Real Home Cinema
Today I would like to talk about a real home cinema. Yes, yes, it is about the present, and not about those that are "in one box." Most of the references to this term have nothing in common with real home cinema.
Recently, this concept has largely depreciated. Almost in every salon or online store you can find a huge number of so-called home theaters in one, two or several boxes. Meanwhile, this is still a rather rare thing, since it requires considerable resources as well as understanding and the ability to build it. It is to build, and not to buy a ready-made kit.
His main task is to bring us inside another reality created by the director. And, if possible, so deeply that it becomes almost tangible. So that we would almost disappear into her, feel her life and her problems as our own, be it the horrible experiences in her problems as our own, be it the horrible experiences in a horror movie or subtle emotional torment or stormy passion of the beloved character in the drama. And the more talented the director, the more truly the play of the actors, the deeper we plunge into another world, sometimes so disconnected that our complicity in the events on the screen become almost real. Cinema, like music, should powerfully involve us into unfolding events. Here, not only the ability of the director and actors to correctly reproduce all surrounding events plays an important role, but also the technical part, such as cameras, film type, filters, the right light, the operator’s ability to build a frame and the director’s ability to choose the right aspect ratio or appropriate music. It is not enough for the composer to come up with good music, we also need a talented conductor, who implements it, a good orchestra that will play it. And musicians need good instruments. Listeners need a room with appropriate acoustic properties. Etc.
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Therefore, the faithful reproduction of artistic material obtained with such difficulty that we, as the final consumer and the viewer, are primarily interested in, is an absolutely integral part of this process.
What are the requirements that a home cinema system should fulfill in order to excite and delight us, make us think and worry, and at the same time reflect correctly the plans and implementations of the director?
Simply put, the screen should be big. At least wider than our angle of view, equal to 60 degrees. And while watching, watching the events, we should habitually turn our heads, as we usually do in life. For example, watching on-screen shots of a woman walking from one corner of a room to another or crossing the street, we should see off her head, as if she passes us in our room, or on the street, in reality, and not on the screen. It is clear that the growth of the character and the size of the room should be as real as possible. Only then our brain unconsciously begins to perceive the imaged as real and trust it. And vice versa, with an incorrectly sized screen instead of the expected sensations, an amusing situation can turn out. For example, we look at the famous scene in the extremely realistic movie “Save Private Ryanan”. A well-chosen sound cinema system takes on a large semantic part of these frames, extremely realistic reflecting every little thing, starting from a multiple echo from a sniper's shot and ending with the roar of a tank engine. Alarming atmosphere in a dilapidated city. Soldiers in a trench shaking hands with excitement arm shops. Nothing is visible yet. Only the ear is extremely strained and sounds are heard in which the oppressive expectation of trouble is felt. Heavy, long and slow, pulling all the nerves, increases the rumble of a tank engine. Caterpillars creeping terribly and soullessly, hard pressing through asphalt under 50 tons of steel monster. The earth shoots and falls clodily in the trench. Now a trench with people is ironing Tiger ... No. Something is wrong ... crawling on our 47 inch screen ... something completely different. As it would be more practical to say ... rather, a toy tin tank or a large steel dung beetle with a cannon ... At the same time, sizes incompatible with the mighty sounds of the audio system and our alarming expectations. Instead of drama turned out laughter and embarrassment.
Choosing the right format also plays an important role in a home theater. For example, it is known that the film frame format meticulously chosen by the director plays a big role in the perception of the viewer. The 4: 3 format in which films were previously made gives a largely conditional, incorrect, perception of what is in the frame. And this is due to the features and angle of our vision. But the 16: 9 format is closer to the cinema. More truly reproduces our perception of the surrounding world common format 2.35: 1 or 2.76: 1. This is such an important moment and it is so tightly connected with the plot of the film that changing the format during the film can in principle spoil the impression of the viewer. So, for example, historical, epic tapes with a mass of subjects with nature, perspective, architecture or large masses of people are completely not perceived in a narrow frame. It is sometimes said that the image format is best built according to the golden section, as is customary in architecture and painting. It is even better to use multi-format screens with a screen size formed by black curtains specifically for each movie. Black velvet curtains around the edges of the screen cut out of our sight all that is superfluous, able to divert our attention from the events. They also contribute to the deepening of black color and a better discernment of dark details on a dark background, helping our main goal - to achieve the state of maximum spectator involvement in film interaction.
