Tough Guy Cinema: Michael Bay Honored with BAYMAGGEDON Tribute at the Alamo Theater

Sunday! Sunday!! SUNDAY!!!

An event like this needs to be announced like a monster truck rally or a chainsaw juggling contest.

image from www.drafthouse.com

This Sunday, April 21, lucky filmgoers in four different cities will be able to take part in BAYMAGGEDON. This event honors Michael Bay, everyone’s favorite action movie director and explosion-meister. Baymaggedon will take place this Sunday at all four locations of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema: Austin TX, Denver CO, Kansas City KS, and Houston TX. Guests will be able to enjoy 3 mystery Michael Bay films while munching on a special menu of entrees based on the main characters of Bay’s upcoming film, Pain & Gain.

Whether you love him or hate him, there is no denying that Michael Bay has redefined the action genre with more explosions and less regard for the laws of physics. Alan Cerny aka Nordling of Ain’t It Cool News put it best in his article about Baymaggedon:

“There are a lot of socially-aware filmmakers out there, like Michael Moore, who make movies to expose various injustices in the world.  I know Michael Bay hates poverty.  He hates it with every fiber of his being.  Do you know how I know that?  Because in BAD BOYS 2 he destroys a shantytown in Cuba with a Hummer.  Just devastates it.  THAT is passionate, advocate filmmaking.  He literally runs poverty over.” 

image from istockphoto.com

Michael Bay films are like chocolate covered popcorn, a guilty pleasure for many people. Plus, there is no better way to test your home theater surround sound system than with a screening of Armageddon or Transformers: Dark of the Moon. So if you are looking for something manly to do this weekend, nothing could be better than watching an explosion-fest while munching on an order of “Paul Doyle’s Carbo Load” or “The Lean and Mean”.  Tickets are still available, so get yours now!

A New Comic Book Based on Early Star Wars Notes: What Could Have Been is Coming Soon!

Deak Starkiller (Luke's father) fights Sith Knight Darth Vader with a lazer sword. Art by Ralph McQuarrie for early version of Star Wars (image from starwars.wikia.com).

Dark Horse Comics is coming out with a new Star Wars title that is sure to turn Star Wars fans on their collective ears. This new title is a comic book adaptation of “The Star Wars”, an early draft of the script that would eventually become Star wars Episode IV – A New Hope. While the basic story follows that of the final movie, many of the characters and settings are radically different. Here is a list of some of the major changes to be found:

• Han Solo is a 6-foot green lizard.
• Luke Skywalker is much older and takes the role later filled by Obi-Wan Kenobi.
• The young hero is named Annakin Starkiller and not related to Vader or Leia.
• Darth Vader is a Sith Knight, and plays a much smaller role as an Empire enforcer.
• Light sabers are called “lazer swords”.
• Jedi knights have more in common with Japanese samurai, including top knots in their hair.
• The Millenium Falcon looks completely different (though it does have the iconic cockpit).
• The Wookiees live on the planet Yavin and play a major role in destroying the Empire’s massive space station (NOT called the Death Star yet).

While there are no plans to adapt this script beyond the comic book series, we all know that successful comics eventually find other mediums to inhabit, whether it be TV, movies or video games. Plus, Dark Horse released over two dozen comics that became movies and TV shows. These include Frank Miller’s 300, The Mask and Timecop, to name a few. With such a track record, you may be able to enjoy this alternative version of a beloved franchise in the comfort of your home theater!

Big Power in Small Packages, 3 Set Top Boxes Under $100

One of the newest technologies to hit home theaters is also one of the smallest. Tiny set-top boxes from manufacturers such as Apple, Roku and WD are not much larger than a can of SPAM™, yet they pack powerful technologies like 1080HD resolution, 7.1 surround sound, wifi support and other great features that help you enjoy the best in streaming TV. In this post we are going to look at three popular set-top boxes and compare their strengths and weaknesses.

All of these boxes share similar features like 1080HD resolution, wifi connectivity, support for major streaming services like Netflix, and smartphone control in lieu of an included remote.

Image from apple.com

Apple TV – Apple’s set-top box has all of the user friendliness that you get from your iPhone or iPad. It comes with a user interface and remote control that are easy to learn for everyone from small kids to their grandparents. You can also control the Apple TV box with your smartphone or tablet with a handy app. The other handy feature of the Apple TV is Airplay. This wireless system lets you share music, video and image files  from other Apple devices. For example, you can shoot a video with your iPhone and immediately send it to the Apple TV.  One of the major downsides to the Apple TV is the lack of streaming services such as Hulu Plus and Pandora.

