While I fully intend to blow a portion of my "hard-earned" (ha!) deployment pay (upon returning from Iraq) on a completely unnecessary HD-flat-panel-super-surround-sound-DVD-home-theater system of some kind, I still prefer the "traditional" movie theater experience.

There’s just something about the full cinema experience — the artery-clogging popcorn, the interaction with the crowd, the bone-rattling sound, the sticky floors — that just can’t be re-created in a home theater environment. Or maybe it’s watching a film on a screen the size of my house that makes certain movies more enjoyable that they might be otherwise. War of the Worlds, for example, wasn’t that great of a movie, but it was an excellent cinematic experience; good for shutting your brain off and just enjoying the show. And sometimes, that’s all you really want.

There is an option missing.

I have a crapy 25" flat screen CRT TV with a pair of absolutely spectacular Bose 901 Generation 5s. Watching the opening scenes of Star Wars Episode IV pisses off my neighbors, and I live in a detached house.

About two years ago I "upgraded" to a 27" flat screen TV; still a huge, heavy television set, but a flat screen none the less. It sits on a table with a PS2 and a DVD player below it, all in the corner of my living room. It may not be a 35" + system with a grounding wire and surround sound, but it’s still larger than my previous 17" TV. Why does everyone suddenly need a huge, loud, entertainment system with a grounding wire and a technician from Circuit City to install it?