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