HOME CINEMA TOUR 2024

I've made this video because I showed the tabs (curtains) and motorized masking in operation during my recent review video for DUNE PART TWO and this resulted in several questions in the comments section, plus a phone call or two! Mainly we can blame Mark Stuckey for this video as he suggested it was something I ought to do so thank you Mark.
To clarify one point I make in this video, I bemoan the abandoning of motorized masking and tabs in cinemas. While this is true, I do accept that huge, genuine IMAX screens are impractical for such solutions as are the largest faux IMAX screens such as the one in the Empire Leicester Square which although not as high as a genuine IMAX house screen is nevertheless 90 feet wide. The engineering and expense for masking and tabs are probably not economic and possibly not viable at all.
I first started looking into automation possibilities for our home cinema in 2000/2001 and homed in on an X10 home automation solution, mainly because the curtain motors you see in this video were designed to work with X10. The basic premise of X10 is a transceiver module (TM13U) which receives commands from a push button X10 sender/remote control (model number HR10E). Up to 16 devices can be controlled by the remote control as shown in this video. Each device has to be plugged into an Appliance Module (AM12U) with some variations such as lights which require a Lamp Module. The transceiver receives the signal from the remote and sends it around the wiring loom of your house until it finds the relevant Appliance Module (each has a set number from 1 to 16) whereupon the curtain motor activates. It's a simple on/off procedure and after each activation 'off' has to be depressed for the relevant Appliance so that it can be activated again. In the case of the curtain motors they go forwards following the first activation and then after receiving the X10 remote signal for OFF the next time they are activated they go backwards. This means the curtains or masking will open after the first activation and then close on the second activation. Exactly what is required for a home cinema solution.
The top mask in this home cinema operates via a roller blind but is the same basic premise as the corded curtain track solution for masking and tabs (curtains). Because the curtains are rather big and heavy now the area they cover is around 12 feet wide they are each running on an individual curtain motor with both Appliance Modules set to the same code: i.e. the X10 remote activates both curtain motors concurrently from a single command to code number 3.
The bottom mask runs independently of everything else via a pair of linear actuator motors. This is because it had all got too heavy and cumbersome for a roller blind solution. Look up 'linear actuator motors' on eBay and you should find them. They are sold in pairs. You can also find the remote control for them but be aware that these motors require a 12v or 24v power supply as they are not built for 240v standard home electric supply. I found a relevant power supply on eBay for less than £20. Another solution would be to power them from an old (but not dead) car battery.
I do not cover the red lights atop the THX front speakers in this video but they too are controlled by X10 but must be in a 'Lamp Module' Applicance Module which is a slightly different model number LM12. This fades the lights up to full brightness and then down to completely off.
There have cheap versions of X10 and appliance modules for up to three devices on general sale in recent years and if you fancy just making a start or getting an idea of how it all works then one of these for very little money may be worthwhile. As it is, the X10 system I have now seem to be available in abundance second hand for a very small outlay.

[@Pork-Chop-Express]

Going to the movie theater in the 80s as a kid, seeing Raiders, E.T., Empire Strikes Back, etc was ... pure magic. Everything is different now ... but I still support the existence of movie theaters. I love your content, John. TY so much for being such a purist. Please don't change. Cheers

[@moviecollector5920]

A few of us are conspiring to see if we can get the D-150 (Dimension 150) system re-adopted. It won't be possible for all cinemas but for those that can get a 120 degree curved screen installed it could be the saviour the industry needs. I think the similarity to Cinerama years ago consigned it to the history books before anyone really understood how brilliant a concept it was. The lenses are still around and that's the big part of it... other than the screen which won't be cheap but should reap the rewards quickly. John.

[@Pork-Chop-Express]

@@moviecollector5920 god I hope you're successful

[@moviecollector5920]

@@Pork-Chop-Express We're planning a few things but nothing may come of it. If you don't try though... well, cinema is in terminal decline so it needs some different thinking. Genuine IMAX houses stand a good chance as they are owing to the huge screens but run of the mill cinemas now are in trouble. Those that regularly run film seem to attract audiences but most of them stupidly got rid of their film equipment. John.

[@xix94]

Well before my time I was born 94 would love to go back to the 80s

[@timothymathetes]

​@@moviecollector5920Thanks for being such purist indeed.

[@UpTheMags74]

I love how your home cinema recreates the atmosphere and feeling I used to get as a kid in the 80s watching the latest blockbuster, it's brilliant a real time capsule and shows how much you love cinema and movies. Brilliant mate.

[@moviecollector5920]

Only a small room is required to do something like this. 45 years ago was my first basic home cinema in my parents house. Then it was in my one bedroom apartment living room (hence the 10 foot roll down screen I've had for more than 30 years which I plan to put back into use in the living room here), then a dedicated 12.5ft x 8.2ft room in our last house and now this one. The smaller they are though, the easier it is to achieve the results. This one has taken a long time to get right... not that a home cinema is ever truly finished. John.

[@UpTheMags74]

@moviecollector5920 it's great John, I'd be very proud of it

[@moviecollector5920]

@@UpTheMags74 Today is an example of a home cinema never being finished - had the subwoofer out to try to find a rattle when it's really firing out a mighty rumble.