Price - $99.99

Image from wdc.com

WD TV Play – Made by Western Digital, the company that has manufactured computer hard drives for years, the WD TV Play is a fully functional set-top box at a smaller price tag than the other two entries on this list. Its remote also offers direct access to some of the more popular streaming services like Netflix, Hulu Plus and Vudu. Another great feature of the WD TV Play is its ability to play music, video and image files from your home network. You can easily watch movies or listen to music stored on your PC or an external hard drive, (one product in this line is the WD TV Live Hub, which has a built-in hard drive for content). The WD TV also reads more video, music and image formats than the competitors, so it eliminates the need to reformat files. The major downside of the WD TV Play box is its video resolution. While it does support 1080HD, the picture tends to look a bit washed out compared to other devices.

Price - $69.99

Image from roku.com

Roku 3 – Roku has been making high quality set-top boxes since 2010, and the Roku 3 is their latest product. This little set-top box has more channels than the other two entries combined. You can find movie and music channels to fit just about any genre and the motion control game remote lets you play popular online games like Angry Birds. The remote also has a convenient headphone jack which allows you to enjoy music or movies privately without wireless headphones. While the Roku does not support as many file formats as the WD TV, it does work directly with Plex, which is an app for your computer that streams any stored content. A built-in USB port also lets you watch .mp4 movies from a flash or external drive. While this is a downside to those who have a home server full of ripped movies, it does offer a workaround, and Roku has been good about providing regular updates to their equipment.

Price - $99.99

Upcycled Home Theater Made from Shipping Palettes

Everyone knows that young kids will just as likely play with the box that their shiny new toy came in instead of the toy itself. For some designers, the same goes for furniture. Rather than purchase a bunch of new high quality home theater seats (ahem!), an enterprising furniture designer elected to create her home theater seating from the shipping palettes that such furniture is usually delivered on. Normally we do not recommend home theater seating with objects that you find lying around, but we do love DIY projects and this one is perfect for the setting it is in.

Image by Simone Tasca

This picture comes from Simone Tasca, a designer in Brazil who loves to upcycle whenever she can. She created three rows of theater seating with nothing more than twelve shipping palettes, some large cushions and her imagination. The seats can accommodate up to six guests and while they lack important amenities such as cupholders, power recline and even legs, they do look like a comfy place to enjoy a movie night.

While this home theater setup appears at home in an industrial style loft, it may not be the right look for your own home theater. Rest assured, TheaterSeatStore.com carries a large selection of high quality home theater seating in traditional and contemporary styles. Give us a call at 888-602-7328 and we will be happy to help you find the perfect home theater recliners and accessories for your entertainment space.

Pleading the Case for Old Media

With more and more audio and video formats coming at us, it seems like a waste of time to hold onto our old records and video tapes. Why hold on to these old formats when they seem to just take up space in the garage or attic? While there are hundreds of reasons to let go of your dusty old record or tape collection, this article takes a close look at these old technologies and why they just might be worth hanging onto after all.



Vinyl Records – The record has been the primary recording medium for almost a century, and vinyl records have languished in our bookshelves and storage spaces since 1947. With your entire music collection fitting on an iPod, it seems silly to keep 12-inch records and a turntable around, but there are a couple of reasons why you might not want to get rid of your wax collection just yet.

• Durability – When stored properly, vinyl records can sound just as good as they did when your grandparents bought them for 25-cents apiece. That is because a record is made up of grooves in plastic, and as long as they are stored and handled carefully, those little grooves will last as long as the plastic itself which can potentially be thousands of years (not that you want to preserve grandma’s Lawrence Welk records for the next millennium, but who knows? That might be all that’s left of our culture by then). 
•  Sound – As we have noted before, true audiophiles prefer the warm analog tones of vinyl records to that of sterile digital recordings. Audiophiles believe that the computer cannot replicate these organic tones and the only way to truly appreciate a recording is from a vinyl pressing. This is why true audiophiles are willing to spend thousands of dollars for the right turntable to play their old albums on. 

VHS Tapes – Who can forget the huge library of video tapes that many of us grew up with? Not to mention the hassle of finding a blank tape to record the latest episode of Survivor. With new and higher resolution formats available on the market, why hang onto that clunky old VCR and tape library? A couple of reasons may keep you from throwing out your tape collection quite yet.

• Availability – With the way that video formats seem to come and go, many obscure movies and TV shows fall through the cracks and do not appear on newer formats. Because VHS tapes dominated the home theater market for so long, many rare gems of entertainment were recorded on VHS that never made it to DVD or Blu-ray. Searching eBay or Amazon will help you find some of these treasures, but more often than not, they are on video. 
• Digital Download – It’s no secret that video tape has a finite shelf life. This is why movies you watched as a kid just don’t look as good now. Nevertheless, you may want to preserve some of these great shows along with the many tapes your parents likely made of your childhood. If you don’t want a VCR cluttering up your home theater space, you can connect it to your computer instead and copy those old tapes to a digital format. You can then burn them to DVD or stream them to your TV and relive the memories over and over.

