest gripe is that there's about a 50-50 chance that the picture will be out of focus, sometimes only slightly but enough to bug the hell out of me. There's a good chance that this will only become apparent after the feature has started. I think the feature is on a film projector while the trailers and other pre-feature stuff is from a video projector. I miss part of the movie, possibly some important plot points, while I get up and go complain. Even then the problem often goes unremediied.

If you don't go during the first or second week they move the picture from the "stadium seating" to the flat seating screens. These screens usually have stains or tears in them. One screen is tilted so that even if the center of the picture is in focus the top and bottom are not. I've mentioned this to management. So far nothing has been done.

The price of admission is about $7 for seniors. Compare that to $1.25 for Red Box. The whole family can watch and I get a better picture on my TV. The down side is that the screen is not as big and I usually get interrupted by the telephone or something.

An, of course, the price of concessions is outrageous. The funny thing is that at home I don't generally feel the need to have a snack and drinks while I watch.

[Tom]

I think the last movie I saw at a theater was Return of the King.
Over-priced, room full of idiots on cell phones.

[PaceAdvantage]

Hmmmm...although I don't go to the movie theater often, I was under the impression that all if not most of the major theater chains had moved to digital projectors, making out of focus images almost entirely impossible.

[Actor]

Hmmmm...although I don't go to the movie theater often, I was under the impression that all if not most of the major theater chains had moved to digital projectors, making out of focus images almost entirely impossible.In a modern LED or plasma TV the individual pixels are actually on the "screen." As long as the camera was properly focused it's impossible for such a system to get out of focus. But a "projector" takes a source image, passes the light through a systems of lenses and concentrates in onto a target image, i.e., the screen. Distances between the images and the lens are critical and need to be adjusted. They can get out of focus. In a film projector the source image is film; in a video projector it's a small but very bright LED or plasma image.

I'm pretty sure that movie theaters are replacing film projectors with video as the film projectors wear out. Video projectors are cheaper and require less maintenance as there are fewer moving parts. I don't know how far along this replacement process is.

I foresee a time when movie theaters have LED or plasma screens, eliminating the need for projectors and the possibility of the picture being out of focus. In effect movie theaters would simply have a big TV in the auditorium, albeit a really big one.

Autofocus technology is pretty far along. My wife and I both have cameras with autofocus. Mine is 20 years old and uses film. Hers is about 5 years old and is digital. Kodak offered autofocus on some of its slide projectors before it stopped producing them. Obviously the movie theater I live near does not have autofocus.

[PaceAdvantage]

As I was typing that, I realized how silly it sounded...but I was too lazy to delete it afterwards.

Of course any "projection" system can get out of focus. But being that these are "HD" systems, I wonder how the audience can stand for such a thing without multiple complaints to management and and immediate remedy found.

[Dave Schwartz]

In Reno we have only one theater chain, Cinemark. Everything has been digital at these theaters for years. The quality of the visual product is always excellent, although there are a couple of screens at the theater we usually frequent that has had a stain or two for years.

Because they have a captive audience, maintenance is not very critical.

However, the concessions are outrageous.

Case in point, we took two of our grandchildren to see Nemo-3D today. Tt was two seniors and a child (one child was free). Cost: $36 ($12 of that was for 3D glasses rental.)

One large popcorn, 2 small slushies, one large water: $18.00.

[Actor]

A few years ago I asked my wife if she would like to go see a movie. Unfortunately I asked her while our children and grandchildren were visiting. Next thing I know everybody's getting ready to go to the movie.

"Wait a minute," I protested, "I just meant you and I."

"No," says the wife, "you asked everybody."

"That's right, Daddy, you did."

I lost the argument. We all went to the movies, my treat. With concessions it cost me over $100. :bang: