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Mini me and the Minema

Mini me and the Minema
« on: July 17, 2019, 11:30:44 AM »
Hi Folks

On a very wet and cold summer's day (it was England, at the seaside, so what do you expect?) I fell in love with movies.  In a large tent, in a vast muddy field, I watched a huge motion picture, with stuff (including a lot of buffalo, in fact, all the buffalo then existing) coming at me from all directions.  There and then I decided my life's ambition was to have my own cinema.  Not practical for a child, or anyone else, in the early 60s, but eminently so today.

I'm not able to recreate Cinerama (we have Pictureville in Bradford for that) but anything short of that, and the Minema is just fine.  Well, it's as good as I can make it on a limited budget which, due to my lifelong passion, is not as limited as some, though doubtless moreso than others. 

I've a dedicated room with full blackout, dark, acoustically treated, and plenty of room for three recliner seats (5m x 6m) ... though only one is ever used.  The screen is 4m at maximum width, and I have infinitely variable masking to accommodate any ratio.  Seating position is the sweet spot distance at 2x screen height (based on 'Scope height), and sound is 7.8.4 with some serious ampage on tap, as required.  Picture provided by JVC (Z1/Paladin DCR/Lumagen).

I suspect like many members, this is my happy place, where the cares of the world seem less important than my Dirac settings or avoiding Game of Thrones S8 spoilers, and I am truly a child again for a few precious hours.       

 

HomeTheaterGuy

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Re: Mini me and the Minema
« Reply #1 on: July 17, 2019, 11:46:01 AM »
Welcome! Nice to have you aboard.

AVSCraig

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Re: Mini me and the Minema
« Reply #2 on: July 17, 2019, 02:24:59 PM »
Nice ! Obviously that Z1 / DCR / Lumagen throws a great image. Any photos of your theater ?
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AVSMike

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Re: Mini me and the Minema
« Reply #3 on: July 17, 2019, 05:13:29 PM »
Nice projector. I had an RS4500 for about a year. What is your audio side like?
My Baffle Wall System: https://discuss.avscience.com/index.php?topic=124.msg902#msg902

Mike Garrett
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Re: Mini me and the Minema
« Reply #4 on: July 18, 2019, 08:17:24 AM »
The Minema was originally our dining room which, like most dining rooms, was rarely used.  But it was only intended to be temporary, until I was in a position to build the 'dream cinema' as an extension to the house.  Sadly, the funds were never available, and that has not changed.  So after ten years I'm trying to make the best of it by refurbishing and redecorating, and accommodating a larger (i.e. 4m) screen.  This is a work in progress, so any current pictures would look a little rough.

I do attach a couple of shots of the hush box, which was forced on me due to required geometry for the a-lens and larger screen, and the fact that I'm particular about the sound ... having a Chinook hovering overhead is fine if it's in the script, but not on a permanent basis.  My wife was not so keen on this 'monstrosity' in our entrance hall; I did my best to disguise it, but failed.  Anyone with the Z1 will understand that cooling is an issue in an enclosed space, but I think I've now cracked that problem.  And my Paladin DCR, which I dropped in the process.

I also attach a picture of the entrance, not as a teaser, but to imply that the Minema is also intended to be a comfortable room to listen to music, read, drink whiskey, etc., and not just be an anaemic black hole.  I fully understand why an 'abh' is desirable, and would perhaps (or perhaps not) have built one myself if the Minema was purely for movies, and to that extent it is compromised.  That said, I sit closer to the screen than some, so am not distracted by other room elements. 

Sound is handled by an Arcam processor to Parasound to KEF speakers, and there are eight subs (inc two REL line arrays), and a decoupled section of floor with shakers.  I am currently fitting high level speakers for Atmos, which has been an effort because ceiling mounting wasn't practical.

It's worth noting that most of the movies I watch pre-date stereo let alone DTS-X, so I'm not so fanatical about the technology as I am about the films (or the music) themselves.   

 

AVSMike

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Re: Mini me and the Minema
« Reply #5 on: July 18, 2019, 09:38:29 AM »
Nice hush box. Fits in with the room nicely. 
My Baffle Wall System: https://discuss.avscience.com/index.php?topic=124.msg902#msg902

Mike Garrett
AV Science Sales
585-671-2968
mike@avscience.com

JVC, Sony, Epson, Marantz, Denon, Yamaha, Stewart, Seymour, Screen Innovations, Screen Excellence, DNP, Da-Lite, Triad, SVS, Martin Logan & more.

Re: Mini me and the Minema
« Reply #6 on: July 19, 2019, 11:58:44 AM »
Thank you; I'm no longer in a minority of one.  The problem is, you can't really gauge the sheer size of the thing from the photos.  Hint: it's not small.

Re: Mini me and the Minema
« Reply #7 on: July 19, 2019, 02:28:21 PM »
Very nice. 
Blu-ray Reviewer / Technical Writer
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