The Ultimate Home Audio System that Costs as Much as a House

Images from BornRich.com

Most of us are content to listen to compressed music files on our iPods through a pair of $10 earbuds from the grocery store, but there are those who demand more from their audio listening experience. These folks,known as audiophiles, spend obscene amounts of money on high-end stereo equipment so that they can enjoy the delicate nuances of their favorite recordings with no hiss or other noise. Audiophiles can tell the difference between a “sterile” digital recording and the warm analog tones of a vinyl record. Should you find yourself the proud owner of a winning lottery ticket, here are some suggestions for a system to help you join the ranks of the audiophiles:

 $115,000 Amplifier – The high-end amplifier maker Boulder has a sound system fit for a king (or someone with obscene amounts of money!) The 3060 Class A Amplifier can pump 900 Watts of power per channel for a sound quality that literally can’t be matched by other systems. This amplifier is so big that it requires a 240-volt outlet, just like your dryer. Also, the metal case over a thick slab of black granite gives this 450 pound amplifier a commanding presence in your media room.

$105,000 Turntable – Any audiophile will tell you that the best sound comes from records. They have a warm analog sound that can’t be reproduced by digital means. To get the absolute best sound from your record collection you need a high quality turntable, and the Proscenium Black Diamond V by Walker Audio is the best of the best. This incredible turntable actually floats the arm and needle on a cushion of air to reduce vibrations and pops. It also has noise reducing technologies like special crystalline material to reduce static and noise-free electronics. Everything you need to hear that Creedence album exactly the way it was meant to be heard!

$30,000 Headphones – Monster Audio makes high definition headphones that feature beats technology by Dr. Dre. One of their highest end models is the Diamond Tears collection. These headphones combine super clarity and style to cater to those with discerning tastes (or huge wallets). A standard set of Diamond Tears headphones will set you back a measly 300 dollars, but for our extravagant audio system, that will not do. We’ll need the $30,000 special edition Diamond Tears headphones. These come encased in 18K yellow gold and feature large spiders on the earphones made from black diamonds. The expensive (and slightly creepy) design was made by Korean artist Sally John and fine-tuned by the CEO of Monster Headphones, Noel Lee.

Take it Outside! Outdoor Home Theater Ideas for Any Climate and Budget

As more and more people build dedicated home theaters, some are “thinking outside the box” and taking their home theaters outside. For some, watching movies outdoors evokes the magic of classic drive-in movie theaters. For others, the romanticism, mystery and thrill of their favorite film is enhanced by the beauty and ambiance of an outdoor setting. Whatever your reason, an outdoor home theater is a great way to host memorable movie nights, and with today’s technology, climate is no longer a factor. The only limits are imagination and budget, and handy DIY-ers can build a fantastic home theater without spending too much.  

The Ultimate Outdoor Home Theater – If money is not a factor, you can transform your whole backyard into a Cineplex-quality home theater like this family from Michigan. Avid University of Michigan football fans, they designed their home theater to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather before the cold Michigan winter sets in. The screen is built into a weatherproof shelter with a sliding door, and the sound system is only built into the seating areas to not disturb neighbors. Large granite tables feature built-in firepits for warmth and roasting marshmallows. Speakers are even wired throughout the house, so the game can be enjoyed from inside thanks to large picture windows. A sophisticated indoor/outdoor WiFi system helps all of the AV components talk to each other, and allows the system to be controlled from an iPad. Total cost - $55,000.

Contemporary Landscape design by Detroit Interior Designer Colorworks Studio

California Drive-in – This modern Hollywood Hills home by Belzberg Architects transforms the side of the guest house into a giant movie screen. This setup can be enjoyed from the driveway or the upper deck of the main house. It has a definite drive-in theater feel that would make for a fantastic movie night.

Modern Exterior design by Los Angeles Architect Belzberg Architects

Do It Yourself – If you don’t have a Hollywood-size budget for your home theater, don’t despair. Any backyard can be made into a home theater with the right equipment and skill. About.com has some terrific ideas to get you started. Portable screens are available including inflatable models, or a screen can be made from a white wall or ironed bed sheets. A laptop and projector makes a great AV system, and can be had for a reasonable price. Many good projectors are less than $500 these days. Outdoor speakers can be wired to your patio, or you can opt for wireless speakers that work with Bluetooth. Many of these systems can be taken down and stored when the weather turns bad.

Building Your Very Own Home Theater: Where to Start?

Many people dream of turning that unused bedroom or basement space into an awesome home theater room. Looking at that empty space opens up a variety of possibilities that are only limited by imagination (and budget!) The biggest problem at this stage is knowing where to start. Do you buy the electronics first? How do you design and build the room? These and many other questions start to flood the mind and make your home theater plans seem like an impossible task. Don’t despair! There are some simple questions to answer that can help you focus your vision and build the home theater of your dreams.

