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