| Home cinema, also called home theatre, | | | | Dedicated home cinemas were called |
| seeks to reproduce cinema quality video | | | | screening rooms at the time and were |
| and audio in the home. The video aspect | | | | outfitted with 16 mm or even 35 mm |
| usually involves a large-screen and/or | | | | projectors for showing commercial films. |
| high definition television or a | | | | These were found almost exclusively in |
| projection system with movie screen to | | | | the homes of the very wealthy, |
| project the image on. Quality audio | | | | especially those in the movie industry. |
| reproduction is usually achieved with a | | | | Portable home cinemas improved over time |
| high fidelity surround sound system. | | | | with color film, Kodak Super 8 mm film |
| Technically, a home cinema could be as | | | | film cartridges, and monaural sound but |
| basic as a simple arrangement of a | | | | remained awkward and somewhat expensive. |
| television, VCR, DVD, and a set of | | | | The rise of home video in the late 1970s |
| speakers. It is therefore difficult to | | | | almost completely killed the consumer |
| specify exactly what distinguishes a | | | | market for 8 mm film cameras and |
| "home cinema" from a "television and | | | | projectors, as VCRs connected to |
| stereo". Most people in the consumer | | | | ordinary televisions provided a simpler |
| electronics industry would agree that a | | | | and more flexible substitute. |
| "home theater" is really the integration | | | | 1980s home cinema |
| of a relatively high-quality video | | | | The development of multi-channel audio |
| source with multi-channel electronics | | | | systems and laserdisc in the 1980s |
| and speakers. Even if households have | | | | created a new paradigm for home cinema. |
| the system set up for home cinema it is | | | | The first public demonstration of this |
| common only to use the speakers | | | | integration occurred in 1982 at the |
| integrated within the television rather | | | | Summer Consumer Electronics Show in |
| than to play the sound through the | | | | Chicago, Illinois. Peter Tribeman of NAD |
| surround sound system. This is because | | | | (USA) organized and presented a |
| surround sound loses its impact with | | | | demonstration made possible by the |
| material which is not recorded in a way | | | | collaborative effort of several |
| suitable for surround sound. Films, | | | | companies who contributed their |
| drama and sports tend to be optimised | | | | technologies to demonstrate what a home |
| for surround sound whereas news and | | | | cinema would "look and sound" like. |
| daytime TV provide no particular | | | | Over the course of three days, |
| advantage. | | | | retailers, manufacturers, and members of |
| 1950s and 1960s home movies | | | | the consumer electronics press were |
| A home theater with video projector | | | | exposed to the first "home like" |
| mounted in a box on the ceiling.In the | | | | experience of combining a high quality |
| 1950s, home movies became popular in the | | | | video source with multi-channel sound. |
| United States and elsewhere as Kodak 8 | | | | That one demonstration is credited with |
| mm film (Pathé 9.5 mm in France) | | | | being the impetus for developing what is |
| and camera and projector equipment | | | | now a multi-billion dollar business. |
| became affordable. Projected with a | | | | 1990s home cinema |
| small, portable movie projector onto a | | | | In the late 1990s, the development of |
| portable screen, often without sound, | | | | DVD, 5-channel audio, and high-quality |
| this system became the first practical | | | | video projectors that provide a cinema |
| home theater. They were generally used | | | | experience at a price that rivals a |
| to show home movies of family travels | | | | big-screen HDTVs sparked a new wave of |
| and celebrations but also doubled as a | | | | home cinema interest. |
| means of showing private stag films. | | | | |