How Will the Room be Used? – Will your home theater be used primarily for watching movies or sports? Will it also be used for video gaming? How many people will be able to use the room at once? Figuring out the use and capacity of your home theater will help you zero in the right size of screen, number of home theater seats, size of the sound system and other factors. For example, a small home theater that the family uses to watch movies will be different than one that you invite your friends over to watch the big game. The former might only need a few seats while the latter will need seats that are stain resistant (from spilled snacks and drinks). Knowing what components you need like a Blu-ray player, game console or media PC will also help you determine the cables and other accessories needed.

What Size and Shape is the Room? – The room’s layout will likely dictate the size of your home theater. Small or oddly shaped rooms may only be able to accommodate a couple of seats while others can have multiple rows. To find the optimal number of seats, use this home theater measuring article to calculate your aisle width, space between rows and distance from the screen. This will help you decide how many seats to put in and the size of the screen, (not to mention if you can put that tiki bar in the corner or not).

What Theme are You Going For? – Some extravagant home theaters are built around a theme like that of a pirate ship or drive-in theater. Others are just a bare room with furniture and components added. Whatever your tastes, figuring out the theme beforehand will save you money in choosing your colors and décor. For example, you may want to build the room around a beautiful painting or memento. This makes it easy to choose your color palette and decorating scheme. You can go all out and design your room from scratch, or use something like this Theater in a Box kit.

No matter what your plans, you should get a licensed contractor to help you build your home theater. A professional can determine the best way to shape your vision and will often think of little things that you might not have considered. Now, get out there and start planning your home theater, and when you’re ready, check out TheaterSeatStore.com to furnish it.

Home Away from Home Theater: Luxury Hotels with Screening Rooms

For many of us, life on the road away from our home theaters means that we have to put up with tiny laptop screens, tube TV’s that are chained to the walls or (gasp!) the book version of our favorite flick! Fortunately, if you can add a little more to your hotel budget (OK, a lot more!), then you can stay at one of these fancy resorts with their very own screening rooms. The Wall Street Journal and HotelChatter.com have already written about their favorites, so here are three more from posh destination spots from around the world:

The Crosby Street Hotel – This hotel is located in the heart of New York City’s Soho District.  Along with the 5 star accommodations and service, guests can take in a movie in their 100-seat screening room. Bright orange leather chairs contrast nicely against dark purple walls, and the 30 foot screen boasts high-end AV components and 3D capability. The theater’s technical specs are truly impressive! The room is available for private screenings, or open to the public for their “Sunday Night Film Club”.

Hotel Rival – Located in Stockholm, Sweden, the Hotel Rival features everything from a gourmet bistro to posh lounges. The Rival Theater is more of an auditorium than an intimate screening room, but it packs the hardware to rival any movie palace. The theater was designed and refurbished by ABBA’s Benny Andersson, who owns the hotel. Though used for large events and conferences, the theater is often host to theater and film events.

The Scotsman – This luxury resort is located in Edinburgh, Scotland inside the former home of The Scotsman newspaper. Their screening room is called The Scotsman Cinema and it boasts a capacity of 46 patrons in plush leather armchairs. The system is state of the art and they have regular screenings of classic and contemporary movies. Guests are treated to complimentary ice cream, popcorn and even mince pies during the holiday season.

If you don’t have the kind of cash that it takes to stay at one of these luxury hotels, don’t despair. Many of them offer screenings to the general public, so you can still enjoy the 5-star cinema treatment without the 5-star hotel bill.

Big President's Day Sale this Weekend at TheaterSeatStore.com

President's Day Sales and furniture kind of go hand-in-hand, and there is no exception in the online world. That is why we are offering a 6% discount on almost everything on TheaterSeatStore.com! Along with this discount, we are also adding free shipping and no taxes in most areas as well as one year of stain protection. If you were thinking of buying new home theater seats, but holding off due to cost, this sale is a great excuse to take the plunge and order your new home theater furniture today.

Call 888-602-7328 to speak with one of our Sales Professionals. They can walk you through the savings and answer any questions that you may have. For the 6% discount, you don't even need to call for the 6% discount, just add the code PREZTSS to the Coupon Code field on the online Checkout page.

Click this link for more details about the President's Day Sales Event.

OUYA: A Game System for the Masses – Coming Soon to Your Home Theater

Unless you are a hardcore gamer, or up on the latest home theater gadgets, you may have never heard of the OUYA. This tiny game console is no larger than a coffee mug, yet powerful enough to play games and stream video at full HD (1080i). The OUYA is slated to be in stores by April 2013 with an equally small price tag - $99.99. 

The tiny OUYA is the brainchild of Julie Uhrman, a game industry veteran who noted that many gamers were leaving TV-based consoles behind for games on mobile platforms. Part of the reason was cost, many mobile games are free or only cost a few dollars, while the latest releases for current consoles can be as much as $60. Another reason was the wide diversity of games available. Independent game developers are essentially shut out of the TV console market, so they have turned their talents toward mobile games, which have much smaller development costs. Many of which, such as Angry Birds by Finnish software developer Rovio Entertainment, became huge successes. Uhrman was inspired to bring the same open development model to TV gaming and got to work.