Another essential component of this cinema is the ability of the video system to provide reliable color reproduction. In accordance with the idea of ​​the film, its plot, the strictly defined mood of the specific frame and the film as a whole, the director and the operator select the color gamut in which both individual frames and the entire film will be shot. Some films where you need to get a sense of anxious expectation require, for example, black and dark burgundy tones, others - deep blue and purple hues. Where it is necessary to achieve drama, high-contrast frames are used, with sharp transitions from light to dark areas, almost without semitones. If we incorrectly select reproducing equipment, such as a projector, and make mistakes with the luminance, brightness and contrast of the projector-screen-room system, the image will lose the required dynamic range, the dark areas will become lighter, the light will be averaged and the film will lose all the tension that the director intended. Blue will lose its depth, dark details will disappear against a dark background and the picture will be simplified to animated. So in science fiction films about deep space, the loss of dark blue and violet shades removes the feeling of the depth of space and its immense perspective. Pink shades in films about love, create for example a romantic mood. An improperly tuned color rendition of our cinema system can drastically shift all the accents conceived by the director. If the TV or projector is not capable of giving a pure 18% gray color, a sign of a harmoniously tuned video system, and shifting the overall tone to bluish or bluish shades, then this is akin to a picture written by a painter not on a white canvas, where all subtle hues and half tones will be correctly reproduced , and on pinkish or slightly greenish, where the colors will lose their purity and stop worrying us.
An audio system capable of adequately reproducing the sound of a movie is as much an integral part of a home theater as the visual part. And here many people are very mistaken when they consider that the mere presence of special effects and their good tangibility in the space of the room clearly indicate the level of the cinema. The fact is that special effects can be obtained on almost any receiver and acoustics. But the sound quality will be useless and it will noticeably affect our perception of the film. For example, everyone in the same magnificently recorded “Soldier Ryan” in the battle scenes cartridges fly from a machine gun. In unconfigured or simple systems, liners will still fly past our ears, delivering unspeakable joy from the very presence of a special effect to a naive neophyte. An experienced person’s ear will understand that it’s not the brass sleeves that fly, which should be heard in the classroom system, but something completely different, for example, something like bottles. But loud and they will fall exactly where you want. That is, there is an effect, but it is not natural, unnatural, conditional, destroying our whole perception of the film and the effect of presence and the event that alienates us. Another example. If a helicopter flies over our head in the film, then it must be he, not the spacecraft, as the unconfigured or cheap audio system will exaggerate and unnaturally. In principle, knowing how and being able to, and an inexpensive audio system can be configured so that it will reproduce the sound of the film fairly correctly. And vice versa: no special and expensive equipment can compensate for the lack of understanding, experience and skills of a person building a cinema.
Exact compliance with all the above points and the skillful combination of them into a single system that can reproduce all the nuances of the film being shown as close as possible to the original and means we managed to build a real home theater.
This article is the first of a whole series of articles written for our online store. I wanted to share many years of experience and knowledge accumulated on hundreds of completed projects with Habrahabr visitors.
To be continued.
Recently, this concept has largely depreciated. Almost in every salon or online store you can find a huge number of so-called home theaters in one, two or several boxes. Meanwhile, this is still a rather rare thing, since it requires considerable resources as well as understanding and the ability to build it. It is to build, and not to buy a ready-made kit.
Recall, for a start, what is it, a cinema in general?
His main task is to bring us inside another reality created by the director. And, if possible, so deeply that it becomes almost tangible. So that we would almost disappear into her, feel her life and her problems as our own, be it the horrible experiences in her problems as our own, be it the horrible experiences in a horror movie or subtle emotional torment or stormy passion of the beloved character in the drama. And the more talented the director, the more truly the play of the actors, the deeper we plunge into another world, sometimes so disconnected that our complicity in the events on the screen become almost real. Cinema, like music, should powerfully involve us into unfolding events. Here, not only the ability of the director and actors to correctly reproduce all surrounding events plays an important role, but also the technical part, such as cameras, film type, filters, the right light, the operator’s ability to build a frame and the director’s ability to choose the right aspect ratio or appropriate music. It is not enough for the composer to come up with good music, we also need a talented conductor, who implements it, a good orchestra that will play it. And musicians need good instruments. Listeners need a room with appropriate acoustic properties. Etc.
')
Therefore, the faithful reproduction of artistic material obtained with such difficulty that we, as the final consumer and the viewer, are primarily interested in, is an absolutely integral part of this process.
What are the requirements that a home cinema system should fulfill in order to excite and delight us, make us think and worry, and at the same time reflect correctly the plans and implementations of the director?
First of all, the size of the image.
Simply put, the screen should be big. At least wider than our angle of view, equal to 60 degrees. And while watching, watching the events, we should habitually turn our heads, as we usually do in life. For example, watching on-screen shots of a woman walking from one corner of a room to another or crossing the street, we should see off her head, as if she passes us in our room, or on the street, in reality, and not on the screen. It is clear that the growth of the character and the size of the room should be as real as possible. Only then our brain unconsciously begins to perceive the imaged as real and trust it. And vice versa, with an incorrectly sized screen instead of the expected sensations, an amusing situation can turn out. For example, we look at the famous scene in the extremely realistic movie “Save Private Ryanan”. A well-chosen sound cinema system takes on a large semantic part of these frames, extremely realistic reflecting every little thing, starting from a multiple echo from a sniper's shot and ending with the roar of a tank engine. Alarming atmosphere in a dilapidated city. Soldiers in a trench shaking hands with excitement arm shops. Nothing is visible yet. Only the ear is extremely strained and sounds are heard in which the oppressive expectation of trouble is felt. Heavy, long and slow, pulling all the nerves, increases the rumble of a tank engine. Caterpillars creeping terribly and soullessly, hard pressing through asphalt under 50 tons of steel monster. The earth shoots and falls clodily in the trench. Now a trench with people is ironing Tiger ... No. Something is wrong ... crawling on our 47 inch screen ... something completely different. As it would be more practical to say ... rather, a toy tin tank or a large steel dung beetle with a cannon ... At the same time, sizes incompatible with the mighty sounds of the audio system and our alarming expectations. Instead of drama turned out laughter and embarrassment.