[@UpTheMags74]

@@moviecollector5920 try some dampeners on the feet John, might eliminate it, quick fix squash balls cut in half .

[@darkvader7231]

Gorgeous cinema room John, if I had something like that, I'd be in it all day and night, practically living in it😁!!

[@moviecollector5920]

Funny you should say that Dark because I've been in there an awful lot lately. That's because I finally had some time to get on with some of those other jobs and get it all nearer a full completion. But no home cinema is ever really finished... there is always some tidying up painting and decorating that seems to wait for another day. John.

[@garypage1963]

Hi John, superb video. Your home cinema is brilliant. As a kid going to the cinema was a treat when you saw the screen change size and it looked amazing. All the best. 👍

[@moviecollector5920]

They were exciting times Gary. These days cinema is a little taken for granted and owing to the decline in attendances there isn't always the money to invest in niceties like tabs and masking. That and many of the people running cinemas have little to no interest. John.

[@gaspargh]

Greetings from a rainy Santiago de Chile. What a great place you have and the dedication put in every aspect. The last time I saw a courtain in a cinema was in the late 90's, but with arrival of the multiplex to chilean territory many of the classic auditoriums decided to get rid of them, and I really miss them. The other thing that I love of your place is the use of the Empire logo, something that I did not discovered till I visit Europe. As you say in your video, these elements turns watching a movie in a big screen into a powerful experience. Fingers cross that during my next vacations I would put some of these elements in my humble home theater. At least I have a name, "Cine San Casper", but I need to turn it into a logo and make some invitations to watch movies with friends and talk about them. Adiós, amigo.

[@moviecollector5920]

The Empire was my favourite cinema. It was actually the location of the first cinema screening in Britain back in 1895 I think. It's been rebuilt since then and the auditorium as I knew it was the top deck of what was a dual layer cinema with stalls and circle. The capacity was halved I think but it was the decor and how the neons had been hidden in the louvres all around so the walls and ceiling gradually changed colour while awaiting the start of the show. Then in 1989 a laser show was installed and this was all part of a refurbishment which was the installation of THX sound. The screen was huge and with quite a curve on it and the seats were the most comfortable of all cinemas I'd ever visited anywhere in the world. Today it's not viable for a cinema like that to exist so only the rear section has survived intact and it's being passed off as an IMAX. It's not but sadly most think it is and the comparatively poor quality they see is the real McCoy. This has hurt the genuine IMAX cinemas still left in the world. Take care over there Gaspar and good luck with whatever you do with your own home cinema. I like the sound of 'Cine San Caspar'. What a great name and a good idea. John.

[@WrightOffsGaming]

A cracking tour here John and after seeing the masking in action previously I was left wondering what was making it all work, its all clever and you must be quite proud of your cinema. Many thanks Chris

[@moviecollector5920]

Chris, I'm pleased - perhaps 'relieved' is a better word - to have it all installed again and working properly after moving from our last home. It can be quite frustrating at times but we seem to have got there in the end thanks to Mark Stuckey being able to sort out the wiring for that bottom mask which is simply too big now to work off a roller blind. We'll probably be watching the 4K of 'Ferrari' in there this evening but with the hot weather and then the heat from all those engines, it might be a little too much! John.

[@lancesmith9733]

I remember going to the odeon 1 screen cinema and seeing the curtains open, got you all excited what was to come, and then after the advertising had stopped the screen would then push out from the sides making the picture that much bigger, so much more exciting then, especially when all we had at home was 19 “ tv Well worth all the effort John, there’s so much more than just the film to appreciate about cinema.

[@moviecollector5920]

Your memories are similar to my own Lance. It's a shame that the showmanship has largely been lost but to be fair there aren't the audiences any longer so it's all being done as cheaply as possible. Counter productive really and hastening the inevitable but that's the modern world. John.

[@brianfretwell3886]

Those red seats look just like the ones we had at my local amateur theatre until we had a refurbishment and auditorium layout chage, They lasted 30 odd years of frequent use! Our stage curtains (tabs) were hand wound though.

[@moviecollector5920]

They are extremely robust Brian. I'm not sure more modern tip-up seats would be quite so resilient and so not only are modern items more expensive but they'd need to be changed more regularly too. John.

[@monijam1]

Thanks for the tour, really like and appreciate what you've done with your theater. I'd just suggest placing your center channel on a stand so it's off the floor and closer to ear height or at least tilting it up towards the you

[@moviecollector5920]

The centre is tilting up which is how that speaker is designed. It's a home THX Ultra so the tweeters fire everywhere and therefore not as important to have it in front of your face as it is with normal speakers. John.

[@delboy3k1]

Beautiful and so many memories of my old cinema in your house. Bygone days now. As soon as Vue opened close to my town then things changed and it became generic and faceless. My memory of star trek the motion picture with its opening overture, will forever be in my memory. Thankyou for all u do. Excelsior

[@moviecollector5920]

Star Trek VI is one of my all-time top cinema memories. That opening with the unrivalled THX sound at The Empire is something I've never forgotten but nor have I ever been able to match it and boy, have I tried. Even to the point of going halves with a colleague on a 35mm print. John.