Soon, with the help of a great team and a very successful Kickstarter campaign, Uhrman raised 8.6 million dollars to develop the OUYA. It’s powerful hardware and features are able to carry a small price tag for three big reasons:

• Hardware – The PC board is tiny, but made with cutting edge hardware from NVIDIA, who make high-end video cards for gamers. The small circuit board carries a Tegra 3 Quad-core CPU, 1GB RAM, 8GB of Flash Storage and built-in WiFi, Ethernet and Bluetooth. The Operating System is Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. This powerful combination of hardware and software give the OUYA full HD capability and 5.1 Surround Sound. The OUYA can also stream video and music with apps from iHeartRadio and Plex.
• Games – All of the games being developed for the OUYA have one mandate – they either need to be free or offer free trials. This allows gamers to “try before they buy”. Also, because OUYA uses the Android operating system, prices are expected to be low for games as they are for mobile devices. Game developers can also make games with very little upfront capital as seen in the next section.
• Versatility - Every OUYA can also be used to develop new games, so aspiring game designers can build their own games and share them with the OUYA community. Hardware modders can even open up the OUYA console itself and tinker with the insides. This behavior is not only tolerated but encouraged by the developers.

If you want to get in on the next chapter of gaming for your home theater, you can pre-order your console now from the OUYA website or mainstream outlets like Amazon.

How to Get to Super Bowl XLVII on a Budget

How do you get to the Super Bowl™, or if you prefer The Big Game™? (Yup, both of those phrases are trademarked). One way is through hard work, a dedication to your sport and determination to take your team all the way. The other way is money, lots of it. Right now, a quick check on StubHub shows ticket prices ranging from $1,625 for a ticket in the nosebleeds to $323,538 for a luxury suite. Want to get as close to the action as you can? That will set you back $5 – 6,000 per ticket*. Oddly enough, many of these prices are down $100 from Saturday, according to SB Nation. So, what are some other ways an enterprising and thrifty football fan gets one of these Golden Tickets?

CraigsList – If you’re willing to take a risk, sellers on CraigsList in New Orleans are selling Super Bowl tickets at prices from $1,000 on up. Of course, it’s important to check further into these deals before you start giving out your credit card or Paypal info, or agree to meet a stranger in a dark alley with a wad of cash in your pocket.

Know Somebody – The NFL distributes a large percentage of Super Bowl tickets to the competing teams. These are used for employees, family members, corporate sponsors, charities and other fans affiliated with the teams. According to Ryan Guiana in CashMoneyLife.com, this percentage is about 75% total. If you happen to know someone who works for one of the competing teams (or any NFL team, they all get some of the tickets) – and this person owes you a HUGE favor – It might just be your ticket in. Of course, odds of that happening are like winning the lottery. Speaking of lottery…

NFL Ticket Lottery – Every year, the NFL holds a lottery of Super Bowl tickets that are given out to fans. It’s too late to get in on the action for this Super Bowl, but you can throw your hat in the ring for Super Bowl 2014. More details can be found on this About.com article.

Get a Job at the Stadium – The Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA is currently looking for part time Field Crew members. You can send in an application, and hope that you can get hired, trained and on the field in the next couple of days. All of the stadium job details are found here.

*Of course, for the same amount of money you can put together a nice home theater system that puts you right in the thick of the action. Add some high quality home theater seats and you have the location for an awesome Super Bowl party! The best part? You can enjoy your home theater year round!

Celebrity Homes with Jaw Dropping Home Theaters for Sale

Image from sports.yahoo.com

Many people love to troll their favorite gossip sites for the latest celebrity news, including the latest in real estate buying and selling. As home theater enthusiasts, we could care less about Italian marble in the living room or Neo-classic architecture; we want to see where the rich and famous enjoy their movies! Lately, a few places have gone on the market with pricey home theaters as a selling point. Here is a look at a couple of them, (some even with pictures)!

 Barry Bonds’ 25 Million dollar Home – The famous MLB slugger has put his Beverly Hills mansion up for sale. The Beverly Hills mansion is 17,100 square feet and sits on 1.8 acres of property. More importantly, the light and airy open theater space looks as if it is inspired by Ceaser’s Palace in Las Vegas. Where are the slot machines and buffet?

Piney Point Mansion for 9.5 Million – At 23,500 square feet, this mansion in the pricey suburb of Houston, TX has it all. It has everything from granite and marble floors, suspended staircases, malachite inlays and even gold plated fixtures. The best part of this house has got to be the home theater. With blue velvet walls, real wood trim and a large sectional, this home theater space looks like something out of a fairy tale. While the sellers may not be national celebrities (Recently divorced Melanie and Doug Johnson of Channel 51 Fame), one of the potential buyers is. Rumor has it that Beyonce is interested in buying the house for her mother.