About screen format
Choosing the right format also plays an important role in a home theater. For example, it is known that the film frame format meticulously chosen by the director plays a big role in the perception of the viewer. The 4: 3 format in which films were previously made gives a largely conditional, incorrect, perception of what is in the frame. And this is due to the features and angle of our vision. But the 16: 9 format is closer to the cinema. More truly reproduces our perception of the surrounding world common format 2.35: 1 or 2.76: 1. This is such an important moment and it is so tightly connected with the plot of the film that changing the format during the film can in principle spoil the impression of the viewer. So, for example, historical, epic tapes with a mass of subjects with nature, perspective, architecture or large masses of people are completely not perceived in a narrow frame. It is sometimes said that the image format is best built according to the golden section, as is customary in architecture and painting. It is even better to use multi-format screens with a screen size formed by black curtains specifically for each movie. Black velvet curtains around the edges of the screen cut out of our sight all that is superfluous, able to divert our attention from the events. They also contribute to the deepening of black color and a better discernment of dark details on a dark background, helping our main goal - to achieve the state of maximum spectator involvement in film interaction.
Another essential component of this cinema is the ability of the video system to provide reliable color reproduction. In accordance with the idea of ​​the film, its plot, the strictly defined mood of the specific frame and the film as a whole, the director and the operator select the color gamut in which both individual frames and the entire film will be shot. Some films where you need to get a sense of anxious expectation require, for example, black and dark burgundy tones, others - deep blue and purple hues. Where it is necessary to achieve drama, high-contrast frames are used, with sharp transitions from light to dark areas, almost without semitones. If we incorrectly select reproducing equipment, such as a projector, and make mistakes with the luminance, brightness and contrast of the projector-screen-room system, the image will lose the required dynamic range, the dark areas will become lighter, the light will be averaged and the film will lose all the tension that the director intended. Blue will lose its depth, dark details will disappear against a dark background and the picture will be simplified to animated. So in science fiction films about deep space, the loss of dark blue and violet shades removes the feeling of the depth of space and its immense perspective. Pink shades in films about love, create for example a romantic mood. An improperly tuned color rendition of our cinema system can drastically shift all the accents conceived by the director. If the TV or projector is not capable of giving a pure 18% gray color, a sign of a harmoniously tuned video system, and shifting the overall tone to bluish or bluish shades, then this is akin to a picture written by a painter not on a white canvas, where all subtle hues and half tones will be correctly reproduced , and on pinkish or slightly greenish, where the colors will lose their purity and stop worrying us.
Audio system
An audio system capable of adequately reproducing the sound of a movie is as much an integral part of a home theater as the visual part. And here many people are very mistaken when they consider that the mere presence of special effects and their good tangibility in the space of the room clearly indicate the level of the cinema. The fact is that special effects can be obtained on almost any receiver and acoustics. But the sound quality will be useless and it will noticeably affect our perception of the film. For example, everyone in the same magnificently recorded “Soldier Ryan” in the battle scenes cartridges fly from a machine gun. In unconfigured or simple systems, liners will still fly past our ears, delivering unspeakable joy from the very presence of a special effect to a naive neophyte. An experienced person’s ear will understand that it’s not the brass sleeves that fly, which should be heard in the classroom system, but something completely different, for example, something like bottles. But loud and they will fall exactly where you want. That is, there is an effect, but it is not natural, unnatural, conditional, destroying our whole perception of the film and the effect of presence and the event that alienates us. Another example. If a helicopter flies over our head in the film, then it must be he, not the spacecraft, as the unconfigured or cheap audio system will exaggerate and unnaturally. In principle, knowing how and being able to, and an inexpensive audio system can be configured so that it will reproduce the sound of the film fairly correctly. And vice versa: no special and expensive equipment can compensate for the lack of understanding, experience and skills of a person building a cinema.
Exact compliance with all the above points and the skillful combination of them into a single system that can reproduce all the nuances of the film being shown as close as possible to the original and means we managed to build a real home theater.
This article is the first of a whole series of articles written for our online store. I wanted to share many years of experience and knowledge accumulated on hundreds of completed projects with Habrahabr visitors.
To be continued.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/148790/
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