[@MadMartysMovieReviews-gv6hk]

Excellent video John, your home cinema set up is every movie fans dream,health to enjoy it for years to come 😊

[@moviecollector5920]

I thought I'd be able to get this all sorted more quickly in this new house but alas, it was far more of a pain in the derriere than ever before! It has all been worth it in the end... although it's not the end Marty as a home cinema is never truly finished. John.

[@MadMartysMovieReviews-gv6hk]

@moviecollector5920 Indeed John, I'm setting up my dolby atmos sound at the min,by the time I have it the way I want I'll probably look about upgrading my projector to a nice dolby vision 4k version 😀

[@moviecollector5920]

@@MadMartysMovieReviews-gv6hk Yep, they're never finished. I hope to be able to just sit in the home cinema now and stop thinking about things I've missed. Well, stop thinking about that sort of thing for a while anyway. It can all become a little obsessive but I was having trouble with the curtain motors one after the other so hopefully they'll all be fine for a while now. Had to modify parts from an alternative version of these motors aimed at opening and closing doors in chicken coops. Seems to have done the job though. John.

[@MadMartysMovieReviews-gv6hk]

@@moviecollector5920 you MacGuyverd it 🙂

[@loftlegacy]

Brilliant John, a true labour of love 📽️🎞️ Kind wishes, Dave

[@moviecollector5920]

Thank you Dave. There's always something more to do but one day it will be finished... yeah right! John.

[@loftlegacy]

@@moviecollector5920 HS2 will be finished before my model railway in the garage!

[@moviecollector5920]

@@loftlegacy Best of luck living that long Dave!

[@Celestialrob]

Love your set up as always. it's true theater. Every time I see it I'm inspired to follow. I have a 150" 2.39 screen so would only need side masking. It's your curtains that I most love though. Thanks John

[@moviecollector5920]

Get your seamstress on the case Rob! Those outer sections are just sequin material (costing not a lot) sewn onto the outer edges. Finding that the sequin material was available in the same colour as the main curtains was just one of those lucky coincidences. John.

[@Celestialrob]

I suggested the idea and she became all militant and told me to eff off 😂

[@moviecollector5920]

@@Celestialrob Hmmmm. You'll have to somehow disguise it as a dress making pattern or something to con her into getting the job done.

[@Celestialrob]

@@moviecollector5920 oooh great idea, huge home theater curtains and tell her it's a dress. What could go wrong? 😁

[@samglendenning9884]

Brilliant video John; such an amazing Cinema room and fantastic set up there 🤩🍿🙌🎸🎶

[@moviecollector5920]

Thank you Sammy G. There's always more that needs doing but it can all wait for the right time. John.

[@perrypereyra6671]

at first I was bothered by the imperfect masking thingy, but the when I watched the rest of this video and see the DIY all-in-one remote holder, somewhat I fell in love. respect to you sir! keep making video. hope you healthy as well

[@moviecollector5920]

Thank you Perry. I could have shown the masking being stopped for almost every possible aspect ratio but it all gets so complex on camera that I decided to stick to the two main ratios which is what it defaults to without me adjusting the settings on the side masking motor. Hopefully everyone will understand what I have shown. John.

[@reyluna9332]

Thank you for the tour of your beautiful cinema. I would like to do the same for my setup someday. Currently, I've been using a matte box to keep the unwanted light coming from my projector off the wall. It works ok.

[@moviecollector5920]

If you can find some deep black velvet material Rey you'll find that will absorb the light. A few drawing pins to put it on the wall and you're done. The problem might be finding good black velvet these days as fabric stores all seem to have gone out of business so I can only find cheap crap options on the web. Good material has still got to be out there somewhere though. John.

[@davemillage6129]

Good Evening John! Thanks for this vid! (and thanks Mark). A vid like this for me IS positive, like Ray Davies nostalgic songwriting. I go to cinemas and practice my new SKILL of blocking out the debris' before the film and enjoying the food that has emptied the generous allowance my wife gives me (Tongue in cheek lol to be dazzled by Denis V and CN or those in the spirit of entertaining us all for real. I had the Odeon and Paramount that had this as well and also the THX sound intro (which to be fair was also an AD ?hahah) to prime us for what was to come. Ah good times eh. With my new skills at avoiding Resentment I can still exit a cinema with a good feeling so gonna hang on to that as long as I can... Cheers again and thanks again as always it's good to spend time with everyone here on your channel ... D in BC!

[@moviecollector5920]

Evening Dave. If you can get here in time we'll be heading into the cinema in about an hour to watch the 4K of the recent Matrix film. I don't know if I'll review it as it's not very popular but I'll decide based on if I like it and if there's something interesting to talk about. John.

[@MichaelWitt-ig4zq]

VERY INFORMATIVE VIDEO! ANSWERED ALL MY QUESTIONS! AMAZING HOME CINEMA SIR!