Image from CEPro

Ryan Seacrest from American Idol - Industry home theater audiophiles were lit up when these images of the famous presenter and radio DJ hit the internet last year.  They surfaced when he put this home up for sale for as part of an upgrade to Ellen DeGeneres's $49 million palace.  Don't worry, Forbes claim he earned $51M last year so he will survive.  His old home (sold for $11M and purchased for the same price in 2006 from Kevin Costner) showcases one of the very cleanest theater designs that have been seen in years.  Totally original and somewhat contemporary, this look struck a cord in the industry and will no doubt be emulated for years to come. Check out the images of the back room behind the home theater which is adorned with in-wall speakers and sub-woofers.

 Madonna’s Magnificent Mansion – The Material Girl herself has put her huge Beverly Hills mansion up for sale at a cool 22.5 million dollars. This 17,000 foot spread has nine bedrooms, two guest houses and a full-sized screening room. Unfortunately no pictures of the screening room exist, but with Madonna’s millions of dollars (and expensive tastes), it has to be more than this improvised home theater.

Christina Aguilera shows her style - in the recent listing for sale of the Beverly Hills Mediterranean  home well recognized from the Osbourne reality show.  The home was bought by the pop star for $11.5M in 2008 from Sharon and Ozzy and is now on the market for sale at $13.5M following the announcement of her divorce from her husband Jordan Bratman.  The home theater and entertainment room enjoys a look that is distinctly Christina.

Michael Jordan's Huge Florida home - This brand new mega-property represents a big move for the famous basketball player.  A Chicago (Highland Park) native for decades, the icon has now decided to move to Jupiter FL and into an exclusive community called the Bear Club - developed by Jack Nicklaus.  This neighborhood is home to many billionaires and his home sits on three acres and includes a tony home theater room that is massive and is specially designed to handle large amounts of cigar smoke.

CES 2013: 4K vs. Ultra HD – The Future of Home Video Debate Rages On

As we look back on the exquisite chaos that was the 2013 CES Expo in Las Vegas last week, TV makers gave us a glimpse of the future of home video: 4K and Ultra HD. If this argument seems familiar, it is. The same formats were unveiled at the CES Expo of 2012. Only this time, major manufacturers are starting to unveil market-ready products that promise to usher in a whole new level of home theater resolution, and just like Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD and VHS vs. Betamax, there are two major formats competing for your eyeballs – Ultra HD (also called 4K) and OLED screen technology.

What’s the Difference? – The fundamental difference between the two is that OLED is a type of display technology while 4K is a resolution format. Both offer video definition that puts current 1080p displays to shame, but they go about it in different ways. OLED screens are celebrated for their vivid colors. Blacks are true black and colors pop better than ever. OLED screens also offer wider viewing angles and fluid fast motion thanks to a faster response rate. OLED screens can also be curved, ushering a whole new dimension in screen design. TechHive explains more about OLED technology here. Ultra-HD on the other hand offers a screen resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels, or 2160p. This roughly quadruples the number of pixels vs. a standard 1080i screen. 4K resolution is also close to true 35mm film resolution, and is the standard that movie studios use to digitally archive their film content. Movie theaters are already using a different form of 4K to screen select movies like The Amazing Spider-Man and Prometheus. TechHive also has a great article that further explains 4K technology.

What’s the Cost? – Right now, 4K and OLED television sets are available from major manufacturers like LG and Sony. These sets are large, ranging in size from 65 to 80 inches, and boast a price tag of 20 – 25,000 dollars! This makes them out of reach of all but the richest and most committed home theater aficionados. The good news is that the price is likely to come down to more reasonable levels as the technology becomes more mainstream. This has happened from the very first VCR’s all the way to the latest HD televisions.

Why Wait? Take My Money Now! – Three major factors (other than price) might make you want to take pause. The first is that most people have HD televisions that are only a few years old. Unlike the HD TV, which was the first major innovation since color television in the 1960’s, these new formats come right on the heels of high definition TV. The second major factor is the lack of content. While 4K Blu-ray discs and digital downloads are being developed, there are not many choices available. Also, while your new TV may support 4K resolution, your set-top box, game console and Blu-ray player do not. Finally, the third reason you may want to wait is the best. At the CES 2013 Expo, Panasonic unveiled a 4K OLED TV that combines the best of both worlds! So it may be better to wait and get two fantastic technologies in one package.

Cut the Cord! A Look at Wireless Gadgets for Home Theaters

If you’re like me, you have moved beyond the charm of speaker wires stapled to the wall or wound around furniture to wire your home theater. Such a method was fine for our first apartments but not for a sophisticated home theater. You could spend precious money or time pushing the wiring through your walls, but if you have neither the money nor skill to do this it can be quite a chore (as the numerous holes in my rec-room walls can attest to).  Lucky for us, numerous manufacturers have come out with wireless home theater gadgets that deliver high quality sound and picture without the pesky wires.



