It's still so vastly different. In a movie theater you are forced to not play with your phone, etc while watching. Even though you are just sitting you are getting "out" of normal life for a while. You get better immersion and there is a shared experience that you simply can't get at home. I fear that movie theatres are soon going to be a "luxury" as small theaters are killed and they try to turn them all into the "dinner and a movie" thing for higher margins, which to me completely defeats the entire purpose. There is something awesome about walking out of a great movie, the lighting outside is so different than when you came in and it's a great surreal experience in and of itself.

Early in the pandemic I realized that movie theaters were gonna be a no go, so I purchased a 100" drop down screen, 4k ust laser projector and a surround sound system. I even replaced the couch. It's been a great investment for us during these times. I'm sure I will occasionally go to the theater, but it will not nearly be as often as before.

If I could get a fanless 4K projector, I think I'd go for that nowadays. My walls are already white, and the concept of "hiding" my TV is increasingly appealing.

I'd imagine if you were going to invest in a 4K projector you'd still want a drop down screen unless your walls are perfectly flat white and non-textured.

Definitely agree it would be nice to have a hidden TV though :)

Or just have a huge TV that's flat enough to act as art. I think most TV manufacturers include some sort of "art" mode where it just shows a photo or slideshow. Heck, all of the streaming boxes do it.

I don't know of any eInk displays that could function as TVs, and a TV in "art mode" will end up putting out a lot of backlight, which is basically the opposite of what you'd want when you're trying to hide your TV.

You really need a screen for a projector, even the flattest white walls have some kind of texture that is prominent enough to degrade the image. Luckily screens can be had for quite cheap, at least in comparison to the cost of the projector itself.

But also, if you want high-quality surround sound, then the center speaker needs to be at ear height in front of you. The way home cinema owners arrange that is by putting the speaker behind a screen that has tiny perforations to let the sound through.

What was your UST projector of choice? I have one of the LG ones, and in my experience, the focus isn't sharp across the whole image.

I'm using the vava.