[@moviecollector5920]

Thank you Michael. I put a load of information in the description but I don't think I detailed the curtain motors. If you need to know more about them look up 'Add-A-Motor' who are in the USA. I got the last pair (one for each of the red curtains) when we moved here 2.5 years ago and they were being sold on eBay then. Not sure that's still the case but the dreaded Amazon had some when I looked about six months or so ago. John.

[@pieterbalk-ht7kq]

Great video and interesting tour of your beautiful home cinema @Movie Collector . Must be a joy to watch your movies there. It reminds me of going to a movie theatre in the 80’s (that is a BIG compliment!). Really love the atmosphere and style you created. Just curious but do you only watch there or also on a regular TV?

[@moviecollector5920]

We're been watching a lot of our LaserDiscs on the telly recently Pieter. That's only because we've fancied re-visiting them but don't have the LD player hooked up into the home cinema... yet. To be fair, I don't think LD would stand up to the large magnification too well and as we always used to watch LD's on a telly it's actually been quite good fun going backwards. As a general rule, we don't watch movies on a telly any longer and haven't for the past 18 years which was when home video projection finally because acceptable/good enough. John.

[@FatNorthernBigot]

Very authentic, but where is the ashtray in the back of the seat in front? 😂

[@moviecollector5920]

Good question. I wonder where they all went. John.

[@FatNorthernBigot]

@@moviecollector5920 I guess those smokers will have to keep the the left of the theatre. 😀

[@jeremyj.]

Greetings from Canada 🇨🇦! Thank you for sharing your space with us. Although, to complete the effect of feeling like a public theatre, you’ll need more popcorn on the floor! 😂 Have a great weekend!

[@moviecollector5920]

We're currently working out where to put the concessions stand and ticket desk Jeremy. John.

[@RonD84]

Great Cinema John, Ive seen the progress from the old house and moving to your new one, You've done an excellent job and its really great to see the old school effects 👌🏻

[@moviecollector5920]

Thank you Ron. It's turned out rather well (so far!) but there will always be other things I'd like to do with it. All the important things are done now though. John.

[@RoyMurphy1]

Great work John.....looks so cozy

[@moviecollector5920]

Snug as a bug in a rug Roy. John.

[@MarcoZuccardiChannel]

Beautiful! I love your cinema room

[@moviecollector5920]

Thank you Marco. John.

[@luisd7636]

Looks great. I wish I had something like this to create that movie environment.

[@moviecollector5920]

Once the lights are out just a white wall or screen with a bit of black masking will produce a very similar effect Luis. That's what we did for years in our central London pad.

[@mattguy1980]

Wow, just wow! Maybe oneday il be able to do the same. Fantastic video

[@moviecollector5920]

It can be done in the smallest of rooms Matt. The smaller the screen is the easier all the masking and everything else is but I really wanted to get back to a ten foot wide screen this time so that caused quite some frustration at times as I found out things were too heavy for the existing solutions used previously. I got there in the end though. John.

[@Colinmck16]

I love your set up, just like going to the Cinema as a kid. My set up is just on the cheap, projector pointed at the wall nothing fancy. The wall i find is better than a screen i can get a bigger image. 😄😄👍👍

[@moviecollector5920]

My screen is actually the wall too Colin and I think it's the best choice because it costs practically nothing to maintain or renew. Just a bit of brilliant white emulsion paint. Create some masks for your image by covering cardboard with black velvet, put some hooks or pins into the wall in the right places and you can hang it to mask off the relevant aspect ratios to match what you'll be projecting. It makes a significant difference as a black envelope around the frame fools the eye into thinking the contrast is better than it really is. John.

[@SpontaneousWeasel]

Extremely cool home cinema!!

[@moviecollector5920]

Thank you. Pleased you like it. John.

[@deckard97]

Absolutely cool.great work!

[@moviecollector5920]

Thank you! John.

[@GiganMan04]

Cheers from the states m8. Lovely video as usual

[@moviecollector5920]

Thank you Eric. Lovely comment as usual! John.

[@NightBreakerDK]

There is just something about these setup. Love it

[@moviecollector5920]

It's a lot of fun and very nice to go into and watch a film... or have a disco! John.

[@rosstee]

I love the authenticity in all the details of your home cinema. I'm in my 40's so I remember when the local Odeon just had one huge screen with curtains and masking (later split down into three smaller screens). I would hate for cinemas to disappear as I still love the experience, but I also have a small home cinema (converted garage) myself. Oh and that "all in one" remote for your masking is fantastic - not pretty, but effective!

[@moviecollector5920]

The all-in-one remote simply works Ross. One of those Heath Robinson quickfire solutions that ended up becoming permanent. Initially I had to have a table next to my seat to contain the three items which obviously didn't work. The squishy solution I came up with means it sits in the cup holder. I hope you're getting a lot of use out of your drive-in theatre! We have two classic cars in ours so no room for a proper cinema in there. John.

[@rosstee]

@@moviecollector5920 Yes the little cinema is used at least twice a week, wish it could be more often. I tried to link a photo of it so you could see, but YT automatically deletes any link it seems!