Wireless Speakers – These days, many televisions and home theater components have Bluetooth, WiFi or Airplay capability, and manufacturers are starting to utilize these capabilities. Most of the products in this category, like the Sony RDP-XA900IP are designed to work with small devices like smartphones. Others like the Aperion 5.1 and 7.1 Home theater Systems reviewed by PC Magazine are designed to communicate over a 5GHz band. This is less crowded than the 2.4GHz band that most WiFi and Bluetooth devices use. Right now this technology is available at the $3,000 range, but will likely come down in price as the technology becomes more widespread.

Wireless HD – Many new Blu-ray DVD players and game systems have WiFi connectivity that allows them to stream content and play it on your HD TV. If the unit and TV are connected with an HDMI cable, true HD content can be streamed to the TV. There are also stand-alone units that do the same thing, such as the Roku brand of wireless receivers. These devices also have the capability to stream content from your home computer with a Media app like Plex.

Wireless Projectors – A great alternative to a flat panel television is a projector and screen. This configuration is necessary for screens larger than 70 inches without spending a fortune. Wireless or Smart Projectors use technologies like Airplay and WiFi to stream content and project it on a screen. One of the best known models is the Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 3010e.  PC Mag reviewed this projector and said that it is one of the few true HD projectors to support WirelessHD.

The Future of Home Theater 3D Sound is “Virtual Sound Balls”

The next level of 3D sound could literally give you a ball. Scientists at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) are working on a new technology that controls the location of sound with an array of loudspeakers and a software controller. This new system creates virtual “sound ball” that calculates the virtual location, direction and intensity of a sound to make it feel like it is really happening in the room. They announced this technology in a recent press release.

What are 3D Sound effects? – 3D sound is a term that describes the feeling that sound from a movie or other media is happening in a particular direction. Sounds may seem to happen behind, above or to one side of your location. This effect is achieved with surround-sound speakers, headphones or a speaker array.

How Do These Sound Balls Work? – KAIST Professors Yang-Hann Kim and Jung-Woo Choi are the primary developers of this new system. They use an array of 24 – 50 small loudspeakers controlled by a complex software app to create a 3D space. Within this space, the array can create virtual points of sound (which they have dubbed sound balls). Each of these points can then emit sounds that the listener hears as coming from a particular location. No matter where the listener moves in the 3D Space the location of the sound balls remains constant, so the virtual location of the sound is always in the same place. This system allows for commercial movie theater quality surround sound without the need for expensive speakers or hardware.

When Can I Buy this Technology? -  Although the technology is still in the testing stage, Professor Jung-Woo Choi reports that it “is ready for an immediate translation into commercial products”. This means that we could see this technology on the market within the next 5 years. In the meantime, you can read more about this new discovery in this article from RedOrbit.

The Best Home Theater Seat Innovations from 2012

Since the Mayan Apocalypse didn’t happen last week, it did not save us from all of the “End-of-the-Year Roundups” that show up on blogs, news sites and news outlets across the Internet. Therefore we have decided to add ours to the mix too.

Welcome to the Theater Seat Store 2012 Home Theater Seat Roundup!

We decided to take a brief look at the innovations and trends that have shaped home theater seating over 2012. It was a big year for home theater seats as many new models were introduced with fantastic new features:

• Ambient Base Lighting – Traditional movie theaters tend to have a small light at the end of each row that is embedded in the riser. This helps people find their way in the darkened theater. Home theater enthusiasts could mimic this effect in their own home theaters, but there was no commercial kit to help them. A popular new trend for 2012 has been to add a strip of LED lighting along the baserail of each seat. This light is usually blue to not interfere with the picture or viewers’ eyes that have adjusted to the darkness. This popular feature is now available on a wide variety of theater seat models.
• Pocket Coil Seating – Until 2012, pretty much all home theater seats had foam seat cushions that were made up of layers of furniture foam. While these seats are comfortable and offer decent support, home theater seats got a boost in the comfort zone when some manufacturers started adding pocket coil seating to their new models. Pocket coils are an array of steel springs that are encased in layers of foam. Each coil is encased in its own fabric sheath, and coils are packed together tightly (16 coils per 10-inch square space). This offers an increased level of comfort and support thanks to the individual coils distributing weight evenly.
• Better Bonded Leather – Bonded leather is a popular and inexpensive alternative to real leather upholstery. It is made up of a small amount of real leather scraps mixed with vinyl material. Up until now, bonded leather has had a plastic-like feel and sheen to it. This year, new manufacturing techniques have produced bonded leather that looks and feels like the real thing.
• Smartphone or Tablet Control – New products by major manufacturers now have apps that you can download to your Apple or Android smartphone. These apps allow you to control the powered features of each seat. You can use your smartphone or tablet to recline the seat, activate massage features or even turn lighting on and off. Add a remote control app and you can control your entire home theater from the comfort of your seat. Palliser Furniture even added an iPad Holder to some of their newer models! This device holds your tablet at an angle for comfortable use.
• Built-in Charging Stations – Why let your mobile phone battery run out during a movie? Some home theater seats feature built in charging stations to charge your smartphone or tablet while you watch your favorite shows. You can also use the charging station to power your mobile device while you control the functions of your home theater seat, (see above).