[@suavebob]

Nice setup as always. I like how you and your wife have the plush comfy chairs and the visitors get the red less plush chairs haha. Its like Rik in the young ones getting the rickety chair. Speaking of chairs, I left the council couple months back and we had a recycling system called Warpit. Basically the council, schools and such organisations fed into it and it was a recycling service, if someone in the team needed a table, a chair etc you could usually grab something off that rather than buying (technically you could grab things for yourself. The lister wouldn't care as it was the companies item/they needed it gone and it saved them getting landfilled or to one of those heart foundation type shops as the stuff was always pretty good condition). Some companies share to themselves, some share sitewide, so that depends what is visible when you login. I used it for odds and ends myself... In any case, couple months back they must have been gutting one of their old theatres and they had many rows of those (wooden I think) red theatre chairs (although didn't look as plush, probably due to age/use) and they were free to uplift (location was Glasgow if I remember correct). If I had the space I would have grabbed them! Probably gone now, but if any council type workers are on here (unsure if its available to the public), sign up to Warpit and y'never know what will come up in your vicinity.

[@moviecollector5920]

Evening Bob. There are usually cinema seats around and right now there are some from one of the big chains who shut a load of theatres a year or two back. But we don't have the room. The red seats may not look as plush but they are surprisingly comfortable. When we have visitors round they get the top two seats and we make use of the red seats. We had the two blue ones made by Brockley Upholstery (now defunct) who used to supply the ABC chain and Virgin among others. Two seats was their smallest ever order but they were great about it. When we set up the previous home cinema I tried to contact them to make us six more and they'd gone. That's how we ended up with the red secondhand seats. John.

[@suavebob]

​@@moviecollector5920 Evening indeed. Its a shame they are gone as that is the sign of a good company, providing a service no matter the size of job - They obviously appreciated you in recognising their workmanship and having used there product over your many cinema trips. Speaking of cinema trips, I notice you keep your tickets and show them in your videos, do you always keep them? Ever counted up how many features you have seen? Did the disco ball feature in cinemas or is that you adding your own flare? 😛

[@moviecollector5920]

@@suavebob I didn't start saving the cinema tickets until about 1992 and plenty still went missing after that. Nowadays you're lucky if you get a ticket and when you do it's not something worth keeping like they were years ago. As for the mirror ball, that's just part of the disco lighting in there. It's a cinema-cum-night club. John.

[@suavebob]

@@moviecollector5920 Ahhh fair point, I had forgot about modern day cinema with the digital bookings - Shows the last time I went to the cinema (Matrix 4 on its release 22nd December 2021 - I only remember because it was my birthday, the movie itself was poor). I am sure the décor you can also pass off as a tribute to the movies ;-) disco ball for Saturday night fever, red sparkly curtains paying homage to the ruby red slippers. Enjoy the rest of your evening John 🙂 Cheers, Bob.

[@cheekster777]

Thank you for sharing John.

[@moviecollector5920]

Thank you Cheekster, as usual! John.

[@JohnHarling-lt9jt]

Hi John, from John Great video. I have a Marin MP30 35mm projector still learning how to properly set it up but finding it fun learning and your videos inspire me to keep trying, thanks 📽️

[@moviecollector5920]

I've been having sound issues with my Kinoton FP20 but hopefully someone will come to my rescue for that because it's beyond my capabilities. I have shot much video of the whole situation so one day I hope to put a video up on this channel all about it. Good luck with your own 35mm. I don't think I've come across a Marin MP30 before. John.

[@craigosterberg5045]

Great Home Cinema setup John. Enjoyed your video.

[@moviecollector5920]

Thank you Craig. Glad you enjoyed it. John.

[@Rman_237]

Brilliant! 🎬🎥

[@moviecollector5920]

Thank you Reece. John.

[@andypickeringmusic]

Great setup ! Why Cinemas now don't have exclusivity to show films for at least 6 months before it's released in video is definitely a big reason there isn't bums on seats, when people can just think it'll be on streaming in a few weeks it's all about convenience

[@moviecollector5920]

And people think the 4K on their telephone or telly is just the same Andy. They're not entirely wrong but movies usually need to be seen on a big screen to get the best out of them and often an audience enhances the whole effect too. Cinema needs saving from itself. John.

[@raywatts7689]

Great video thank you. But I am really impressed by the circular windows in the doors. How was that done?

[@moviecollector5920]

I detailed all of this last year in the Home Cinema Build video where you can see them going in. I also put this section in the description so anyone would be able to buy the portholes: The round portholes in the double swing doors are from Screwfix here in the UK and can be purchased here: www.screwfix.com/p/mottez-round-porthole-vision-panel-260mm-brushed-polished-steel/5867r

[@northeastcorals]

Absolutely brilliant, thanks :) I'll be trying to figure out an auto masking system once I get my screen up but as usual there are complications as my room is in a converted loft space so unfortunately I have a vaulted ceiling which limits my screen height wise. I think I may have to make the screen height as close to the ceiling & floor as reasonably possible & then only have moving masking at the sides & they will have to travel diagonally rather than horizontally so maybe some sort of track fixed to the sloped ceiling for them to run along 🤔

[@moviecollector5920]

I have seen a loft cinema with exactly that solution Gaz. It may mean a curtain motor on each mask but that's exactly what I have with the red curtains in here so we know the solution can work. If you end up with an X10 solution then putting both curtain motor masks on the same code number will activate them simultaneously. But there are plenty of other ways to achieve the same thing. Good luck with it all. John.

[@northeastcorals]

@@moviecollector5920 Good to know, thanks again John 🤟

[@KevinLee-sb3ed]

What a great video!! Thanks

[@moviecollector5920]

Thank you Kevin. Good to know you liked it. John.

[@stephenfielding8914]

Thank you for auditorium and curtain/masking tour, John. All looks splendid… a request for your next ‘technical’ video - the projection room aka how you set up your video, super 8/GS1200, 16mm and 35mm projectors to show films in that nice auditorium… and how they all plumb into the sound system… thank you and have a good weekend. Steve

[@moviecollector5920]

Something 35mm related may be coming soon if the final hurdle with the sound can be beaten. It's beyond me so it depends on a colleague who has the required knowledge but only if he can get here sometime. John.

[@stephenfielding8914]

@@moviecollector5920 I used to help a private cinema/owner in days gone by. His cinema was basically the converted balcony of the former picture house. It had about 150 seats. I remember what fun we had when he wanted to install surround sound to take advantage of Dolby Stereo film prints! He had two changeover projectors and occasionally I would get the pleasure of projecting a film for the evening performance. But if he could, film length permitting, he would splice up onto a single reel. And yes, he respected showmanship and had motorised tabs and masking - and appropriate auditorium music before the film! A new owner bought the business. It’s still a very nicely run cinema, and highly recommended, but the film projectors have gone and now have two DLPs installed. Not long ago the owner spilt the screen into two and also managed to squeeze in a third with a few seats - like a home cinema. It’s a great place and I hope they manage to keep it viable for some time. Cheers.

[@AurumUsagi]

Loving the modified pre-BS5499/ISO 7010 Exit sign!

[@moviecollector5920]

I was really upset when the power supply for the strip light in that EXIT sign went last year. But the LED workaround actually turned out much nicer so it's funny how things turn out sometimes. I'm told Exit signs are on the way out now! John.

[@AurumUsagi]

@@moviecollector5920 They're great for modifying. I'd love to snag a pre-BS5499 Exit sign for my living room, or at least fashion one out of an IKEA frame, and put a colour- hanging bulb in it.

[@moviecollector5920]

@@AurumUsagi The LED I got for my EXIT box is just one of the four strips intended for sticking to the rear or a telly. It only cost about a fiver. Amazing.

[@KeepYaHeadUpTS]

Such a nice cinema room John. I can tell plenty of passion and effort has gone into constructing everything... no doubt well worth it for you and your wife

[@moviecollector5920]

It has all been a lot of fun if a little frustrating at times. It will never be entirely finished but these things never are really. John.

[@ManCave1972]

It’s a lovely set up mate. Well done.

[@moviecollector5920]

Thank you Darth. John.

[@fedenovo1]

Beautiful

[@moviecollector5920]

Thank you Federico. John.

[@ambientcafe]

*Sadly, in Canada most multiplexes have gone to the 1:85/1:90 ratio (rare to find 2:40 screens, unless they're older cinemas) - resulting in 'scope films being letterboxed & less-epic in presentation, just like on one's flatscreen or 16:9 projection screen ☝️😕 .. makes me appreciate my 140" 'scope-based H/T that much more !

[@moviecollector5920]

I suppose that's another reason why cinema is in terminal decline Matt. If only the people running them actually had an interest but it's pretty much the same with everything now. John.

[@russellkellett9535]

Cool well done mate

[@moviecollector5920]

Thank you Russell. John.

[@LaughMuBai]

Forgot you are a ROLLERBALL fan -- me too! Watching your review again and I managed to pick up the 5-Disc Ultimate Edition in a deal...

[@moviecollector5920]

If that's the German 4K disc then it's pretty darned good. When Trevor from Double Bill Movies was over a while ago we had another look at it and it looked better than ever that time. John.

[@alaindelacourt9030]

salut belle vidèo sur le tour du Home cimèna bien comme toujour

[@moviecollector5920]

Merci beaucoup comme toujours Alain. John.

[@steffylovesmedia7735]

Great tour

[@moviecollector5920]

Thank you Steffy. Hope you're keeping well. John.

[@Candyman_Young]

Very cool!

[@moviecollector5920]

Thank you Ben. Pleased you like it. John.

[@grahamritchie7508]

Excellent John

[@moviecollector5920]

Thanks Graham. Hope all is well with you down there. John.

[@Matthew-sq9ee]

Hi John. When you vue your films do you seat in the first row? Great vids by the way 🙂

[@moviecollector5920]

Not very often Matthew. The pair of blue seats are the best so that's where we tend to plant ourselves unless someone else is over then they get the top spots. John.

[@Matthew-sq9ee]

@@moviecollector5920 remember watching titanic in front row at showcase cinema in Birmingham. In 1998.lol. Not nice vue lol. Bad neck after lol

[@sean9920]

Looks great, John

[@moviecollector5920]

Thank you Sean. John.