Goodbye Rear Projection TV’s – Your Bulky Presence will be Missed!

Though Mark Twain famously said, “The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated”, the same cannot be said for the giant staple of many a living room and man cave – the big screen rear-projection TV. Since the 1970’s, these giant behemoths were highly sought after for home theaters across America. They were considered status symbols and held a commanding presence in the room that they were placed. Who wouldn’t want to watch the Big Game on their own home Jumbo-tron? 

Now with the popularity of plasma and LCD TV’s, the rear projection television has become a relic of the past. David Katzmeier recently wrote an article for CNET announcing the exit of Mitsubishi from the rear projection TV market. Mitsubishi is the last major manufacturer to stop making rear projection TV’s. This sounded the final death knell for rear projection technology.

The biggest reason that plasma and LCD televisions dominate the market is the simple fact that they can be mounted on the wall. Current rear projection TV’s are also high definition and use the latest technologies to produce picture quality that rivals that of a plasma or LCD screen. Their biggest problem is their size. According to an article on thestar.com, “it does not matter that most buyers never mount their TV on a wall. They want to think they can”.           

Rear-projection technology has been around since 1947, when RCA unveiled the first rear projection television. This technology saw some popularity in the 1950’s when cathode ray tubes had a maximum size of 12 inches. Products like the Philips 1800A could be found in affluent living rooms. Large rear-projection TV’s became available to the masses in the 1970’s and stayed popular through the early 2000’s.   

So fare thee well, rear projection TV’s! We will miss the simulated wood grain paneling of your cabinet and the way that you dominated the rec room. Though we had to find the right viewing height to avoid your “hot spot”, we will miss you as we try to figure out what to do with all of the new floor space.

The 'IT' of Home Theater

Every year new developments in home theater have us saying "wow, this is really it!!" - why should this year be any different??

Prima Cinema

So, if you are the guy or girl who wants to have it all, then 'all' has just arrived - it comes in the shape of a small black box.  No, its not Tivo - that was the "it" of 1999 - its called the Prima Cinema System.  Burn those three words into your memory because this is what the top of the home theater food chain looks like.

The Prima Cinema allows viewers to get access to elusive first run movies - all whilst relaxing at home.  The system's focus is theatrical releases and one can now enjoy new movies released on the same day as local cinemas in the absolute comfort of your own home theater room.

This device has found a home in the screening rooms of many Hollywood directors and movie industry veterans like Brett Ratner, for instance, but is now available to everyone.  Screening rooms have become status symbols for those who receive early copies of new movies like directors, industry executives and A-list actors.  Access to early releases is  limited to those that make the exclusive insider list referred to as the 'Bell Air Circuit', if you come from Hollywood, or the 'subway circuit' if you are from New York.

The unit itself was designed by BMW DesignWorksUSA and will set you back a cool $20,000-$30,000. That's not were the money tree stops shaking either.  Be prepared to spend an additional $500 per movie on opening weekends.  So what can be better than hosting a red carpet event in your own home?

The Last Supper for Cinema

The Lounge at Odeon Whiteleys

In the home theater world, there is a lot of talk about the impact of big screen home TV on the traditional cinema experience.  The advent and arrival of this new medium about 5-7 years ago - at least at a price that makes it attainable to everyone - has had a significant impact on the traditional theater business.

Most people love the experience that comes with a night out at the movies, but do they want to sacrifice the comfort of home with a comparable technical experience?  Times are changing and now, more than ever, the pressure is on the traditional theater business to evolve and compete with this formidable new challenger.  

As avid theater afficiandos, we follow the industry news and are seeing more and more of a premium cinema experience moving into the traditional theater business.  Behemoths in the space like AMC, Celebration Cinemas and Odeon (in the UK) are evolving with the times and testing the concept of bringing the living room into the movie theater.  Now the game is on!! 

AMC have renovated a theater they operate and own in Marina Del Rey and introduced 50% less of the traditional theater style rockers and replaced them with home-style theater loungers.  They are calling the concept the CinemaSuite.  This renovation has cost $5 million and includes a widening of the isle space to accommodate the fully reclined new theater chairs.  The trend has just taken hold here in the US but is also in full motion in Europe and is successfully operated by Odeon - the UK's largest cinema chain - in a number of their theaters in London.