[@ardenaudreyarji]

Man, I want to create one of these in the future.

[@moviecollector5920]

The starting point is a white wall and a projector. Then it's a case of one step at a time. I couldn't do that here so much because we moved in and recreating the home cinema we'd left behind was a bit of a priority but the way to get started is just those two things. Don't let any idiot convince you that you need to waste money on a screen if you have a suitable wall to paint white. John.

[@crcomments8509]

You could use an £5 ESP32 microcontroller module, to run your curtains and masking, they have built in Bluetooth and WiFi, so you could either make a custom remote control, or use a phone or tablet. It should even be possible and cheap to detect the projected images ratio and automatically adjust for it. Although the easier option would be to set it for each film and then it stores the settings for each film.

[@moviecollector5920]

None of that is X10 unless you know something I don't. It's not sensible without a simple solution such as X10 where you push some real buttons. John.

[@kovalveli]

Hi mate , would you ever consider doing some LaserDisc reviews in the future, I love that format.

[@moviecollector5920]

We're watching a lot of LaserDiscs recently, more than we have in many years. But sadly the interest in the format is so limited it would be a lot of time for almost zero return really. But you never know. John.

[@popcornandhorror]

Fantastic look at ur set up again John 😎👍🏻

[@moviecollector5920]

Maybe this will be the last time I feel compelled to do this. But so many people were asking recently it had to be done. John.

[@popcornandhorror]

@moviecollector5920 😄 people love a home cinema video, my completely bare bones garage cinema video is still the most viewed 🤷🏻😄

[@moviecollector5920]

@@popcornandhorror I just found your garage cinema video and I like it. One of the things I was planning to talk about in my video today was how useful black card and blu-tack can be to mask off an image. Adding some to the top and bottom of yours would work a treat. Take it off for the flat films and put it up for the 'Scope films. I still use black card to mask off 12 inches of my screen on the left for 35mm 'Scope films and once the film is running you can't make out that the masking on the left is any different to the black velvet everywhere else. John.

[@popcornandhorror]

@moviecollector5920 thanks for the tip John 👍🏻 😎

[@Eva_H]

This looks great John

[@moviecollector5920]

Thank you Eva. John.

[@Eva_H]

@@moviecollector5920 I think it’s great if you have the time and patience You’re welcome, by the way

[@TravelHonestly]

Hi John. Excellent video! What an incredible home cinema you have. Digital and film projectors - I wish I had such a system. Thanks for a really informative video (as usual) Hope you are well.

[@moviecollector5920]

I'm very well thank you (I think). Hope you're keeping well too. I might be doing a video soon all about how I've been getting on with the Kinoton FP20 35mm as it's been a big learning process, particularly the digital sound side of it. Currently still having a couple of issues but I've been getting much advice and help from people who know far more than I. John.

[@TravelHonestly]

@@moviecollector5920Digital was supposed to be the answer to everything. If anything it made things 10x harder! Thanks again for a wonderful video.

[@moviecollector5920]

@@TravelHonestly If a colleague, who is planning to visit soon, manages to re-configure the Dolby SR then the failover to analogue Dolby Stereo will be good enough for me when the digital track fails for whatever reason. That's the plan anyway. John.

[@adamATOM3]

Beautiful. I’m very jealous. Still enjoying your current projector?

[@moviecollector5920]

I have lots of projectors Adam. Some I've had for about 40 years but I don't use those often these days, if at all. Almost every projector from the past 30 years or less still gets an airing though. John.

[@davelangridge3557]

Brilliant video john excellent cinema room possibly do a 35mm lace up and run on ur next video feature the cinema release of the incredible hulk

[@moviecollector5920]

I do have the 35mm trailer for Hulk Dave but showing anything now risks copyright trouble. I am planning a 35mm video owing to the whole learning process, most notably with the digital sound. But I'm still having some trouble with the sound so it all depends on getting that sorted. John.

[@davelangridge3557]

@moviecollector5920 that would be a great watch I worked in virgin cinema yrs ago and hot opportunity to spend a few months in projection as a trainee

[@moviecollector5920]

@@davelangridge3557 Apparently an oscilloscope is required to sort out the Dolby SR sound problem. It's all beyond me Dave. John.

[@KirkRedgate]

I love the Rollerball poster.

[@moviecollector5920]

I actually forgot I had it until we came to move and there it was tucked away with all the others. John.

[@KirkRedgate]

@@moviecollector5920 Good find. It’s a great film.

[@KDCloudy]

Inspiring video!! So glad you went for a constant width screen, taller 1.85 ratios always feel additive and more immersive to me

[@moviecollector5920]

Morning KD. I hope all is well with you in the land of India right now. I prefer widescreen 'Scope films as that's what I grew up liking the most in cinemas. Then Super 8 film collecting rather ensured 'Scope films were the top dog as they gave us double the screen size. Genuine IMAX cinemas are the best today but imagine if those 1.43:1 screens were in auditoriums double the width with the possibility of a 2.86:1 wide screen to the same height via the use of 2X squeeze anamorphic lenses. Now that would be something else altogether. We can all dream. John.

[@xix94]

Looks epic have you seen the Workprints: The Five-Hour Rough Version of 'Apocalypse Now' Just watched it and it was fantastic not the best quality but great Love the curtains

[@moviecollector5920]

I did see the Redux version of Apocalypse Now and also the last re-working of it. But as a result of that I then purchased the bigger 4K release which had the original cut and so I don't have to watch the others again. They're interesting to see once but they don't have the impact of the original film as seen in cinemas in 1979 and 1980. Not for me anyway. Glad you had a good time with the five hour (gulp!) version though. It's still a great film irrespective of what is added to it. John.

[@zero15388]

Hi, i dont suppose you know if the 80s Conan The Barbarian 4k is coming to the UK soon?

[@moviecollector5920]

I thought it had already been released but perhaps that's just because a few people asked me to take a look at the 4K a while ago which may have only been available in the USA. I didn't like the film much when I saw it years ago. I rather liked the comic but I wasn't a regular reader like I was with Spider-Man. John.

[@zero15388]

​@@moviecollector5920 no worries one of my favourite Arnie films. I've heard Terminator is coming to 4k in the autumn, can't wait for that

[@LaughMuBai]

Nice curtains, and must make a difference, but what I really want to know is that a 60/70's belt I see you sporting, or are you bringing them back as a fashion influencer? 😆

[@moviecollector5920]

The belt is sold in Primark as I type Mubai so you'll now know where you can get one and start dressing as well as me! John.

[@LaughMuBai]

@@moviecollector5920 Who would have thought that belt would come back... love it!

[@littlemanitor]

How old is the pioneer amp ? Does it passthrough 4k hdr to pj as it looks like an older model

[@moviecollector5920]

I've had it for years. I got the first Pioneer VSA THX in 1998 and this followed a few years after. Better than just about anything today unless you fancy spending the equivalent of the £1700 these cost back then. John.

[@littlemanitor]

@@moviecollector5920 Just curious as to how you get the bandwidth for 4k hdr without a receiver with the capable hdmi output to the laser projector. On my set up my Panasonic 4k player outputs to my Marantz processor which is 4k capable and passes the signal to a 4k capable tv or projector. Do you output video from the Panasonic to projector and use coaxial from panny player to pioneer for audio ?

[@moviecollector5920]

@@littlemanitor I wouldn't go from the player to the amplifier in any case Ellis. Why add an extra electronic device into the path of the video when you can go straight into the ultimate device? One more thing to possibly mess things up. An amp is for the sound and that's all it should be. John.

[@littlemanitor]

Depends if you are converting Digitall to Analog and pushing that to amp is that not worse 🤔

[@moviecollector5920]

@@littlemanitor I don't do that from any of the video disc players but the 35mm projector comes out of the Dolby CP500 processor as six channel analogue and from there into the six channel input of the amp. It's higher quality as you would expect but it's so good already I'm not bothered. I hope to get over to see (and hear) 'Andy THX and his cats' home cinema which I think is going to sound better with all the equipment he has (30KW THX) but other than that I've not heard a better home system than this Pioneer and Kef home THX Ultra system. High end equipment was built to last back when all this was current but I did blow the cone out of one of the rears at the Ealing Town Hall about 20 years ago. Fortunately Kef had a replacement to me two days later and included a whole load of other spares gratis. John.

[@xix94]

How big is that screen ?

[@moviecollector5920]

Just under 10 feet wide. It was 10 feet but then I had to bring the sides in about three or four inches to get them inside the aperture left by the fully open curtains. I don't do diagonal measurements as that's for tellies. John.

[@garyharper2943]

My only question what about The Offence?

[@moviecollector5920]

Thank you for the reminder Gary. Keep 'em coming! John.

[@garyharper2943]

@@moviecollector5920 oh and remember to feed the cat, todays watch Chinatown…do not miss this!

[@iio58]

N I thought I was a movie geek 😂

[@moviecollector5920]

Yes, there's always someone more nuts! John.

[@xix94]

My cinema has curtains but they never use them anymore

[@xix94]

How old are you ? I'm 30 and wish I was born in the 80s 😂

[@moviecollector5920]

The mid-1980's was a great time to be in Britain, that's for sure. The boom that hit the country finally got us over the second world war so perhaps being born when I was would have been better because those of us that could see what was happening and the opportunities it gave us knuckled down to make the best of it. I gave up my youth to concentrate on work and everything else but it worked out in the long run. Cinemas no longer have the audiences to generate big enough incomes and profits to do anything other than basic programming. There are some exceptions such as the genuine IMAX cinemas and hopefully we'll have a fourth of those soon with Bradford scheduled to re-open early next year. Other than that, something else is required to regenerate a dying industry. I'm looking to push the old D-150 format with a small group of colleagues so we'll see if we can make any progress there. John.

[@xix94]

What's your fav war movie ?

[@moviecollector5920]

Probably Apocalypse Now. John.

[@garyharper2943]

@@moviecollector5920 I would have guessed 1917.